S05.E01: 99 Problems But a Mom Ain't One

[Rhondinella]

From Lifetime:

 

The ALDC's fifth dance competition season is off to a rocky start when a key member disappears and cuts off all ties to the kids and moms. With one dancer M.I.A., Abby calls in an old friend to join the team. Abby's world comes crashing down when an ex-student threatens legal action and could jeopardize the ALDC's big plans for the season.

 

 

[CruiseDiva]

Ewww. That was creepy. The dance routines were really awful, especially the group. It's a good thing they aren't participating in real competitions.

[leighroda]

I just fail to find sympathy for a situation that Abby created on national television. It's not like this is all hear-say or speculation, we have all seen how she treats those kids. You can't edit in someone throwing a chair, if they didn't throw a chair. I don't agree with how Christi has used social media either, but I can't necessarily blame her either, Abby did say horrible things about her daughter.

[ResedaDiva]

Wow, Abby sure lost a lot of weight. I'm assuming she had gastric bypass surgery, has anyone heard? 

[Cheetosandchoc]

I don't feel sympathy toward Abbey, but I think going for a lawsuit is just a pathetic attempt to hold on to the five minutes of fame she had. Why do it right before the season started? The stress affects all the families, not just Abbey, and they are motivated by greed.

[Hook75]

why the girls wear so much make up?

[tessa]

I'm still watching the episode but had to check out this competition as I'm right outside Niagara Falls and never heard of it. Again another made up competition and meet and greet. There were no studios from our vacinity invited and we have some great studios due to many of the teachers having been Miss Dance, on broadway ect..  Sheer Talent Dance Moms Competition!

Be Part of Shooting a New Episode for Dance Moms Season 5! Experience a Day with Abby Lee Miller and the cast of Dance Moms! Purchase your Audience Admission Tickets at http://bit.ly/Oct11SheerTalentDanceMomsTickets
Limited Seating! Get Your Tickets Now!

 

I will continue to watch but am frustrated with all the talk - especially from Holly of not being able to say good bye - and Christi and Kelly trying to destroy the ALDC.

None of the mom's have said they tried to call Christi - neither did the girls - except Maddie who tried to tweet - quit being lazy pick up the phone and call.  Also all the social media buzz isn't actually hurting anyone as it's getting people to keep watching the show to see what happens with the lawsuits ect.. Free publicity folks.

 

Melissa makes me sick - glad Christie is gone - only talk about her and her kids - seems to me it was Christi consoling MacKenzie at one of the competitions - not her own mother. I think this may be the last season as people are losing interest - they've lost favorites as far as dancers and moms, the kids are growing up quickly and I think people are losing interest in Abby. Note the lack of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition this year and not much viewership for her Dance Studio Remodeling show.

[Darknight]

why the girls wear so much make up?

Maybe because they're on tv

I'm still watching the episode but had to check out this competition as I'm right outside Niagara Falls and never heard of it. Again another made up competition and meet and greet. There were no studios from our vacinity invited and we have some great studios due to many of the teachers having been Miss Dance, on broadway ect.. Sheer Talent Dance Moms Competition!

Be Part of Shooting a New Episode for Dance Moms Season 5! Experience a Day with Abby Lee Miller and the cast of Dance Moms! Purchase your Audience Admission Tickets at http://bit.ly/Oct11SheerTalentDanceMomsTickets

Limited Seating! Get Your Tickets Now!

I will continue to watch but am frustrated with all the talk - especially from Holly of not being able to say good bye - and Christi and Kelly trying to destroy the ALDC.

None of the mom's have said they tried to call Christi - neither did the girls - except Maddie who tried to tweet - quit being lazy pick up the phone and call. Also all the social media buzz isn't actually hurting anyone as it's getting people to keep watching the show to see what happens with the lawsuits ect.. Free publicity folks.

Melissa makes me sick - glad Christie is gone - only talk about her and her kids - seems to me it was Christi consoling MacKenzie at one of the competitions - not her own mother. I think this may be the last season as people are losing interest - they've lost favorites as far as dancers and moms, the kids are growing up quickly and I think people are losing interest in Abby. Note the lack of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition this year and not much viewership for her Dance Studio Remodeling show.

Didn't Abby tweet about a child's lisps

[serenitynow]

Abby is horrible. These moms are horrible.

It seems like they are dropping the whole "competition" act - when Abby gets on the stage and thanks everyone for coming, the jig is pretty much up.

