The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby - Reece & Will: Newlywed life, 300% pay increase, and accidentally finding fame

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

Reece Weaver — breakout star of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders — and her husband Will join Matt & Abby to talk about newlywed life, going viral overnight, and how sudden fame shaped their first year of marriage. Reece shares what it was like becoming the most-followed DCC ever, their honest thoughts on Netflix’s Season 2, and the real story behind the team’s push for higher pay. Will jumps in with their chaotic love story (including getting rejected five times) and why they’re already dreaming about adding both a baby and a dog to the mix. This episode is sponsored by Article, Aura Frames, Cozy Earth, Everyday Dose & Hiya. Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit https://ARTICLE.COM/unplanned and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Aura Frames: Exclusive $45-off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/UNPLANNED . Promo Code UNPLANNED Cozy Earth: Go to http://cozyearth.com/UNPLANNED for up to 40% off! Everyday Dose: Get 61% off your first Coffee+ Starter Kit, a free A2 Probiotic Creamer, with over $100 in free gifts by going to http://everydaydose.com/UNPLANNED or entering UNPLANNED at checkout. Hiya: Go to http://hiyahealth.com/UNPLANNED to receive 50% off your first order. Chapters: 00:00 - Reece & Will 01:42 - What it's like to be newlyweds 02:58 - Navigating fame as newlyweds 05:46 - What it's like to be married to Reece Weaver 08:29 - Becoming famous overnight 11:41 - Navigating fame as a newlywed couple 15:47 - Sponsor (Article) 28:33 - Why Reece and Will want to have kids and a dog at the same time 39:16 - Marrying the woman that rejected me 5x 41:25 - Our proposal story 41:57 - Getting married on 4/20 45:20 - Getting chosen as the face of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders 47:32 - The most followed NFL cheerleader ever 52:15 - Our disappointment with Netflix's America’s Sweethearts Season 2 53:39 - The truth about what Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders earn 54:50 - Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader on salary increases 57:59 - Why Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders fought for a salary increase 1:01:24 - Why I was conflicted with the salary increase 1:09:08 - Why it's hard to be married as an NFL cheerleader 1:11:04 - What it's like to be Reece Weavers husband 1:17:19 - Moving back to our college town Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She came to Dallas to be a DCC. She didn't come to be a Netflix star. It just came with it. That's crazy. That surrounded the whole dream. We really, really struggled with juggling this new reality of life. And because that was our first year of marriage, it was just like a lot thrown out once. It wasn't good.

It felt more like a business partnership. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the most followed cheerleader of the Dallas Cowboys ever, right? That is the statistic, but I never want people to think, like, oh, Reese thinks that she's all that. From the articles I saw, it was a 400%. increase of what you get paid. That's insane. The media will always kind of like enhance things just a little bit. Today on Unplanned, we sat down with Reese and her husband Will from the hit Netflix TV show America's Sweethearts. You guys are going to love this episode. We talk to them about everything from their newlywed life, how much the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders actually get paid to what it's like

becoming famous on accident and so much more, all on today's episode. Rees and Will, welcome to Unplanned. We are so honored to have you back on the show. And Will, well, this is your premiere. This is your premiere on on first time. All right. Unplanned debut. How are you feeling today, Will? I'm feeling great. I feel like we're giving the people what they want, honestly. Like, I feel like we wanted more, Will, more Reese together. Like, I think your guys's relationship is so sweet. And you've been married for over a year now. Yeah. So basically marriage. How is marriage? How is married treating you guys? It's awesome. It is. It's honestly such a blessing. I feel like often, you know, a lot of people will say, when you get married, like your life is kind of over, you're bound to that person.

Like, obviously, like, yeah, you are. But there is this sweetness, too. I get to go home to my best friend every day. I can't wait to share everything that happened or talk about, like, struggles and everything. It's just such a blessing. And I get to have, like, a sleepover with my best friend every single day. Right. And I feel like if I were on the, like, I was on the show last year, we'd be talking completely different. Yeah. Like, because it was like, what, four or five months that we had been married when y'all had her last time yeah and like completely different really like in what way figuring out how to navigate life because like the show came out and y'all pretty much like hopped on and got her on the show I was gone for a bachelor trip yeah and we just figured out how to

navigate it a lot better than when it first happened because that was probably a of shocking thing to like wake up to one day is like you're famous like you're were you guys married when she became famous yeah okay you were married when the show came out the show dropped yeah like right on oops sorry right on our two month anniversary two months so it was like two months and in within those two months i'm trying out again there's you know obviously busy schedules we went on our honeymoon and then it was like fast-paced into summer and then wake up and it's like oh wow people know who we are and know more about ourselves than I think we know. So that was just kind of like a big shock to us and like figuring out.

Honestly, this time last year, there was so, so many nuances of life. And it was kind of this toss up between like, okay, what was our reality completely is different today. And we just are now established that we have like a new reality, which is crazy. Well, how did that affect you? Because I feel like you're probably like so stoked for Reese, so, so, happy for her so like so many things are changing but it also must be like scary too when i mean there's like in a lot of tension on you too right so i mean how did that all affect you personally the show dropped on a thursday i took her out saturday because i was like oh this is big because she saw like

the first two or three episodes and kind of like shut down and didn't tell me like anything about it um like she watched it with the team like maybe a week before it came out and like i didn't realize how big it was oh i kind of like gave him a preference I was like, and we didn't really know how much our filming would have been put into the show because it was brand new for everyone. And I remember coming home that night that we watched the first two episodes. And I was pretty quiet, but I was like, well, I don't think you know how much actually are the coverage of us that's actually in the series. And Will was like, it's going to be fine. Like, we're going to navigate it.

It's going to be fine. Like, it's probably not as much as what you're thinking. I was like, okay. I'm just going to be quiet now, you know, and then when Will got to watch it, he was like, oh, okay. So Saturday, after Thursday, I took her out, and we went out to like two places, and I think maybe 10 people recognize her. I was like, oh, shoot, this is like a big thing. You're taking pictures, people are stopping you, asking for a selfie. Yeah.

Which was honestly, like, I mean, I think our job is. has helped with like taking pictures and and all of that but when people know you two it's it's very different because one you're trying to navigate like our marriage and keeping that like intentional intimate like between us and it's like well people now know so much more about that side of things and so you're like whoa this is just a big shock yeah I mean it was sweet and it was really cool but the more um of a pattern of going out to get groceries or the mall or just like like shopping like it was just so random like I don't know it definitely like fires up that like protective instinct yeah it's like I'm very very observant when we go out and like we're walking

and I'm like like just looking and I noticed someone over here like that's and I'm more like heads up someone's coming from your right and I was like hey just letting you know there might be someone coming up and then like five seconds later goodness gracious watch out They are shameless. But they're sweet. They are. They're awesome. I think navigating this whole thing is like I never want someone's interaction with me with me to be anything that's different than what they see in the show.

And I hope that people see me. Like there's no different rees on screen than off screen. And so I just hope that every interaction that I have with someone, it's genuine, it's authentic. and people see me for me and nothing different, but I love it. I love when, you know, because I've been in those shoes of fan-girling over someone, even though, like, that's a weird concept that I'm the one that's being fanned over. That's just weird. But I've been in those shoes, and I always want girls to come up and, like, share the same experience

that I've had with. I've seen someone on the street. Will, what did you mean by seeing Reese shut down after the show launched? So she watched the show, and I, asked like how it was and like she like literally was curled up in the bed and not really talking about it like not wanting to talk about it she's like this is going to be big and that's pretty much like I could tell there was like a lot of anxiety yeah with it I'm a people pleaser and I think knowing that I had like a few more weeks before this dropped that people were going to

see so much like truly my whole like rookie experience and our you know navigating trying to plan a wedding and all of that was going to be filmed I think to me when I do get overwhelmed or anxious or worried I do shut down and I do have to like contemplate and like meditate on things and think about it and I think that was like my shutting down almost of like oh my gosh like what are people going to think about our experience and my journey. Was there fear in there as well? Or was it more just like so much information overload that you didn't really know what to think?

