Bring It! - General Discussion

[tessat]

Thank you so much for posting that - because I always wonder what some people are thinking when they name their kids. I had a patient named "Boy" - a hippie couple who named their son "Peace" and their daughter "Love" and so many different spellings that you aren't even able to pronounce. Growing up is hard enough  - but then to be saddled with some of these names makes it even worse.

[hannahbanana]

1 hour ago, tessat said:

Thank you so much for posting that - because I always wonder what some people are thinking when they name their kids. I had a patient named "Boy" - a hippie couple who named their son "Peace" and their daughter "Love" and so many different spellings that you aren't even able to pronounce. Growing up is hard enough  - but then to be saddled with some of these names makes it even worse.

I wondered why, but didn't question that it was his actual name until I saw the pic of his gravestone, given the names of some of the girls on the team ... Precious, Princess, Kanarie, Sunjai ... Sky & Star are nicknames from their middle names (Shamia Skyjai and Shania Starjai according to the famous birthday site -- but at least they're middle names). But I guess when everyone else has an unusual name the Kaylas and the Faiths are the weird ones. ?

Edited December 14, 2017 by hannahbanana

[tessat]

Okey Dokey.... thanks for that info - interesting - weird but interesting....

[tessat]

OMG - that was one of the best episodes ever! Wish every week was like that! I loved that we got to see more of the other girls especially on Christiana's team. Have to say I was partial to that team as I liked their concept better but thought for sure - they'd pick Camryn's team to be on stage.

Camryn did have some great tricks in her routine but it just didn't come together like Christiana's. I thought from the get go - that Camryn had the advantage with Tory, already being captain, Faith on her team who has helped choreograph before but was pleasantly surprised when Christiana was picked. I did feel bad for Camryn but I'm wondering if like Kayla - this fame hasn't gone to her head a bit especially with a mom like Mimi.

Hoping the rest of the season is as enjoyable!

[Misslindsey]

I do not think the fame has gone to any of the girl's heads. I find that the girls seem to act their age at least on the show. Sometimes they are bratty and sometimes they are not. I thought Camryn's tears might have something to do with whenever she tries out against the other girls for solos and other things she usually makes it. This is why I thought for sure Camryn's team would win. 

Mimi getting mad when Miss D criticized Camryn's routine was a bit much. I did not think Miss D was hard on Camryn just giving her input. I have my issues with Rittany, but at least she acknowledged that Miss D was probably right with her critique of Crystianna's routine.

I always wonder if Kayla is floundering or if that is the shows narrative. On Twitter and Instagram she posted a screenshot of her grades and Tina replying that she would take her to dollar tree to celebrate. It looked like she got A's, B's and one C. 

It was an interesting episode. I did like seeing the choreography of each team. I liked parts in each routine, but I think Crystianna's fit in with Todrick's show a bit more. 

Edited December 17, 2017 by Misslindsey

[tessat]

Just looked at Kayla's twitter and saw her grades - congrats to Kayla - as it's obvious she's been studying a lot. It looks like she is taking a lot of child development classes at this time - I'm wondering if she is not going to school in the area or at least not living at home any longer that she had to send her grades to her mom - may explain her absence.

 

I hope Kayla's floundering is not just a show narrative as it's counter productive to what Diana is trying to do with the girls.

[hannahbanana]

Maybe we didn't see everything Dianna said, but I saw no reason for Camryn to be so upset over Dianna's critique. And then they basically ignored it. The choreography was good but there was nothing to connect it to the Wizard of Oz. Crystianna's team won because of the costumes and their entrance. Better costumes would have given Camryn the win.

Was it my imagination or were Rittany and Mimi driving the same red car? Rittany was shown driving it when Torrey called her to tell her to be on the porch and then Mimi when she was driving Camryn to practice. I was wondering why Rittany wasn't in the white SUV they showed her in last week, but then they showed her in it when she was driving Crystianna to practice. Production cars? Bad editing?

The scene at the costume shop was just lame.

[tessat]

15 hours ago, hannahbanana said:

Maybe we didn't see everything Dianna said, but I saw no reason for Camryn to be so upset over Dianna's critique. And then they basically ignored it. The choreography was good but there was nothing to connect it to the Wizard of Oz. Crystianna's team won because of the costumes and their entrance. Better costumes would have given Camryn the win.

Was it my imagination or were Rittany and Mimi driving the same red car? Rittany was shown driving it when Torrey called her to tell her to be on the porch and then Mimi when she was driving Camryn to practice. I was wondering why Rittany wasn't in the white SUV they showed her in last week, but then they showed her in it when she was driving Crystianna to practice. Production cars? Bad editing?

The scene at the costume shop was just lame.

