Tragedy has struck Dance Moms Nation! We’ve finally made it to Nationals. Everything else led to this episode. But what are we left with now? No longer will adult women appear on our screens to yell at each other about children dancing. No insanely pretty young girls will floor us with their endless talent and amazingly thick skins. Tuesday nights will become meaningless … just another long, boring night of the week with work the next morning!
… I may be getting ahead of myself. After all, there’s still the inevitable reunion special next week. And probably at least one Christmas special, right? And the Easter special. And probably a St. Patrick’s Day show or two. I mean, Abby and the Pitt Crew will never leave us, right? Er, right?
Before anybody freaks out (some more), let’s take a moment to appreciate our crazy season so far. We’ve had interlopers in every corner, a villainous “Select Team” trying to undermine our Crew every step of the way. Maddie did a music video and Abby won’t let anyone forget it. Cathy threw her rocker out a bus window on the way to a competition somewhere and left behind every last shred of sanity she may have once possessed. Christ-Y preached us the good, nutz-o Word of Her Opinions, and Christ-I preached the truth about Abby. Nia killed it in competition and Abby gave Nationals solos to absolutely anybody else anyway. Holly stopped trying to be the “nice” one and Melissa is getting ready to throw a chair at somebody. With all that, we knew this week would be explosive so let’s have a look at how it all turned out…
Even though there is no pyramid since it’s the middle of the week, Abby took the time out of rehearsal to line the girls up and tell them they aren’t working hard enough. With her “new L.A. studio” looming, everyone is feeling pressure to perform better than usual — especially the Select Team. They may never have stood a real chance of joining the team in Pittsburgh, but they might be able to secure themselves spots in a brand new studio. Abby, however, is not impressed with anyone’s performances so far and threatens to pull one of the selected soloists (Chloe, Kendall, and Kamryn) and put Maddie in instead.
Group rehearsals start with a fury. Abby is shrieking at everyone and all the dances are sloppy messes. The moms are mad at Abby because she hasn’t given the teams her full attention since she’s been out studio hunting … and they’re also very mad at Melissa. Why? Well, I’m glad you asked. Even though she spoke up in the arbitrary lineup at the beginning of the episode, saying she thought it was good to give some other team members a chance, Melissa still refuses to pull Maddie from the competition. The rest of the Pitt Crew corners her outside the rented studio and make her so angry that Abby’s most reliable butt kisser actual confronts her and starts swearing up a storm.
After group rehearsal, the girls begin work on their solos and it’s clear who Abby favors. Kendall is sweet, but at best she’s going to become the next Chloe (always second to Maddie, constant verbal punching bag, take your pick of indignities) … and the actual Chloe doesn’t stand a chance as long as Abby hates her mom. After an altercation with Christi, Abs returns to rehearsing Kamryn and insists that if the older, taller girl doesn’t win, she’s off the team. Chloe rehearses with Abby but her choreography is sub-par and she just looks tired and beat down. Christi attempts to encourage her, but Chloe makes it clear that she knows Abby doesn’t want her to win and it’s taking its toll.
The next day, both teams head to their final competition. Unfortunately, Cathy got there first. Instead of the cheering crowds that usually appear to welcome the girls into the competition space, they are greeted by a silent crowd holding apples high in the air. It may be a pointless gimmick, but it’s still annoying to think that people would even pretend to support the Apples at this point in the series.
And of course the shenanigans aren’t done there. Cathy’s entire final routine is one big joke and the ALDC catches on quickly. Cathy hired herself a So You Think You Can Dance alum to choreograph a group routine to Chandelier, which was the hit Sia song whose music video made Maddie more famous than Dance Moms. Abby is furious but no amount of screaming matches in competition dressing rooms is going to change the number, and Abby has to find a new way to get her revenge.
Abby wants to put Maddie in the competition, now using her Chandelier routine just to stick it to Cathy (conveniently forgetting that they don’t have the rights to the song and that it’s not Abby’s choreography). Maddie, however, decides she doesn’t want to dance if it means one of her friends has to get pulled from competition. Abby may think that’s immature but I’m pretty sure I speak for the entire Dance Moms Nation when I say: You go, Maddie!