I think it was like a mixture of both. I will say one thing that like really made me anxious and worried the most was I'd only seen two episodes. And with the exposure already on those two episodes, I was like, oh my gosh, we have five more episodes to go. Like what else are they going to show? And, you know, honestly, I think we love to. the producers, we love the directors, we love the integrity and, like, how much they want to

uphold, like, this iconic standard and brand, like, had full trust within that, but I just was so worried about what was going to be interpreted. I just, my prayer was like, I hope that people, like, every intention is the same, that whole thing. And so I was just like, oh, what else is going to be shown in those five episodes? I think that's what I was most worried about the unknown. And, like, a lot of time had passed at that point, and they probably recorded so many hours you're like what could you piece together like what moment what weird glance like i don't i you're like i surely don't remember yesterday like what could have happened in that span of time i can imagine that's there's some anticipation building there did you end up watching the rest of the

five episodes together or we did i watched the first two when it dropped yeah and then i okay so i do remember this guys i keep hitting this i'm sorry you're good i i do remember this it did uh drop on a Thursday and that was the first day of training camp. And so my mental focus was like, I've got to be focused on training camp. I want to make sure like nothing is interfering with that. And so we watched it on Saturday purposefully because we didn't have practice then. And we watched, I guess the remaining five. Netflix actually came and filmed us watching two or three of the episodes. But then we still watch them together. Yeah, yeah. We watched them together. Yeah. But they only watched. We had to wait to watch those to get Netflix wanted our reaction.

Not all five, though, but we did watch the rest. And I think we were like, okay, let's just take a breath. Let's just take a breath. Let's take a breath. We're a second. Was there anything that was in the episode that you were maybe uncomfortable with or, like, realize, oh, wow, that was vulnerable. And I shared that. And people are watching this on Netflix.

Honestly, no. I think that, I mean, I'm so. grateful that they honestly like highlighted all of us in like such a sweet way um i know that there was a lot of vulnerability and that's what we wanted to show is like you know we're not only these girls that you know dance and have side hustles and those things it's like we wanted to show like what goes on behind the scenes and like peeling back those layers because we wanted to be as authentic and as relatable as possible so i don't think that there was ever like a time where i was worried about anything that i said or anything like that. I just hope that I know I did share my testimony and that's like already

kind of like a very heavy weighted thing but I was like you know what if this is the way that the Lord's going to use me then I'm just going to trust that he has a plan and I'm just going to walk within that and hopefully it produces proof. I want to talk a lot more about the show and I want to talk about like being a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader as well because that's that's such a big deal but I think something that so many people are wondering is you've shared about your love story on the show so people people know about you guys but like what's the pieces of it that people maybe don't know about you i know last year we really really struggled with like juggling this new reality of life and because that was our first year of marriage it was just like a lot thrown out

once um and you want to it felt more like a when everything happened and everything started settling down a little bit it felt more like a business partnership weird And it wasn't good. I was working from seven to four. I'd come home. It'd be like a 45 minute to an hour drive. And then I'd start working on like content stuff for her. And like answering emails and stuff like that.

Or picking up what I, you know, left for him. Then I went to practice. So like the hour that we had when I got home before she left for practice, it was like all business. And it wasn't like. That's sad. High wife, like anything like that. Yeah. And then when I would come home from practice, it was like, you know, late.

10 o'clock. I'm exhausted by that point. Go to bed. Yeah. And that's it. And so I think like trying to, I mean, obviously every marriage is different. But when you have your friends who are newlyweds and you're like, well, our life doesn't look like theirs. And it's not supposed to.

I felt like there was literally no similarity. and so we felt like it was like we'll say kind of this business partnership and I was like man like something has to give and I don't even know if until like after season we really like changed around things I know I stopped working at my flower shop that I was working at which was which was really sad but like they are such a sweet community that they really understood everything and um I needed to prioritize one like my faith and I knew that that was like all jumbled up within my priorities and then also like our marriage and that to me like we were um someone explained it best to me but kind of like these sailboats that just crossed at night and we needed to change that and commend

you guys for your vulnerability on that because while your life looks probably different than a lot of newly as in their 20s with like everything going on I think that's a sentiment that a lot of people feel because like a lot of people like in their 20s your 20s are usually you're hustling years like You're working really hard, you're building things, you're, you don't necessarily have a set routine, you're kind of like doing everything all at once. And then to introduce a marriage into that, it can feel like, like you said, like ships we're moving, we're all like on different paths all together, but working on like that unity and that oneness, what were some tools that you maybe learned from mentors or that you like

picked up along the way that that worked for you guys to kind of rebuild that and bring you closer together, even the midst of such a chaotic life? I'll say personally, I, everything was just all jumbled. I felt like there was no order or structure and like I'm a very structured person and I need that for me. And so I had a few friends who really encouraged me to speak to a counselor and just like have therapy and to walk through some things. Like have someone who has no strings attached who is truly like wanting to help and you know kind of i'm going to not quote john deloney but i feel like listening to john deloney has helped us like with communication and asking questions just like hearing how he asked questions has helped which i'll let you touch on him in a little bit but

i think that me personally we're super fans you guys don't love john delon if you're listening we just really really am grateful for you you're constantly constantly in our car. We'll have to FaceTime him after this. Literally. Oh my gosh, that's so cool. But personally, that's something I needed to work on because, like, my mind, there was just so much happening.

And a lot of attacks I felt, like, from the enemy just with everything that was going on. So I needed to work on that in myself, and I think that translated and helped with in our marriage with communication. Because when I would come home and I'm just so stressed, like I said, I'm a shutdown type person. And, like, I just need to, like, think about it.

And then I get overwhelmed where Will is like, I hear I'm trying to help. But I didn't know how to communicate that. So I think, one, like, talking to someone and getting the help that I needed, helped our marriage. Thank you to Article for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. Check out this chair right here. Wow. It's actually our dining table chair. We have, like, eight of them.

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I know Abby and I being newlyweds and having, yeah, social media videos go viral. It's like on one hand, oh man we got we should keep making these videos because like this is an opportunity that i never thought in a million years i'd have to you know there's just so many cool creative opportunities and you know building wealth for your for your future family your kids like it can change like generations right but then on the other hand it's like your marriage is so sacred and so important and you can't just like trade your marriage for money like it's that's that's stupid right like you can't put a value on that So I guess, like, yeah, how did you find yourself out of that? Because it seems like you're probably in a place now where you feel maybe you have a lot more

balance when it comes to, like, business and marriage, and hopefully it doesn't feel like your business partners. Right, right. Well, I just think it was, like, so new that we didn't have anything, like, marriage-wise set. Yeah. And then, like, this came in, and it was like, oh, okay, let's just start doing this. And then we were like, okay, this isn't working.

and let's go back to the drawing boards and that's when Reese kind of stepped away from the flower shop she actually signed on to a agency and that took the like me pushing her to do stuff like out

and like someone else was telling her what to do and also the signing with the agency was definitely positively influenced by Matt Howard just FYN. He literally was like girl you need help She literally called me.

He said, I called what I said, Matt told me I need to sign with the agency. We really need to probably reach back out to some of the emails that people have sent because we actually really do need help. So, thank you, Matt. Of course. Well, I remember, I was talking to you when we, this was in your apartment. We had the same agent for like a year there. Yeah, we were like, we're in your apartment.

We were just like, we're holding the microphones in our hands, filming this first podcast episode. And when you told me that Will was like essentially managing your, your, like, brand collaboration, I'm like, you need management. You need help. I'm so glad that someone else is able to take that off your plate will and hopefully, you know, brought you guys some like peace with that. That's a hard dynamic to have in a marriage. It is.

