S06.E16: Mack Z vs. Abby Lee

[OnceSane]

It's hip hop week, but not everyone is invited. Later, Abby gives solos to Brynn and JoJo, but Mackenzie pushes back when she's assigned to perform a safe acrobatic routine instead of a hip-hop dance; and Abby flees the studio at a crucial moment.

[Chewy101]

I thought Brynn's Hip hop dance was the best choreography, but Mack's facial expressions nailed it.

 

The final scene was hard for me to watch. Even Holly was being evil. The fact that they have been ripping into Brynn because they hate her mom, after weeks of saying no mother should ever do that about another child and blah, blah. I wanted to smack every one of them. Jessa Lynn was a total witch this episode. Why can't these jerks just root for their kids and stop cutting down the other kids. That's *our* job! =P

 

There is not a decent mother in the bunch. I sincerely hope the kids are all in on this. Surely these moms are simply playing characters. There is no way they can really be like this and still have marriages and families. No one in their right mind would find any of these women decent or loveable. Yuck. It shows how nasty things get when someone wants to be famous. 

[Hiacios]

Jessalynn is a very rude and irritating person. Ashlee was right about the other moms contradicting themselves when they said to not talk about each others children.

[spanana]

I don't care about Ashlee, or however you spell her name, but even if the moms don't like her that doesn't give them any right to continually try and tear down Brynn.  Not that they should be tearing down any child, but it's particularly heinous when we've seen Brynn be nothing but nice and polite and well behaved.  I for sure hope that scene was scripted or badly edited because the fact that not one mother (coughHollycough) stepped in to stop Jessalyn talking crap about Brynn spoke volumes.   I guess coming off like an awful person is considered totally okay as long as it gets you some quality screentime.

 

I also thought it was fairly telling, though I suppose it could have just been coincidence, that in one of those interstitials with the girls Brynn was talking to the other girls about how welcoming and nice they all were to her when she joined the team.  The girls were responding in kind and saying nice things about Brynn and it was a big lovefest.  Cut to Kendall who is ignoring the whole conversation and is just staring at her phone...and it was throughout the whole scene.  Not just a quick cut.

[dccfan37]

I think Mckenzie did very very well at the hip hop routine! Definitely deserved that top score in my opinion

[KaveDweller]

I thought Brynn should have won, she looked great doing the dance. I think it's because the choreography was better. Mackenzie looked great too, and probably would have done great with Brynn's dance, but her own one didn't seem as impressive technically. I thought JoJo looked great too, hip hop is definitely a good genre for her, but she still wasn't as good as Brynn and Mackenzie.

 

Does Jessalyn think JoJo patented wearing a hair bow  or something? Or that the bow is a personality? I mean, JoJo does have a lot of personality, but Brynn wearing a bow doesn't just make her a duplicate of JoJo.

 

I wonder if the moms expected their trashing of Brynn to be edited out or something. Because they look like total hypocrites.

 

I think this show is influencing the kids though. In those clips where the girls were talking about friendship, Kalani talked about how with your best friends you can be really mean to each other and it's still okay. That's what happens when the moms say awful things, but claim to still be friends.Granted, her example of being mean was saying a shirt didn't look nice, so maybe I'm overreacting.

Edited April 20, 2016 by KaveDweller

[RedheadZombie]

These were my honest (and harsh) thoughts through the first five minutes:

Well Mackenzie's cute phase is finally over.

WTF is around Kalani's mouth?

Gia really looks like a hag.

Wait a minute, am I on HD?

Clearly I'm not in the mood for this mess.

[Lemons]

Girls, don't quit your day jobs, there wasn't a "hip hopper" in the bunch. They were all terrible, no musicality. They looked like awkward 7 year olds. And they need to stop saying hip hopper.

[MyFavShows]

Sorry - but Brynn and Jojos dances were awful - they had no rhythm, the choreography was poor, and they just looked ridiculous. And why throw all those dumb lyrical dance moves right into the middle of a hip hop routine? Pirouttes and ariels? Really?

Mckensie had much better choreography and a really cute costume, and at least she wasn't an insult to the entire genre of hip hop like the other two were - I still wouldn't call her "good at hip hop" though. Kids who can do real hip hop would blow those three off the stage.

I'll admit that I actually laughed when Abby was doing her hip hop act - it was so idiotically inappropriate it was funny.

I also hate to say this, but JoJo really needs some speech therapy for how she talks. Like gosh - how old is she now? 12? 13? If that's not an act for her "character", that really is a cause for concern.