Solos compete first. Kendall does a barely memorable jazz routine. She looks nice but it’s definitely not on par with some of her earlier choreography and no amount of cutaways of Abby looking happy will convince me she performed it better than Applause. Chloe performs her solo next. Again, the routine is very lackluster for a nationals routine but she’s definitely gotten more expressive from yesterday to today. She looks beautiful and performs the inferior choreography very cleanly. The pressure is on Kamryn to beat Chloe if she wants to stay in Abby’s good graces.
From the get-go, it’s obvious that this routine is better than Kendall’s or Chloe’s (and not just in a Christi-is-oversensitive way). The choreography is intricate and very detailed. Kamryn looks just gorgeous doing it and she is as impressive a performer as she is a dancer. Unfortunately, three days proves not to have been enough time for her to learn such a difficult number. She slips while running backwards downstage and takes an impressive tumble. She goes literally head over heels and then… we cut to commercial before we can see what happens next.
Of course, this all would have been a lot more shocking if they hadn’t been showing clips of the fall in every “Coming Up…” since last week’s preview…
Fortunately, Kamryn covers her fall and bounces back up quickly. Backstage, though, the panicked girl starts crying and Abby comes back to … give her a hug? The world’s most terrifying teacher hugs the Select Dancer and says the fall was “okay” and that she did really well and that she made Abby proud.
Seriously? I’m never in favor of Abby screaming at upset children but “no crying” is the biggest rule after “everybody’s replaceable”! Never, ever has falling (at Nationals, no less) warranted anything but a talking-to. And the moms definitely notice this treatment.
From somewhere nobody cares about, one of the Candy Moms walks past the dressing room while the girls are warming up. She’s wearing a horrible dress and playing Chandelier on her phone. All of the mom’s and Abby stand in shock at this blatant disrespect and Maddie takes it upon herself to drop into her choreography as soon as she picks up the beat. She finishes her number flawlessly and the Candy Mom-minion walks away, defeated like a video game mini-boss.
For the second time this episode: You go, Maddie!
Group numbers are, of course, next, and we finally get to see the product of Cathy’s weeks of bragging.
It’s a little underwhelming.
The poor kids are in ridiculous costumes. Like, a ’90s kid’s idea of what bad ’70s disco outfits look like. The choreography is good but not exactly mind-blowing and hardly even approaches “cutting edge.” Her kids are talented, but lack the drive of Abby’s hand-selected team from legions of child-star wannabes … and basically what I’m saying is that I’m disappointed and I don’t even know why I’m surprised. If Cathy is made of anything other than vitriol, it’s hot air.
The Select team is just gorgeous. Abby explained last week that the routine was designed specifically to cater to their great lines and technique (again, none of which was developed by her…) and it does its job. The girls are tall and elegant and the routine is near flawless.
Remember how Abby conveniently found an excuse to yell at Sara and kick her off the Select team? I can’t imagine it had anything to do with the fact that she’s five inches shorter than everyone else on it and not nearly as experienced. It’s almost like the girls who trained outside of the ALDC are better dancers. How weird!
The Pitt Crew number is not to be shamed, however. Although the choreography is not nearly as mature, the girls handle the subject matter well, as always, and can pull points for tugging heartstrings. Mackenzie, as always, rocks her role as a murdered/abducted/sickly/kidnapped kid and Maddie as the tragic pseudo-mother figure.
The girls are appropriately creepy and the routine definitely delivers some goosebumps. Which means it’s all up to the judges now.
Solo awards are a pretty lackluster affair. Kendall only places ninth, but with that choreography, who can blame her? Chloe and Kamryn tie for fifth with the title going to the dancer with the highest technique score. Recall in days past when Maddie beat Chloe the same way? Abby ripped on her for that. I was preparing for horrible flashbacks when the order was announced. Kamryn in sixth and Chloe in fifth. If you’re keeping score (and you should be), Chloe has now beat Kamryn three times out of three. Boom, baby!