You're like, I don't want to be your secretary, you're like, your manager, essentially. And you also like, that was such a quick change. Like, you had no idea how to value Reese's brand partnerships. And I'm sure it probably, we have a, we have. talked to you like this is our first time being in person since that time a year ago but you probably saw an uptick of revenue too when you had outside management telling you what your videos were worth because you are the first deal that her agency got it was like probably three or four of the ones that I got and I was like okay you're telling me I was undervaluing her like massive bro and he felt so bad about

I was like, well, we literally, I had no idea. I don't know what I'm doing. We don't know what we're doing. That's awesome. But that, we went through the same thing because we, I was like, brand would come to us and be like, yeah, maybe like a couple hundred dollars or something. Like, I just had no idea. No, dude, our first one was $15 for that song.

Oh, no, yeah, I did a, we did a brand deal for $15 at one point. But no, it's just like, you know what? That probably said souls. They're like, yeah. Yeah. So it's good, it's good to have someone that, like, knows what that's been, you know, doing that side of business for a long time. to represent you and yeah that's that's awesome and they already have like partnerships with the brands

like with other clients and stuff that they've yeah that's their job yeah 100% I think it's really admirable the way that like when we were talking about this you said you saw personal counseling and like I think that we've seen that even in our own marriage like there's a lot you can do as a couple but it starts with like you as an individual too showing up for that marriage and like you know that Matt and I like just like even we just had a recent loss that was terrible in that moment I was like Matt can't be everything for me in this time and so taking that time to do individual therapy I just think that is really admirable that you bring that up as like okay this is a step and then it's also a good thing to point out like in a marriage it's like we're two individuals that have to be

whole yeah to show up together and to make like one unit I don't know I think that's really cool and awesome. I'm curious. I want to know what's the fun part of marriage? Like what's the like, what's your favorite date night? What's your favorite? I don't know. Do you have like a fun tradition you do? Like, I want to know. You can go. I'll think about

some things. Oh, did I just put you on the spot? I like to cook. I love cooking. See, me and Will. We got so much in common. Will is chef for sure. I am so grateful. Very, very grateful. But now most of it is like, so back in September of last year, I posted like a kind of like a parody, like I'm cooking for, I'm Reese Weaver's husband. I'm cooking for Reese. And it kind of blew up. So I just kept going along with the cooking and posting on TikTok. And I see my tripod and my selfie light on his phone. And he's by the oven. And I'm like, I walk in the door. I'm like, what are you doing? He's like, posting a TikTok.

I'm like, you have one video on your TikTok and you are posting it. He's like, yeah, it'll be fun. That's so cute. So I kind of like made it as like satire and it kind of blew up and then I just kept doing it. But I love cooking and I love cooking for her. So that's like, I guess, a fun thing. Like a I guess not really tradition. No, that's sweet.

But that's a fun thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so do you cook every night? Just about, yeah. Yeah, that's fun. Yeah, I know. I'm like, I'm like, rice, rice and rice and rice.

Are you guys at the apartment that we were at when we visited a year ago? Or are you guys in a new place? We're actually in a new place and we are renting the sweet home that's like on the outskirts of where we were. Okay. But it's so nice. We have a dog now, so we have a backyard. Yes. And we have a backyard so I have grills.

You can grill three grills. What do you like to grill? Everything. I like to grill salmon. Do you grill salmon? I have most of the time I see it okay okay yeah that sounds fancy venison steak I've done a couple brisket I'm in Texas so I got to do brisket you have a smoker smoker yeah I have a green egg our grill actually has a smoker feature I've never used it nice what kind do y'all have we have a lifetime

like hybrid grill smoker okay thing and Lifetime even sent me the chips to use the smoker I still haven't use them. I don't think the chips made the move with this. I was like, he's never going to use it. Yeah, maybe Abby got rid of the chips. You got rid of my smoker chips? I don't know. They might be in the garage still. Oh my gosh. That's funny. Wait, I want to hear about the dog. We have like gone back and forth

so much recently about a dog, but we're kind of intimidated. It feels like a bigger hurdle than a kid. Like, I'm like, a dog can't travel with us. But we can just take our kids with us. You know what? I don't know. We've been traveling a lot with Ruby. We don't. We don't have kids either.

Yeah, we don't, yeah, you're right. She's road tripping with Ruby. Road tripping. She is honestly, we got so lucky, but she is the best traveler, the best dog traveler, for sure. Wait, what kind of dog is she, a doodle? She is a red lab. Oh. She's an English lab, so she's a little bit stockier, a little chunkier.

Oh. And she's got like that, like the yellow labs, but like a burnt color. Oh. Like a red. It's beautiful. Her, like, title is a Fox Red English Lab. Okay. It's what they call them, like, Fox Red.

how did this happen was it something you were like it was a spur of the moment you just got a dog or were you thinking about it we definitely are two dog lovers like as soon as we got married we're like so dog when are we going to get that but us being in like a one bed one bath when we were younger or younger when we just got married like we knew that we wanted to like a big dog it was just going to be hard living in an apartment we wanted a yard for training like potty breaks all the things so and also like the fact of like us only seeing each other a little bit and then Reese working, me working, coming home, and then Reese going back to work again. When Reese decided to like do content full time and be home, that's when we kind of decided like, okay, we have time to like pour into the dog and not just like put it in a cage and stuff like that. And then about that time we were like, okay, let's find a place where we can have a backyard. and then that's when things kind of started moving on getting the house and then

getting Ruby we got we moved into the house on January 3rd and then we picked up Ruby on January 28th so it was like we had a few weeks without a dog she like moved in with what was the puppy stage like she was awesome really yeah puppies like they're a lot but so fun and they're so cute so sweet it's so fun to see them and, like, grow and learn and, like, adapt to things. But, I mean, she was a really great puppy, too. I think the only night she, like, kind of, like, whimpered the whole night was the first night. Oh.

I will – the first two weeks are – Potting is pretty hard. Potting and stuff like that. But, like, y'all know, you know, you wake up, feed baby, put them down, like, change diapers, all those things. But I think, like, I don't know, we haven't experienced that life yet. But I think the potty breaks and all of that is, you know, we took stages. It was also like our first kid. Not discrediting kids at all.

Not discrediting kids at all, but they can't immediately run out of the gates. This is true. Puppie's like, no. Ready to go. Yeah. She was, when she was disobedient, she was running around. But she got out of that face. She was in the mouth, all the things.

Do you guys see children in the future? I saw a lot of people asking. questions about that in my, I put up like a question box up on Instagram. So you said absolutely. Oh yeah. No, absolutely. I think, you know, it's funny. I was just in my friend's wedding this past weekend. Like, we talk about a lot of my, a lot of the bridesmaids were talking about how post college you have no idea what's in store. But like when you were in high school, college, you're like, okay, what's the next four years or five years look like? And it's like, oh, well, it's this. It's this. And then post college, you're like, what is my?

next five years like what does that look like and I feel like we're in the stage of like wait our next five years could be you know kids and I think that's such a sweet like I don't know something to look forward to but and that's another thing we wanted like to have a dog before kids so they can like kind of grow up together we see the videos of like the older dog like that's the kid laying on it but it would be really sweet for like our kids to have like a puppy yeah like that'd be fun yeah so I think multiple dogs dogs in the future and definitely she wants uh one of each color a lab uh that's a lot but wait how many dogs is that how many colors are there well there's silver too i have a chocolate

lab at home um in florida and i just like she's my pride and joy and i just can't think about getting another chocolate lab in a while but maybe are maybe a black lab next oh okay yeah so you want a lot of dogs. I think so. Animals, howling cows. Yes, we won't land one day. But kids are like a five year, like you're gonna like the next five years you're gonna be dog parents and

you know. Maybe. Yeah. We don't really know. Yeah. Honestly, as y'all know, it's day by day. We literally don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. So maybe five, 10 years, we'll see. But 10 years seems like a lot. Maybe like five. Eight.

Is there one of you in particular that has more of like that quote unquote baby fever you you were that way well yeah that's always so interesting to me because like abby wanted babies like day one that we were married yeah before we were dating she wanted babies so it's like it's always interesting to me you gotta wait so long talk to me about that we both went to college we went to alabama um and yes real time all the alabama here we went to college during covid my grandpa told me me, because I got stuck in rent when COVID happened and school got canceled, everything went remote, right? Okay.

