Jinelle Esther

* She says she is sacrificing a lot to be in Dallas and fulfill her dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. She has been a professional cheerleader for the past seven years. She’s left her family and her friends and the team that she was a cheerleader with. She worked and saved everything she had to be able to be there.

**(8.4)**

* [Hybrid moving in together/joint biography with Paige Elaine] Paige says she’s moving in with Jinelle, who she’s known for a month, but feels like she’s known for years now. Jinelle says she’s really relieved to be here and to have Paige, and that she’s a great girl and have a lot of fun together… [*Paige’s portion of biography*]... Paige met Jinelle at finals, and Paige’s from Chicago, so she doesn’t know the area well, but she knows the USA more, so she’s trying to help Jinelle with that. It just made sense for them to move into an apartment together, since they’re in similar situations. Jinelle rhetorically asks when you get to live with someone going through the same thing as you. They can share everything, and it’s nice, since neither of them have their families here. Jinelle says the toughest part is being away from her family. [*Clips of her friends/family shown*] She’s away from all of her friends, and she’s got her boyfriend of five years at home. She lives with her parents and three siblings in Australia, in addition to her 99-year-old grandmother. She’s trying to handle the pressures of training camp as best as she can, but it’s tough. This is a crazy adventure, and it’s day-by-day because neither of them knows how they’re going to make it to the end of training camp. Being in limbo is tough and scares them both. [*Jinelle gives Paige a Texas necklace*] It’s nice they’re sharing this together and to have somebody else to share the exact same experience with.

## **Confessionals**

Total: 50

Season 8: 25 (2nd most)

Season 9: 3

Season 10: 1

Season 11: 7 (T18th most)

Season 12: 14 (T19th most)

Season 13: 9

### **Season 8**

**(8.1)**

* "I just landed yesterday from Melbourne, Australia, so I’m pretty excited to be here. The stadium is something like I’ve never seen before."
* "Auditioning here at preliminaries is beyond my wildest dreams."

**(8.2)**

* (*Biography*)
* "Now we’re going to do the kickline as well. I’m a little nervous. I’ve got Kelsey next to me, who’s an absolute powerhouse, and she’s got great high kicks and a big smile."
* "There’s a lot at stake for me. It makes me want to be in training camp so much more now that I’ve come this far."
* "I’m going to training camp. I don’t have any words."

**(8.3)**

* "This is training camp, so if you don’t do your best, then I don’t think you can expect to be here the next day."

**(8.4)**

* [Uniform fittings] "I don’t normally expose so much cleavage."
* [Uniform fittings] "I felt comfortable with (Kelli). She’s also a busty lady, so we got to talk about our breasts being on the larger scale of life."
* (*Biography/moving in scene with Paige Elaine*)

**(8.5)**

* [Makeover] "When the stylist told me that she wanted me to have a short bob, I got a little bit of a fright."
* "Derek jumped in to save the day and save some of my hair from becoming a really short bob, so I really like Derek a lot right now."
* [Makeover] "I don’t know what (stylist)'s doing up there, but I trust her. Right?"
* [After makeover] "I love my new look. At first, I was a little overwhelmed. It’s gonna be tricky for me to replicate the exact thing at home, but hopefully, with a bit of practice, I’ll get there."
* "I hope that my makeover excels my dance style, and makes me look big and bold and more precise that when I had really long hair."

**(8.6)**

* [Cameo shoot] "This is absolutely rock star treatment. We’re getting out hair and our make-up, everything done for us. So, feel like celebrities, a bit special today. It’s really nice."

**(8.7)**

* [Field entrance] "Learning the sequence is actually quite challenging for me."
* "I’m making a few little mistakes, and Kelli and Judy are telling me, maybe I stuffed up the start of the dance. We’re really close to crossing the finish line, and that adds and enormous amount of pressure."
* "The hardest part is thinking about having your foot on the line in the right place at the right time and coordinating that with your hands and what they’re doing. Its really quick tricky when you try and put it all together. Definitely a lot harder than it looks."

