Content warning: This article contains details of domestic violence and harassment
Two weeks on from the release of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders season two, there is one cheerleader still on everyone’s mind: Chandi Dayle. A sixth-year DCC veteran, Chandi was going from strength to strength, securing one of the coveted point positions on the squad and helping to guide a new team of rookies through the gruelling training camp that makes up the DCC audition process.
But as we continued through the season, a darker, more confronting story started to emerge. It all started in episode six, when the team was treated to a trip to the Bahamas to reboot and reset. The annual trip, which takes the squad to a different location each year, is basically a team building exercise, with dolphin swims, dance parties in their luxe accommodation, and plenty of down time to get to know one another a bit better.
Related: The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Finally Got Their Pay Rise
But once the dance montages stopped, we started to learn more about Chandi. In the following episodes, she revealed that she was navigating the aftermath of an abusive relationship. We had seen her current partner, Ryan, in a couple of episodes so far, and she makes it clear that when she and Ryan started dating, her ex (who she explained had been both emotionally and physically abusive while together) started stalking her and sending text messages to Ryan.
What Did Chandi Do In The Bahamas?
Fast forwarding to the trip in the Bahamas, and Chandi says she met someone who “shared similar things” that have happened in their past, and she invited them back to her room, thus breaking one of the DCC’s many rules. “I was just like crumbling down and I was like, ‘Dang, I feel like I have no one here to talk to and so it’s nice to have someone to confide in’,” she said on the Netflix show.
Some of her roommates were displeased, even though they felt compassion for what she was going through. “To other people, it came off as, ‘Oh my gosh, you put me in danger,’” Jada Mclean, another veteran cheerleader, explained on the show. “Or, ‘You weren’t worried about my safety.’ But I don’t think she thought of that in an almost just naïve way. She wasn’t thinking about that at all. She was kind of thinking about what she needed at the time.”
As a result, Chandi took a leave of absence from the team. Though she did return to complete her final year as a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, she didn’t step back into her point position.
What Happened Between Chandi And KayDianna?
In addition to the difficult circumstances Chandi was navigating in her personal life, it unfortunately did play out in the team dynamics following the Bahamas trip. KayDianna MacKenzie, who filled in for Chandi as point while she was away, made waves when she appeared to speak about Chandi’s situation on a TikTok Live while Chandi was on leave.
Image: @chandidayle via Instagram
When the team caught wind of what she’d said on the Live, she was accused of “being a bully and harassing” and was informed that speaking poorly about a teammate is against another DCC rule. That said, KayDianna maintains that she left the team by choice, following the investigation. I needed to take myself out of the organisation and that I needed to respect myself,” she said on America’s Sweethearts. Kelli Finglass, DCC director, echoed this, saying it “ultimately became KayDianna’s choice”.
Are Chandi And Ryan Still Together?
Chandi and Ryan reportedly got together right as the pandemic started, and he was featured on the second season of America’s Sweethearts, often in the background of Chandi’s videos. She often said he was her “rock”.
While opening up about her past relationship on the show, she did reveal that it had taken a toll on her relationship with Ryan. “I think about it more than I want to, and I don’t want to put that on Ryan,” she said. “I feel bad ’cause I feel like I’ve affected the relationship in like a negative way.”
By the end of the season, the pair had officially broken up.
Where Is Chandi Now, After Leaving The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders?
In the final episode of America’s Sweetheart, Chandi walks into a conference room to speak with Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell about her future at DCC. And after six years, she feels ready to move on. “There was a long time where I was scared to live without dance because that was my safe place,” she admits as she hangs her uniform up for the final time.
The conversation takes place as she is recovering from hip surgery, which is common for the DCC thanks to the iconic ‘Thunderstruck’ finale that sees them drop into a split from a high jump. So, since leaving the team, she has spent time recovering from surgery, regularly sharing workouts and updates on her Instagram page.
Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Chandi has also returned to where she went to college, at the University of Arizona, as an official judge of the Pomline team, which has been the official dance team for the university for almost 50 years. She also often posts photos with her fellow DCC veterans, like Jada Mclean.
It’s unclear exactly what Chandi is doing for work after leaving the DCC, but while on the team, she was known for having multiple ‘real’ jobs outside of DCC, including being a social media manager, influencing, and contracting for a DCC advertiser. We can only image she’s had plenty to keep herself busy since retiring from DCC.
Digital Editor
Sign up for our newsletter
Want 15% off at Adore Beauty? Sign up to the latest news at ELLE.
By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
About your privacy Are Media Pty Limited collects your personal information through this site to process registrations, send out newsletters, communicate offers, discounts, competitions, or surveys, and to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities. Our Privacy Policy contains information on how you can access or correct your personal information, which entities we may disclose your personal information to (including overseas recipients), how to opt out of targeted advertising, and how to lodge a complaint.