S04.E25: Chloe Gets Revenge

[Absolom]

Abby switches Chloe and Christi with the Select Team's Jade and Loree; Abby announces that Nationals are five weeks away, inspiring both teams to impress her; Jeanette and Ava learn that the odds aren't in their favor in a competition against Maddie.

[RealityCowgirl]

Vile, vile fame whore witches. Heinous, no-talent, abusive bitch. Broken-hearted and downtrodden girls. Seriously, I think I'm out as a viewer after this one.

[wanderwoman]

Um. Wow. Um. What the hell was that?

[HighQueenEB]

So, Abby commissioned that musical composition for Maddie's dance, right?

[serenitynow]

No, silly. Some random songwriter has been obsessed with Maddie for years and wrote a song for her. Seems legit. And not at all creepy.

[serenitynow]

I will say that Maddie had much better turns than usual (I.e. she wasn't falling out of them every time) and her choreography wasn't the same old stuff. I will also say that her jaw hitting the floor when her group got 2nd place was ridiculous.

[CoolMom]

I also hope that Christi and Chloe are gone when this season is over.  Was it Jade's mom who said that Christi should look at the positive of Chloe being on the new team?  She was right, if that team was the team that was being set up to win over and over then Chloe was being put with the team likely to win.  I understand Christi has gotten to the point that she believes that Abby is never going to let Chloe have a winning dance but she just cannot find anything good to say at all.

 

Maddie's look of shock at losing was priceless but not unusual for someone her age that is used to always being on top.

[KittyMomma]

I was happy when the select team won with Chloe on it.  I was sure that they would not win since the episode was Maddie centered with the song written for her.  I really wish they would tone down the Maddie love from Abby.  Yes, Christi also needs to tone down the oh poor Chloe routine. 

[JerseyGirl]

Again, the results looked staged.  There where what, 2 other teams on stage during awards??

[iluvobx]

I think that Christy and Chloe are now done with DM.  She twitted something about it last week.

The original contracts should be up soon.  I believe I read that they were for 5 years and they would be at the end.  Christy also has posted pictures of her and Kelli that were taken within the past 2 weeks. 

[Rhondinella]

Ok, I kinda enjoyed the way Christie manipulated the other mom (I refuse to learn other names) into confronting Abby about the umbrella. Heh.  I mean, she's clearly so far over this show that's she's under it, and if I were her I'd probably find something like that to do to amuse myself while waiting for my contract to expire too.

 

And . . . next week.  Um, please tell me I didn't see Native American war paint and headdresses in the background.  I mean, I guess Abby's pissed off everyone else in the world, so I she might as well I suppose.

[Absolom]

The show has deteriorated to Dance Moms Miami level and is now giving me indigestion.

 

Ratings: 1.570 M viewers and a .6 rating.

[HighQueenEB]

Ok, I kinda enjoyed the way Christie manipulated the other mom (I refuse to learn other names) into confronting Abby about the umbrella. Heh.  I mean, she's clearly so far over this show that's she's under it, and if I were her I'd probably find something like that to do to amuse myself while waiting for my contract to expire too..

That was pretty awesome of Christi, wasn't it?  It was also amusing how Jill totally called her out on it and she just didn't care at all.  I'm glad that she's completely over this show and hopefully won't re-up when the contract is up.

[rainsunmoonshine]

Hi. As someone who never really took any dance lessons (I was/am a musician) and who lives in Australia I was wondering about the competitions the team/girls are entered into. Are these prestigious competitions? Would the girls actually face serious competition?

[sofiah]

Haha, I also enjoyed Chriti just clearing not caring.  I like how she literally just stands there during pyramid, with an almost blank look on her face.  She's seen it all, nothing shocks her.  I did, however, feel bad for that little girl Ava, who was clearly trying her best and heartbroken about what happened.  

 

I am also glad that Chloe was in the winning group dance.  And I think Maddie was actually pretty impressive tonight - I don't know if her extra hours of training are starting to kick in or something, but she seems stronger and more flexible in her dancing then I noticed in the past.  Still dislike Abby's choreography. 

[CoolMom]

Ok, did anyone else notice that when Ava went out to dance the umbrella had bling and some kind of fringe but when it flipped it had none?  It also looked lighter in those shots than the earlier part of the dance.  My family kept saying it was because I was looking at the underside until I paused it and showed them I meant the outside that was now the inside had NO bling or fringe on the edge.

[RealityCowgirl]

I'm even more angry with the transient mothers than the originals, for exactly the reasons we witnessed this week. I get the contract/dancing with friends I've had since we were toddlers motivations that keep some of the originals there (though MY limits would have been crossed seasons ago).

But these women - and presumably fathers - know what's in store and still they flock to the beast to hand over their children. Still fuming over what happened to Ava this week - including being literally ripped from her mother's arms. Grab my child like that, and you'll be picking your massive, sloppy ass off the floor. For starters. Humiliate her on national television via the kind of verbal and emotional abuse that Ava received, and you'll also be missing more than a few teeth. Bitch.

