Karissa Lynae

* [Not a traditional biography, but it is a scene of her describing her current life during training camp] She thinks life in Dallas has been difficult. Her mom, baby sister, and brothers are all back in San Antonio. Ever since she was 10-years-old, she’s been taking care of her brothers, her sister was born 2.5 years ago, and her mother is a single mom. So, she feels like she should be at home because she feels like she still has responsibilities there. Not having anyone to come home to or just go see as soon as she’s done with training camp is a feeling that can kick your butt and send you home if you let it.

## **Confessionals**

Total: 53

Season 6: 41 (**Most in season**)

Season 7: 12 (T19th most)

### **Season 6**

**(6.1)**

* [With unnamed friend] She made it. I didn’t, unfortunately. It’s alright. – Friend/ But you know what? There’s next year. – Karissa

**(6.2)**

* When I perform my solo, I want to show the judges that I have the energy and I have the personality to fill that field.
* Right after I finished my solo, I walked off the floor and I swear to you, I was having an anxiety attack. I couldn’t breathe. I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t think. I was trying to focus on breathing. I definitely freaked myself out.

**(6.3)**

* [*Long confessional/sequence of her driving around explaining her struggles finding housing for training camp, how she doesn’t have any friends in the area, and how she is currently living out of her car*]
* [[[Amber Lea]] lets her live with her] I was very relieved after meeting with Amber, just very, very happy she was so generous and willing to help me out.
* Going up and down the floor for me was very difficult. Kicks are not my strong point at all. I’m definitely more of a choreography person.
* Learning the first dance tonight is completely overwhelming. It’s a lot more than I think myself and a lot of the other girls expected. I was completely lost just about the entire time.
* It’s a lot to take in for one night, but I know I’m a take homer, so if I take it home and just keep going over it and break it down, I’ll get it.
* [With Amber Lea] After leaving the first rehearsal last night, I definitely knew it was going to take all day, all night, all of everything I have to prepare for tonight.
* We’ve definitely come strides from where we were yesterday. So, I think we’re all excited to go and show everybody that we can do better, but we’re still nervous not to be as good as the vets.
* [About office visit] Oh, this is never good. You don’t want to go into that office. But I’m hoping for the best. But I’m definitely a lot more than this smile is trying to let you know about.
* [Before office] Judy and Kelli could talk to me about anything, absolutely anything. Dance, technique, my past, my dance history, my hair color, my eyebrows. I have no clue and I think that’s what’s making me the most nervous right now.
* [After office] I definitely feel like my chances are a little bit less than a lot of other girls. I have to prove myself as an individual capable of making good decisions that properly represent the DCC logo, label, brand, everything, as well as being a good dancer.

**(6.4)**

* Just knowing that you get to be fitted for the Dallas Cowboys uniform, that’s not something a lot of people get to do. So, it’s definitely a privilege and an honor and I’m really excited.
* I have too much natural boob, basically. And it just pushes out of the uniform instead of staying inside.
* Today, I feel like I have to be on my game more than ever. So, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get the music and show them that I can be entertaining. I know we don’t have forever, but just being in a stressful environment makes it even harder. It is a prayer, “Please, God, just get me through this night.”
* Obviously, they want me to be more clean, more precise, work on my sloppiness, but I feel like they were at least looking, they noticed, they had critique, so hopefully they have some hope for me. But we’ll see.

