S04.E26: No More Crybabies

[OnceSane]

 

The ALDC heads to Michigan, where Abby has her three youngest members McKenzie, Tea' and Sarah go head-to-head to see who will be competing in a solo at Nationals. When Abby finds out that Jeanette is bringing Ava to compete against them, she concocts a secret plan to try and secure the win and causes a blowout fight between the ALDC moms.

 

[briochetwist]

The only thing I took away from that episode is that Ava is frighteningly thin.  I wouldn't dare to speculate on her health, but I think the bra top costumes should be avoided at all costs.

[HighQueenEB]

Frankly, I'm glad that all of the other moms called Melissa out on allowing Maddie to compete against Mack.  Not that I think it's necessarily wrong for siblings to compete against each other but the way that went down, at least as shown on our TVs, was not cool. 

I'm looking forward to next week with this "chart" that the moms are creating.  Should be entertaining.  I think that last week and tonight's episode couple with the preview of next week are foreshadowing the end of the series.  I have a hard time believing that, sans Christi & Chloe, this show can go on when the producers have so openly attacked Melissa's parenting choices; not especially when you have Holly and even Jill, in complete agreement with Christi on this particular topic.

And yes, Ava is disturbingly, alarmingly thin. 

[Stella MD]

As soon as Abby started yapping about a headdress, I knew we were headed for something inappropriate.

I felt bad for Tea - that cutesy-poo dance with Cindy Brady hair and dress was ridiculous for anyone over the age of four. Of course she lost.

And while I hate Abby's 'NO WIRE HANGERS!' style of articulating her frustrations with the children, I have to agree that there's something off about Sarah. Bawling inconsolably because she had to sit with her friends instead of her Mommy? At age 9?? CHRIST-y fucked something up raising that kid.

[HighQueenEB]

Oh, yes, forgot just how inappropriate that "tribal" dance was.  And, wasn't it predictable as ever that, as soon as Abby whipped out that Indian headdress, I said to my two cats and TV, "Nia's got the lead", seconds before Abby uttered those same words? 

I was wondering, Xrystal Pond, while the girls were "changing" from their group outfits & makeup to their solo outfits & makeup why the show was trying to sell us on the idea that the group dance went first this week.  Of course, the only reason was they wanted to make the mom drama over Melissa letting Maddie compete against Mack and Tea the show ending. But still, that was some sloppy editing when they showed the girls, as is usually the case, in their group dance costumes during the awards portion.  Yeesh.

[dmmetler]

Maddie has more expression and personality on stage than Nia? really? Nia isn't the best dancer, but when it comes to performing, she's got a lot more personality and life than Maddie, who always looks/acts the same.

Does Sarah go to school? I don't know many kids who would rather sit with mom than other kids even at 4-5.

[el perro fumando]

Does Sarah go to school? I don't know many kids who would rather sit with mom than other kids even at 4-5.

I wasn't sure if Sarah was crying because she wanted her mom there. It might have been more about how upset her mom was if Sarah went without her. Didn't she keep saying her mom didn't want her to go or something? It felt more like Sarah was being torn between wanting to go and the guilt her mom was laying on her if she went. Either way, I felt bad for the kid. As I do for all these kids every week.

And yea, Nia got to wear the headdress and stand on the drum. The rest felt like the usual Maddie front and center dance.

And Melissa and Abby both suck. Why don't they just change the show to Raising Maddie and make it official?

[serenitynow]

Nia was the lead?  Every time I looked up Maddie was front and center doing something special and Nia was dancing chorus line with the rest.  Only thing I saw different was the color of Nia's costume.

 

The same thing happened when Kendall was the "lead" in that gypsy dance. 

 

I loved that Holly mentioned that all of Maddie's facial expressions are exactly the same when she does lyrical.  Nia has great stage presence. 

[BusyOctober]

Can one of you in the know enlighten me? In the real world of real competitions with accredited studios, scores that can be validated and no fame whore aka- I want my kid to be famous so I can bathe in the glow of her/his glory until I forget how unfulfilled my own childhood was - parents...would a studio be able to just throw in a new dance in the already planned program?  Unless Maddie's solo was preplanned (Melissa just happened to have Maddie's "cosh-toom"?) and her music was already in the audio file/CD player I don't think any authentic competition would be cool with "walk-on" routines.