TV time? Opps to promote your own studio? The chance to watch your child who "always places first" slide to third in a questionable/fake competition? If you think any of this is worth the damage to your child, you seriously need to re-evaluate your life.

Really, I don't know I can stick it out long enough to see Chloe off this nightmare.

Edited August 28, 2014 by RealityCowgirl

[CakeLeigh]

Hi!  My 16yo daughter is going into her 8th season as a competitive dancer.  First of all, there are close to 50 different dance competition/dance convention companies out there that tour the US throughout the dance season (October-May) with Regional competitions.  Each of those companies has at least two "Nationals" during the summer months.  Dance teams must compete in a Regional competition to be able to compete at "Nationals"... although, in some cases, the competition might allow a dance to be sent in by video or have a provisional competition directly prior to the national competition starting.  Technically, each dance that competes in "Nationals" has to have scored a certain score at Regionals.  I have NEVER heard of a dance not making "Nationals"... the scoring threshhold is very low.  Basically, if you pay the money to compete, you can be there. 

 

Typically, at the competitions I've been to (I'm in the Midwest), there are between 20 and 30 dance schools competing.  In the Junior competition level, there are typically 50-100 solos and probably 20-30 small groups competing at a Regional competition.  Dance convention/competitions are a bit different... the kids take classes all weekend from "star" choreographers and have a small competition on Saturday evening... the competitive pieces are limited per school so they can get through all dances in a few hours (still can be 100+ dances total).  Competitions without conventions usually run all day Friday/Saturday/Sunday from 7am to Midnight or after.  The competition a particular school faces totally depends on what other schools show up.  National competitions naturally have a wider range of schools that they are pulling in (in some cases even international teams) so the competition there can be different from what a school is used to in their region.  At any given competition, you will see many many "Maddies" and several that are even better.  Most competitions are pretty uniform across the industry in how they score... there are a few exceptions... depends on where they pull their judges from.  If the judges are mostly from NYC and LA, they might favor certain styles of dance over others.  If the judges have more of a Broadway-type background, they have might have a different take.  Some competitions are very strict on costume and dance movement age appropriateness and others don't seem to mind.  But mostly, they are uniform.

 

From what I've seen on the show and what I've read... a lot of the "big" competitions and conventions will have nothing to do with Dance Moms filming them.  If you look at the awards ceremonies, they are sparsely attended and looks like there are maybe two-three teams present.  They are also taking place at high schools/middle schools and solos/duets/group numbers are all competed and awarded at the same time.  This leads me to believe that the competitions they are filming, while are "real" competition companies, are setting up special competitions for the show.  Most competitions will be at large conventions centers/performing arts centers and are jam packed with kids and parents, especially at awards time.  Solos are not typically competed at the same time as groups (although there are exceptions). 

 

Another tidbit... The Dance Moms and kids are getting primo dressing room space.  Dressing room space is typically behind a pipe & drape system on a cold concrete floor at a convention center... space is first come, first serve.  I've also seen a lot of rolling racks and fancy duffel bags for costumes, but never seen anyone bring a lighted makeup mirror set-up.  Also... I've never heard of a school learning a new dance every week of the competition season.  They learn their dances at the beginning of the season and compete with them all year.

 

I could go into how the awards are set up and the inconsistencies in the show, but I've probably bored you enough already! ;o)

[Absolom]

Basically the competitions on the show are staged and rigged.

[CakeLeigh]

I also wanted to say... rainsunmoonshine... there are some awesome dancers and dance competitions in Australia!!!  My daughter has competed against several Australian dance schools at national competitions and they are fierce competition!  A friend of my daughter's has gone to Australia to compete a couple of times as well.

[Lemons]

What is everyone's obsession with Chloe?  No one is forcing them to be there, no matter what her stage mom says.  And I think as a small child Chloe showed great flexibility and the ability to turn. Now at puberty, like a lot of dancers, she is not turning out to be a top dancer. 

 

I thought both solos were boring.  Since one team only won by 1/10 of a point, isn't that the same as them being virtually the same?  I thought the "original" team was more interesting and especially with Jade, who is probably the best out of all of them.  I think she is the oldest, that's part of it.

 

I also don't think it really matters that the "big" competitions won't let Dance Mom's compete.  They have brought enough of the dancers who win these competitions on to the show and it appears that Maddie and Kendall and a couple of others are on par with these "winners."

[rainsunmoonshine]

Thanks CakeLeigh. Very thorough explanation (which I did find interesting) and good to know that about Australian dancing.

I think the show will have to finish soon- I'm certainly enjoying a lot less than I did!

[Ladystardust]

Ok, did anyone else notice that when Ava went out to dance the umbrella had bling and some kind of fringe but when it flipped it had none?  It also looked lighter in those shots than the earlier part of the dance.  My family kept saying it was because I was looking at the underside until I paused it and showed them I meant the outside that was now the inside had NO bling or fringe on the edge.