[tessa]

Sorry Dark - I'm not sure what you mean?

[cali1981]

What a bunch of crap!  It was absurd to see Holly, a highly educated and sophisticated woman whose own child has been abused by Abby, paint Christi as the villain of the piece.  Melissa is a pig and Jill is a moron so you don't expect much from them but Dr. Holly?  Whoever is writing this idiocy needs to familiarize themselves with the term "continuity".  So Abby is going to turn all of these little girls into big stars? When the show's run finally ends, the kids and their fame whore mothers may be able to cash in for a while but at some point their 15 minutes is going to end.  Good luck to them when the reality ball drops on their heads..

[missbonnie]

I watched the show with just the girls beforehand and then this one. To be honest, I didn't think it was all that bad. I also believe both the girls and the mom's that they did indeed call but got the FU button aka ignore call button.

[Lemons]

I watched the show with just the girls beforehand and then this one. To be honest, I didn't think it was all that bad. I also believe both the girls and the mom's that they did indeed call but got the FU button aka ignore call button.

 

I liked the show, everyone was relatively pleasant.  It's so much nicer without Christy and Paige.  It's too bad it can't stay pleasant, the TV producers love the ugly stuff.    Abbie is looking good.  If she did get surgery, the weight loss has only just begun. 

I thought Kendall really looked improved.  It's easy to forget how young she is because of that makeup.  Kalany(?), on the other hand, needs to get used to be just one of a huge pack of talented teens.  She no longer stands out. 

[Absolom]

Ugh.  The moms really need to step back and listen to how they sounded.  If it's all going to turn into fangirling the dreadful Abby they'll lose me very quickly.  All they had to do was leave one phone message for Christy, she calls back or she doesn't and don't even bother with her social media.  Going on as they did (no doubt producer driven) they sound worse than thirteen year old girls.  What an example to be giving their daughters.  

[dizzyd]

I too think the lawsuit is just a publicity stunt. Paige has been off the show for a long time now and the lawsuit was filed in October and neither Brooke nor Kelly are cited as coplaintiffs, odd that.  From the show, I always thought Chloe and Nia were the worst treated by Abby, but then again listening to "Girl Talk", the girls didn't seem traumatized by anything we've seen, so maybe all that was also scripted for drama or shock value.

[Absolom]

From what I've been told, no Abby is as awful as portrayed on the show.  Some people who have seen her in action in real life said she was even worse than what was on the show.  That's what make me wonder seriously about the mothers who have stayed.  The girls may not be traumatized by it, but it still doesn't make it anything that should be encouraged or even tolerated by the mothers.  I now know adults in LA who refuse to work with her because of her behavior.  

[KaveDweller]

I agree that Kelly and Christi are trying to get attention and are out to hurt Abby.  But, I don't think they are any worse than any one else on the show.  With this episode I feel like I wasn't watching anyone's honest opinion about Christi, I felt like I was watching propaganda by Lifetime to control all the bad press that has been out there about Abby. 

[limecoke]

I felt like I was watching propaganda by Lifetime to control all the bad press that has been out there about Abby.

That was what I took away from this episode.  Watching it was a little like being in The Twilight Zone...I kept thinking, "Who ARE these people??  All of a sudden Abby was Mother Theresa and the moms were her adoring cheerleaders against the evil of Christi, Kelly and Paige.  From what I understand, throughout season four, Chloe was no longer part of the studio but was only there for filming due to contact obligations.  The mothers knew she was leaving, there was no surprise when Chloe "didn't show up".  Whatever.  And that whole "we support Abby" thingy at the end of the "competition" was laughable.  Yep, Christi is bitchy but the other mothers aren't saints.  Melissa is a reprehensible phony, Jill is a suck-up and Holly seems decent but she lost me last night with her pontificating.  

 

I'm also sick of hearing about "LA LA LA LA LA".  Big whoop.  Based on Maddie's latest Sia video, I can't imagine what Melissa is thinking in her quest to make that poor little exploited girl a STAR.  

 

Declining ratings?  No surprise.

Edited January 8, 2015 by limecoke

[vmarsissmart]

Wow, Abby sure lost a lot of weight. I'm assuming she had gastric bypass surgery, has anyone heard? 

