The newest season of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders dropped recently and tells the ins and outs of the cheerleaders' auditions, training camp and their journey through the 2025-2026 NFL season.

There's, of course, some drama but the most scandalous new story from the DCC is one you won't see in the seven-episode third season.

That's because, while season three was filmed over a year ago, the latest drama is happening in real time.

Enter: Karley Swindel. The name in the middle of it all. A storyline that will no doubt make it to the next season of the cheerleading docuseries (if there is one).

Swindel first made the team in 2022. In season 3 of the Netflix show, she was a fourth-year veteran of the team and a second group leader.

For those not entirely versed in the goings-on of the DCC world, that basically means she's a pretty big deal.

In the new season, which was released on June 16, Swindel is seen as she battles with some injuries during her fourth year, including issues with her hip flexor that affected her high kicks — a very essential move for a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

She was also pulled into a meeting with DCC director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammel, where she was told she "wouldn't have made the team" that year if they hadn't vouched for her.

Throughout the season, Swindel is the only veteran member that Finglass and Trammel discuss cutting from the team due to her performance.

Despite the challenges, Swindel informed Finglass and Trammel that she would be returning for a chance at a fifth season with the team.

Only, now it has been confirmed that she was cut following finals auditions earlier this month and was not invited to training camp.

Speculation of her exit first began circulating on a popular DCC fan account @dcc_updates. Then Swindel herself appeared to confirm the news herself, reposting a video with the hashtag #JusticeForKarley on her Instagram Stories.

The @dcc_updates Instagram and TikTok accounts then posted an unverified allegation about why Swindel was really cut from the team which originally appeared on Reddit.

The allegation was written by a Reddit user, who claimed to be an insider and "someone present in Karley's life".

They claimed that Swindel had a meeting with Finglass and Trammel earlier this year expressing "concerns regarding behaviour from certain staff members" and that she had hesitated to come back for a fifth year due to a "toxic environment caused by staff at times".

Come finals time, the Reddit poster wrote that despite a "fabulous solo that the judges seemed to love", Swindel's name wasn't called, meaning she had been cut.

The Reddit poster alleged: "It got back to higher ups what she expressed a couple months ago and they weren't happy with her exposing unfair and toxic behaviour".

"Furthermore, multiple Netflix producers stopped her and said they had no idea she was getting cut," they wrote.

"Karley found her voice and discussed hard conversations that needed to happen and instead of fixing the issue, they got rid of her," they later added.

"Just a sad situation. The team is in shambles and does not know how to navigate forward as they saw Karley being one leading them next year. This has definitely put a huge crack in the organisation."

This allegation, posted to Reddit and then reposted to @dcc_updates, has not been verified by the team or the Netflix documentary.

Comments have been disabled on @dcc_updates' Instagram post but the TikTok post has garnered over a hundred comments, including two from fellow DCC members.

"I pray for the organisation because these girls truly deserve better. Justice for Karley," wrote DCC alum Mandy Howard.

Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Marissa Garrison also commented.

She wrote: "Justice for an amazing dancer, person and one of the best the organisation has ever had the privilege of having. We love you, Karley".

Listen to the latest episode of The Spill. Post continues below.

The only comment Swindel has made about it so far was a subtle reference to the heartbreak of leaving the team in a recent Instagram story.

"I promise I have been wanting to post more but grief is a strange process," she wrote.

"I have been processing a lot lately and have needed (and still need) some time before I post in feed.

"Give me a little more time and it will happen. Some days have just been really difficult lately."

Swindel nor the Dallas Cowboys organisation have directly commented on her exit at this time.

Netflix has not yet announced whether it will renew the docuseries for a fourth season.

But if it does, we can expect to hear more about Swindel's exit.

Feature image: Instagram/ @karley_swindel.