YES. I noticed that too! Very weird...

[leighroda]

This is an interview with Abby, it kind answers some of the competition controversy around the 19 minute mark.

[CoolMom]

I got sucked into that video and at about 34 minutes in Abby says something about (Brooke) forgetting words to the song she supposedly wrote.  She said "Who does that", well Abby Lee, my Hubby has a bootleg cassette tape from the 80's with Bono singing in a bar...he forgets the words to HIS song and proceeds to make up lyrics on the spot.  It's awesome.

[Fiero425]

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2014 at 7:56 AM, KittyMomma said:

I was happy when the select team won with Chloe on it.  I was sure that they would not win since the episode was Maddie centered with the song written for her.  I really wish they would tone down the Maddie love from Abby.  Yes, Christi also needs to tone down the oh poor Chloe routine. 

It only gets worse as the show goes along! It's quite pathetic that it's always "poor Chloe" and "she's being set up to fail!" Christi's FOS and has turned her daughter into a Nat'l victim! ;-)

[Fiero425]

On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2014 at 0:14 AM, HighQueenEB said:

That was pretty awesome of Christi, wasn't it?  It was also amusing how Jill totally called her out on it and she just didn't care at all.  I'm glad that she's completely over this show and hopefully won't re-up when the contract is up.

That's Chirsti's standard routine IMO! She's been pulling that crap for ages; pulling out her popcorn! It was even done to Holly to make her confront Abby about not giving Nia a chance at a "trio" routine when she had a solo already! It's the one time Holly stormed out and didn't come back for a couple days! I didn't miss her or Nia, but it was BS her saying "I'm not coming back to the studio ever again!" She came slinking back and apologized, truly losing that reputation of being a strong, intelligent women! Christi dragged her down to her level of reprehensible behavior and having a sense of entitlement not deserved IMO! ;-)

On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2014 at 11:05 AM, CakeLeigh said:

Hi!  My 16yo daughter is going into her 8th season as a competitive dancer.  First of all, there are close to 50 different dance competition/dance convention companies out there that tour the US throughout the dance season (October-May) with Regional competitions.  Each of those companies has at least two "Nationals" during the summer months.  Dance teams must compete in a Regional competition to be able to compete at "Nationals"... although, in some cases, the competition might allow a dance to be sent in by video or have a provisional competition directly prior to the national competition starting.  Technically, each dance that competes in "Nationals" has to have scored a certain score at Regionals.  I have NEVER heard of a dance not making "Nationals"... the scoring threshhold is very low.  Basically, if you pay the money to compete, you can be there. 

 

Typically, at the competitions I've been to (I'm in the Midwest), there are between 20 and 30 dance schools competing.  In the Junior competition level, there are typically 50-100 solos and probably 20-30 small groups competing at a Regional competition.  Dance convention/competitions are a bit different... the kids take classes all weekend from "star" choreographers and have a small competition on Saturday evening... the competitive pieces are limited per school so they can get through all dances in a few hours (still can be 100+ dances total).  Competitions without conventions usually run all day Friday/Saturday/Sunday from 7am to Midnight or after.  The competition a particular school faces totally depends on what other schools show up.  National competitions naturally have a wider range of schools that they are pulling in (in some cases even international teams) so the competition there can be different from what a school is used to in their region.  At any given competition, you will see many many "Maddies" and several that are even better.  Most competitions are pretty uniform across the industry in how they score... there are a few exceptions... depends on where they pull their judges from.  If the judges are mostly from NYC and LA, they might favor certain styles of dance over others.  If the judges have more of a Broadway-type background, they have might have a different take.  Some competitions are very strict on costume and dance movement age appropriateness and others don't seem to mind.  But mostly, they are uniform.

 

From what I've seen on the show and what I've read... a lot of the "big" competitions and conventions will have nothing to do with Dance Moms filming them.  If you look at the awards ceremonies, they are sparsely attended and looks like there are maybe two-three teams present.  They are also taking place at high schools/middle schools and solos/duets/group numbers are all competed and awarded at the same time.  This leads me to believe that the competitions they are filming, while are "real" competition companies, are setting up special competitions for the show.  Most competitions will be at large conventions centers/performing arts centers and are jam packed with kids and parents, especially at awards time.  Solos are not typically competed at the same time as groups (although there are exceptions). 

 

Another tidbit... The Dance Moms and kids are getting primo dressing room space.  Dressing room space is typically behind a pipe & drape system on a cold concrete floor at a convention center... space is first come, first serve.  I've also seen a lot of rolling racks and fancy duffel bags for costumes, but never seen anyone bring a lighted makeup mirror set-up.  Also... I've never heard of a school learning a new dance every week of the competition season.  They learn their dances at the beginning of the season and compete with them all year.

 

I could go into how the awards are set up and the inconsistencies in the show, but I've probably bored you enough already! ;o)

Thanks for the incite! I figured a lot of this is staged, but that definitely makes sense the accommodations alone are unbelievable! ;-)