Group results are a little more tense. The Sour Apples only get fifth for all their bluster. Maybe they should have spent less time prepping dumb gimmicks and more time practicing? With that out of the way, we finally come to the culmination of this whole season. Who will win in the end — the Select Team or the Junior Elites?
Our Pitt Crew girls pull through. The Select team takes a close second, though, and the moms revel in their superiority for a little while longer. Of course, that’s not good enough for Abby.
Backstage, and before the girls return, Abby insists that Kamryn should have beat Chloe and Christi is livid. No matter how many times she wins, Chloe will never prove anything to Abby. As the girls file in, Chloe enters crying and announces that she heard everything Abby said.
While Christi gather their things, Abby gives the Select Team a final boot out the door. The Select moms may be pissed, but, as Abby points out, their dancers have served their only purpose, which was to push the ALDC girls into the next level of competition. Well, the Crew has stepped up and the Select Team is no longer necessary. Let’s have a moment of joyous silence for the show’s worst gimmick yet.
The last thirty seconds are a heart-wrenching dedication to Christi and Chloe leaving without the team. Chloe says she still wants to dance, but she can’t do that under Abby any more. As the camera lingers on the mom and daughter leaving Nationals, Chloe cries as she says that the best part of dancing with ALDC is her team and knowing that she always had friend who knew exactly what she was going through after every rehearsal.
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
And that’s it, Ladies and Gentlemen. The end of the season. This is your last chance to vent about a regular episode for a while, so make sure you get it all out. Are Christi and Chloe really gone for good? Who’s watching next season, even if it means a move to L.A.? Who’s had all they can take? What kind of hell awaits us at next week’s reunion special? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.
The Dance Moms Season 4 reunion special airs Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 9/8CT on Lifetime.
Get rid of Abby, she’s a bully. I will not watch another episode of child abuse. I watched the show b/c I enjoyed Chloe, Brooke, Paige, and Nia. I was never a fan of Kendall or Maddie or their Mom’s. I will never watch Dance Mom’s again. It was bad enough losing Paige and Brooke. Now that Chloe is gone there is nothing left to watch. I’ll follow Nia on the Internet.
I agree! And apparently next season that holy terror nightmare-child JoJo is joining the team……JC and Abs are really desperate now LOL.
Well, now there is definitely not a chance in hell I’ll be watching any of next season if that little terror has joined the ALDC. Kind of funny if you think about it though…they went from having Chloe, who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, to having JoJo, who is nothing more than a massive spoiled brat. I’m surprised and not surprised all at the same time that they would stoop so low.
I miss the company earlier that although peliaran sinsera abby lee miller returning but to come to the ends as you can do that to girls as peaceful and loving as they were friendly chloe paige and she always preferring maddie girls had to endure their preference that was his teacher but now is maddie and kamryn poor girls who preferred to remain in his company as nia so quiet and calm most of the time that she and paige were the insults that chloe wore and of course that was the challenger kamryn maddie and I want to Dances Moms before paige and those poor girls who HaiGan been silent thus abby lee miller has done all these years their mistreatment that does not forgive forgive abby
Did anyone catch SNL with Jim Carey spoofing Maddie’s performance in the Sia video? I know imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I know some people are going to be outraged that they took an 11 year old and are making fun of her. Thoughts?
I personally think the Sia video was too mature for an eleven year old, especially what they had her wear. If her mother thought she was mature enough to participate in the video, she’s mature enough to deal with people making spoofs, like so. That’s just my opinion.
agreed
I do want chloe back on abby lee dance company and I totally want to see maddie leave because abby is a mean. #neverwatchdancemomagain#bringbackchloe
I agree with all the Chloe lovers! She is my favorite too. She is WAY sweeter and kinder than Maddie. I see right through Maddue, snd dhe will hurt Abby one day, just as Abby has hurt the other girls, espessually sweet, talented Chloe! I may check in on it for Nia. We’ll see….