My grandpa told me, it was like, hey, school's going to get canceled again, don't get rent, just like commute, which it's about an hour drive from my small town to Tuscaloosa. Okay. And I was like, okay, let's do that. And I ended up having schedule where I had classes all Thursday and Tuesday. So it was two days, and I was commuting Taylor and Lindley, our mentors. they were like, hey, just come and stay with us on Monday night and Wednesday night, so you don't have to drive from Morris before your classes.

Shout out Morris, Alabama. Roll, room and roll. And I started living with them. And then the next semester, I had classes every single day, because that's just the way the schedule worked out. So I started living with them, and they got pregnant. They had Beckett, who was still born, and that's part. I think you talked about it on the last podcast about Beckett's Blessing Box.

And it's just really near and dearer to our hearts. But then they had Riker and then they had twins. And we kind of lived with them, or I lived with them, throughout pretty much all of their pregnancies. It was awesome. It was so much fun. It went to school with kids. Like, that's so sweet. Yeah.

And I was like getting, when Linley had cravings, I would like drive to the gas station to get Cajun boiled peanuts and stuff like that. I'm reading of fun thing. It was awesome. Isn't that funny how like being around kids just makes you want to have them? Because that was a similar thing for me. We used to live in Hawaii and there's a lot. We accidentally moved five minutes away from the LDS Mormon Temple in Hawaii. Lots of babies over there.

We have a lot of LDS friends, a lot of friends from Utah. And, you know, it's like a stereotype, but like Mormons have a lot of kids. And we're just always around their kids and becoming friends with these people. And I'm like, man, they're just like, they're so fun and happy. and it's just so fun to have like a big family and so then like sure enough that one of our you know towards the end of living in Hawaii is when we got pregnant

and start our family. That's awesome. That's sweet though you know he's going to take very good care of you whatever that time comes. Any anything she wants I'm cooking it for it. Oh. That's so sweet. Man you got a dream husband right here. I know no I really really do so so blessed for sure. What a cool experience too like for you like being in the stage of like

college but getting to like look to them like just like it's like I feel like a lot of times we look at our parents who are like you know a generation ahead but to be able to look at just peek over the fence like then right the very next stage that was first of all really awesome of them to like have you but then also I'm sure it was such a blessing for them too to have you there thank you to aura frames for sponsoring today's episode are you struggling to come up with a gift to give your parents this holiday season because chances are they just want you that's true I feel like our family's always just like we don't care don't get us anything we just want to spend time with you and we love that about our family and yep and that's why you should consider getting your parents and your grandparents

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This exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year, so order now before it ends. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. I didn't tell Abby I was going to do this, but we usually don't do segments on our podcast, but I kind of want to try out a segment with you guys because you're basically newlyweds. You've been married just over a year. I have some rapid-fire newlywed questions for you. I hope they're PG, Matt Howard.

They're PG, okay, these are clean. We talked about who cooks the most, but who cleans? Who's the cleaner in the relationship? I would probably say me. I feel like we have our own roles. Okay. Like taking out the trash and washing dishes.

No, that's a blue job for sure. Washing dishes. Right. Um, laundry, it just depends. I try to stay away from her, like, DCC laundry and stuff. You're like, I don't want to mess up. Okay. Um, I probably clean the most.

Like, I'm a constant, like, how's the couch? How's the countertop? Like, my island, I'm like, what the high? It's more of like, less cleaning, more putting stuff away. Okay. Because, like, I leave stuff out a lot. And I'm also a messy cook, y'all. Oh, the best ones are.

Who talks to the neighbors? Who's the chatty Kathy that likes to get in long combos with, like, the neighbors across the street? Not really, no. I feel, maybe could, we don't really know our neighbors. You don't really know our neighbors? I know our neighbors. I guess I'm the only person that's ever talked to our neighbors, so that's probably, that's

probably me. Probably Will. To answer the question, Will. Hey, it's okay. We've been in our neighborhood for a year, and I still, I'm working on learning all of our neighbors, so, hey, it's all right. Matt talks to every name. I love that.

I think if we're out, though, both of us, it could be like, oh, I'm waiting for Will. he's chatting up or oh I'm waiting for Reese like she's chatting to her or whatever who's the impulse shopper anybody like have a quick like oh I want that it's situational what do you mean by that like tonight we're throwing a dancing with a stars party okay there's been like eight things show up at the door I was the impulse shopper like for sure for that like it just got to like hunting season just came in and I bought like a couple things for hunting. So it's just,

it's situational. It's like, Will, did you spend $5,000 on shotguns? Oh, no. I don't know. Like,

you know when Amazon comes in and it's like, oh, for, I have like both Reese and Will, like our names on it, but his will just be Will.

Yeah. So she knows like, okay, this is Will's. He's got some stuff coming in. Oh, it's just Will's back to.

I'm also, I'm very, very impulse if it's a gift. Okay. Yeah. Like, if it's a gift, I'll like just

immediately get it. I've gotten her like three or four Christmas gifts already. And then I just, we just ordered my sister's, uh, Christmas gifts. It's hilarious. Um, that's fun. Wait, who handles, who handles the finances? Will. Okay. I like it. That's a blue job.

Who is, who's the handyman? Who fixes the things around the house? Okay. Not surprised. When you mentioned hunting, I'm like, this guy probably knows how he doesn't call plumber if the, if there's a plumbing issue. He actually, no, if there's like a serious plumbing issue, I will. But like, okay. I can, I can work my way around. The hair out of the drain. The hair out of the drain. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Those are all those things. Abby's dad and I are both not that way, so we just, we just call someone to fix it. I know. Growing up with my dad like that, I was literally like, I got to marry someone who knows how to do some of this stuff. But you married a TikToker. You're married a TikToker, gosh, dang it. Yeah. Gosh, they're not handy.

Who has better fashion sense? Oh. I've been getting better. I'm also trying I feel like some of my friends I'm like wow like I'm so inspired Like how do you just do all that But out of us too

It would be me Do you buy Will's clothes? No no Will buys his own clothes Mostly Alabama stuff Pretty soon you're going to lose that privilege Because I feel like the longer we've been married The more I've been like

Let me just take care of this for you I think like when it comes to shopping And like gift giving I have my own taste And I think that kind of Probably hope. I get the hint that I need help, yeah. I'm like, this is cute.

I think one of the first, like, weddings we went to, I had a brown belt and black shoes, and she's like, no, absolutely not. Blaby. Blaby happens sometimes with him. Who's more likely to forget an anniversary, or like a birthday or something like that? That's also more of, like, a question for a couple

that's been together for a decade. I feel like you don't forget that stuff when you're really went. Yeah, we know things now. I probably meet. The other day, we actually both just missed our, like, anniversary kind of thing. Like, dating anniversary? Oh, yeah. But technically, it was never, like, a solid anniversary because I asked her to be my girlfriend,

like, four or five times, and she said no every single time. Wait, what? Yes. Wait, wait, wait, I didn't know this story. Yes. Because people know this, that you turned Will down four or five times? Some people probably know. I never dated anyone, so I was like, oh, I don't know.

I'm nervous kind of thing. And then actually, Taylor, our mentor, announced it at the church. He was like, and we've got Reese here. We got Will's girlfriend in the back. Yeah. And I was like, oh, I guess we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Because, like, we were at, we were hanging out at Taylor and Lenley's house. Okay.

So Reese would get done with a band-a-dance team practice at like 9 o'clock, come over. We'd watch the office or something on TV. Try to watch Harry Potter. And I was like, you can't get me into this, but now I just finished. I like him. Isn't it great? It's really good. I like it now.

We need to read the books. But freshman year, I was like, I can't. This is not for me. This is not for me. But Taylor and Lenley, like, so we had their living room, their room, and then the room that I stayed in. And they were always asking, she said yes, because they knew, like, I was asking. I was telling them everything. And, like, Wednesday night, Taylor's like, I got you dog.