[RedFire2000]

Girls, don't quit your day jobs, there wasn't a "hip hopper" in the bunch. They were all terrible, no musicality. They looked like awkward 7 year olds. And they need to stop saying hip hopper.

Dance Moms needs to stay away from hip hop, these solos were cringeworthy to watch. JoJo's solo was the worst one. I don't even know how that placed at all. NONE of these girls are hip hop dancers! Pirouettes and aerials do not belong in a hip hop dance either.

[Rylee]

These were my honest (and harsh) thoughts through the first five minutes:

Well Mackenzie's cute phase is finally over.

WTF is around Kalani's mouth?

Gia really looks like a hag.

Wait a minute, am I on HD?

Clearly I'm not in the mood for this mess.

 

LMAO

 

Mackenzie, while still a cute kid, is looking more and more like her mother.

 

Jessalyn... with that, "who farted," look on her face, and the vile comments that come out of her mouth, is truly is an ugly person.

 

With what they were given, the girls performed their numbers well, but the choreography was littered with moves other than hip hop.

[Odelia]

Mackenzie looks much more like her father IMO, I think she's very pretty though (despite being ridiculously short).

It's funny how they like hiphop now but in the first couple of seasons they claimed to hate it (or was that Paige/Chloe/Brooke?).

[RedFire2000]

I also hate to say this, but JoJo really needs some speech therapy for how she talks. Like gosh - how old is she now? 12? 13? If that's not an act for her "character", that really is a cause for concern.

Her speech was way worse, on Abby's Ultimate Dance competition, but yeah Jessalyn seriously needs to get JoJo speech therapy. But she's too busy trash talking her child's teammate. And it's time for JoJo to ditch those giant hair bows. She's turning 13 next month and it's not cute anymore.

[IntoTheMystic]

Dance Moms, I wish I knew how to quit you!

I take guilty pleasure in the fact that no matter how bad my day is, no matter how many things go wrong or how many horrendous people I have to deal with . . . there is no Abby Lee Miller in my life. And I can, in fact, change the channel when those gums of hers start flapping, but I don't. I watch this show PURELY to cheer myself up about my own existence. I'm serious. And because I enjoy dance and there are some amazing kids on the show. 

McKenzie went out there and left it alllll on the floor. She had something to prove. You could see it in her face. Her eyes were on the prize and she busted moves I've never seen her tackle before. She's a gorgeous, funny, and kinda introverted kid but you wouldn't know that after this routine. She truly made me believe that she had enough confidence and ego to be a 'bully' to anyone who got in her way. It did my heart good to see her win that first place because she's been overshadowed by Maddie forever. She deserved it.

Brynn IS boring. She just is. She's full of great technique and she has the best feet on the show but there's a disconnect with her that is obvious in all of her solos. It's like she dances it without heart or something. She nails her choreography but doesn't hammer it home if that makes sense. It lacks soul or something.

I love watching Abby Lee fall apart. Love it. After how she made fun of Chloe's eye . . . I'm okay with Abby's suffering. Couldn't happen to a nicer (hahaha) dingbat. But I do respect the fact that she is lacking the self respect gene and will proudly raise her freak flag (this week it was a hip hop one) to showcase her personal thunderstorms of misery and self-loathing.

[tessa]

Mack definitely looks like her dad.

 

As far as the solos - they all stunk - but Brynn's had more hip hop moves in it than anyone's and she was the best in the gendre. Mack's only had a small hip hop portion and she did well with it but hardly star quality. Those 2 little girls they put against the minis weeks ago were better.

 

Glad Ashlee called the moms out on knowing exactly what Abby is all about and yet still sitting there complaining about her. They didn't follow Abby - unlike what Jill believes - they followed the money and fame.

 

The behavior of the moms is pathetic - they all at one time have been the odd man out and knows how it feels. Melissa was excluded because of Abby's preference to Maddie, Holly was excluded at times due to her job and then just the fact Nia wasn't as close to the other girls and Jill, Kira and Jess - all had the new mom exclusion that they are giving to Ashlee. 

 

Abby keeps blaming the girls and yet there is something that is more important than the girls dancing - it's called choreography. You can be the best dancer in the world - but if the choreography isn't appealing - you are not going to win on your techniques, facial expression or connection to the crowd. Since we have no idea what the routines they are competing against look like - it's easier to blame the kids. I miss the competition with the other groups because you were able to see how good or bad the ALDC was - even if the competitions were fake.