I caught that too with the red car - there is so much editing going on now - I have no idea what's real and what's production driven or fake. The costume shop - what a wasted scene and I agree about Camryn's costumes and routine - it was so outside the box - it didn't connect with the show.

 

Question to some who may keep up on things more - just for the heck of it I was looking to se if there was any video of Sunjai dancing with the team at DeSalles - didn't find any - but I did see she does a lot of youtube videos with someone name Cierra. Was this a doll - a relative - someone from college she met? There doesn't seem to be a man in her life - maybe she's a significant other.  Also saw that the whole family was doing a benefit and giving away jeans to the community which I thought was very nice. It was mentioned on one of the blurbs that JJ was a private entrapeneur - any idea what JJ really does that he supports 2 households and give cars for gifts?

[topanga]

On 12/16/2017 at 1:49 PM, tessat said:

OMG - that was one of the best episodes ever! Wish every week was like that! I loved that we got to see more of the other girls especially on Christiana's team. Have to say I was partial to that team as I liked their concept better but thought for sure - they'd pick Camryn's team to be on stage.

Camryn did have some great tricks in her routine but it just didn't come together like Christiana's. I thought from the get go - that Camryn had the advantage with Tory, already being captain, Faith on her team who has helped choreograph before but was pleasantly surprised when Christiana was picked. I did feel bad for Camryn but I'm wondering if like Kayla - this fame hasn't gone to her head a bit especially with a mom like Mimi.

Hoping the rest of the season is as enjoyable!

I also loved this episode. It was nice not to see the same dance teams over and over, but there was still some great choreography and competition.

I was genuinely surprised by the outcome, however. I was rooting for Team Chrystianna all along, but Team Camryn’s dance did have a higher level of difficulty, so I thought the panel would choose her. But Chrystianna’s choreography was a better interpretation of the song and the story, so I’m glad they were picked. 

In the final dance—the one they performed on stage—the dance looked more complex than at the audition. I wonder if Dianna added to the choreography, which she said she’d wanted to do all along. And I can I say how much I love the song? I’ve been playing the dance clips over and over just to hear, “I need to see your hands up...”

And there’s also a YouTube clip of the Dolls performing with Todrick on a different song—towards the end of the clip. It looks like only Camryn, Chrystianna, and Makayla were included in this one. I really like Camryn as a dancer and a performer, even if her mom gets on my last nerve.  

46 minutes ago, tessat said:

I caught that too with the red car - there is so much editing going on now - I have no idea what's real and what's production driven or fake. The costume shop - what a wasted scene and I agree about Camryn's costumes and routine - it was so outside the box - it didn't connect with the show.

 

Question to some who may keep up on things more - just for the heck of it I was looking to se if there was any video of Sunjai dancing with the team at DeSalles - didn't find any - but I did see she does a lot of youtube videos with someone name Cierra. Was this a doll - a relative - someone from college she met? There doesn't seem to be a man in her life - maybe she's a significant other.  Also saw that the whole family was doing a benefit and giving away jeans to the community which I thought was very nice. It was mentioned on one of the blurbs that JJ was a private entrapeneur - any idea what JJ really does that he supports 2 households and give cars for gifts?

Im too old — or too lazy— to keep up with people on social media. But I’d like to know, too. I’ve always liked Sunjai, so it’s  nice to hear what she and her crazy parents are up to. 

[hannahbanana]

5 hours ago, tessat said:

Question to some who may keep up on things more - just for the heck of it I was looking to se if there was any video of Sunjai dancing with the team at DeSalles - didn't find any - but I did see she does a lot of youtube videos with someone name Cierra. Was this a doll - a relative - someone from college she met? There doesn't seem to be a man in her life - maybe she's a significant other.  Also saw that the whole family was doing a benefit and giving away jeans to the community which I thought was very nice. It was mentioned on one of the blurbs that JJ was a private entrapeneur - any idea what JJ really does that he supports 2 households and give cars for gifts

5 hours ago, topanga said:

Im too old — or too lazy— to keep up with people on social media. But I’d like to know, too. I’ve always liked Sunjai, so it’s  nice to hear what she and her crazy parents are up to. 

Just a quick glance at her instagram, I found these 2 pics from November about her dancing with a group from DeSales, so it does look like she's dancing there. No idea about the rest.

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by hannahbanana
trying to get both pics in

[Misslindsey]

Yeah, I got the impression from her Instagram that she dances at Desales, maybe part of the dance program or something. It did not really look like she was part of the actual dance team. I could have missed something though.

[hannahbanana]

20 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

Yeah, I got the impression from her Instagram that she dances at Desales, maybe part of the dance program or something. It did not really look like she was part of the actual dance team. I could have missed something though.

