Welcome to Hollywood! The girls of the ALDC have arrived in California for Nationals. On last night’s Dance Moms, Abby Lee Miller wanted to remind everyone that she’s a star maker. The original mothers and daughters are in the studio, and they are in shock when the select team arrives on their heels. You know it’s bad when even Holly is huffing and puffing about things. Abby shuts down the bickering by starting the pyramid. Chloe is on bottom because her foot injury wouldn’t allow her to dance last week. Christi announces that Chloe’s doctor has cleared her to dance. MacKenzie follows for walking the fine line between decent and silly. Nia falls to the bottom rung for not living up to her winning performance the week before. Kendall is in third, followed by Kamryn for playing up to Abby. No surprise, Maddie is on the top for balancing her amazing performances with her plethora of outside opportunities.
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE!
Abby announces that the elite team will be showcasing their skills in an expose, and she hopes to get a little extra press for Maddie and Mack-Z. In the competition, the original girls will be performing a lyrical number, and their counterparts will have a more contemporary piece. Everyone waits with baited breath as Abby announces the the three soloists: Kendall will be doing a jazz number, Chloe (yea!) will perform a contemporary number, as will Kamryn. Maddie seems disheartened to learn that she won’t be dancing a solo because she will be performing her Sia routine on Jimmy Kimmel. Abby doesn’t want her to do a solo if she isn’t prepared. Holly angrily reminds Abby that Nia has been dancing with the ALDC since she was two and has never had a solo at Nationals. She’s sick of other girls getting to piggyback onto their team. Abby yells that Nia can go dance elsewhere. Nia sticks up for herself, telling Abby that she wants to dance with the ALDC, but she believes she’s earned a solo. Abby ignores her in an effort to see Maddie off to Jimmy Kimmel.
Abby then announces that she will be opening a studio in Los Angeles. It will not longer be the elite team versus the select team, it will be Pittsburgh versus L.A. On cue, a giant red box is delivered. It’s from Cathy, and it says “Bite Me.” Sounds about right! Following the gift, which remained unopened, Jeanette and Ava arrive to heckles of “stalker” from the other moms. Her select team cohorts wonder why Jeanette insists on putting her daughter through the embarrassment of Abby’s ridicule. Abby has Ava in tears after a few quick seconds (that has to be fake, right?) before Jeanette and Ava shuffle out of the studio. Tragic.
Chloe is beyond thrilled that Abby didn’t split up the team. Holly, Christi, and Jill are putting the pressure on their daughters. They have to maintain their winning reputation by beating the select team. Shame on Abby for making their girls share the spotlight with a bunch of studio hoppers. Holly is also incensed that the elite girls are playing back-up to Maddie and Mack-Z’s appearances. The mothers gossip about how they may bring their girls to Los Angeles, but it certainly wouldn’t be because of Abby’s studio. They don’t see her as a “west coast” kind of gal. Holly (she’s certainly vocal on this episode, isn’t she?) believes that Abby has a hard enough time running the one studio she already has. The elite team begins rehearsal, and, I kid you not, their piece is entitled Amber Alert. Yes, it’s about a kidnapping. What? I guess if something is going to be more controversial than texting and driving, it will be a kidnapping!
Across town, Cathy has enlisted Keon, the winner of So You Think You Can Dance to choreograph her number. Brilliantly, Cathy has decided to use Sia’s Chandelier. I love it. Cathy’s mothers believe that it’s inviting comparison, but Cathy reminds her troupe that people are going to be comparing the teams regardless. At the ALDC headquarters, curiousity has gotten the best of the moms, and they open Cathy’s gift. It’s an apple laden chandelier. Shockingly, the moms are predicting that Maddie will have a super-secret solo, but they are interrupted by Cathy. She delivers the chandelier to Abby who ignores her completely, even as Cathy hurls insults: calling Abby a monkey and telling Christi she looks like a giant booger. The select team arrives, and Christ-y won’t stop running her mouth about the chandelier. Abby loses her temper entirely, going off on Christ-y’s big mouth. When Sarah starts bawling, Abby screams that she doesn’t allow babies in her studio. I hope Lifetime has a future therapy fund for these kids. Not willing to take any more abuse from Abby, Christ-y pulls Sarah from the competition. Abby then leaves to go watch Maddie on Jimmy Kimmel. The select moms are starting to realize that this is Maddie’s world, and their daughters are just dancing in it.
The elite mothers are equally upset at Abby’s absences. Christi complains about Chloe’s choreography to Gia who is totally morphing into a mini-Abby as far as her attitude is concerned. Jill worries that Abby will pull the girls’ solos when she sees the finished product, and throw Maddie in at the last minute. Why are they so concerned about Nationals? Abby clearly isn’t. She is into self-promotion. As the ALDC arrives at Hollywood and Highland, she plugs Maddie’s upcoming Jimmy Kimmel appearance and touts E-Baby’s hip hop studio. His kids are amazing. Cathy then crashes the stage as Abby retreats into the crowd, and she challenges the ALDC to a dance off. How very Step Up of Lifetime! Abby won’t be able to handle it if Cathy’s team beats hers “in the streets.” I’m not quite sure this venue qualifies as “the streets,” but I’m not going to argue semantics. Nia and Chloe excel at freestyle, Maddie, not so much. Nia and Chloe will be going up against the Candy Apple’s McKenzie. Nia serves it up, but McKenzie gets the most cheers for the win. The groups then go to head-to-head, with the ALDC winning by a noisy landslide. Well, that was actually fun to watch!
TELL US-WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? WHAT TRICKS DO YOU THINK ABBY HAS UP HER SLEEVE FOR NEXT WEEK?
[Photo Credit: Lifetime]