I got you dog. So on October 14th. October 14th, he announced her as my girlfriend, and she looked over at me and... I was like, oh, we're boyfriend, girlfriend? I was like, I don't know. If you want to. I mean, I've asked you several times, so I guess. That's sweet.

That October 14th was our, like, anniversary date until we now have actual. Yeah, we just missed it, so... And was it, like, then when you started dating that you guys decided your wedding was going to be on 420? Is that when you... She told me. the wedding date and uh so i proposed her on tax day that's so random that's funny that you know that too um but uh i graduated in uh december of 22 and she was in like the peak of their uda dance season so she had practice like she came to my graduation and then immediately had to go her whole family was here

my whole family was here i was like hey i'm proposing on this date because the week and prior was it was um final four if Alabama went to it she would have been going everything revolves around everything revolves around she would have been going to the final four with the dance team if bama made it and then uh it was tax weekend and then the next weekend was Easter so it was like the sweet spot nice um so i proposed on the 15th and then a couple weeks months later she was like hey we're getting married on 420 and I was like okay and she was like why you laugh and I was like you don't know about 420? I was like 420 24 it's cute he was like okay do you want to tell you what that means I didn't realize that so you picked out the date because you thought it was cute having no idea

that it was well no it was also the only weekend obviously it was available yeah the only weekend available at that venue I said I'll take it yeah but with our time and schedule it also at this point she didn't know that she was going to be going into her second year on the team. Okay, okay. Because she planned on trying out for her first season. And then she made it. And then that was also the sweet spot. Like if she makes a team or if she doesn't make the team and she wants to try again.

Yeah. April's kind of busy, so I feel like we need to go like middle. Yeah. So, yeah, this wasn't rapid fire. So we had to explain all that. No, you're good. No, I got derailed because I heard, you know, you try to ask her out four times and she turned you down so that's five

five five times let every man know that persistence well yeah i think i think that's just a testament to your persistence right like you didn't give up perseverance that's our money for and technically she never said yes to uh marrying me either oh my gosh when i proposed she just did i never heard a verbal yes i said thank you after mount we didn't even kiss we were literally just hugged and I said thank you I didn't know I just I was like how do this did you like become overprotective when you found out she was going to be like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader was that ever like a thing maybe not overprotective is not the right word yeah it's almost just like or yeah protective

I would say so Bama dance team and like being like part of like the Alabama spirit squad's one thing and like you have like 100,000 people watching you at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but I feel like here, because she didn't know that Netflix was going to be filming when she was trying out, but like obviously before she tried out, we were watching the, uh, the CMT one. So there's like another show that they did come making the team and to like the Dallas coverage shows have always just been so iconic. And they've been in like the public eye like for a long time. So like there's going to be a bigger scale than Alabama that's going to recognize and know me that Netflix was like an international scale and you're like

whoa it turned my like protective instincts on I would say and then when Netflix dropped it was even even more so I should have asked this question earlier but I've been wondering it like you not knowing how they were going to piece together all the footage they had especially in season one did it ever cause any kind of like awkwardness amongst you and the other team players not knowing that you were going to be such a focus of season one? one and like such a like main character of the show, did that ever make things awkward or tense amongst you and the other girls? I know like filming wise throughout before they even dropped the docu-series. No one knew really like the intentions. Like no one knew really who was going to be

highlighted. Like obviously in the back of your mind you're thinking like oh well they're going to like follow a few people but this was so new to us and new to our organization and our program that no one really knew how this is going to be drawn or or pictured and so i think everyone that were being filmed kind of thought like everyone's getting equally the amount of like film coverage and then it'll go into the hands of editors and they'll figure it out then um so not like the filming process before everything aired afterwards i'm so grateful for the sweetest teammates who are so supportive and I think everyone was more willing to help me navigate through it all even though like they probably couldn't understand maybe to the scale of what I was experiencing

but they could they could empathize and like try to help and so I think like there wasn't this like awkwardness but it was more I don't know maybe just like trying out for the team you already kind of thought in the back of your mind like you're promoting a brand and like marketing for it and being an ambassador that now it just like the scale went up 10 notches of marketing and putting people in different rooms and putting people at different tables if that makes sense and so I think everyone was understanding but for me as a people pleaser it did cause this anxiety of like what what do what do my teammates think like are they okay like I don't want them to ever think like I now think I'm all this like that's never the case and so

I think, like, one, it came out of, like, personal conviction for making sure I was intentional with my teammates and showing up for them and showing that, like, I'm not anything different, you know, I'm trying to navigate this. And I think that they could see that. And I trust that, like, my friends were just trying to be as supportive as possible. And you're so humble, so I know you would, like, never voice this yourself, but you, I feel like are essentially the face of the team now. Like, if you look at the show, right, like, season one, blue. up like everyone was watching the show. I remember when we interviewed you a year ago. I was so excited for you guys because it was just like everything was exploding and your following was growing and I just in preparation for this interview looked at your Instagram and I'm like holy crap you

hit a million followers on Instagram which is like a really big achievement. So I correct me if I'm wrong but like you're the most followed cheerleader of the Dallas Cowboys ever right? Is there another cheerleader from the team that's ever had that many That large of a following? I mean, I think, like, all of us right now are, everyone is following. And, I mean, obviously, as a little girl, they can look up and be like, oh, my gosh, I look like so. And so, like, I'm going to follow her. And, like, we share same similarities and stuff like that.

So I think we're all growing naturally. But I would say that that is the statistic. But it is just kind of, like, super surreal because I never want people to think, like, oh, Reese thinks that she's all that. Like, that's not the case. I just hope that, you know, when I'm sharing across the board is, like, the same Reese you would have seen before all of this and the same Reese you're seeing now. The reason that you are, excuse me, I'm like, my throat's getting weird. Like, I think the reason, I think the reason, like, that people like you guys and like

you is because of that very reason. Because I think they can tell that you have these, like, high morals and that you have this humility to you to where they want to find. follow you and they want to like cheer for you and they want to see you succeed and they're stoked that you are at a million followers on Instagram because that like in a way that that that shows them that anybody can do anything you know that there's that like the little guy that the person that's doing the right thing the person that is like being good to people and and yeah has this high moral standard can succeed like I think that gets people fired up yeah and while we're

gassing Reese and we'll up I will say, if I can think of like one word when it comes to you and you two together is like, it's so refreshing. Because I think that in media today, it's easy for negativity or something that's shocking or flashy or self-absorbed. Like all of that tends to like perform, right? But to see like a role model like you get this platform is so refreshing. refreshing like it's like you you are someone that we want to see more of we want our like children like younger girls to like look up to and um it's like it's really i'm proud of america honestly for giving a platform to someone like you because it is so good to see and like it just i it's an

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survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Wrap the ones you love in luxury with Cozy Earth. I think your marriage is so sweet too the way that Will just like wants to see you thrive and like props you up and it's just like the biggest cheerleader. Even on season two when you're in the stands, I loved it. I was like, please show more Will. Like this is so sweet. Yeah, were you guys surprised that there wasn't more coverage of you in season two because I think Abby and I were shocked we were expecting to see your mom was shocked my mom was was disappointed with Netflix she's the one who warned me because I was like I still need to see season two and she was like they did not show enough Reese like she's like you're going to be

disappointed no I don't think I was shocked I mean I I know that every season's going to be different and they're going to I mean my thing too was like one trying to just like understand wrap my head around like that they wanted to follow me. Like that's just a silly, crazy concept. But I have 35 other girls and teammates that are so cool and have such great stories that I was excited for it because I was like, oh, the world needs to see my teammates and how cool they are and my friends. And, you know, everybody works and sacrifices their really entire lives to make this team.