 

I was wondering the same (as someone who has had it done)  She is looking great.  I got really annoyed though when Jill handed something over in a box and said they needed to fatten her up.  If she was handing over food I wonder if she had had a surgical intervention, just because I know I am super paranoid eating food that I didn't make.  Whether she had surgery or not she's working on losing weight and should be supported.  Even if she is a heinous bitch to everyone around her.  

[Darknight]

Sorry Dark - I'm not sure what you mean?

She tweeted something to lifetime about casting dancers with speech problems

I too think the lawsuit is just a publicity stunt. Paige has been off the show for a long time now and the lawsuit was filed in October and neither Brooke nor Kelly are cited as coplaintiffs, odd that. From the show, I always thought Chloe and Nia were the worst treated by Abby, but then again listening to "Girl Talk", the girls didn't seem traumatized by anything we've seen, so maybe all that was also scripted for drama or shock value.

Or the girls might be willing participants. Their mothers probably guilt them if they express any concerns

[tessa]

Thanks for the explanation! We all know it's scripted but I can't believe the number of viewers that actually think it's for real on FB.I had always liked Holly and thought she was the voice of reason - my opinions have changed but then again it is called Dance Moms. The reason for the show was to see the dynamics behind the scenes and Abby was not that bad on Season 1. The way she teaches ( or should I say ) have others teach, is not the norm. All dance teachers I know encourage the kids - they don't brow beat them. All dance studios I know, even competition - work on these numbers for months to perfect them - not days. The amt of time these kids are at the studio is similar to kids, who strive to be Olympians and is ridiculous.

 

What bothers me the most is Abby's line of she's makig stars. I know and have trained with many successful dancers and choreographers throughout the years. Abby's technique is not something anyone of them would subscribe to. Yes casting calls ect are difficult, preproduction prep is rigorous - but most of those on Broadway and used as backup dancers are mature adults. Even producers and choreographers in these productions go easier on the younger children as they know the strain can be hard on them. I also don't like Abby's outlook on education. To her it's secondary - but how many of these kids will have a life long profession in dancing? It's akin to high school athletes, who get by in many cases because of their athletic attributes. At least if they make it big - you're talking big money. The salery of 99.9% of the dancers who make it can not compare.

[Absolom]

 

the girls didn't seem traumatized by anything we've seen, so maybe all that was also scripted for drama or shock value.

Handed the outline for their answers and bribed/paid to follow the plan.  

[NextIteration]

Twilight Zone is right!  This show puts the sprinkles on top of the fact that reality tv is not real.

 

Biggest ongoing disappointment is Holly.  For me?  She's the worst hypocrite of them all and on some level she has to know better; it's pretty clear that most of these women never needed the money from this show with the exception of Abby herself.  At least we've always known that Melissa and Jill are straight up fame whores.  Holly mystifies me, from her performance in this episode to her acceptance of Abby's use of Nia in "ethnic" solos.  She makes it very hard to believe that she has a PhD in education or cares much about the well being of children in general.

 

Kalani sure filled out in the last year!  I don't understand her participation either except for her mother's fame whoring.  She's a talented and established dancer for her age in the dance world, but she was probably my favorite participant in AUC from both seasons so I'm always happy to see her dance.

[Absolom]

Ratings:  1.820 M viewers and a .6 rating.  May this season drop from there.  

[KaveDweller]

I also don't like Abby's outlook on education. To her it's secondary - but how many of these kids will have a life long profession in dancing?

 

Also, even if they are successful dancers/singers/whatevers, it doesn't mean they still shouldn't have a good education.  Knowledge/intelligence isn't just about getting a job.

[Gianthambeast]

1.  If you can't sing without auto-tune, I wouldn't bank on becoming a "star" that way.

2.  Outside ballet, are there really pure dancers that are stars along the lines of Fred Astaire any more?

 

Out of all of them I can see Maddi becoming a professional, but how competitive is she going to be if she keeps doing Abby's stale choreography,  and receiving half-assed ALDC training?

[NextIteration]

Here's the thing.

 

Sure Maddie is a decent dancer, but there are so many girls her age that are just as good or far better dancers than she is.  The only reason she's being propelled into "stardom" is this show.

 

Abby and Melissa have been successful in that way.

 

Outside of ballet, there aren't a lot of opportunities to become a headlining dancer in any way - but there are avenues to commercial success, which is why Abby is so obsessed with LA.  The thing is, she's not making sure these girls get hip hop and jazz-funk training and that's what drives a lot of the commercial LA dance scene.  Not sappy assed lyricals.