 

That said we all know Abby only attends fake made for TV "competitions", but I'm just curious if this is allowed in the legit competitive dance world.

[serenitynow]

I can't imagine it would be.

I've only attended one dance convention/competition. My daughter went to Jump last winter. She doesn't compete yet so after her classes we just watched some of the competition. There were tons of numbers entered and the competition lasted 2 full days. Each number was assigned a specific time to be performed- 9:00, 9:03, 9:06, etc. - in advance.

It cracks me up to see the competitions on Dance Moms with barely anyone on stage and tons of empty seats. At Jump, we sat on the floor to watch the competition because there wasn't an available seat in the auditorium.

[RedheadZombie]

The only thing I took away from that episode is that Ava is frighteningly thin.  I wouldn't dare to speculate on her health, but I think the bra top costumes should be avoided at all costs.

 

I'm tall, and I had a growth spurt at about age seven, where I looked like a walking skeleton.  Ava is reaching or already reached puberty.  She's very spindly and almost awkward, as if she has just had a growth spurt, but her bony body was ....... something.  Her mother seems to be tall and slim, so hopefully that's Ava's natural body type.  For her sake, she shouldn't wear that type of costume. 

 

Does Sarah go to school? I don't know many kids who would rather sit with mom than other kids even at 4-5.

 

I may be totally making this up, but I think Sarah is homeschooled.  If she is somewhat socially insecure, I blame her dragon of a mother.  Sarah did well in her solo.  I wasn't sure if she was supposed to be a witch or poor immigrant woman, but she had lovely expression on her face.

[Corazi]

That episode was a whole lot of wrong. After everything that's heard in the news about people using a Native American mascot and how that's offensive to the culture, Abby should have known better. I bet she was hoping that would stir up something so she could get more attention and make people start really talking about her show. As soon as she said "ethnic" I knew Nia would be the lead and that Maddie would be the true lead, Nia would only have the title. Abby is so predictable. However, Nia did really well with her part, she was fun to watch.

 

Christi strongly reminds me of how Kelly was before she and Abby had their fight. She's just over everything and both she and Chloe look miserable all the time. I'm so happy to hear that they've left the studio.

 

Maddie shouldn't have danced a solo. Yes, she won but now Mackenzie and the other girls have to deal with knowing that their "teacher" has absolutely no faith in them. Without Maddie, Mackenzie got second while being one of the youngest in her category. The only person who would have beaten her would have been a girl who was two years older. That's pretty impressive and should be celebrated. Now she's lost what could have been a great moment and knows that no matter what she does in dance, it won't matter as long as her sister is around. If Maddie had already been signed up for a solo that would have been different, but the way it played out was wrong.

 

Of course, Maddie could have already had a solo entered and they pretended that she didn't because drama. I heard a while ago that some competitions will leave a few spots open at the end of the program for last minute entries, so it's possible that she really wasn't officially on the program but Abby couldn't pass an opportunity to let Maddie win. I think her entry number had an "A" at the end, does that mean anything?

Edited September 4, 2014 by Corazi

[spanana]

While I am very happy the show seems to be winding down and even happier that Chloe in particular is away from Abby, I am honestly concerned for all of these girls at this point.  The show ending will not free Maddie and Mack of Abby.  Show or not, Melissa will never see anything wrong with Abby or her methods.  I'm not even sure Jill would take Kendall out of there.   Though I guess it's possible things will go back to the way they were pre-Dance Moms where the girls barely saw Abby.

 

I'm also concerned for the girls when their 15 minutes end.  While they all need to get back to their regular lives, they have also gotten used to the fame that came with Dance Moms.  While these girls were never A-list famous, they do have hordes of dedicated fans that will soon enough move on to something else, and they will fade into obscurity.  That can be hard on adults, let alone children, to fully comprehend.   

[DoctorWhovian]

My biggest thing with Abby is that she genuinely seems to be believe everything she says. And she thinks every quip of hers is hilarious and so witty. I don't think it's a character she plays for the reality show, which it seems like CHRIST-y (no one can be that dense... please) and some of the other moms are doing. She really does put Maddie on this unhealthy pedestal and she really does put down these other girls. And this show has gone to her head, making it even worse (having the crowds shouting "Abby" when they arrive, touting all of Maddie's opportunities in front of the other girls (that she wouldn't have had without the show), etc.). I'd like to see where Maddie is in 10 years, after she's out from under Abby's wing. 