**(6.5)**

* I am definitely not finished enough to have the DCC look.
* [Rainer suggests she should go brunette] I love change. So, I’m very excited.
* It’s a completely different me and I love it, I love it. I feel fantastic.
* I’m excited for tonight just because it’s the first practice after our makeover, so it’s the first time everybody’s seeing us.
* We are now dancing with the veterans and not just with the rookies. They’re ready to see some major improvement.
* [Healthy eating session] Today was exceptionally helpful. I think a lot of us will talk away today with a lot of changed habits, hopefully.
* Pseudobiography

**(6.6)**

* Tonight, I just need to be big and actually perform the dance and not just know it. And that’s what it’s going to take for me not to go home this weekend.
* [Kitty shows up to training camp] Well, Houston, we have a huge problem.
* Kitty Carter was exceptionally hard on me tonight. It’s hard to have somebody tell you that you’re awful and to know that everything that you’ve felt like you’ve given so much for is just, “Sorry, but that sucked.”
* [Gets praised by Kitty] I needed that, I needed to hear that.
* When we walked into the room tonight and we were told tonight is about Facebook, I just had one of those moments. [Flashback to her office visit] I just felt like Kelli was staring at me the whole time and being like, “Yes, this is exactly what we were talking about.”
* Other than posting on people’s walls and accepting friends, I don’t understand Facebook at all. So, tonight was quite informative and I learned a lot. It was very interesting.
* [Cameo shoot] Today is a fun day to play dress up and wear the uniform and be excited, but it’s a very nerve-wracking day to wonder if this could be the reason to go home.
* Today, things are for me very nerve-wracking, because I don’t know how to pose. I don’t know if I photograph well. And I don’t know if my body’s what they’re looking for.
* Tonight, I need to show Kelli and Judy that I’ve been practicing, that I’ve got the memory, and now I can perform the dances. And for me to not be sent home tonight, I need to show them that I can be more than just somebody that can pose and take a picture or somebody that can do an interview well, so, you know, tonight could be my last night. It really could be.
* [Jump splits too early] It just shouldn’t happen and it did. And I don’t feel good about tonight at all.
* [Before office] I feel like they have faith in me, or else I wouldn’t still be here, but I don’t have faith in myself. And I just hope that it doesn’t end with me going home tonight. I’m just not ready.
* [After office] Knowing that they have faith in me, knowing that they’re giving me a chance they’ve never given anybody else makes me want to try that much harder and it gives me a little more self-confidence that I can do it. It is a do or die. You either do it now or you go home.

**(6.7)**

* The last time we had rehearsal at Valley Ranch, Kelli called me into the office, and she explained to me that I was going to need to meet with my group leader, Whitney, to work on my technique. [*Clip of her working with Whitney is shown*] I’m just hoping to show them tonight just that I’ve improved since they last saw me, and that working with Whitney has helped a lot.
* If they base who’s going home off of who did that entrance properly, they can easily send me out the door right now.
* [About being called into the office] I’m not shocked, but I’m hoping there’s a silver lining.
* [Before office] At the beginning of practice, I knew I didn’t have room for mistakes, and I made them. So now it’s just seeing what they have to say. And if they send me home, then I’ll come back next year.
* [After cut] It just sucks to know that the only reason I won’t be on this team is because I’ve never taken dance classes. Had I just taken dances to prepare for this, I’d still be on that team.

### **Season 7**

**(7.1)**

* [First confessional of season] I’m back! First in line, really excited. Six AM, getting ready to go into the stadium.
* There’s limited numbers of mirrors that they provide for you, and have girls climbing on top of girls, girls leaning over girls, girls trying to avoid curling irons that are flying in the air, everybody wants that prime spot in the middle of the mirror.
* Last time I was in the stadium, was me being cut from training camp. [Flashback] My goal is to really push into training camp this year, and just not be so scared and more confident.
* [Invited to semifinals] I’m really, really excited, but I’m very, very nervous for tomorrow.
* [Before semifinals results are announced] Choreography has always been my biggest challenge, so there’s a chance it could go either way. It depends on what they thought.
* [Invited to finals] They said my name, and I just started bawling. Like a little baby again. But they’re tears of joy. So, I’m okay with it.
* I really appreciate everything Kitty has to say, because it’s definitely going to make me more prepared for Saturday. It’s definitely hard to have someone sit there and just tell you that your best is not good enough.
* This year, my focus is to embrace every second that I have, and not let my nerves ruin the experience.
* [Criticized by Kitty Carter] I felt completely ready for tryouts on Saturday, and now I’m not so sure.
* I just really want to go out there and so them that I could really entertain the entire stadium.
* [After solo] That is probably the worst part of the entire tryout process for me, and I’m very, very glad they’re over and I can just move on.
* [Not invited to training camp] It’s really hard, obviously, to make it far and then not make it at all. It sucks, actually, I’ll be fully honest. But it just means God has other things planned for me, so just really gotta focus on that.

