Rycroft has rejoined the cast of the CMT show, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team as guest judge and showmanship mentor. “It has been great. Crazy as always,” she said. “It has been a really good season.”
The 14th season of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will premiere this Friday, August 2, on CMT, where the competition was tougher than ever this year.
Speaking of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, they recently joined Adam Lambert and Queen on stage at Dallas’ American Airlines Center, as part of “The Rhapsody” Tour. “I saw that. If I was ever jealous of a moment where I wasn’t a cheerleader anymore, that was totally it,” she said. “That was such a cool moment for them,” she added.
Rycroft herself was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader in 2006 and 2007, prior to going on to winning Dancing with the Stars, where she was partnered with professional dancer Tony Dovolani. “I love Tony. That was one of the most fun things I’ve ever gotten to do,” she said.
She had also appeared as a bachelorette on the 13th season of The Bachelor on ABC. “That was surreal and just as crazy,” she said.
Each day, Rycroft is motivated by her “family and self-satisfaction.” “I want to wake up and be happy with myself and what I have done for the day. Also, knowing that I am creating a great platform for my three kids,” she said.
On balancing motherhood with a career in the entertainment world, she said, “It’s a juggling act. You never find the perfect formula, you just find the formula that fits at the right time. It makes me happy to have my own career and to be home with my family.”
For young and aspiring entertainers, Rycroft said, “You need to stay true to yourself, as well as your cores and your values. The industry has changed so much, and it has made it easier to attain fame than people had to work for in the past.”
“Keep a good support system around you so that, at the end of the day, if the crazy success goes away, you will still be okay,” she added.
The best advice she ever received was the following: “Don’t take criticism from anyone you wouldn’t go to for advice.”
When asked what the title of the current chapter of her life is, she said with a sweet laugh, “Crazy and Chaotic.”
Digital transformation of the entertainment industry
Regarding the impact of technology and streaming on the entertainment business, Rycroft said, “It has definitely changed the way that everybody watches TV. To be honest, it makes me feel old. I just got into Netflix and Hulu and now I have to keep figuring out the latest trends. There are so many different ways to get your entertainment now. I can’t keep up these days.”
On being a TV personality in this digital age, Rycroft said, “The industry has changed completely from when I came into it a decade ago. These days, almost anybody can become a celebrity, once you get a good amount of followers and create good content. It has allowed people to take control of the industry from their home. Technology has changed everything.”
Rycroft defined the word success simply as “happiness.”
For fans of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on CMT, she concluded, “Get ready to see some of the biggest talents the show and the organization have seen. This year, at tryouts, they had the highest number of veterans returning than they’ve ever had before. Also, they had the most talented group of girls coming in.”
To learn more about TV personality Melissa Rycroft, follow her on Instagram.