Not sure what you mean by the "actual dance team." She dances with the dance department which consists of many different groups -- not just one team.

[Misslindsey]

What I meant by "actual dance team" was similar to the one that was at my alma mater that danced at a lot of the sporting events. There were cheerleaders, but there was a dance team as well.

[hannahbanana]

2 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

What I meant by "actual dance team" was similar to the one that was at my alma mater that danced at a lot of the sporting events. There were cheerleaders, but there was a dance team as well.

I'm not sure DeSales has a specific dance team dedicated to this (like Louisville) -- if they do they certainly don't seem to make a big deal about it as I can find nothing about them online -- just the dance department and their teams in general. From what I can tell their cheerleaders do the dancing at games:

"The DeSales University cheerleading squad cheers at all men’s and women’s home basketball games, including a performance at halftime. The squad’s performances include cheers, dances, stunts, jumps and tumbling."

Edited December 19, 2017 by hannahbanana

[tessat]

I know many universities have actual dance teams that perform at half time and that is what I thought she may have joined - but it does seem she's in more individual groups which is a good thing as it's opening her up to more different types of dance. Thanks for sharing!!!

[tessat]

Again I've been rewatching out of boredom and am noticing how many different costumes the DD have compared to other teams they compete against. I know how much these costumes cost and wondered if they are provided by production or if the girls have to buy them. This led me to wonder about how much these girls make as the one tht got kicked out that was supposedly picked captain befor Camryn said she received nothing.

Maybe because she wasn't considered a principle player as Camryn's worth in 2016 was $600,000 and Kayla's was over $800,000. Now I had to look up Faith who I couldn't find - but I started checking on her dad - who I thought was a pastor - he now lives in Madison, Ms and is a principal at Dominion lightings but it looks like he used to be an actor who had small parts in Stomp the Yard II and Get On Up.

[Rlb8031]

I would guess that more of the girls money comes from the live tour than from the tv show. Each girl probably makes a small amount per episode (given the number of girls that are featured). My guess is reality minimum which is $5k per episode. That would put each girl at $65K for a 13 episode season at a minimum. The "B" girls (like Star, Sky, Canary, Kenjanae, etc) I'd  guess make somewhere in the $1,500- $3k range per episode.  I would guess the moms get more which is why fewer of them are featured, but that even for them they aren't making more than $10-$20k an episode. That's a very good living in Jackson. 

[sATL]

On 12/14/2017 at 2:31 PM, tessat said:

Thank you so much for posting that - because I always wonder what some people are thinking when they name their kids. I had a patient named "Boy" - a hippie couple who named their son "Peace" and their daughter "Love" and so many different spellings that you aren't even able to pronounce. Growing up is hard enough  - but then to be saddled with some of these names makes it even worse.

And I wish those parents who come up with "creative" names would also think about how the names could be perceived in an application, resume, interview or job , esp. corporate, situation. I would be a little uncomfortable referring to a colleague as "Boy"...  Be creative with the middle names(s).

[sATL]

On 12/16/2017 at 3:02 PM, Misslindsey said:

 

I always wonder if Kayla is floundering or if that is the shows narrative. On Twitter and Instagram she posted a screenshot of her grades and Tina replying that she would take her to dollar tree to celebrate. It looked like she got A's, B's and one C. 

 

LOL !  Taking a 20+ yr old college student to the $1 tree to celebrate a good report card.. never thought the $1 stores (family$, everything is a $1, etc) as a celebratory place to be...

Off hand I can't think of what a college student would want at $1 tree except stuff for their off campus apartment. Most would probably just was the $$.

[tessat]

I'll tell you - Boy was a wonderful human being - momma raised him well that's for sure and Peace was a good looking nice guy - but both had a hard time in school growing up due to their names.

Being I found out Kayla is worth over $800,000 - I'm sure the Dollar Tree was a joke - now that I know her worth. Watching these old episodes now tho and picking up on things I didn't notice the first go round.

The fact Camryn as captain was a given since the 1st show.

The costumes and sets upgrading each year and overshadowing any other team.

Neeva crying and saying I don't know what happened we use to be such good friends talking about Diana - aka Abby Lee Miller and Kathy. Fame seems to do that to relationships.

The fact that Neeva - who won the Battle Royale the first year and Tracy from Florida who won the second year - were not at the Battle Royale the 3rd year. Are these competitions now as fake as Abby's dance competitions? Kind of felt they were going that way with mostly the same judges and the same announcer for the past 2 yrs.

Diana had a Doll made of herself - only $125 - if you want to inspire kids and get them into dance so they have a better chance in life - don't make it impossible for the parents of these kids to afford it.

