What Did Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Chandi Dayle Do? The Bahamas Incident Explained
Chandi Dayle, one of the longest-serving members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, had a challenging final season with the squad. In Season 2 of Netflix's America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the respected team leader broke a major team rule during a trip to the Bahamas and ultimately took a leave of absence.
Dayle joined the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) in 2019 and became a prominent member of the organization over her six seasons, including being selected as a Pro Bowl cheerleader in 2024. The second installment of the docuseries touches on the veteran's journey to making the 2024–2025 squad and becoming a first-group leader.
In addition to speaking on the difficulties of being a group leader, Dayle was also very open about her past abusive relationship. In Episode 6, Dayle shared that her ex-boyfriend was emotionally and physically abusive on multiple occasions.
'Things progressively got worse with him,' she said. 'We broke up and at that time, I met my boyfriend now. I started getting random messages from many different fake numbers describing exactly what my boyfriend was wearing. He was a stalker.'
As she was driving to the police station, she recalled him pulling up beside her car, smashing his car door into hers and getting out to threaten her boyfriend's life. Unfortunately, she was unable to obtain protection despite filing police reports for domestic violence, harassment and stalking due to lack of evidence.
Dayle's relationship with the DCC took a turn at the end of Episode 6 during the team retreat to the Bahamas. When the squad returned to Texas, Dayle was no longer serving as a leader, sparking speculation among the other cheerleaders about what had happened.
Head choreographer Judy Trummel said that Chandi had to take a leave of absence from the team. In a confessional, Dayle admitted to the cameras that she had been 'struggling mentally' and had done bad things to herself before. "I can't do it anymore," she said. "Like, I was at the end of my rope, and I just wanna, like quit."
On America's Sweethearts, Dayle's actions in the Bahamas came to light in Season 2, Episode 7. Fourth-year veteran KayDianna said that Chandi was doing 'little small things that were weird,' but you would "never pick up on that something big is going down."
Fifth-year vet Jada McLean then explained that Chandi broke protocol in the Bahamas by bringing 'somebody' into her room that no one had known, which made some dancers fear for their safety.
'A lot of people were worried for their safety because they didn't know who this individual was. If that was me, I probably wouldn't want to be in a room with a stranger either,' McLean explained.
'To other people, it came off as, 'Oh my gosh, you put me in danger.' 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,' she continued.
Chandi later addressed the incident and said she invited the person because she needed someone to talk to about the struggles going on in her life.
'When we took the trip to the Bahamas, I met someone and we shared similar things that have happened in our past. I was just like kind of 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 explained.
Chandi broke DCC protocol when she brought someone the team didn't know back to the Bahamas hotel room where other members of the squad were staying.
'In our contract, it specifically even states that we are not allowed to give out information like that. Specific information like location, the hotel – that would put anyone in harm's way,' KayDianna explained in the docuseries, adding that they still didn't know who the man was and that there were a lot of unknowns.
Chandi admitted she broke DCC protocol and acknowledged that the Bahamas trip was not the right setting for what happened.
'I broke a DCC rule and had time with my friend, and it was like the first time I really like mental-dumped everything… and everything that was happening and everything I've gone through and everything that was making me feel and think certain things,' she said.
The former DCC cheerleader continued, 'It helped me in the moment. Like I get it – it was probably the wrong place and time to do that. But selfishly, I had to do it for me because I feel like I was just losing it."
In an exclusive interview with People, McLean and fellow dancers Charly Barby, Armani Latimer and Kelly Villares said they were proud of how they handled the "unfortunate situation" with Chandi.
"There are things that go on in any workplace. Situations come up, and I think the biggest thing is how you handle it," McLean said. 'I think we did our best as a team to handle it professionally while still being supportive of her.'
By the end of the 2024–2025 season, Dayle returned to the team, but not as a group leader. In a confessional, she said it was 'really nice' not being a first leader anymore, after previously sharing how difficult the role had been earlier in the season.
Finglass praised Dayle for doing 'a great job for the situation she's in' and said it was 'very hard' for her to watch the dancer 'go through a low point.'
'I feel very motherly to her. She needs hugs and she needs love and she needs forgiveness. We're not gonna leave any of our children out in the cold,' the DCC director added.
In the finale of America's Sweethearts Season 2, Dayle shared her plans to not continue with the DCC after six years.
'I love you both so much. And I love this organization. And I appreciate you both being there for me through a lot of ups and a lot of downs,' she told her coaches. 'It was a real safe place for me. I'm excited to watch you all from the sidelines and cheer you on.'
The dancer continued, 'I think this year I found who I really am. I lost it for sure, was lost in who I really was. There was a long time where I was scared to just not be without dance because that was just me and that was my safe space. But I feel good."
Season 2 of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is now streaming on Netflix.
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