And like, those stories need to be shown. So I'm grateful and excited that they, that they do. did that. I was really happy with like the outcome in that way. It was a big deal, uh, when, when season two ended that they gave you guys a big salary raise. I think we talked about last podcast, you know, what you get paid. If, if the numbers were legit and then I, I said 75,000 a year and then you were like, actually, that's not what we get paid. But you guys from, from the articles I saw, it was a 400% increase of what you get paid. Like what, that's insane. That must be Amazing. Like, talk to me about that. That's a big deal. Yeah. So I will say that I think the media will always kind of like enhance things just a little bit. But I will say that like we are so grateful with the outcome. I think like this truly our whole like motive and goal with this is like we didn't want to just do this for ourselves. We wanted to do this for so many women across like corporate America. And then obviously for other NFL teams too to feel inspired to, you know, recognize and see.

the cheerleaders for who they are. I mean, like, again, they sacrifice so much. And we do carry a lot and juggle a lot. Like, whenever you see a team at a pep rally or something, you're going to bring your cheerleaders. Like, these women and men do go to, um, two appearances. And it's like, you're talking to a five-year-old and then you're talking to an 80-year-old and a retirement home. And it's having to, you know, adapt and be on. 24-7, like there's so much more than what we do than just dance on the sidelines. And so I think that we wanted to really push that and encourage other people to get behind us and support us with that. So is the salary increase not 400%? It's definitely, it's more like 300%. I really don't know

all the behind the scenes on how it all works out. But what I can say is that it has been like such improvement and a very big increase than what we have seen in the past. They've changed, like, the structure of, like, how they pay around. So we'll see at the end of the year, like, obviously how, like, the percentage increase. Oh, so you haven't seen at all come in, like, you don't actually know the full number. When we do get paid, obviously, it is a significant increase, but how, like, the avenues of how it's being drawn out, like, I don't, I mean, I'm not really behind those, or in the those conversations.

So you're not, like, quite sure what the bottom line is. Okay. Help me understand because, yeah, I was reading different articles about it, and I didn't know what was true, what wasn't true. And obviously, I want to be respectful of, like, what you can and can't say. So if I'm overstepping, let me know. But it seemed like you guys used to get paid $200 a game in U.S. dollars, and then they increased it to $400 a game.

And then, and am I speaking? To be honest, I really don't know. Oh, then. Um, I honestly can't speak too too much about it. I will say that in just preface, but, yeah, yeah, I respect that. But I will say, like, games are now, like, the hourly pay is completely different. Okay. And so, like, games are, like, a huge improvement to what they were in the past.

Nice. I will say a lot of the girls that led this had more years on the team. So they saw improvement every single year, whereas I only saw two years, if really, even if that, like, which is showing like all the totals and stuff. But the girls that really led this were like our leaders that were fifth years and fourth years. And girls that have been on the team for a lot longer than I have. And they've seen more in history in that time span. And so I just kind of was like, man, I'm on board with this.

This seems so encouraging. And hopefully this is going to inspire so many other generations to come. But I will say this is just like a stepping stone. I think that there's always more work to do, but I think like this is like such a great step in the right direction. Yeah, no, that's really cool to see. I think everybody was stoked to see that you guys got a salary increase, except I will say I got in like a in an argument with a family member this summer because someone, I think

someone was like, I don't know, like is that, and now I almost feel like they're overpaying them. I'm like, overpaying them. I'm like, do you know what the athletes on the field get paid? I'm like, these are athletes, I mean, okay, maybe you could say, I guess you could say that the actual players in the football game are, quote unquote, from a capitalistic business standpoint, more valuable than the cheerleaders. Fine. But like, but I was like going to bat for you guys. So I'm like, they deserve. Yeah, they deserve every bit of the salary increase that you guys got. So. Well, I will say, if you put it into perspective, what our whole motive was is if the water boy and really like, People that are on the sidelines, like doing more of those type jobs, are getting paid way more than the cheerleaders are. And we maybe sit down like two, three times in the game. And that's like one example.

But, I mean, there's so much that we do throughout our season. And even in the off season, after football, we are doing so much more of shows, appearances, events, like so much more to keep, like, the Cowboys in the eye. and not just in season. There's really no off season. So I think like when we brought that to the drawing board, it was like, yeah, this is, this needs to happen. That's what I was telling my family member because they were like, well, they only, you know, they're working the games and it's not like a full time job. I'm like, full time job. I'm like, they have to do all this physical training to be like able to do the thunderstruck dance.

And then there's all the, yeah, all. all the different specialty things that you guys do. That's kind of like saying, oh, a football player in the NFL doesn't deserve a full-time salary because they're not working full-time. And it's like, what about all the stuff they do off the field? Right. You know? Like, they only work on Sundays.

Technically. Like, no. But they're training. Yeah. You need to pay people what they're worth. And when you have this, you know, like, multi-billion dollar franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, I think it's silly that in the past, the cheerleaders weren't paid enough to, you know, pay their bills. People had to get

additional jobs. So I'm stoked that you saw a pancreas. I'm curious, though, Will, what's your take on this? You're kind of quiet there for a little bit. I have a lot of different takes, but I'm going to respectfully decline to answer. You're kind of believing that. I am the

biggest Reese fan, and that's all that matters. It was a big topic of season two is the pay. If there was ever like a time where you felt like you had to pick a side, like amongst the team, like do I join these efforts or do I just like, Like stay choir? Was it just easier to not feel like you had to be in the middle

because you were only like in your second or second year at that point? Yeah. So I felt more of that middle area. But also like we had so much support that it was like, we can do this. I mean, so many new eyes. And we brought a whole different audience to our team and our program and to the Dallas Cowboys in general after the show came out. And I was like, if there's a time to do this.

this it's it's now and I think that um that was really encouraging and I really wanted to be a part of like history being made and then also too I mean I was living it out I mean I was experiencing these things and I was like you know what like it would be nice to be a part of something that's going to change not only like my trajectory I guess financially but also like to support my teammates in that way and the women that have come before us and the women that are going to come after us but I did feel like you know, I, I couldn't say much because I wasn't in, like, my tenure as much as, like, other girls, but I had just finished my rookie season. So it was also like, well, I'm still on Cloud 10, and I am still to this day. But it was like, I was still in this, like, middle situation. So I wanted

to, like, respect, like, the leaders that were really putting a lot on the line of going into those meetings and talking about these issues. Whereas I also still wanted to respect, you know, I am only a second year. I just started my second season. I just finished my rookie season. I just finished my rookie season. So I thought I was kind of like in the middle. I wanted to respect both sides and be kind of like the middleman. Yeah, you're like, I remain neutral. I remain neutral. I will, I am ready for anything. Like, I'll go either side. You're like, I'll gladly accept the increase and I will cheer you on. Yes, yes. That's kind of like how I was. And I would say like our class two was the same way. We were just like, we'll go with anything. Like, just let us know what we need to do. But also like,

we did just finish our rookie season. Yeah. Yeah. people get wrong about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders? Maybe this is a little bit more like of a personal standpoint, but I would say that from what I have learned out of this experience with the exposure of what our team has experienced over the past two years with the show being out, people, and this might just be generally across the board, but people have so many assumptions about who you are, like your beliefs, your morals, like if you believe in this, then you probably X, Y, and Z believe in these things. And it's like, you don't really know all the sides to the story.

And I think that I've seen that, you know, with being more in the public eye, you know, people getting into your DMs and sending, like, more negativity and hateful comments. It's like, all this is is assumptions and you're just assuming that I am this because I believe this or because I do this or because I say this. And I think our whole team is experiencing that. And I think that's actually a really heavy topic and that we have had to go through this season with the exposure, obviously more eyes, more people, more opinions. How we navigate what the outsiders say. Obviously, we want to respect people's opinions because they have the right to them.