[Rlb8031]

With respect to the judges and announcer, majorette competition in the south is a niche market. There aren't hundreds of folks hosting these competitions the way there are in dance and cheer. I'm actually glad to see the same people as it means that they haven't moved to a production produced competitions. At the same time many of the local Jackson only teams are not featured any longer (Purple Diamonds being the biggest example, and the team with the coach that was arrested for sexual assault being the other one). 

The Florida team (which got a spinoff show) was never a majorette focus dance program, but was more of a traditional dance school. Given the distance those kids had to travel to participate in DD, I'm not surprised that they haven't continued to show up as regulars. If you notice, with the exception of the one Compton teams, everyone seems to be based in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia now.

[dmmetler]

The other thing is that in the South, a decent number of high schools have majorette style dance teams, usually as adjuncts to the Marching band (although like with color guard, there are also separate competitions) and school teams have their own separate competition outlets. But I can’t think of a single school that does Dance Moms style competition dance (YAGP, for a performing arts magnet, maybe...)

Edited December 28, 2017 by dmmetler

[tessat]

5 hours ago, dmmetler said:

The other thing is that in the South, a decent number of high schools have majorette style dance teams, usually as adjuncts to the Marching band (although like with color guard, there are also separate competitions) and school teams have their own separate competition outlets. But I can’t think of a single school that does Dance Moms style competition dance (YAGP, for a performing arts magnet, maybe...)

My reference to Dance Moms was alluding to the fact that we had fake competitions on Dance Moms and I was wondering if the same could be said for Bring It - now that rlb brought up the point that we haven't seen the Florida team and the other local teams - leads me to believe most of these competitions were fake from the start - busing in the Florida and Cal teams.

I'm in to season 3 and just watched the week after the Battle Royale where Diana and Kayla had a scrimmage between themselves. Idea is proposed to Kayla and the next day after the team is split - we have a luxury bus outside to take Kayla and her team to another dance studio where they will practice. I've rented luxury buses - not cheap and not a last minute decision - as well as the dance studio. Then Diana had already set up the building for the scrimmage, our friendly announcer, everyone - even the 30 new girls have uniforms - a dj and judges.

I do love this show but producers are not hiding how scripted it is and how producer driven it is - that's a shame as it loses a lot of it meaning. 

[Misslindsey]

Does anyone know anything about the emcee/announcer guy that seems to be at a majority of the competitions? Just curious because I think he has been in every season.

[Rlb8031]

7 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

Does anyone know anything about the emcee/announcer guy that seems to be at a majority of the competitions? Just curious because I think he has been in every season.

His stage name is Jay Fever real name Johnny Harrington. He's got a ton of posts on You Tube of him announcing majorette competitions (some of which are the ones on the show and others which are not televised). For example here is a team- Baby Sparkles- which won the grand champions at "So you think you can buck" (one of the competitions on Bring It) but who were not on the show https://youtu.be/wyfIeRXYin4. Jay Fever is the announcer at the competition

Judging from his FB page, he really is deeply entrenched in the majorette competition world and isn't just someone that is doing it for the show. https://www.facebook.com/jayfever423/ It also looks like he may be a comedian as well???

11 hours ago, tessat said:

My reference to Dance Moms was alluding to the fact that we had fake competitions on Dance Moms and I was wondering if the same could be said for Bring It - now that rlb brought up the point that we haven't seen the Florida team and the other local teams - leads me to believe most of these competitions were fake from the start - busing in the Florida and Cal teams.

I'm in to season 3 and just watched the week after the Battle Royale where Diana and Kayla had a scrimmage between themselves. Idea is proposed to Kayla and the next day after the team is split - we have a luxury bus outside to take Kayla and her team to another dance studio where they will practice. I've rented luxury buses - not cheap and not a last minute decision - as well as the dance studio. Then Diana had already set up the building for the scrimmage, our friendly announcer, everyone - even the 30 new girls have uniforms - a dj and judges.

I do love this show but producers are not hiding how scripted it is and how producer driven it is - that's a shame as it loses a lot of it meaning. 

I don't think the competitions were fake from the start. It looks like they only feature a handful of teams from competitions on the show. If you look at the flyers on Jay Fever's FB page, they usually have 4-5 teams that are featured at the competition. Many of them are teams we've seen on the show (Divas of Compton, Xplosive, Champagne Girls) but a bunch of them are teams that haven't been shown at all (Dance 4 Yo Life, Black Pearls of Ohio, Tip Tap Toe, etc) but they are clearly well known enough on the circuit to be used as a draw to the competitions. While I do think that there is a ton of production involvement (the intra-squad scrimage, the competitions for scholarships and opportunities, etc.) but I think that the actual competitions are bigger (more teams competing over a longer day) than what is shown on tv.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Rlb8031
Additional thought

[tessat]

Rlb - thank you for your input and the link - I have already spent 40 minutes watching some of the other competitions posted. Some of these teams rival the Dancing Dolls. The captain vs captain battles posted are much better than what we've seen on the show. There is so much more to see than just what we've been shown - love it! Captain's call out round - with all the teachers from one studio battling the teachers from the other studio was great.   