**(8.8)**

* [After making team] "Gave up my family and my friends and everything to be here and to come in and try to achieve my dream, and today is the day that that happened."
* [Squad photo] "Beautiful, (the uniform) feels pretty perfect to me. Custom-made for every inch and centimeter on my body."
* [Game Day] "Everything is on the line for all of us. You’re wearing that uniform. You’ve got to own it, and if you don’t, then someone else will own it better than you, and that’s never a good feeling."
* [Game Day] "Today is the day that I get to live my dream. It’s all becoming so real."
* [In the tunnel before first game] "I’m so nervous right now. I can’t believe this moment’s here, and there’s a whole crowd out there of 80,000 people ready to watch us. We’re going!"
* [Game sideline confession] "This is incredible, this is the most amazing experience of my life."
* [End of season retrospective with flashbacks] "My journey to get here started a really long time ago. I left everything there (Melbourne). I left my family and my friends, and I sacrificed a lot to get here. It was really hard to make the decision to leave, but from that first day in May, I felt like I was in the right place for the first time in my life. I think my makeover really did help me. A few of the choreographers have said that it makes a difference to how I dance and my overall appearance. Being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader really is a dream come true."

### **Season 9**

**(9.2)**

* [Finals] "If I don’t make it, it’s a long flight home."

**(9.4)**

* "I think anybody in the limelight needs to be careful with social media. Things can be taken the wrong way and so we want to make sure that we always come across like America’s sweethearts."

**(9.8)**

* [Tent building] "Since Angela and I are both in this tent, we got both Aussies. We’re doing ''Shrimp on the Barbie''. A very popular Aussie saying."

### **Season 10**

**(10.6)**

* [Show group announcement] "I am beyond nervous. Having done a year of show group before, it’s something that is so important to me. And I just… my heart’s just racing."

### **Season 11**

**(11.2)**

* [After making training camp] "End of 3-year visa, and have to renew it after finals. Will fly back to Melbourne after finals, and hopefully will be back in time for training camp. Feel like my time’s not up yet."
* "Have to hop on a plane now, turn in my visa and passport, and hopefully make it back in time for training camp."

**(11.3)**

* [Explaining what happened to her] "What happened was I landed in Australia, got papers without hitch. Then got abdominal pain, turned out I had a cyst that ruptured and I suffered from severe internal bleeding. Really scary, happy to be back in TC (training camp). Flew out as soon as I got cleared, hate not being able to dance. Just glad to be back."

**(11.6)**

* " Yuko’s in my group with Jenna, so I think it’s my responsibility to really be there for her, and more than that I want to be there for her because I want Yuko to make this team. She’s amazing."
* [Show Group auditions] "I’m pretty nervous, because a month ago, I had a procedure, and I haven’t been able to rehearse the jump split, but I’m going to give it everything I have. [Jump split] After, I just had terrible pains, and I went down a little bit. But it’s hard to pull it together and get through the pain, but I just really want to stay on Show Group. I just love it so much."
* "The last 24 hours, I’ve literally chewed off all of my nails. All I thought about is how much this experience means to me."
* "Going into my 3rd year of Show Group, it feels amazing. I’m so excited, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity again."

### **Season 12**

**(12.2)**

* [Confessional near end] "The semifinalists have no idea what’s coming for them. The pressure’s really going to be on for them to bring it to finals."

**(12.5)**

* "Being named a group leader for the first time, this is something that I’ve up to for many years. And it’s a responsibility and an honor that I’ve dreamed of having myself one day."

**(12.9)**

* [With Jenna] "Demi Lovato is a huge celebrity. Like, this is such a big deal. This is a huge honor for us."
* [About Demi Lovato] "This is so cool. I mean there is so much chaos going on tonight. Gotta be on your toes. You know, she’s a rockstar." "Oh my gosh. That was definitely one of the highlights of the year."

