Why did Chandi Dayle leave the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders?
In the sophomore season of the Netflix docuseries, Dayle lands the role of first leader for her group. Episode 6 then throws viewers for a loop as Dayle suddenly disappears from the squad.
What caused the cheerleader to take a break from the group and did she ever return? We're unraveling one of Season 2's biggest mysteries, and what she's since said.
Who is Chandi Dayle?
Chandi Dayle, a sixth-year veteran of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) gets a lot of screen time during Season 2 of the Netflix docuseries as she tries out for and earns her spot on the 2024-2025 squad.
Per her DCC bio, Dayle has multiple jobs outside of cheerleading, working as a social media marketing specialist for a pediatric dentistry practice and a licensed pharmacy technician for her family's business. She also works at a Pilates studio and performs contract work for a DCC sponsor.
What does Chandi's love life have to do with anything?
In Episode 6, Dayle opened up about a prior abusive relationship, explaining that her ex-boyfriend misused alcohol and became emotionally and physically abusive on multiple occasions.
Dayle described her ex as a 'stalker' in the period after their breakup and said he threatened her new boyfriend.
Despite her efforts to file domestic violence, harassment and stalking police reports, Dayle said she had been unsuccessful in her attempts to obtain any form of meaningful protection from her ex.
The cheerleader said that her fear had taken a toll on the quality of her current relationship. Later on, Dayle announced that she and her boyfriend had broken up.
Why did Chandi take a leave of absence?
Episode 6 depicts the squad's trip to the Bahamas for a team retreat. By the time they returned, Dayle had taken a leave of absence.
According to Trammell and Finglass, Dayle took time off to address her 'mental health.' During Dayle's absence, KayDianna MacKenzie stepped in as first leader.
Speculation, meanwhile, ricocheted around the team.
'We all know something's going on and we're not getting any answers. No one's speaking about it as a whole so everything is just being whispered,' DCC squad member Jada Mclean said.
Dayle then appeared and addressed what happened in a confessional interview.
The cheerleader said she'd been 'struggling mentally' and has 'done bad things to myself before.'
What happened in the Bahamas?
Mclean ultimately summarized what happened in the Bahamas: Dayle brought 'somebody' into her room, upsetting some teammates. Other cheerleaders brought up that by doing so, Dayle broke a contractual policy.
'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,' she continued.
Still, Mclean was sensitive to what Dayle was feeling in the moment.
'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 said.
What did Chandi say about the incident?
Dayle recalled breaking up with her boyfriend and spiraling emotionally afterwards.
'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 said.
Dayle admitted to breaking DCC protocol but says she was only thinking about needing a friend to listen to her, clarifying that it wasn't a hookup situation.
'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,' she said to her friend.
She said that she has 'kind of checked (herself) out' during her time away from the squad and opens up about the pressures of being in such a demanding role.
'It's really hard to have all that pressure on you all the time. I don't really know who I am. DCC's not even happy for me anymore cause I don't know myself. And I feel like I've just reached that point where I feel like I'm making mistakes in my own life. And they expect you to wake up and be perfect every day. But I can't do it anymore. I really just wanted to dance and be happy and I just haven't been,' she said.
What happened when Chandi returned to the DCC squad?
Just in time for the end of the season, Dayle returned to the squad — but not as a team leader. She was met with mixed reactions.
'It affected some people more than others, but the way that those people didn't feel like they were being heard then affected the group more because a lot of people have kind of walked away from her. And that's not something you want, especially on a team this big,' Mclean said in a confessional interview.
While opening up about her return to the team, Dayle said it was 'really nice' not being a first leader anymore.
'Now I don't have to think about what I'm doing or what I'm calling or anything like that,' she said.
Mclean offered support for her teammate in an interview, saying, 'We've all done things that we shouldn't have done or been in situations that we shouldn't have been in. There's no time to sit and dwell in the past. We can sit here in this or we can move forward.'
Finglass applauded Dayle for doing 'a great job for the situation she's in' and acknowledged that it was 'very hard' for her to watch the cheerleader '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,' she said.
Is Chandi still with the DCC?
Dayle has opted to move on from the squad.
'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,' she said while talking with her coaches about her decision.
Finglass said it would be a 'huge transition' without Dayle on the squad but wished her well.
Wait, what happened to KayDianna?
Remember when KayDianna MacKenzie stepped in for Chandi during her leave of absence? The season finale revealed she's no longer a member of the team.
Finglass called the decision MacKenzie's 'choice' and said it resulted from 'one conversation of honest feedback.'
Meanwhile, MacKenzie shared her own version of the story in a confessional interview.
'Bahamas happened. I stepped into leadership. I definitely didn't feel supported. I felt like I was just a body. It was as if Chandi got the perks of being a first leader and I got the responsibility part of it,' she said.
The cheerleader went on to say she and her teammates were 'confused' and didn't know 'what was going to happen' next.
Then, one day, MacKenzie's was on TikTok Live and some of her followers started asking about the Bahamas incident. Although she didn't name Dayle directly, MacKenzie did say she'd record a video one day to explain what happened.
'Of course someone screen-recorded it and put it on Reddit. They blew it up. I didn't even talk about Chandi, never said Chandi's name. And then I got a call from staff. They said that I was under investigation for being a bully and harassing and I was officially suspended at that point,' she said.
At that point, MacKenzie's decided to step away from the organization and 'respect' herself. Still, she said having to miss the squad banquet was a letdown.
'Even though it was a tough year, I still wanted to be there for my rookies. I still wanted to celebrate this year,' she said.
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