[topanga]

4 hours ago, tessat said:

Rlb - thank you for your input and the link - I have already spent 40 minutes watching some of the other competitions posted. Some of these teams rival the Dancing Dolls. The captain vs captain battles posted are much better than what we've seen on the show. There is so much more to see than just what we've been shown - love it! Captain's call out round - with all the teachers from one studio battling the teachers from the other studio was great.   

Hmm. I wonder why some of those other teams haven’t been included on the show? Is it a production thing, a budget restraint(e.g. are the Prancing Tigerettes and the Divas contracted to appear on a certain number of episodes)? Or is Dianna worried about losing to one of these teams, as she consistently did to the Miami team*

*In all fairness to the Dancing Dolls, the Miami team was NOT a majorette team. They did more traditional dancing and had some impressive cheer-like stunts. HOWEVER, their overall dancing looked cleaner and was executed with more precision than the Dancing Dolls.   Dianna comes up with  great choreography, but the dancing itself is sometimes sloppy. Which is why I’m glad Torrey has been around to help the girls with little things like pointing their toes or sickling their feet.

[tessat]

I actually liked the Miami team and loved the spin off - it may not have been just a majorette team - but we've seen other teams that have included their cheerleading squads ect. Also Diana's studio teaches more than just majorette - and is why many of the girls have a jazz and ballet background.

I'm also glad Torrey is there as they needed help with their technique. I'm also surprised that she doesn't, that we know, have any male members as it seems many of the other teams do. I couldn't believe the amt of majorette teams out there and how good many of them are. 

I'm sure they haven't been included as like Dance Moms - they just focus on a certain few to create that rival situation. Rewatching I have notice a few mistakes tho. Diana meeting the women for lunch - she sits down and the next time she speaks there's a plate of spaghetti in front of her - pan away, come back and it's gone! Kayla having the 2nd place trophy in her hands already when they announce who wins the Battle Royale - DD or Miami Heat...... Production is slipping. And with each passing episode - I dislike Mimi even more.

 

Did anyone see Tina on some show on plastic surgery in Atlanta - 1-2 yrs ago - when she had her stomach lifted - her boobs lifted and her back tucked - suctioned - what ever it is they do to get rid of the fat. 

[topanga]

26 minutes ago, tessat said:

Did anyone see Tina on some show on plastic surgery in Atlanta - 1-2 yrs ago - when she had her stomach lifted - her boobs lifted and her back tucked - suctioned - what ever it is they do to get rid of the fat. 

I did. Mimi had work done, too. Was it ‘Botched’?

Watching the ‘Best of’ episodes, I realize how much weight Tina has lost since the first season. Way to go! And I wish she could help Rittany. Not trying to fat shame, but Rittany just turned a young 30 years old. But at her weight, she’s already at risk for hypertension and Type II diabetes—if she doesn’t have them already. 

[sATL]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

I did. Mimi had work done, too. Was it ‘Botched’?

Watching the ‘Best of’ episodes, I realize how much weight Tina has lost since the first season. Way to go! And I wish she could help Rittany. Not trying to fat shame, but Rittany just turned a young 30 years old. But at her weight, she’s already at risk for hypertension and Type II diabetes—if she doesn’t have them already. 

The show was something like Atlanta plastic.

I suggest a while ago that all of the moms should start a walking club and stop peeping though the windows if they insist on being there at practice. Not to fat shame but they all seem very carry extra weight in their thighs. Faith's mom seemed to put on a little weight this season too. 

a guy (he was in his 20s) once told me one reason he likes to see the mom of who he is  dating is to get an idea of how the girl will look when she gets older. l was thinking just the opposite looking at the moms (Faith and the two moms from other teams) and then their daughters. Yes we all gain as metabolism slows down but there comes a point when one needs to up the cardio/ strength training and cut the calories --- for health sake. I think Selena had work done prior to (or off camera/season) but she is the closest in size to her daughters. Even though Rittney is an aunt I do wonder about crystianna mom, who has done a good staying out of the limelight all these years.

Edited December 29, 2017 by sATL

[tessat]

Just watching last nights episode - love the creative so far and I have to say I'm glad that they have brought in Princess and Madyson. I so love how much Rittany wants Chrystiana to succeed in life - but I agree with satl - Rittany has to start taking better care of herself. Of all the DDP's I think Rittany is the one who needs the most help financially and so her devotion to Chrystiana is even more special. I don't always like Rittany's attitude  with the other moms. 