**(12.11)**

* [Jerry Jones Hall of Fame induction performance] "Football season starts now. This is a history making performance. There are a lot of VIPs here today. You know, this is nationally televised. There’s a lot of pressure on us."
* [HOF rehearsal] "We’re rushed, because we don’t have a lot of time out here. There’s a lot of pressure to everything perfect in a short amount of time." "We gotta stay on our toes, you know? Right now, girls are dropping like flies in the heat. So, I think we’re all struggling."
* [Touring the Pro Football Hall of Fame] "This is so helpful and very cool to get to learn more about the sport we actually cheer for."
* "Now we’re getting a lot of last-minute information. It’s a bit stressful going on the fly. You gotta be on top of everything."
* [Before performance] "I’m in the tunnel. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach. I look around – all the other girls have jitters, as well. As a team, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be the best we can be."
* "Getting to dance our signature routine tonight. I struggle to find words, because, you know, that is something I’ve dreamt of since I was a little girl. I literally have goosebumps all over me. I mean this game is going down in history."
* "So, we all got into our line ready to welcome out the Hall of Fame guest and Mr. (Jerry) Jones came over to me I could tell he was proud of us and was happy we were here, but I mean, we were all here for him, so that honor goes both ways."

**(12.13)**

* [First game day as group leader] "On game day, as soon as a song is played, as a leader, you have about three, maximum five seconds to know what to do with that song. And tonight, the veterans are definitely being tested for that. You know, my heart’s kind of racing as a first leader because I want to show them I’m ready for this responsibility."

### **Season 13**

**(13.2)**

* [Thinking about retirement] "If I think about doing my last ever performance, or my last ever anything in the uniform, I just can’t even go there."
* [Mid-office visit as she is praised by Kelli and Judy] "You know, I came to a decision, and then my world was flipped upside down. I honestly didn’t expect Kelli and Judy to give me hints to reconsider. I have not yet 100% committed to retiring. I cannot imagine my life without this team, so that decision of not coming back is gonna be one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to choose."
* [Before NFL Draft performance] "Today, I’ve thought about this so much. I’ve gone back and forward in my head. I think it’s a decision I’m never really going to come to peace with, but I’ve decided that today’s going to be my last performance. I’m going to take everything that I’ve learned in this experience and it’s going to be a part of me forever."
* [After performance]"Not many people in the world get to experience this feeling of achieving their dreams. At that moment, it kind of all hit me that I’m not going to get to do that again with my teammates and… it’s really sad. Just having the realization that I’m going to have to give the uniform back, and the boots, and the poms, and everything that goes with it, it’s kind of a little bit heartbreaking. I have so much of my heart and soul in this, and I’m so invested and I love it so much, but this is my time."

**(13.11)**

* [Replaces Kelli at cameo shoot] "Actually, it’s a lot of responsibility. Suddenly, I feel I have to be really awake, and there’s a lot of pressure."
* [Gives Jalyn a pep-talk] "Just to receive a little bit of, ''Hey, you got this.'' I think that really makes a difference."

**(13.13)**

* [Replaces Yuko in Game Day, who got injured] "There’s a lot of pressure on me jumping straight back in, but I am on absolute cloud nine getting to come out here and dance today. It feels so natural being out on the field with these girls."
* "I haven’t performed this routine since last season, so I’m feeling the pressure, for sure. You know, I have to bring it."
* [Final “cheerleader” confessional of season] "You know, I thought I was retired, and it was the hardest decision in my life, but they called me 48 hours ago to jump in and fill those shoes for the pre-game routine, and I did it and I felt really, really good about it, and it was just such an honor and such a pleasure getting to dance out there with this amazing new team."

## **Commentary**

### **Season 8**

**(8.2)**

* [Panel interviews] I love her personality. – K
* She looks pretty on the board./ Prettier than I thought.
* Somehow, Jinelle appeared better on the HD. It might be that it adds weight. The board just changed her to me. – K
* I’m not 100% convinced on her. I don’t know why.
* [Finals deliberations] I thought she was too skinny./ I’ll tell you what. When she got on that board, she looked a lot better./ I agree./ She’s a look for some and not for others, I guess.