 

I mostly think the same of Kathy, who makes the most awful insults towards the other moms, although I think it started as a character, and just became who she is. I still can't believe that she convinced the other moms in Season 1 to get botox, and then making fun of what they wear? It's just childish and she comes out looking horrible. It's just petty teenage BS that they all need to get over.

[TomGirl]

I really enjoyed seeing Holly FINALLY tell Abby what she thought of her. It's about time!

[Bossca]

Tea's mum sounded ridiculous asking Abby for permission to go to the bathroom. What is she, an 8 year old schoolgirl?

 

 

She would be perfect in a horror movie about a murdering child.

Yes, that is exactly what she would suit! Maybe even an evil doll.

 

 

I have to agree that there's something off about Sarah.

 

I would say it's likely she has separation anxiety, and maybe a moderate-severe case too. They should get her some help because it can be problematic. The mum seemed to be reacting quite well to it (suprisingly). Sarah was probably anxious as she's got a big comp to go to, she knows there's problems with her mum and Abby etc.

 

 

would a studio be able to just throw in a new dance in the already planned program?

At a legit comp, no. They need to check copyrights on music, plan out the program and day, make sure finances are covered and so forth.

[Booger666]

Can those who were offended by the dance please explain what you found offensive? The dance didn't make an impression on me so I wondered if people were going to be offended by it or think it was honoring the culture. I'm just wondering what you all saw that I missed.

I think on an earlier episode it was mentioned that Sarah is homeschooled. I thought it was strange that previously her mom said she couldn't let her go without her and made a really big deal about it, but this time was pretty dismissive of Sarah's feelings and basically told her to sit down and shut it. I think her mom puts things in her head about the "big, scary world" to make Sarah want to stay close instead of growing up independent. It's all conjecture based on her reaction the first time.

[Absolom]

What is offensive about the dance?  Cultural appropriation and basically it was more mocking the culture.  It was a mishmash of supposed native dress with no other native cultural elements.  It shows Abby's complete lack of cultural sensitivity especially putting the one minority dancer in the "lead" role with a hideous headdress. 

 

Ratings continue at a moderately blah 1.559 M viewers and a .6 rating. 

[CakeLeigh]

Can one of you in the know enlighten me? In the real world of real competitions with accredited studios, scores that can be validated and no fame whore aka- I want my kid to be famous so I can bathe in the glow of her/his glory until I forget how unfulfilled my own childhood was - parents...would a studio be able to just throw in a new dance in the already planned program?  Unless Maddie's solo was preplanned (Melissa just happened to have Maddie's "cosh-toom"?) and her music was already in the audio file/CD player I don't think any authentic competition would be cool with "walk-on" routines.

 

That said we all know Abby only attends fake made for TV "competitions", but I'm just curious if this is allowed in the legit competitive dance world.

I think it depends on the competition.  I noticed that Maddie's solo was numbered "11A" which leads me to believe it was truly entered at the last moment.  I've been to competitions where there were last minute entries that don't show up in the printed program (most competitions have a program you can purchase).  They are typically added in their particular category like Maddie's was with a number and letter combination whereas entries that were admitted prior to the deadline are labeled with numbers only. (Does that make sense?)

 

Convention competitions (like Jump or NYCDA or Nuvo) don't usually allow last minute entries, because they limit how many numbers per studio can enter and have a limited amount of time set aside for competition dances.

[CakeLeigh]

Tea's mum sounded ridiculous asking Abby for permission to go to the bathroom. What is she, an 8 year old schoolgirl?

 

Yes, that is exactly what she would suit! Maybe even an evil doll.

 

 

I would say it's likely she has separation anxiety, and maybe a moderate-severe case too. They should get her some help because it can be problematic. The mum seemed to be reacting quite well to it (suprisingly). Sarah was probably anxious as she's got a big comp to go to, she knows there's problems with her mum and Abby etc.

 

At a legit comp, no. They need to check copyrights on music, plan out the program and day, make sure finances are covered and so forth.

I'm not sure about copyrights on music... my daughter has competed for 8 seasons and we've never had issues with copyrighted music, even with solos.  I think that choreographers can use any music that they purchase. (ie: from iTunes or a CD).  They can't obviously rip stuff off youtube or whatever.