Brandon is such an a** - his nieces get an opportunity and he has to create conflict ( I'm sure another producer driven idea). Mimi getting upset about Camryn not being included - she has excluded more people and been rude to the new people more than any other mother on there. She has promoted her daughter and let others know that Camryn is the best. I like Camryn - but rewatching - you can definitely feel the special treatment she has always received. Chrystiana - too has received her fair share over the years.

I started crying when Madyson wasn't picked - but I completely understood what Dianna was talking about. What a sweet family tho! Hopefully we'll see more of her in the future and the focus wasn't on her just this episode due to the Purple Diamonds.

Loved the creative - they were all good - wish I could have seen the whole routines and will have to look for it on youtube. I get upset with Dianna saying she is taking a chance on Princess due to the slip and fall from the other private she had - as it was an accident - she didn't do the wrong routine , she didn't run offstage - she slipped and fell on wet grass and anyone could have experienced the same thing. I have noticed that Princess has the sass tho - her facials are great!

Love the new announcer! What was the medal around Chrystiana's neck for? Maybe the winners of the call out round all got medals - I can't seem to find anything on youtube  or the net about the competition.

[topanga]

4 hours ago, tessat said:

Just watching last nights episode - love the creative so far and I have to say I'm glad that they have brought in Princess and Madyson. I

I co-sign your entire post. My favorite part of the creative dance was watching Faith crack the whip and throw out her little hips as the ringmaster. I dare anyone to say that she still dances ‘cute,’ whatever the hell that meant in the first place. 

And I like Princess and Madyson. Glad we’re meeting some new dolls and moms. 

Where was Selena? Her girls were there, even Sunjai. Speaking of which, I wish we could’ve gotten a Talking Head interview with her. 

[tessat]

lI noticed Selena was missing - she may have been recovering from another cosmetic surgery - many of the moms have used their money for updates! I agree - would love to hear more from Sunjai! Again Kayla nowhere to be found. Watching one of the youtube videos - someone was explaining about the multiple positions for captain - co-captain, drill master ect.. When Tamia was selected captain - Makalya was the co-captain and I think Camryn and Makaya were co-drill masters. Seems that Camryn snuck by Makalya for the captain's spot!

Edited December 30, 2017 by tessat

[swimmom]

Does anyone know what happened to the white girl that used to dance with the Dolls?

She seemed to have the moves and I wonder if she went to another team.

[Rlb8031]

On 12/29/2017 at 11:48 AM, topanga said:

Hmm. I wonder why some of those other teams haven’t been included on the show? Is it a production thing, a budget restraint(e.g. are the Prancing Tigerettes and the Divas contracted to appear on a certain number of episodes)? Or is Dianna worried about losing to one of these teams, as she consistently did to the Miami team*

*In all fairness to the Dancing Dolls, the Miami team was NOT a majorette team. They did more traditional dancing and had some impressive cheer-like stunts. HOWEVER, their overall dancing looked cleaner and was executed with more precision than the Dancing Dolls.   Dianna comes up with  great choreography, but the dancing itself is sometimes sloppy. Which is why I’m glad Torrey has been around to help the girls with little things like pointing their toes or sickling their feet.

It may be some non-production factors (teams don't want to commit to participating in a certain number of competitions/performances/shows; coaches don't want to be televised; etc.). I absolutely DO NOT think its because Dianna doesn't want to lose to these teams. She's always been very honest with the kids that there is as much of a lesson in losing as in winning, and she often relates their activity to other sports where winning and losing are expected parts of the experience.

[hannahbanana]

5 hours ago, swimmom said:

Does anyone know what happened to the white girl that used to dance with the Dolls?

She seemed to have the moves and I wonder if she went to another team.

She graduated from high school in 2016/aged out of the Dolls.

Edited December 31, 2017 by hannahbanana

[Rlb8031]

One of the things I realized  from this last show is how young Chrystiana was when the show first started. They are in the fourth season, and she is just in ninth grade, so she must have been 10-11 when the show started. I thought she was just a year behind Camryn, but she is clearly 2 or 3 years younger.

7 hours ago, tessat said:

lI noticed Selena was missing - she may have been recovering from another cosmetic surgery - many of the moms have used their money for updates! I agree - would love to hear more from Sunjai! Again Kayla nowhere to be found. Watching one of the youtube videos - someone was explaining about the multiple positions for captain - co-captain, drill master ect.. When Tamia was selected captain - Makalya was the co-captain and I think Camryn and Makaya were co-drill masters. Seems that Camryn snuck by Makalya for the captain's spot!