**(8.3)**

* Jinelle’s powerful, but it’s willowy… gangly? – K
* I think you’re real spunky, so you’re fun to watch because you’re spunky. We wrote “willowy, gangly.” You need to make noise with your palms. Every move, make a noise. – K

**(8.4)**

* I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cheerleader that’s as lean and that has these voluptuous boobs. – K
* I think she’s adorable. – Jonny/ Everything is working, but the hair looks like the girl on the Addams Family. – K
* Tonight’s an important night for Jinelle, because I’m going to have Jonny study her. And I think right now her biggest challenge is us establishing a look that we really like. – K

**(8.5)**

* Jinelle’s look had such diverse opinions from our judges, and that is a makeover needing to happen. – K
* [About proposed short haircut] I think we all were a little taken back. She was clearly getting nervous, and I was getting nervous for her. It just wasn’t totally feeling right. – K
* Jinelle needs a good makeover to make this team. This is critical for her. – K
* I think this makeover has helped Jinelle’s chances of making this team, and now, I want to see her dance. – K
* There’s something brighter to me. – K/ About who? – J/ Jinelle. – K
* I thought it was good, but I think you’ve been better. – J

**(8.7)**

* Wrong arms, Jinelle. – J/ Jinelle’s lost. – K
* Did y’all not do this kind of movement across the field today? How did y’all dance? How did you get out there? – K/ Running, cheering on. – Jinelle
* Jinelle and Kaitlyn, y’all need to know how to start it. – J
* Jinelle and Kaitlyn were fighting, but I don’t know who was wrong, and who was right. You start rushing, and you made a lot of mistakes toward the end. But at the beginning, you two were kind of doing different things, and I think y’all were taking turns on who’s doing it right and wrong. – J
* Know the sequence… Jinelle is freaking herself out. – J
* Now you’re doing it like a racehorse trying to get your neck over the finish line first. Don’t stick your neck out. – J

### **Season 9**

**(9.2)**

* Jinelle, I loved Jinelle. – K

### **Season 10**

**(10.6)**

* [Show group auditions] Jinelle’s lost me. – K
* [*Show group audition deliberations*] Is she still in your…? – K/ Not for me. – Kitty Carter/ Jinelle was really strong last year. – K/ Not this year./ If you’re talking full package, I’d put her on there.

### **Season 11**

**(11.3)**

* Jinelle’s passion, her dedication is the example we want as a DCC – K

**(11.6)**

* I really like Jinelle. She’s very fierce up there. Thought that was very impressive./ I didn’t like her tonight. – McCoy/ I don’t think she had her best day. But I know she’s been sick. She’s definitely a Show Group to me.  – J/ Overall, I think there were better girls. – Ramos

### **Season 12**

**(12.10)**

* Jinelle, nice smile. – K

**(12.11)**

* "It’s two brand new leaders for this game. Jinelle’s never led a game. Lacey’s never led a game." – Judy
* 'Jinelle and Lacey did a great job leading." – Kelli

### **Season 13**

**(13.10)**

* "Something happened prior to rehearsal between Jinelle and Victoria. Jinelle’s volunteered her time to help Victoria with nutrition, and I’m not accusing anybody of dishonesty, but there is something that’s not adding up, and I want to explore that." – Kelli

**(13.11)**

* [Cameos] "Jinelle gave a great pep-talk. It was kinda like an extra little energy boost to kinda spice up the rest of the photo shoot. If you’re going to take tips from anybody, it’s definitely Jinelle. She’s been in our shoes hundreds of times." – Jalyn (rookie candidate)

**(13.13)**

* [Filling in for Yuko] "I am concerned that she’s comfortable with these formations. It’s nowhere near where she stood in the past five years, so this is all new for her also." – Judy

## **Office Visit**

### **Season 13**

**(13.2)**

* [End of 2017-18 season office visit] Kelli introduces her to the office for the first time, and asks about her decision to retire or try out. Jinelle feels she could do this forever, but there has to come a time when you pass the boots on. She admits it is hard. Kelli tells her that her boots will be hard to fill. She continues that she’s never given less than 100% in any way. She’s been a kids’ favorite, a fans’ favorite, and one of their favorites. Judy adds that she draws people in, and not everyone has that gift. Kelli calls her legendary. Jinelle says not to tell her that now. Kelli asks if she can be happy out of a uniform.

## **Other**

### **Season 8**

**(8.1)**

* Shown being invited to finals.

**(8.2)**

* At panel interviews, Kelli asks her about her Cowboys fluency. She responds that she’s done a lot of studying, but this is obviously something that she’ll have to work on, because it’s played a little differently back home with Australian rules in football. She adds that cheerleading is her dream, and it’s what she’s always wanted to do. She still has to pinch herself being here, because there are no words for what she’s feeling right now.
* Third to last shown being invited to training camp.