But also, we are human beings that have, you know, standards, morals, like all these things. But you also don't know all sides to the story. And so I think that's something that is probably a misconception amongst our team. and something that I have personally experienced this year. Like are you saying almost putting you in a box as far as like religious beliefs or like political beliefs or just like where people kind of see a little snippet of you online or in the show and then they think they know who you are and everything about you? I would say like across the board like anything, every angle, any, I mean, it could be as minor as like a, I love to do florals and so like doing like I do like this like. little series called Floral Fridays that I post. And it could be as simple as that where like someone comes in, it's like, well, she just only does this theme because of X, Y, and Z of like her political

standpoint, her religious beliefs or what she said. And it's like, that's really not the case. Like, I don't know. It's just like silly things like that. And I don't let those things affect me, affect me, but I do think that some come at a very strong side, and they do kind of pierce right through us. And then, you know, it's kind of like a rabbit hole effect. Everything just kind of leads to one thing. How could someone send a negative DM to you guys? I don't understand that. Not on the Floral Fridays. Yeah, not on the Floral Fridays, guys. It's just flowers. It's just flowers. Hey, if you're sending a negative DM to Will or Reese, you got to rethink your life okay that's you're picking on the wrong people all right I'm curious there's not a lot of

are there well I guess I'll ask you this are there a lot of teammates that are married a good bit of them I would say like either serious relationships engaged we have a lot of girls that are engaged or like a handful that are married so I feel like maybe in general we have a lot of girls that are in relationships and have spouses but then we also have a lot of girls that are single so helping some girls out there. We have very high standards, though, which are set in place for a reason, on purpose for a purpose.

So, yeah, it's a mixture of both, I would say. Okay. Status. Thank you to Everyday Dose for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. When Abby and I started dating nine years ago, she turned me into a coffee person. And if you're like me,

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We've worked out a special deal with Haya for their best-selling children's vitamin. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim the deal, you must go to HiaHealth.com slash unplanned. This deal is not available on their regular website. Go to H-I-A-H-E-A-H-E-A-L-T-H-H-com slash unplanned and get your kids the full-body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults. It must be fun. Like having a group of girls, like everyone can kind of like look, you can look to

your single friends, you'd be like, oh, this is like a really special thing about your stage of life you're in right now that you don't even realize is, like, unique or special. And they can look up to you and be like, man, like, that season of life looks so fun. Yeah. And, but do you find that being married with a bunch of girls on the team not being married, that it causes, like, it makes it hard on your friendships with them? Sometimes, you know, there's times where, like, some girls might want to like do this and I'm like well I haven't seen will a lot like I want to be intentional with us and like an hour kind of just like moral code it comes faith and then marriage and like that tops anything else and so I feel like when it comes time to like oh I have this week and free

I want to spend it with will and be intentional and like growing and strengthening our marriage and so I do think that sometimes like there comes times where I'm like this is hard like I have to balance but I also want to be an intentional friend and, like, show up for my friends. So it's just balancing, like, you know, oh, if there's, like, a birthday, like, we're going to go and celebrate that girl's birthday. And, like, usually they open it up for boyfriends and fiancés and husbands to come. So I think it's like, I don't know. Sometimes I feel that pressure.

I probably put it on myself. But, yeah, we're also all so busy. So I think everyone understands, like, our side. I will say if there is, like, a relationship like that, like, or, you're, you know, like a couple that wants to hang out we're more apt to hang out with like them and like a group date rather than like like reach just going out with someone group days are so fun isn't it fun having like married couple friends when you're married and you can just chill I love that talk about marriage yeah and then you're like wait you guys fight about the toothpaste too it's like oh my gosh what are we fighting

about toothpaste we've never thought about toothpaste but it just kind of like it just puts things in a perspective and you're like ah like we're all humans yeah and we're not alone. Yeah. Will, talk to me about what it's like to be the husband of a DCC. I want to say. Of a DCC. You got it. Yeah. It is kind of confusing. That is what is it like? What is it like? Let me say it again. We can leave all this in. You ask the question. You're like laughing. You say it again. Will, what's it's like being a husband of a DCC? It's really cool. It's so good like so cool to be able to like go and support her and like see. her dream come to fruition and then do it every Sunday or Thursday or Monday. What I'm crying? Aww. Aww.

I'm so sweet. Don't cry. It's okay. It's okay. But, like, she's been working for this since she was like three years old. She didn't know that this was the goal that she was pushing for. But when she started dance and, like, we came out to Dallas. We came out to Dallas in 2020 when Alabama played Notre Dame, and she walked into Jerry World,

and she was like, I'm going to try out for the Dallas Cowboys. And I was like, okay, let's do it. And, like, we weren't engaged or anything. We were just dating at that time. And as we kept dating and got engaged, like, the dream became reality. And it was just really, really cool because it was her dream for such a long time. and then like seeing it and not just seeing it but being in the middle of it and like seeing the good and the bad about it because I mean everybody's going to have dreams and

like there's good parts to the dream and there's also probably some bad parts to the dream too struggles responsibility sacrifices all those things like and most people just see like the Instagram side of the dream yeah but seeing the background and like actually the like the push that they have to they have to make and the the struggles that go with it and um like the anxiety and fears that come with it too because like we said earlier she came to Dallas to be a DCC she didn't come to be a Netflix star yeah it just came with it and that's crazy fear and anxiety just like like surrounded the whole dream man and like we've been working through it and it's been It's been really cool to push through it.

I'm curious how you encourage, Reese, you've said yourself, you struggle with people pleasing, and I'm sure that combined with a lot of people looking at you in your life and your decisions. I'm curious, well, how you encourage her in those moments. Like, what has worked for Reese? I've kind of learned how to ask the right questions. We've been, whenever, like, we can tell that, like, things might be, like, bottling up. we go on walks and just talk and like leave our phones and um just talk and that's the like we unplug from everything like she might be like oh this was really really hard this week but really

it's something much deeper and uh like i've been able to kind of navigate in how to ask her the right questions yeah what's an example of a question that you might ask to like figure out the root or figure out, like, how you can best show up for your wife? It might be a week where she has, like, three or four things that she's got to post content-wise. And then she's got practice every single night, and then something that she just got booked on for DCC. And I might be like, are you feeling spread too thin? Are you just tired? And then, like, maybe it's like she was booked on something for New York, and she feels guilty

because it's another opportunity for her that someone else didn't get the opportunity for. Because she is in, like you said, she's very humble. She's never going to say it. Like, she's the face of DCC in my eyes as well. So she is going to get pulled in many, many different directions for DCC. And being a third year, a fifth year might not get the same opportunities. and they've been here long and she feels that guilt deep down and being able to ask the questions around the surface level things of just like being spread too thin and don't have time for

this this week that's the root of it just feeling guilty and like I don't want to like just talk about like your guilt and anxiety or anything like that but like that's just like one example. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like trying to ask, I guess, really, like, the right questions. Or, like, trying to ask multiple questions until we get to, like, the root of it. Yeah.

I think that's great. I think sometimes, like, husbands from talking to, like, are other friends that are married to, like, husbands' tendencies seem to be, like, the fixer. Like, they have, what's that, like, sketch that they have? Like, the wife, I don't like this sketch, I will say. Yeah. Because I feel like it makes women just look dumb, but, like, a wife, has a nail in her head and she's like I just have this like headache and it's like piercing and the husband's

like I think it's because of the nail in your head and she's like why do you never let me just I'm talking about how I feel and like the husband just wants to fix it there is a nail in your forehead it's a dumb it's a dumb picture but I do think it grows it builds on a thing that happens across a lot of marriages where husbands like love the idea of a simple fix like a quick like well just patch up the surface level of this and just just like find that that's a solution now we can just move on whereas like there usually is like you're saying a deeper rooted issue going on like maybe even all the way like to the heart level like that's that's just brewing and so i think it's sweet that you're like being intentional about

like okay no even though my tendency may feel like to just want to you know put a bandaid on like let's carry on like to just ask more questions and to just really just giving her a space that's safe to talk about it okay other question people are wanting to know are you guys planning on staying in Texas long term. Is this your forever home? That's a good question. Our forever home, I think, is going to be Alabama. Oh, you think you'll go back to Alabama one day. I think so, yeah. But you're not even from Alabama originally, right? No, I just, like, fell in love with, one, like, our college town, like, and I know that sounds so silly, because I feel like a lot of families, like, don't go back to their college town and, like, raise a family. But it's so special.