Selena works and I know her job has conflicted with filming in the past. There were a couple of episodes where they mentioned she wasn't in attendance because she had to work.

[tessat]

14 hours ago, swimmom said:

Does anyone know what happened to the white girl that used to dance with the Dolls?

She seemed to have the moves and I wonder if she went to another team.

That was Alyssa Posser and I just found this on youtube after googling - 

Sending her prayers!

https://ink361.com/app/users/ig-11189918/abprosser/photos - it looks like she graduated in 2016

[tessat]

13 hours ago, Rlb8031 said:

It may be some non-production factors (teams don't want to commit to participating in a certain number of competitions/performances/shows; coaches don't want to be televised; etc.). I absolutely DO NOT think its because Dianna doesn't want to lose to these teams. She's always been very honest with the kids that there is as much of a lesson in losing as in winning, and she often relates their activity to other sports where winning and losing are expected parts of the experience.

Rlb - as much as I agree with your statement that she does tell them it's not about winning - I find in many of the episodes - especially against some of the other teams like Neva and Jon - Dianna doesn't follow her own advice - she's a nasty b*tch because she has so much anger towards these other teams. 

Rlb - thanks for that info on Selena - I didn't realize she worked! I too didn't realize how young Chrystiana was as they always referred to her and Camryn as best friends and I think of a couple closer in age - especially in the teen years.

 

One thing I just thought of - whether it was this episode of last - did anyone catch Rittany saying something about Chrystiana should be picked because she is a cheerleader. Back a few seasons - her being a cheerleader was a bone of contention with Dianna - either she's a doll or a cheerleader - there wasn't room for both - have things changed? I personally feel with school, homework and practice for the dolls even 3/4 days a week along with their regular dance classes - their schedules are pretty full without adding an activity like cheerleading.

Edited December 31, 2017 by tessat

[tessat]

Wishing Everyone a Very Happy New Year!

[tessat]

At the point in the reruns where Mimi divorces Calvin and I wondered if there was anything out there to say why as he seemed like a pretty nice guy and supportive dad - I'm nosey I know. Didn't find anything but found this blog that gives a bit more info about the girls - I didn't know that Mimi owns her own business.

 

https://www.wattpad.com/115532242-my-life-as-a-dancing-doll-back-ground-info-on

[winsomeone]

Could anyone get more exercise than these girls, and yet, so many of them gain weight as they get older..hard to explain?

[Rlb8031]

9 minutes ago, winsomeone said:

Could anyone get more exercise than these girls, and yet, so many of them gain weight as they get older..hard to explain?

If they are anything like most teens they are consuming a lot of empty calories from stuff like junk food and soda. Even with all the exercise they get if you are consuming an additional 600-1000 calories a day from Starbucks, soda and chips, its going to be hard to keep the weight off. 

On 12/31/2017 at 7:24 AM, tessat said:

I find in many of the episodes - especially against some of the other teams like Neva and Jon - Dianna doesn't follow her own advice - she's a nasty b*tch because she has so much anger towards these other teams. 

I do think that she does take it too far with some of the teams, but I feel like as much as she wants to win, she still manages to cheer for/compliment the kids on other teams. In comparison to Dance Moms and some of the other kids competition shows, she at least tries to be focused with her anger at the coaches and the organizations, not at the kids who are participating as part of the teams. 

[sATL]

On 1/1/2018 at 9:55 AM, winsomeone said:

Could anyone get more exercise than these girls, and yet, so many of them gain weight as they get older..hard to explain?

whom specifically ? the twins seem smaller this year. cristianna had a height spurt so i think her weight needs to settle, faith seems the same.. camryn kinda hard to tell at times

[tessat]

Not making judgements but ran across this just searching the net: https://www.gofundme.com/rtxwr4-rainbow-baby

Now I realize that the family is still grieving - but can not understand a GoFundMe acct when Kayla's worth was estimated at $800,000 and we know that Tina has been benefitting from her 4 yrs on the show - so why are we asking people for money - this just annoys the heck out of me - when people who have little - will donate what they probably can't afford to people that have or have had the money and spent it foolishly on cosmetic surgery ect....

I at first thought this was a charity or children's fund they were starting but it's for Tina to get invitro.

[topanga]

On 1/3/2018 at 7:40 PM, sATL said:

whom specifically ? the twins seem smaller this year. cristianna had a height spurt so i think her weight needs to settle, faith seems the same.. camryn kinda hard to tell at times

I do think most the girls could be more toned. And I’m not suggesting that they need to be stick-thin. But living  in Mississippi and having overweight parents (or aunts) increases their risk for obesity. And with the exception of Faith and Daija—and now Princess and Madysyn (?), the Dancing Dolls do look heavier than many of their competitors. I know they’re going through puberty, and I know they’re in great cardiovascular condition. But for the dancers like Chrystianna who say they want to keep dancing as an adult, they have to look at their eating habits, consumption of high-fat, processed foods, etc. Having poor eating habits also increases the risk for injury and poor healing from injury. Being a professional dancer is not just about being talented. It’s a lifestyle, similar to what would be required for a professional athlete. 