[Absolom]

 

Sure Maddie is a decent dancer, but there are so many girls her age that are just as good or far better dancers than she is.  The only reason she's being propelled into "stardom" is this show.

She's one in a crowd and and her mother and Abby are working on making her think she is something she is not.  The fall will be hard on her when true reality hits.  

 

Abby doing well in LA is laughable.  Her competition show bombed and her repetitive, stale choreography will not hold up in that environment.  She's already well on her way to alienating the already established people in the business.  

[SheikTheKangaroo]

Mackenzie wanted to say more when questioned about Maddie being a favourite. It was clear that Maddie was shooting her looks to shut up or be careful what she said.

I'd love to see Mackenzie turn out to be the star- on a Disney show or something. She's a gorgeous little girl.

[tessa]

Although she can't really sing - yes I could see Mac on a Disney show. But then I didn't think Britney could sing and look at her career. The only one I see really making it if she chooses dance as her vocation is Chloe. She has the lithe body and long legs of a dancer - she just struggles with each growth spurt to compensate. Of anyone may fail it's Maddie - not because she's not good - but she's going to be like thousands of other hopefuls and we know she doesn't take rejection well. She's use to being the golden child and has been since Season 1 except for a couple of times. Abby thinks the others can't survive without her but Kalani really stepped up to the plate last season and was the true cheerleader of the group.

 

 

I too was like " Wow" when I saw Kalani - she really doesn't fit in with all the pretty much flat chested pre teens anymore. I believe she is a lovely dancer and I too loved her on AUDC - but she sticks out , to me at least, like a sore thumb.

[CoolMom]

Throughout the entire show every time anyone talked I felt like it was propaganda like they were told what to say and to tow the line.  I cannot believe (actually I can) that Holly fell so solidly in line with this.  It was really irritating that the show set it up as "where are Christi and Chloe" when there was NO WAY these people did not know they weren't coming back.  Also, with all of that being scripted (lies) why would they expect me to believe that Chloe and Christi did not return calls/texts/etc that were made.  Maybe they weren't made in the first place, maybe they were but we just have no way of knowing.  The show certainly is trying to paint them as horrible people who left and dropped their friends in the process. 

 

Also, my 13 yr old said there was no way that Abby choreographed Kalani's solo for Chloe and that she not would have put Chloe front and center in the group dance.  Interesting observation there. 

Edited January 9, 2015 by CoolMom

[RedheadZombie]

Out of all of them I can see Maddi becoming a professional, but how competitive is she going to be if she keeps doing Abby's stale choreography,  and receiving half-assed ALDC training?

 

Maddie may or may not have been a prodigy, but she's aging out of that and she's just one of many now.  Plus, I really think people look at her small stature and pre-pubescent body and think she's eight or nine, which makes her dancing seem more advanced.   Maddie seems like she will be a very petite grown woman, and I wonder if that's a body type that's desirable in the dancing world.  I guess I see Chloe's body type as ideal.

 

Mackenzie wanted to say more when questioned about Maddie being a favourite. It was clear that Maddie was shooting her looks to shut up or be careful what she said.

 

I noticed that Maddie has really got a swelled head.  In the past, she affected false modesty, but that's over.  She's full of herself and it makes me pity her.  It's on a totally different scale, but I remember a girl who went into high school being the most popular/beautiful, etc.  She was kicked to the curb in high school, and young people really have a hard time being objective or putting things into perspective.  Maddie buys her hype. 

 

I would like to throw in the comment that I find it in poor taste to play on a song title which calls a woman "bitch".  This is a show about little girls.  Can we hold off on the misogyny until they grow a little?

 

And WOW - Holly's been a huge disappointment.  Holly is the one mom who really gets it, and she's the only one who knows better.  Back in season one, I would never have predicted that Holly would be one of the biggest sell outs and fame whores.  Despite the solos that border on racial insensitivity, despite the constant criticisms of Nia's body, despite having to quit her job after the hard work it took to become a school principal - Holly is back, and she's full on kissing Abby's ass and practically canonizing her.  It's ridiculous.  And bottom line - she's lying.  And I'm supposed to feel badly for her when I see her crying and calling Abby a monster?  What's the saying?  When someone shows you what they are - believe it!

[DoctorWhovian]

Listening to adult women talking about and putting so much importance on twitter makes me feel embarrassed for them.