 

I do think there are competitions that allow entries on the day of... these are money making ventures.  If you are going to enter a dance with say, 10 girls at $40 a girl, the competition is making $400 and will probably not turn you away.  Same with a solo at $110/dance.  It's easy enough to add a 2.5 min dance into the program.  It's not common either, so it's not like most competitions are adding a lot of dances at the last minute.  You might see one or two dances added for the whole day.

[Absolom]

Given this was a staged for TV event (given the number of "participants"), it's all in what the producers want to see.  They would mimic reality in given the number an "a" designation. 

 

This show is aired on TV so all copyrights and other legalities must be handled properly. 

[cali1981]

Maddie has more expression and personality on stage than Nia? really? Nia isn't the best dancer, but when it comes to performing, she's got a lot more personality and life than Maddie, who always looks/acts the same.

 

Completely agree. Leaving her technical dancing skills aside, Maddie, emotionally, is a one dimensional stick figure.  Her facial expressions range from anguish to pathos and that's about it. Nia projects far more inner strength and self-awreness than Maddie and it's very clear that Dr. Holly and her hubby have brought this young lady up with values and a core that will serve her well no matter what she chooses to do as an adult. My guess is that Nia will be far more successful in life than Maddie who has been artificially pumped up by Melissa and Abby, both of whom could play the evil stepmother in a Disney movie.  Melissa is reprehensible and she was indeed complicit in  Mckenzie being thrown under the bus.  Just disgraceful.  Maybe it's just ror the show but Maddie does not appear, at times, to give a damn about protecting her kid sister if it stands in the way of  getting yet another meaningless award.  How much attention does this child need?  Once again Melissa is the real culprit here.  The values that she is instilling in Maddie appear to be polar opposites of those that Nia has been taught.  I feel very sorry for this little girl, who, if she does actually make it to the professional dance level, is going to face harsh realities that she will not be prepared far courtesy of her dirtbag mother and teacher.

Ava did look disturbingly thin.  Her rib cage was very visible and it was not a flattering look.  You have to speculate about her eating habits and the possibility of a potential disorder now or in the future.  You really have to wonder about what some of the parents on this show are thinking about.

[Corazi]

Given this was a staged for TV event (given the number of "participants"), it's all in what the producers want to see.  They would mimic reality in given the number an "a" designation. 

 

This show is aired on TV so all copyrights and other legalities must be handled properly. 

That's true, but I don't think it really matters what song they dance to since the producers have just played different music in the past. I think it was this season that the girls were supposed to be dancing to Royals, but that's definitely not the song that we heard. I'm also pretty sure that Sarah was dancing to On My Own during this episode.

 

Maybe they just keep a few spots open in case Abby decides to put a dancer in at the last moment like she did this episode. Maximum drama and all that.

[Stella MD]

I'm confused why the ancillary extras keep reappearing on the team after Abby has allegedly kicked them off. Several weeks ago there was the huge blow out with CHRIST-y, and Abby told her and Sarah to get lost. Now Sarah's back on the team, like nothing happened. Last week Ava and Stagemom were told that they weren't cutting it after her solo. Fine, so she goes back to her own studio and competes as one of them, causing Abby to tell her this week that she just blew her chances of competing with ALDC. Huh? Didn't she already blow her chances last week - isn't that why she's already gone and competing under a different studio? At this point, I have no doubt she'll somehow reappear and blow the same chances again next week. Not only are these inconsistencies thoroughly confusing, but it's hard to get invested in any of this drama when any action gets completely reversed the following week. Do the producers think we all have the attention span of a gnat?

[Booger666]

Was it just the costumes (which I do get) or were there parts of the dance / choreography that were offensive? Just asking for clarification as I'm not sure if I missed something and I'm not going to watch it again.

I agree it was a missed opportunity by Abby given that previous dances have gone deeper (Rosa Parks, homosexuality). I felt bad for Nia who was basically given the direction to portray a Vegas showgirl portraying Cher portraying a Native American with Maddie faces. WTF?

[NikSac]

Tea's mum sounded ridiculous asking Abby for permission to go to the bathroom. What is she, an 8 year old schoolgirl?

 

This was actually my favorite part of the whole episode, sadly. I took it as her making fun of Abby and Abby's ridiculousness. It may have been partly editing but it seemed to me like the "request" came right in the middle of one of Abby's rants that made no sense, so I thought it was really funny.