And have you ever seen water bottles at practice (I might have missed them)? These girls need to be drinking lots of water, not just at practice, but all day. They should walk around with water bottles. 

[tessat]

I'd like some clarification if anyone can give it too me. Rittany took Tina with her to the Fertility Clinic - at this point is Tina pregnant do we know? Also hearin about the cost6 - yes it is expensive - but I feel if someone like Rittany can afford it being a single person - than there is no reason Kayla should be having a GoFundMe acct for Tina.

Looking at the interior of the car that Princess and her mom were driving in - you can tell they most likely do not have a lot. I like both of them and wish they would be permanent members. I find it funny that the mothers could hear the assistant coach read the email from Diana as we know there is no way from them to hear that.

Loved the Babies - my gosh - that Call out round was better than some of the bigger girls - but Diana came out with 4 vs the 3 the other teams had.

Loved the live music category - the first part of the Cowboyettes was awesome - some real talent there.

As a non practicing Catholic - I'm sitting here with tears running down my cheeks as I watch the dolls dance - that was simply beautiful! I do understand them losing despite having everyone in the gym crying as they didn't have tricks or really complex dancing that the other team had.

[tessat]

Wow - that is horrible what happened to Selena and I hope she's alright. Glad to see Kayla again but it looks like she isn't working at the Dollhouse - at least at this time. I don't u7nderstand with the Dolls and Kayla's following - she would have any problem getting a hip hop team together - another producer driven fake problem.

As far as Tanisha's dancing - also fake drama - if there was a problem in how she was dancing - you know Dianna would address it but I'm glad to see the face of someone other than Mimi. I use to like Rittany for her commitment to Christiana but I don't like the Rittany I'm seeing now - she's a bully as are Tina and Mimi. Reminds me of Dance Moms - treat the new moms coming in poorly.

OK - I think it's wonderful that the DDP's stick together and want to help Selena out - but a fundraiser - when again we know how much money these people make for these shows. Does look like the fundraiser was a hit and the food looked good! Noticed JJ and Sunjai in the stands at the competition - since the twins are in the routine - who is with Selena??

That stand was great!!!!!! The moms and Brandon did wonderful! I was surprised they won tho as the other team in the finals I thought did a much better job - unless points were deducted for going over the time limit.

[iluvobx]

I was shocked when they told about Selena.  I pray that she is better.  I admit I have always like Selena.

I really wish that the show would show more of the stand battles.  It was the battles that I enjoyed watching.  It was interesting to see how it team responded to the routine.  Maybe Camryn doesn't "throw" them as good as Kayla did.

As for Kayla's tryouts, I believe that is all production driven.

[topanga]

1 hour ago, iluvobx said:

I was shocked when they told about Selena.  I pray that she is better.  I admit I have always like Selena.

I really wish that the show would show more of the stand battles.  It was the battles that I enjoyed watching.  It was interesting to see how it team responded to the routine.  Maybe Camryn doesn't "throw" them as good as Kayla did.

As for Kayla's tryouts, I believe that is all production driven.

Yes, I hope Selena gets better. I wasn't sure what was wrong--I know she was grieving the recent death of her grandmother, who was like a mother to her. But the other DDPs said she also had seizures? A stroke? WTH? I don't expect the show to violate Selena's HIPAA rights and tell me her entire medical history, but I hate it when people say random stuff like, "It could be seizures. Or a stroke." Those are two very different conditions. Just say you don’t know  

And I originally wasn't sure if it was more manufactured drama, but when Selena didn't participate in the dance mom stand battles and the other parents visited her at home, I knew she was really ill.

Yes, Kayla was special. I sometimes criticize her for her loose dance technique and lack of career focus, but no one could throw stands like she did. As sweet and kind as she is, when Kayla led stand battles, she was aggressive, passionate, and pretty intimidating. In other words, perfect for throwing stands. Camryn is a great dancer and stand leader, but she doesn't quite reach Kayla's level. 

Is Camryn graduating this year? I wonder who the next captain will be. I love Chrystianna, but I don't think he has a captain's personality or leadership skills. No one else stands out to me. Faith would be a great captain, though I don't think she'd be the best at throwing stands. And I think she's the same age as Camryn, anyway.  And we don't hear much from Makayla or Kenjanae anymore. I wonder why.