**(8.4)**

* Has a scene of moving in with Paige Elaine.

**(8.5)**

* At makeovers, the stylists want her to have a very short cut, but Jinelle and Kelli aren’t feeling it, and one of the other stylists (Derek) jumps into propose an alternative to a short cut.
* Makeover glamour shot: a little shorter, wavier, lighter, and fuller.

**(8.7)**

* She’s one of several shown in succession while Kelli gives a confessional rhetorically asking if they need a weak link, or if they should cut their losses now.

**(8.8)**

* She gets a brief shot of her remarking about her life-size cameo at the stadium locker room.

### **Season 9**

**(9.2)**

* She’s shown performing her solo at finals.
* She’s shown being invited to training camp.

**(9.3)**

* She introduces herself at the opening meeting: she’s from Australia and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so don’t mess with her.

**(9.5)**

* At the Belk session, she (alongside Jasmine) models what not to wear to the airport.

### **Season 10**

**(10.3)**

* She’s shown introducing herself at the opening meeting: she’s afraid of elevators.
* She’s shown helping Shelbi learn the second routine.

**(10.6)**

* Shown being announced as a member of show group.

**(10.7)**

* When a list of scores from auditions is shown on screen, by process of elimination, it can be determined that she was ranked in the top 5 at finals.

### **Season 11**

**(11.2)**

* Shown after Kelli mentions wanting to see dancers who make her want to put her pen down and just watch.
* Shown being invited to training camp.

**(11.3)**

* Gets hospitalized when in Australia to get visa renewed, and they think she will be back next week.
* Gets back on night of second practice (earlier than Kelli expected) with bandage on her arm.

**(11.6)**

* Comes to Melissa Rycroft and Yuko’s mentorship session to discuss her own visa issues and moving to another country. Dances besides Yuko at this.
* Last one announced as show group member on the show.

### **Season 12**

**(12.3)**

* Tells the other people in her panel interview group beforehand that even though she’s done it 4 times before, she’s still terrified each time.
* Solo is shown after Kelli says great energy grabs her attention.

**(12.4)**

* Shown helping Lexie while Erin is giving a confessional about the veterans being awesome at helping them.

**(12.5)**

* Announced as Group 2 leader.

**(12.9)**

* Talks with Demi Lovato about how Lovato's mother cheered with Judy.

**(12.10)**

* Shown being placed in the fourth row of the triangle for the Canton performance.

**(12.11)**

* Serves as one of the two group leaders for the temporarily reconfigured Canton groups.

### **Season 13**

**(13.2)**

* She helps Judy teach those auditioning the routine at semifinals.
* She performs for the final time as a DCC at the NFL Draft.
* Although retired, she comes back as a staff member. Here, she helps Jennifer Kathryne with a pre-finals practice for the returning veterans.

##### (**13.4)**

* She helps Kelli at swimsuit fitting tryouts.

##### (**13.6)**

* She is seen at the door for Daphne's graduation ceremony at the Star.

##### **(13.8)**

* She sits in on Victoria’s office visit, where Kelli arranges for the two girls to work on fitness strategies.

**(13.9)**

* She serves as chaperone for the mid-episode office visits.

**(13.10)**

* She sits in on Victoria’s office visit, regarding the aftermath of events surrounding their previous office visit. Jinelle had set up appointments for her, but she did not take her up on these. Victoria tells Jinelle in the visit that she had not had weight issues, so Victoria wanted to work with those who had. She apologizes to Jinelle for not letting her know.

**(13.11)**

* After Kelli leaves with a family emergency, Jinelle sits with Judy for the rest of the cameo shoot and helps with the editing of the photos. There she gives Jalyn a pep talk.

**(13.13)**

* After Yuko is injured, Jinelle replaces her for the first game.

## **Misc.**

* Season 12: **Group Leader**
* Last member from her rookie class on the squad
* She is the only cheerleader to have a confessional in every episode of Season 8.
* She retires in Season 13, however, she stays with the team as an employee (later confessionals refer to her as "DCC Staff"). In this role, she can be seen in the background of many episodes throughout this season. She does not return to this role for Season 14.
* Former Melbourne Storm Rugby cheerleader