And, you know, like I said, like his family is there. It's a lot close to. for my family to drive and also like our mentors are there like our church home there's just like so much community that's already built there and like we do love Dallas like there's still so much to do out here which is great but I think what we really miss is just that like atmosphere of just community is there land around there to you there is so I think like that's another thing is like I think like our lives will look the same but we can go home to like a place that's different like peaceful and quiet like it would be like like out here there's such like a lifestyle creep that everybody is like people are fancy in Dallas I will say I'm not that

and I hate that we've even like in some ways fallen into that like I don't know I like when we used to live in Hawaii people I would go to the grocery store with no shirt on in my swim trunks wearing flip-flops okay that's so cool like I love that like madame I say I have to wear a shirt now. Yeah, and now I have to wear a shirt to the grocery store. Can you believe that? Like, how ridiculous. No, but I get what you're saying.

I definitely get what you're saying. So, yeah, sorry I interrupted. But it sounds like there's some keeping up with the Joneses in Dallas. And in Alabama, you don't feel that as much. Yeah, it's like very, very materialistic out here. And, like, we want land and animals, which I guess land is part of like being materialistic. That's pricey. It is.

But it's all. also something like you can like plant and grow. Yeah. Yeah. I think what's so special, Will actually proposed to me on his grandfather's land. And I think it'd be so fun to like plant like hydrange is there or like something and like you know generational like something where like if our kids like if we have a son and wants to like propose in the same area he did like to us like I don't know, it'd just be really cool

to keep that and just make it like something that we can work on and invest in and all that. Are you a big, are you big into hydrangeous? I love hydrangeous. I just love flowers in general, but we'll propose with hydrangeous around. I know she loved hydrangeous and then, um, my grandmother also loved hydrangees. They also do really well in Alabama. So I'm like, ah, no way. He's so sweet.

I want to be the sweet grandmother that has like hydrangeas everywhere. That was my great grandpa's farm in Illinois. like we'd go out and visit and my mom's a huge fan of them because of like my grandpa would plant them everywhere what color what color did you were they white i used blue blue and white dude blue that's they were blue on my grandma because they don't they um don't they like take up the color based off of the soil yeah yeah because on my they were like right next to this super old shed that my uncle wanted to like tear down my grandpa was like absolutely not like this shed just been in the family and like it i i don't know if it was like the the stuff coming off the shed but they were

like bright blue hydrangees. You have to keep them for the hydrangeas. They're cool flowers, aren't they? They are. They are. Okay, we talked about a lot today, but I know, I feel like the question everyone's dying to know is, is there going to be a season three? I feel like you can't even answer that, so I even know why I'm asking it, but like,

what do we know about that? No, it's already public knowledge now that there will be season three. Yeah, but actually, I will say that they, when did they? They announced it right around, in August, right around the first game. But it was like one little video, so a lot of people ask that question. No, a lot of people ask that question, but I'm like, well, it's already out, but I don't know, like, how much, like, we've talked about it. You heard it right here, exclusive on the Unplanned podcast.

Season three of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders is coming back. By the way, what's the official title of the show? Because I keep calling it Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Is it America's Sweethearts? It's America's Sweethearts Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. That's the, like, the full name. The full thing. Is there like a shortened version that?

people say? Probably just like America Sweethearts. America Sweethearts. Do you intend to go many more years on the team? I really don't know the answer to that question because I feel like every day is like always new. There's always so much and also we are such like we are so busy right now. So like I mean I would love to go as long as I can but also like it is just so so so busy. So I really just like don't know to answer that right now. I'm just like trying to be present and enjoy every single single. second like that I can because it does go by so fast because earlier in the conversation we talked about like traditions yeah and like she's working on thanksgiving last year she was working right around Christmas yeah we just can't like it's hard to make the traditions when you don't know

what's going to be going on um so it's like they sacrifice a lot like to be able to do this in the time that they do um so just depends on what decision she wants to do Yeah, that's awesome. I think that's also, like, wise probably to take a year by year. It's such a, it's evolving so rapidly even since your first season. It's like, well, you don't know what it's going to look like a couple years from now. And a year also is a long time at this age. Like, I think about two years ago, I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm a completely different person.

Like, I think about things differently. We did a podcast earlier today when we, and a question we forgot to ask the couple that we interviewed. Is this what we're going to end on? Yeah, we're going to end it on this. Reese is too sweet. Preston and Brianna, go check that episode out if you guys haven't seen it yet. But do you guys fart in front of each other? Is that something that you do?

That's so funny. Yeah, absolutely. Wait, what was there? We were driving back from Alabama Sunday, and we had Deloni's Questions for Humans. Oh, cute. On a scale of like 1 to 10. I can't remember the question. Or something like that.

On a scale of not comfortable or like extremely comfortable. comfortable. How comfortable are you to fart in front of? And so you're like, extremely. Obviously. Both of you? Yeah. Okay. Number two, is that something that you do in private? Or is that like okay to in front of each other? No, I don't do it in public. I try not to.

Or not in public. Wait, what we're talking about? No, like it's front of your spouse. In front of us. Like if you're in the bathroom together and you're getting ready, like will you just, will you go number two like by your spouse? You have to close the door. Oh, so it was a sore subject No, no, no, no.

That's what we need to say is close to it. But last year, when y'all interviewed us at the, or interviewed her at our apartment, like, there was one toilet. And, oh my gosh. Like, she was in there getting ready for practice and I come home for work. I'm like, I'm so sorry.

I got to get another mirror. Yeah. Like, that's so funny because maybe that's like a year three thing. Yeah. Or maybe once you have kids together, you're like, there is certainly nothing to hide around you. But I swear, I would love a little privacy, but I swear every time I have to go number two, Matt has something he has to say. And it's just like right there, I'm like, you know what, we don't have to get used to this. We don't have to live like this.

Popping each other's pimples. Is that something that you guys partaken? She's never done that. Abby is a huge fan of that. And it's weird. I'm sorry, you don't really. I try to get her to stop, okay? I'm a huge fan of like popping her back.

Like, I'll pick her up. And, like, just crack the back. That's, that's one thing. I feel like I'm a car. And not to be, not to be TMI. I agree. It's gross, but it's all. I can't look at it every, like, I'm like,

I swear every time she goes to pop my pimples, it's like, we're about to do stuff that only married couples do. I guess other people, I guess unmarried people do it too. But like, we're about to freaking get it on. It's like, can I pop this? I'm really close to you. I'm really close to you. And a lot of things are made aware of me at that moment.

That's TMI. She's like, you have a blackhead in between your eye. and I'm like, great, can we just leave it? No, no popping pimples here. I'm like, ugh. Okay, well, at least you have some boundaries. Yeah, well, hey, I'm glad that you guys at least fart in front of each other. That's awesome. Good for you guys.

It's human, right? Yeah. Anything else that we haven't to, we've talked for so long for anything else. Anything that you're dying for the world to know. Maybe. We are expecting this episode would be really great. Yes, this is going to be amazing. I was going to just say, like, this is probably more of, like, the sentimental side. But, like, we are just human beings, like, trying to figure it out.

And life is always, like, throwing something at us. But I think, like, what's so special is we could go into so many outlets. My brain is like, okay, stick to one reason. But, like, truly, like, I'm so grateful to have, like, my biggest cheerleader, no pun intended. But just to find someone that truly is for you and is going to support you no matter what, like, the ups and downs. Like, I'm so grateful for that. that and I know everybody deserves like to have like your cheerleader too so um so grateful for that but also too like we're two human beings just trying to figure it out and we're going to fail a lot

but I think what's so special is we have like our teamwork and our partnership. I love that America's favorite cheerleader and her cheerleader. Yes I love that. That's good. Together. Well thanks guys so much for being here and this was really special. I was looking forward to this conversation a lot. So I appreciate you taking the time. Go follow Reese and Will on Instagram, TikTok, all the socials. Hopefully next time we have you on, you'll be at 2 million. We'll see. Well, I don't know about that.

We'll see. Sam country right where we're at. Yeah, we're good.