[leighroda]

My understanding regarding music was copyrights are not generally obtained for competition use, however the dance mom girls do have to get copyrights because they are televised. When I danced when I was younger we chose our music (for solos) and generally every year there would be one song that was used several times (ie colorblind by counting crows or winter by tori Amos) so we were usually instructed to choose more obscure artists. All of that to say in general copyright is not an issue; it comes into play because of tv.

What I didn't understand was that 2 weeks ago Sarah was begging her mom to allow her to go alone on the bus and was upset when her mom said no, but now she can't sit in the back away from her mother?

Are we allowed to link recap websites? I found a hilarious one recently but I don't know if I'm allowed to post it.

[TomGirl]

Just curious - does anyone know what Brooke and Paige are up to?

[Rhondinella]

Abby: "Maddie can do ANY face."

Me: "False.  She can do exactly one face."

 

Also, since I don't remember seeing this discussed anywhere before, does anyone understand AT ALL that weird napkin/napkin ring concoction that Maddie has on her left shoulder in her glamour photo (the one use in the pyramid)?  It makes no sense to me.  

[Lemons]

Abby: "Maddie can do ANY face."

Me: "False.  She can do exactly one face."

 

Also, since I don't remember seeing this discussed anywhere before, does anyone understand AT ALL that weird napkin/napkin ring concoction that Maddie has on her left shoulder in her glamour photo (the one use in the pyramid)?  It makes no sense to me.  

To be fair to the child, she has done more than one face.  It's just that competitions love that angsty lyrical rolling around on the floor so you'll see most girls doing that "face."  And those angsty lyrical dances with the distraught faces usually win, so...

[RedheadZombie]

Was it just the costumes (which I do get) or were there parts of the dance / choreography that were offensive? Just asking for clarification as I'm not sure if I missed something and I'm not going to watch it again.

 

A Native American headdress is earned over time, and not every brave earned one.  Each feather was earned for different reasons.  The war paint on the girls was ridiculous because it reinforces the violent savage stereotype.  When war paint was applied, the paint itself is sacred as well as the symbols they would apply to their faces. 

 

Native Americans are very spiritual, and their culture is tied with their religion.  Try to imagine the girls dancing in nun costumes with giant crucifixes swinging from their necks.  Or maybe the girls dancing to a Book of Mormon song while wearing the secret Mormon undergarments on the outside of their clothes.  Or even a dance where the girls wear the clothing of a Hasidic Jew, topped off by curling hair extensions and pinning them to their temples.

[briochetwist]

A Native American headdress is earned over time, and not every brave earned one.  Each feather was earned for different reasons.  The war paint on the girls was ridiculous because it reinforces the violent savage stereotype.  When war paint was applied, the paint itself is sacred as well as the symbols they would apply to their faces. 

 

Native Americans are very spiritual, and their culture is tied with their religion.  Try to imagine the girls dancing in nun costumes with giant crucifixes swinging from their necks.  Or maybe the girls dancing to a Book of Mormon song while wearing the secret Mormon undergarments on the outside of their clothes.  Or even a dance where the girls wear the clothing of a Hasidic Jew, topped off by curling hair extensions and pinning them to their temples.

Mormons wear secret undergarments???  Man, where have I been.  

 

I understand where people are coming from on the offensive thing, but in this case it doesn't bother me.  This is Abby Lee Miller -  a delusional, loud-mouthed, child-abuser.  I'll admit that I haven't watched much of this trainwreck, but from what I've seen, her racial stereotypes and cultural appropriation are the least offensive thing about this psycho.

[Absolom]

but from what I've seen, her racial stereotypes and cultural appropriation are the least offensive thing about this psycho.

 

She is a full on offender.  I'm not sure I'd agree her cultural appropriation and racial stereotyping are the least offensive of what she does, but she doesn't seem to care who she offends or how awful she appears.

[briochetwist]

She is a full on offender.  I'm not sure I'd agree her cultural appropriation and racial stereotyping are the least offensive of what she does, but she doesn't seem to care who she offends or how awful she appears.

 

Normally, I'd agree with you, but as a mother, I cannot get past the way these children are abused.  I've got no idea how much of this is scripted/real/fake, but it's borderline disturbing.  No, I take that back, it's full-on disturbing.  My children are Metis on their father's side, and the native cultural appropriation still doesn't bother me as much as her unfathomable abusiveness.