## **Commentary**

### **Season 6**

**(6.2)**

* [Panel interview] Lots and lots of things to talk about and responsibilities. And she was, like, pulled up to that table like she owned it. She was very confident. And that’s nice to see out of someone so young. – K
* [Finals deliberation] I thought her dance was okay. I just liked her spunk. And I just thought every squad needs somebody like that./ As spunky as she was in her personality, she was not equally spunky in her performance. And that’s where it counts. – Charlotte

**(6.3)**

* She’s trying but she’s out of her element. – K
* Karissa, earlier you did this too. When she’s backing up, you’re rocking back on your heel like a country dance. Don’t rock back. – J
* Karissa has a great personality and she really engages people, but that’s not going to win her a spot on the squad. – J
* I put memory mistakes, but you have some moments. Not a whole routines worth of great moments, but you have some, but you have memory mistakes. – K/ When you point your toe out [*Judy has Ally Traylor show her the move*] you had your foot flat on the ground. So, point your toe. Do you know what I’m saying. Your foot was flat on the ground and it was really ugly. And you did the same thing tonight that I called you out on last night. – J/ Rocking backwards? – Karissa/ You know how you walk backwards? You sure did. And your arms were like “I’m just going backwards.” Do you know what I’m talking about? You have to do what everybody else is doing. You can’t add your Karissa style. – J
* Karissa’s already a mess. She’s overwhelmed. She just looks inexperienced in this dance studio environment. She’s probably one of the weaker rookie candidates on first impressions. – K
* Karissa talked her way onto this squad. Her interview won the judges over. But, she’s all over the place, and she’s going to have to work harder than most. – J
* [During office visit] Bad, distasteful photos can compromise the individual girl as much as our reputation as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. [*Photographs of Karissa shown on screen*] They create doubt on our part, doubt of character, doubt of reputation. For us, it’s troubling.

**(6.4)**

* To me, Karissa, every night at rehearsal, she just looks messy. – J/ She looked probably the messiest, yesterday. – K
* Mistakes. You make big mistakes, though, because you’re trying really hard. You’re not finishing through the whole dance. You need to clean. – J

**(6.5)**

* Her hair looked kind of processed, kind of trashy. – K
* Literally when she walked around the corner I didn’t recognize her after her hair color. – K
* Now you look beautiful, not trashy. – K
* [Judy asks her to perform a move] No, don’t step off with your heel. Do you know what I’m talking about… better. – J
* Karissa is a mess. – J