I agree with all the Chloe lovers! She is my favorite too. She is WAY sweeter and kinder than Maddie. I see right through Maddue, snd dhe will hurt Abby one day, just as Abby has hurt the other girls, espessually sweet, talented Chloe! I may check in on it for Nia. We’ll see….
I just found this site and pretty much read through the entire Dance Moms archive. You’re extremely funny.
I’ve been watching this show for a long time.
I remember the first episode when they introduced the girls, Chloe has this sad, melodramatic background music, and you just connected more with her.
She and the Hylands been my favorite throughout because I knew how it felt to be bullied by a teacher, actually a few, because they had a bad history with my mom.
I still have a soft spot for Nia so I hope at least you’ll still be watching the show because I can’t support it anymore, I can read up on Nia on your blog.
Kind of upset I got my sister into this show last week and my 4-year-old-niece whom also loves Chloe after seeing her cry and her Wreck It solo
I have watched this show from the beginning, my only reason to continue to was Chloe, my heart ached for her. I flossed my fingers every time she took the stage. I have deleted “The Show” from my DVR. I am happy to support the decision Christy has made for Chloe. Chloe you are one of the living angels walking in this world and I wish only great things for you. Chloe through all of the disappointing words Miss. Abbey you healed you head up high and that comes from a great Mom you have. Fly high Chloe!!
It breaks my heart to witness the abuse that Abby is allowed to heap on these children every week.I can only cringe thinking of how nasty Abby is when the camera is not rolling.If Bravo is egging her on shame on all of you.If her behavior is a result of being an only child then every family should classes on how not to raise a Bully.I use to feel pity for Abby when Cathy showed up but now I cheer her on. Go Kathy.Go Chloe
I HATE Abby. I used to tolerate her but after that comment she made to Christi about how she didn’t grow up with two parents I lost all respect for her. Who says something like that? So I hope Christi and Chloe do leave along with Nia, because it shows that they do better without Abby. Nia won first place when Abby wasn’t around at all. If Abby didn’t constantly tear down Chloe, she would have won too. Abby hurts these girls. They deserve more than her. I hope the show ends so they can all leave. Because Abby is pushing this Mack Z thing too far and limiting Maddie with the same choreography when she obviously has he ability to do so much more. That was one of the reasons Sophia Lucia left. Abby gave her crappy choreography and held her back instead of pushing her to her limits. I don’t really care that much about Kendall. Abby seems to like her, she has room for improvement, and she hasn’t been there as long as the other girls so I think she would be fine, but everyone else should move on. I also hope that Abby flops in LA. She barely made her Pittsburg studio work before DM came there. She knows NOTHING about hip hop bit she wants to go to L.A?? You have to know at least a little about hip hop! Just because Abby’s been on a lot of shows doesn’t mean that she really understands the overall industry. She obviously doesn’t know the music industry because Mack Z is not gonna work. Not in the direction that Abby wants her to go. The girls are growing up and once they leave, so will Abby’s reputation. Because she will no longer have her precious Maddie under her thumb. I personally think that she should go to Club Dance, Dance Precessions, San Diego Dance Center, or Strictly Rhythm. Those are some of THE BEST studios in the country who produce dancers like Madison Cubbage, Autumn Miller, Kaylee Quinn, Chloe East, and Sophia Lucia. She could be on some of their levels if she left ALDC. They should just stop the show and let the girls go on to establish themselves on their own
10/9/2014 5:39 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
“Dance Moms” star Abby Lee Miller so terrorized her pint-sized pirouetters … they now suffer panic attacks and extreme anxiety … this according to a new lawsuit filed by A 13-YEAR-OLD!
Paige Hyland claims in her new lawsuit — obtained by TMZ — Miller was downright cruel to the dancers … sometimes pinching them ’til they bled. Paige says she feared being physically battered because she saw Miller physically attack others on the set.
Paige says Miller’s M.O. was to make the girls cry, deriding them for being emotionally weak, calling them names, insulting their looks … all for drama.