[Absolom]

I am Metis, myself, and I'm not saying her cultural issues are the worst thing she does.  I'm just not willing to go it's the least.  Her treatment of the children ranks at the top of my list.  Making Nia her go to for every minority role is both part of her poor treatment of children and her lack of cultural understanding for instance.  With so many examples of her bad behavior, I think she now is doing it deliberately.  That's even sadder.

[briochetwist]

I am Metis, myself, and I'm not saying her cultural issues are the worst thing she does.  I'm just not willing to go it's the least.  Her treatment of the children ranks at the top of my list.  Making Nia her go to for every minority role is both part of her poor treatment of children and her lack of cultural understanding for instance.  With so many examples of her bad behavior, I think she now is doing it deliberately.  That's even sadder.

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to imply what your views on her are.  In a roundabout way, I was trying to say that things that normally infuriate me aren't even on my radar with this woman because she's so unbelievably awful, in every aspect.   In all honestly, I've watched very little of this show.  In fact, I only catch bits and pieces of it when someone else in the house is watching it, so I don't have any knowledge of Nia's past roles.  Having said that, this show horrifies me!  And I don't know who I loathe more, the mothers or Abby.  I think we can both agree that the woman is a nightmare.

 

And here I was wondering if you'd be familiar with the term Metis, having no idea where you're from.  :)

[leighroda]

A Native American headdress is earned over time, and not every brave earned one. Each feather was earned for different reasons. The war paint on the girls was ridiculous because it reinforces the violent savage stereotype. When war paint was applied, the paint itself is sacred as well as the symbols they would apply to their faces.

Native Americans are very spiritual, and their culture is tied with their religion. Try to imagine the girls dancing in nun costumes with giant crucifixes swinging from their necks. Or maybe the girls dancing to a Book of Mormon song while wearing the secret Mormon undergarments on the outside of their clothes. Or even a dance where the girls wear the clothing of a Hasidic Jew, topped off by curling hair extensions and pinning them to their temples.

I fear you may have just given Abby a few ideas, you should probably screenshot this for the future in case she tries to use any of these.

[Bossca]

 

does anyone know what Brooke and Paige are up to?

They are doing M&Gs, occasional classes and are going to appear in a move (Untapped).

 

 

I'm not sure about copyrights on music.

In Australia for eisteddfods (like comps), music has to be checked/cleared for copyrights. Dont know if it is same in US

[Rhondinella]

The group dance was offensive, but even more offensive is the blatant lying/editing that is going on with this show. We get a statement that the group dance is first. We see all the girls with their costumes and makeup on going out and doing this offensive "tribal" dance. Then we have the girls doing their solos. Time for awards and Mack and Maddie are back in their "tribal" costumes with full make up. Are we supposed to believe that these girls put on all that make up, danced, washed it off and redid their hair only to put it all back on again for the awards? Why point out which is first if you're going to show something that contradicts it?

 

 

Yeah, when they came out to do the group dance first I even said to my TV, "They never do the group dance first.  What gives?"  I had thought maybe just that particular competition did things differently.  But when I saw the costumes later I realized it had been editing.

 

Among many, many other issue involved with Abby's disgusting decision to put Maddie in at the last minute is the fact that that was a dance we've seen her do before, which means she's had much more time to perfect it.  The other girls learned their dances, what?  Two days before?  So, yeah, that was just mean.

 

Oh, yes, forgot just how inappropriate that "tribal" dance was.  And, wasn't it predictable as ever that, as soon as Abby whipped out that Indian headdress, I said to my two cats and TV, "Nia's got the lead", seconds before Abby uttered those same words?

 

 

Yeah, I cringed at that.  As if the whole dance concept wasn't offensive enough, let's make sure the darkest-skinned girl plays the Native American, regardless of actual heritage.  Ugh.  I mean, if Nia was and had long been the best dancer and it just happened that the the lead that week had to portray a Native American then maybe I'd say it was just coincidence and perhaps even "color blind" casting.  But . . . yeah, no.  I was actually kinda surprised that Holly didn't make a fuss about it. But I guess she was too invested in Nia having the lead.

 

And while I hate Abby's 'NO WIRE HANGERS!' style of articulating her frustrations with the children, I have to agree that there's something off about Sarah. Bawling inconsolably because she had to sit with her friends instead of her Mommy? At age 9?? CHRIST-y fucked something up raising that kid.