**(6.6)**

* She can talk up a storm. I think we should go sit and wait for Kelli in the office. You think so?  – Kitty Carter/ I hope not. – Karissa/ I think so, girl. I don’t think there’s any other place for you. – Kitty
* Karissa. Oh my God. [*To Kelli*] Can I see the score sheets, because I just don’t believe it. Her uncle or somebody bought the dance floor. – Kitty Carter
* Karissa’s still here because she has shown some progress. She’s got a strong spirit; she’s not going to break easy. – K
* Watch Karissa and see what you think. – K/ [To Karissa] You surprised me. You did. This one. – Kitty Carter
* Karissa turned it up a notch. I ended up liking her before the night was over. – Kitty Carter
* [Cameo shoot] Okay, Karissa, you look like a soldier. Swing and swing and swish and tilt and shift your weight. – K
* [Cameo shoot] She’s done sexy or naughtier photos; we’ve seen them ourselves. Karissa, turn your naughty on. Do some where you’re kind of just feeling the music. – K/ Like dancing? – Karissa/ Yes. – K
* To be as colorful and dynamic as she is just in person, I was real surprised that she kind of clammed up and froze on camera. – K
* [Cameo shoot] I thought she would be sexy. – K
* Did you see Karissa’s kicks? Oh my gosh. That’s weird. – J
* [Karissa goes into the jump split early] Do you know how dangerous that is? That has caused us to have to have a girl have surgery because somebody jumps early and blows her knee out. You cannot do that for your safety and for everyone else. – J
* Throwing a jump split early is going to hurt the person next to you, and that’s one reason we’re so concerned about Karissa. I can’t trust that she can do the kick line without making a mistake and not injuring someone next to her. – J
* I know Karissa’s probably one of the most determined girls at camp this year. And I think she’s so ready and so hungry to learn that she’ll be fine. – Whitney Isleib

**(6.7)**

* Karissa’s lost. – K
* Karissa really looks like a mess, and tonight is really showing that this is way out of her element and out of her comfort zone. – J
* You have to be on your toes. I can’t look at hillbilly hoedown anymore. – J/ I hate to say it. I don’t want to give up on her, but Karissa scares me to death. – K/ Me too. – J
* It’s just obvious Karissa hasn’t had a lot of dance. The normal fan wouldn’t notice, but she’s just not with the counts all the time. Look, do you see all the mistakes she’s making? It’s weird. – J
* Karissa looks lost tonight. She’s probably my biggest concern. This may swallow her up tonight. – K

### **Season 7**

**(7.1)**

* [Preliminaries judging] What’d you think about her this year? – K/ I thought she kind of had a stronger presence. – Charlotte/ She seemed less polished looking than I wished she would have come back looking. – J/ She did. – Charlotte/ [*Kelli pulls out Alex Hermes’ photo*] The difference to me in these two was night and day with her. To me, [Alex] came back looking better.  – J
* [Semifinals judging] I thought she looked less polished than last year, when we cut her, so she should have improved. – J/ What did you love about her, Tre? – K/ She just stuck out. Her overall look. She looked like she kinda had it.
* Karissa, come on! Do you think that she’s sharp? – Kitty Carter/ I think that she could be sharper. – Jordan Elizabeth/ A lot sharper. I don’t need… I need [*blows in her face*]. You see how your hair moved when I blew? That’s the expression I need from you. – Kitty Carter
* Karissa was an absolute disaster. – Kitty Carter
* You’ve got to hit it harder, and I don’t know besides putting a lighter under your butt what’s going to make you move faster. I like you, but I don’t like you. I’m pulling for you, but I just want to kick you, too. I need more! And I can’t get it from you. I don’t know how I’m going to get it, okay? – Kitty Carter
* [Finals] She’s taken some of our steps and made them look bad. – K/ Yeah. – J
* [Finals deliberations, first one discussed] I said “no” last year, I said “maybe” this year, because I do think she looked better./ I noticed she was winded during her own routine./ Let’s see how the numbers fall on her.