Paige’s lawyer, Michael Shapiro, says “I’m not looking to make a lot of money off this. I think what Miller has done to the kids is intolerable and has got to stop. It’s the most repugnant case I’ve been involved in after 49 years of practice.”
Aside from emotional distress … Paige claims she was worked like a horse in Central Park — 60 hour weeks and 12-hour days were routine.
Paige’s mom, Kelly Hyland, and Miller HATE each other. They’ve each accused the other of physical attacks in the past … and Kelly has already sued Miller for emotionally abusing Paige.
We reached out to Miller… so far no response.
Chloe and Nia are my favorite….They are both great dancers…Maddie is a spoiled brat…I think she gets the best routains to Maddie.. If I had a daughter and Abby talk to my daughter they way she talks to those children…She would not have any teeth left…She is add and needs to be on meds for it…How can a grown woman treat those children that way…
They give her 100% and she couldn’t care less only Maddie she is so concern about…I hope all those kids leave her except Maddie would be the only one that would stay
I totally agtee. Maddie is old enough now to want to rebel agaonst all that special treatment. So why doesnt she. I have watched the steady decline of Chloe but its nothing to do with her between her lesser choreography and constant put downs by Abby this poor kid. I also really like Nia and i think she is never given many chances.
Shame on the producer to stoop to this level for ratings. Yes the mother should pull their children from this lying tyrants dance school. Abby
teaches children to lie and she is a bully. I loved to watch thesekids
dance but the bullying is to much. pvs
Chloe has always been my favorite. She is so kind and graceful. I had hoped this was a scripted reality show. I didn’t want to believe there were actually humans like Abby. She is disgusting and takes credit for everything. She started Kenzies music since she couldn’t control Brooks. There have been a few things that were never discussed. 1. what about Chloe and the Geoffrey Ballet scholarship. Maddie showed her true colors when she wasn’t selected. What a brat. Her so-called acting ability is the same expression over and over 2. Chloe was the only dancer NOT in Kenzie’s dance video. That was rotten. 3. When the mom’s took Abby out for the meet and greet, Abby wouldn’t go until Kristie got out of the car. I hope she falls on her fat butt in LA. If Chloe doesn’t come back, I have better things to do with my time.
I don’ t know why any mom would subject their child to Abby’s treatment. She is a witch!! I would have left with my daughter long ago!
Well, 1) Maddie got into Geoffrey but for tap. She was upset for another reason, but the show made it look like she was jealous 2) Mackenzie’s video was for the ALDC studio. Chloe doesn’t dance there anymore. She is just there for the show so anything associated with the studio, she is not apart of. She doesn’t even go to all of their competitions. Just a few. I don’t justify three. And I’m not trying to make Abby look good. I hate her too. Especially after that comment she made about Christi at the reunion, but you should at least know all the details and real facts.
when is the reunion on? also, i want Chloe back! Abby is so mean!
I think abbey is a bully — she should not be an instructor for anyone bc she has not compassion, she is a negative person and does not know how to encourage her children. I was only watching the show for brook, Chloe and nia but now that Chloe is not there …I will not be watching the dance moms anymore. Ps nia’s mom should also leave.
I am surprised at how the Moms keep coming back…sure your daughters want to dance but you pay good money for instructions for the girls and you are getting substandard directions. What credentials do the instructors have…you are paying to have Abby instruct not a dancer wanna-be and when Abby does come she is horrible to the girls (not to Maddie). You wouldn’t let anyone else treat your daughters like that or speak to them that way. Abby is just a horrible person and a bully picking on 11 and 12 year old kids. You pay Abby to instruct and she should have a lot more respect for her bread and butter. I won’t watch anymore and if you were smart Moms you would pull your daughters.
I checked the ALDC website and the instructors do have credentials as far as certification goes, that’s all thats required in dance schools. I completely agree with you though, I wonder if all the money the mom’s (and girls for that matter) are making will be worth the years of therapy they’ll have to go through in order to live a normal life again.