 

 

Seriously, that was weird.  While I'm ok with the idea of a 9 year old not being comfortable with going out of town for the weekend without a parent (that seems reasonable ABBY!!), she couldn't sit literally 6 feet away from her mom on the same bus?  What did she think the girls would do to her back there?  Was she afraid Abby would eat her while her mom's back was turned?  Strange.  Makes me wonder if there was more to that that we didn't see.

 

 

I'm confused why the ancillary extras keep reappearing on the team after Abby has allegedly kicked them off. Several weeks ago there was the huge blow out with CHRIST-y, and Abby told her and Sarah to get lost. Now Sarah's back on the team, like nothing happened.

 

 

 

Because Abby's "kicking people out of the group" is for dramatic purposes and not really "real," unless you are suing her in court of course.  Then you're gone for good.  I'm convinced that Sarah was invited back this week to do a solo simply because a) some writer came up with the idea of a "solo competition" between all the younger girls into which Maddie would be thrown at the last minute; and b) in order to keep the group number's average age down.  Cause while she's wasn't BAD and has perhaps improved from where she was, she certainly wasn't up to the level of the others.

 

Are we allowed to link recap websites?

 

 

We prefer you don't if it is a "for profit" site (meaning they take advertising).  If it's someone's personal blog or something not commercial it's probably OK.

[Dust Bunny]

 

 

And while I hate Abby's 'NO WIRE HANGERS!' style of articulating her frustrations with the children, I have to agree that there's something off about Sarah. Bawling inconsolably because she had to sit with her friends instead of her Mommy? At age 9?? CHRIST-y fucked something up raising that kid.

Seriously, that was weird.  While I'm ok with the idea of a 9 year old not being comfortable with going out of town for the weekend without a parent (that seems reasonable ABBY!!), she couldn't sit literally 6 feet away from her mom on the same bus?  What did she think the girls would do to her back there?  Was she afraid Abby would eat her while her mom's back was turned?  Strange.  Makes me wonder if there was more to that that we didn't see.

 

I honestly think it's just shyness. The other kids have been together for years. Sarah is an outsider and would be one of the youngest. I could see her being nervous about sitting with the other girls. That sort of a situation could be outside of anyone's comfort zone, regardless of age - even some adults. Not everyone is an extrovert who can also easily join in with an existing group that's been together for years.

[missbonnie]

Well as someone who's grandma was Indian, I'm offended by the group dance.

I am 1/4th native American and it didn't bother me in the least. Was Abbey wrong to put Maddie in at the last moment? You betcha, did it surprise me that she did it? Nope, she made it crystal clear from the beginning that she wanted the win and we all know that the gloriously, fantastical, magic that is Maddie is her ace in the hole every single time. I think that was the 3rd or 4th time that I have seen that damn Happiness dance and I don't ever want to see dance as long as I live.

Holy cow was that girl from the elite group severely underweight! Her appearance was actually disturbing I thought. I also thought that Abbey was exactly right about her arms being a mess when she danced. When Chloe dances it just looks beautiful and elegant and this girl looked like a stork trying to dance.

I was rather shocked by the scene for next week where Holly lit into Abbey. She's usually a pretty cool cucumber and doesn't lose her temper. So I am assuming that we have 3-4 episodes left now? I can not wait for the last time Cristie appears on my TV, that pot stirring, continuous whining woman gets on my ever loving last nerve.

[leighroda]

This is the site as far as I know it's not for profit, but I will gladly remove it if it is. It also recaps "bring it" so scroll down if that is the first recap.

www.danthatscool.com

[Rhondinella]

Heh.  That blog was pretty funny.

 

Abby: "Was that a Dunkin' Donuts?  I told you never to pass by a Dunkin' Donuts!!"

[Diane Mars]

This is the site as far as I know it's not for profit, but I will gladly remove it if it is. It also recaps "bring it" so scroll down if that is the first recap.

www.danthatscool.com

Yup ! I always read his reviews ! Love them !

[tribeca]

Demand finally put this epsideo up! 

   Having watching the show on and off for a few years I have always favorite Nia.  I love her lyrical dances & was so happy she was in the lead. 

     Always thought Mac was adorable but never noticed her dances one way or another.  Thought her dance was beautiful and she looked so grown up.   Hated what Abby & her mom did putting Maddie in :(

     The one thing I dislike about this show is it makes me root against a 9 year old .

Edited September 14, 2014 by tribeca