## **Office Visits**

### **Season 6**

**(6.3)**

* [End of episode, first of three] Kelli tells Karissa that in the choreography, she does have memory mistakes, but she does have nice kicks. So, she’s got some of the components, but it’s not connecting yet. [*Kelli pulls out some photographs*] Most concerning that they’ve discovered photos of her. Kelli needs her to explain them. Karissa says that none of these are actually… and Kelli interjects “you?” Karissa says that they are of her, and Kelli says that this concerns her far more than what’s on the dance floor. Karissa says she knew it would. Kelli hands her a photo and asks her to tell them about this, because she wants to know where these are, where these were, and how they get rid of them. Karissa says this one was supposed to be for building a portfolio – things like that. People kept saying, “Build your portfolio, you don’t have to pay for pictures, we’ll just give them to you.” Kelli asks what kind of portfolio she’s trying to build. Karissa says she thought she wanted to do modelling. Kelli says it was a bad start, and does it reflect one bad judgment, or more future bad judgments in the future? Karissa says she would never, ever do anything like that. Kelli tells her to convince her. Karissa says it’s not who she is, and the last thing she wants is her sister and her family to see that. That’s not who she is or she was raised to be. Regardless of if she continued there or not, that would never happen. Kelli says she has now taken a couple of steps back, and now she has some additional things she needs to convince them off that others do not. Karissa says she understands. Kelli tells her she seems mature for her age, and that if she understands and can address it maturely, then that’s a direction they should go. [*Karissa leaves and cries*] Judy says she’s not convinced. Kelli says she’s seen good girls make bad decisions.

**(6.6)**

* [End of episode, first of three, called in with Whitney Isleib] Kelli tells Karissa that they have one more group rehearsal and then they hit the field. Kelli then tells Whitney that before they give up on Karissa, she wants her to take to under her wing, tutor her, and give her the same chances that they gave her when people didn’t believe in her. They want to see if Whitney can help Karissa make this team. Whitney says she’ll be more than happy – that Karissa is a hard worker and she knows she wants it, but she just doesn’t have the dance technique. Kelli says they want to know they’ve done everything they can because they think it could change Karissa’s life. Karissa says she really, really, really appreciates it. Kelli warns her that if they have another office visit, it will be goodbye.

**(6.7)**

* [Mid episode, second of two, at Cowboys Stadium] Kelli tells her she’s given it a good run. She’s made progress, she’s done everything they’ve asked, but she’s not ready for the team this season. The season is two weeks away and tonight it was kind of evident, that just in the movement, the big block, the field and space, she’s chasing the group. She’s chasing the formations. It’s too risky. [*Karissa gets teary*] Kelli recommends that she take some technical dancing, learn how to control things, and give this another run. Kelli says she should be proud of herself: she’s done really well and has made progress. Kelli apologizes, and Karissa says it’s okay – it happens. [*Karissa leaves*] Judy says she didn’t think she’d make it this far, and she worked hard. Kelli says she looks really pretty now. She notes that she wrote at her interview, “I like her.”

## **End of Journey**

### **Season 6**

**(6.7)**

* Cut from training camp during week seven (6th out of 11, 39 left after cut)

### **Season 7**

**(7.1)**

* Makes it to finals, but is not invited back to training camp

## **Other**

### **Season 6**

**(6.1)**

* Shown being invited to finals

**(6.2)**

* At panel interviews, Kelli mentions that Karissa owns her own company, and asks what it is. Karissa says it’s a custom ventilation company. She has a co-owner and manages his pest control office, as well. Also, she’s helped raise her two-year old sister. But now her family is going through transition, as Karissa making this far has made her mom realize she needs to let her go. So, making this squad would be one of the first things in her life she’s ever done for herself.
* Fifth-to-last person shown being invited to training camp

**(6.3)**

* She has a long sequence about her struggles finding a place to live for training camp at the start of the episode
* She’s shown pulling up to security at Valley Ranch and telling them she’s there for training camp
* Before the opening meeting, she asks Amber Lea if she can stay with her temporarily, and Amber says yes.
* Has a scene practicing outside of rehearsal with Amber Lea and Rebecca Lynn

**(6.5)**

* Makeover glamour shot (hair is curlier and dyed reddish-brown)
* At the healthy eating session, she shows Jay a type of baby food that she likes to eat that serves as a substitute for Cheetos. Jay tells her it is also a substitute for getting lean and throws them in the trash.

**(6.6)**

* Goes into the jump split too early

### **Season 7**

**(7.1)**

* Shown when Kelli mentions recognizing a few familiar faces during the introduction speech at preliminaries – Kelli greets her personally in the middle of the speech
* Last one shown being invited to finals