[Gianthambeast]

Guess Abby needs to lose weight to compete with all those skinny LA studio owners.

 

For the most part I think the girls will be fine, they seem pretty grounded despite the spectacle Abby and the moms keep making of themseves.

 

Mack-- just seems like a cute, regular girl who ought to be in regular school, enjoying a normal childhood.  Why all the insistence on making her a star?

 

Nia--  I think she will be fine.  She's got broad interests, dance is just one.  She'll probably end up going to Harvard and being a doctor or a lawyer. 

 

Chloe--  She will be successful, not necessarily as a dancer. On past shows it was mentioned that she was an excellent student academically.   She does have an ideal dance physique, but from what I saw she isn't very fluid and doesn't really project.  Not that Abby's training or choreography helped her out there.  I heard she was really good at ballet, but if she wants to work as a professional ballerina she would need way more intensive training than Abby's crappy school.

 

Maddi--  I didn't see the swelled head, but I do catch a few disingenous child-star mannerisms at times.  Abby's promotion of her is a liability-- people who dislike Abby sometimes end up hating Maddi by extension.  I don't think that's fair.  The Sia video proved that she can excel in choreography other than Abby's crap, and succeed outside of the fake tournament circuit.  I could see her on broadway, or in other music videos.  But once again, I don't know of a lot of star dancers outside of ballet.  I think Maddi has also said she doesn't like ballet so that limits her career options.  She needs to start distancing herself from the trainwreck that is Abby. I read something today that Julie Kent  (ABT principal) said  about young dancers these days not wanting to do something, but just "to be somebody. " I think that's a spot-on characterization of the line that Abby's been pimping.  She seems all about becoming a star and not about dancing because you love to dance and want to create something beautiful.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Gianthambeast

[cali1981]

My daughter works in theater and has been an Assistant Stage Manager or Production Assistant on many musicals over the past 10 years at both local and nationally renown theaters on the west and east coasts.  She has worked with many dancers during this time, and is close to a number of them. They will, to a person, watch So You Think You can dance, live or recorded depending on their rehearsal/performance schedules because they respect the years of training that most of the contestants have received and their ability as dancers.  When it comes to Dance Moms, the revulsion is nearly unanimous.  They are appalled at how dance training is presented and how the kids are treated.  They do not see much hope for professional careers for most of them. As so many have said here, including dancers and instructors, it's not about being a star. it's about the love of dancing and how it allows those who do it to express themselves.  That doesn't seem to get even a passing thought in Abby Lee Miller's world.

[Fallacy]

I can't stand Christie or Kelly, so as much as I hate to say it, I'm Team Abbey in their little war, simply because those two are completely vile and I don't see Chloe as being some sad mistreated girl. Unfortunately, Christie convinced Chloe that she is a victim and then Chloe started spouting off the same 'Abbey loves Maddie and hates me and everyone else' line Christie and Kelly have been trying to sell for years. Chloe is a talented dancer but Paige and Brooke were never very good or even all that interested in dancing. .

 

I also agree though that episode 1 this season was pure proganda to lift Abbey up, but I'm okay with that given the lies and twisted truths Christie and Kelly are spreading. In fact, wasn't Kelly's lawsuit against Abbey already thrown out of court.

 

As for Holly, she is going to freak out again this season that Mia isn't given as much as Maddie and Kendall when the truth is Mia isn't as good as Maddie and Kendall. I'm sure there will be another epic screaming match between Holly and Abbey, and Holly will decide that Christie was right after all.

 

For me, the problem here isn't that Abbey yells at the kids occassionally or that Abbey is unnecessarily rude often; the real problem, in my opinion, is that none of these mothers want to admit that their daughters simply aren't as good as Maddie. And if they really truly thought Abbey was abusive to their daughters, they should have long ago quit the stupid tv show and taken their girls to another studio. Therefore while they all suck as mothers and adults, Christie and Kelly suck the most, in my opinion.

[torus351]

First episode in and i'm already stressed out. This same old pattern,..the pyramid, followed by the ranting idiotic moms upstairs, followed by Abby screaming at her dancers during their solo and group rehearsals, followed by all that drama in the dressing room before and after competition day,...quite stressful tv viewing, but compelling.

I love Maddie, Mackenzie and Kendall.

I'd also love to see Sarah and Tea back in the junior elite team.