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The Year in Dallas Pop Culture – 2024 Edition

4 months ago
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The Year in Dallas Pop Culture – 2024 Edition

Kordell Beckham left “Love Island USA” with a new girlfriend in Serena Page. Kim Nunneley/Peacock. Finally, a Good Reality TV Dater from Dallas Girls5Eva performing “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth.” (courtesy of Netfflix) The Girls5eva Song “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth” courtesy of The Netflix House courtesy of Netflix The Netflix House Chooses Dallas And […]

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Kordell Beckham left “Love Island USA” with a new girlfriend in Serena Page.
Kim Nunneley/Peacock.

Finally, a Good Reality TV Dater from Dallas

girls 5eva fort worth song

Girls5Eva performing “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth.”
(courtesy of Netfflix)

The Girls5eva Song “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth”

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courtesy of The Netflix House
courtesy of Netflix

The Netflix House Chooses Dallas

And the Trinity River’s getting better
Parts are even swimmable
It’s no longer called the mythological river of death
‘Cause when the West begins, it’s where your best begins.

Between the endless specialty cocktails, themed treats, and occasional tarot card readings, those four or so minutes when the midday sky went dark made for a beautiful, unifying, unforgettable experience.     

An excerpt from the original release further boggles the mind: Imagine waltzing with your partner to an orchestral cover of a Taylor Swift song on a replica of the Bridgerton set –– and then walking around the corner to compete in the Glass Bridge challenge from Squid Game.

Ugh. Come on, Dallas!

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Pony Up, Timmy.
(courtesy of ESPN)

Timothée Chalamet Rooting for SMU

“I’m pulling for SMU; it smells like the 1980s, folks,” says a man who was born in 1995. Pony up, Muad’Dib!

A wild pairing, though I understand the urge to juxtapose two tonally different shows to emphasize the breadth of what the Netflix House can be. However, if there’s an immersive experience of Girls5Eva’s “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth,” I’ll be the first to get lost in the Galleria parking lot.

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Kelcey Wetterberg leads the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders iconic “Thunderstruck” routine.
Netflix

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Netflix Show

Dallas would be so lucky to have a satirical song this sharp and feel-good.

There are a few factors that likely influenced the series’ big moment. A 2022 switch from CBS to Peacock allowed Love Island USA to up the raunch factor. New host Ariana Madix, the only Vanderpump Rules castmate whose star is still climbing post #Scandoval, also brought in a legion of new viewers. But both points are moot if the season’s cast isn’t compelling. Luckily, it was divine. There was an overalls-clad hunk named Rob, a pro-level crier named Kaylor, and a genuine sweetie in Dallas’ own Kordell Beckham (brother of NFL star Odell Beckham Jr). Beckham coupled up with Serena Page and won Season 6 via a nationwide vote. They’re reportedly still together.

*Note: I apologize in advance if you thought sports—Dallas’ biggest pop culture contribution—would be a part of this. I leave that to Mike Pielluci. Write what you know!

Nara Smith, armed with a glamorous bob and occasionally joined by her husband (former teen model extraordinaire Lucky Blue Smith!), earned her internet icon status by whipping up from-scratch versions of everything from butter to bubble gum. She’s also a model, as evidenced by the impeccable clothes she fearlessly dons while chopping tomatoes.  

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The Bath House Cultural Center as the sky darkened on an April afternoon while the eclipse was in totality.
Joey Cade

The Eclipse

Netflix’s viewership numbers are notoriously opaque, but America’s Sweethearts’s weeks-long run in the platform’s “Top 10 TV Shows in the U.S. Today” lineup and its season two renewal bodes well for its popularity. And of course, the true marker of modern pop culture success: a collection of engrossing think pieces and a TikTok trend.

Dallas hasn’t historically offered up the best reality TV dating contestants (see: Love is Blind’s third season), but Beckham, despite a few romantic stumbles, was a fan favorite for a reason. He’s probably already left us for Los Angeles, but for a brief, shining moment at the height of Love Island mania, we got to call him a hometown hero.

Working in local journalism teaches you to shift gears between your regional news brain and your pop culture news brain. On occasion, however, there is a glorious overlap between the two. These were a few of my favorite Dallas in pop culture moments from 2024.

Of course, as soon as I perfected my pitch for a D Magazine feature on Nara Smith, seemingly the most self-aware of the “tradwife” set, she and Lucky Blue announced they were moving their young family to Connecticut. There were a few reasons, but Nara explained it was also “hard to make friends” in Texas.


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Lucky Blue and Nara Smith at the opening of the new Tiffany & Co. store in Dallas.
Richard Rodriguez

Nara Smith Lives—or Lived—in Dallas

Given her chicness, I had long assumed the dulcet-toned wonder was filming her cooking videos somewhere cool like Malibu or Stockholm. I was shocked when I saw the NorthPark video, and even more stunned when she answered yes to a comment about whether she lives in Dallas. Apparently, they’ve been here since 2022! Her favorite grocery store is Central Market.

Tap into your Fort Worth
One look and you’ll love it too
No wonder Jesus went to TCU…

Author

Caitlin Clark

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