The girls aren’t paid. They would be considered pro and would not qualify to be in amateur dance competitions.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Symptoms:
People diagnosed with BPD have strong mood swings. They see things as “all good” or “all bad” (splitting), and are frequently confused about their identity. They usually have a lot of trouble with relationships with people. They have strong emotions which often change quickly. They are often reckless, destructive or self-destructive.
Emotions:
People with BPD feel emotions more easily, more deeply and for longer than others do. Emotions may repeatedly return and last a long time. Because of this, it may take longer than normal for people with BPD to return to a normal and stable emotional state. This can have both positive and negative effects.
People with BPD are often very joyful and loving. However, while people with BPD feel joy intensely, they are very prone to feelings of mental and emotional distress.
They may feel overwhelmed by negative emotions, experiencing intense grief instead of sadness, shame and humiliation instead of mild embarrassment, rage instead of annoyance and panic instead of nervousness.
People with BPD are especially sensitive to feelings of being rejected, being alone, and being a “failure”. Along with their emotions being intense, their emotions are quick to change. The most common mood swings they have are between anger and anxiety
Interpersonal Relationships:
People with BPD can be very sensitive to the way others treat them. They can feel very joyful and grateful when they feel someone has been kind to them, and very sad or angry when they feel someone has criticized them or been hurtful to them.
Their feelings about others often shift from positive to negative if there’s a disappointment, if they feel like there’s a threat of losing someone, or if they think they’ve lost value in the eyes of someone that they value.
They think in extremes, seeing things or people as “all good” or “all bad” at any given point in time, with no middle ground. This is a defense mechanism sometimes called splitting, or black-and-white thinking. It includes a shift from idealizing others (feeling pure admiration and love) to devaluing them (feeling pure anger or dislike).
While strongly wanting to feel closeness, people with BPD tend to be insecure, have mixed feelings, or be fearfully preoccupied when it comes to their relationships, and they often view the world as dangerous and bad.
Sense of Self:
People with BPD tend to have trouble seeing a clear picture of their identity. In particular, they tend to have difficulty knowing what they value and enjoy. They are often unsure about their long-term goals for relationships and jobs. They often have trouble making decisions and can change their minds quickly and often.
Cognitions:
People with BPD are easily bored and it is hard for them to control the focus of their attention—to concentrate. People with BPD may tend to dissociate, which can be thought of as an intense form of “zoning out” often happens in response to a painful event (or something that triggers the memory of a painful event). Although the mind’s habit of blocking out intense painful emotions may provide temporary relief, it can also have the unwanted side effect of blocking ordinary emotions, keeping people with BPD from the information they would normally get from those emotions, which helps guide decision-making in everyday life.
Sense of Self:
People with BPD tend to have trouble seeing a clear picture of their identity. In particular, they tend to have difficulty knowing what they value and enjoy. They are often unsure about their long-term goals for relationships and jobs. They often have trouble making decisions and can change their minds quickly and often. These difficulties can cause people with BPD to feel “empty” and “lost”.
If Chloe is truly gone then the next out the door will be Nia. Abby will turn all of her nastiness on her because she won’t have Chloe to kick around. Nia is also very talented, it sucks that Abby can’t see past her favorite.
I feel so bad for Chloe, this young lady is a very good dancer, but apart from that she is a very kind and considerate young lady. Evidently she has been brought up right, so I think her mother has done a good job. I hope that Chloe goes to another dance studio where she will not be bullied and be appreciated. I also feel that Nia is always being brought down about her dancing, and I feel that Holly is right in sticking up for her daughter.All in all I will not be watching Dance Moms anymore, and I know alot of friends will not watch either. And as for Abby, she is a horrible person, I can’t imagine a teacher behaving the way she does.
To be a good teacher you must be a motivator. You must learn each of your students strengths and weaknesses. Nia is always playing the bad guy in the girl’s dark numbers. Why is that. Nia comes in first and then she’s not given a solo for Nationals? Holly, life is not fair….BUT Nia earned! not deserved, she worked her tail off and EARNED a solo at Nationals. I do believe Abby fixes the wins by giving inferior choreography.
This will be the end of my watching Dance Moms. ~JS