[RCharter]

I don't care about Ashlee, or however you spell her name, but even if the moms don't like her that doesn't give them any right to continually try and tear down Brynn.  Not that they should be tearing down any child, but it's particularly heinous when we've seen Brynn be nothing but nice and polite and well behaved.  I for sure hope that scene was scripted or badly edited because the fact that not one mother (coughHollycough) stepped in to stop Jessalyn talking crap about Brynn spoke volumes.   I guess coming off like an awful person is considered totally okay as long as it gets you some quality screentime.

 

That is what I hate about all of this.  I think Ashlee is lame, but the rest of these harridans keep making me side with her.  Because she is right, if you even mention  that Kendall's shoe is untied Jill will have a shit fit, yet everyone else can say that Brynn doesn't have a personality?  Thats a terrible thing to say about a child.

 

And I get Holly's point that some of the reaction may be to Ashlee constantly saying how amazing and great Brynn is, and how she is the next Maddie.  But put it into perspective.....is it really worth calling a kid names over?

 

I thought Brynn should have won, she looked great doing the dance. I think it's because the choreography was better. Mackenzie looked great too, and probably would have done great with Brynn's dance, but her own one didn't seem as impressive technically. I thought JoJo looked great too, hip hop is definitely a good genre for her, but she still wasn't as good as Brynn and Mackenzie.

I thought Mackenzie had the best choreography, and I thought Jojo had the worst.  Even when she was doing that dance in practice I was like "oh, thats not a winner....that doesn't even look like a dance that gets you a call from someone!"  But I always admire Jojo for doing whatever she is given with the best attitude (I'm looking at you Kendall!)

 

I thought that Brynn's technique was good, but her face is a little bland.  As someone else pointed out that is not her fault, but there it is.  I think hip hop is the sort of style where you have to see it in the face and so if you can't, its just not going to be the same.

 

Mackenzie did a great job.  I almost think it would be better if Mackenzie stayed with the group, or if she just goes back to Pittsburgh and does school.  I just think its going to be painful for her psyche to just sit around watching Maddie grow into this star as she is ignored and pushed off to the side.

[Lamima]

Those women are nasty jerks, plain and simple. Even Holly at the end with the 'leg in the air like you just don't care'. It comes across as them being worried about their kid's spot and Bryn coming in and bypassing them. My DDs play a competitive sport and I see it happen all the time (parents who want to bring down other kids to knock the sail out of their wings, take away their confidence so they struggle). I have never said this because I feel we shouldn't talk about kids but since they put their kids out there for the world to see and since they feel it's completely okay to say a kid has no personality...their kids are not great at dancing and will NEVER be the next Maddie. Maddie was the only good one and now Mack is coming into her own and Bryn is right up there with them. The others plain out stink and should just pack it in. Those moms sold their soles to the devil all for naught. Despicable!

 

Oh, and that was NOT hip hop but Mack's did look best. Good on her- to prove herself.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Lamima

[TomGirl]

 I also thought it was fairly telling, though I suppose it could have just been coincidence, that in one of those interstitials with the girls Brynn was talking to the other girls about how welcoming and nice they all were to her when she joined the team.  The girls were responding in kind and saying nice things about Brynn and it was a big lovefest.  Cut to Kendall who is ignoring the whole conversation and is just staring at her phone...and it was throughout the whole scene.  Not just a quick cut.

I thought it was Maddie who was staring at her phone the whole time and ignoring the conversation.

[dmmetler]

 

Does Jessalyn think JoJo patented wearing a hair bow  or something? Or that the bow is a personality? I mean, JoJo does have a lot of personality, but Brynn wearing a bow doesn't just make her a duplicate of JoJo.

 .

It's even more humorous when you realize that every single competitive cheerleader out there wears giant bows as part of the uniform, as do many girls' softball teams. It's kind of a "I'm an athlete and I'm a girl" thing. You see t-shirts with things like "Bad to the Bow" or "Fear the Bow".

[Odelia]

Her speech was way worse, on Abby's Ultimate Dance competition, but yeah Jessalyn seriously needs to get JoJo speech therapy. But she's too busy trash talking her child's teammate. And it's time for JoJo to ditch those giant hair bows. She's turning 13 next month and it's not cute anymore.

It's okay, she should be able to wear whatever she likes, sneakers instead of heels, bows, whatever. I like them :D

[RCharter]

It's okay, she should be able to wear whatever she likes, sneakers instead of heels, bows, whatever. I like them :D

I agree that everyone should wear what they like, but does Jojo really want her hair to be blonde, or is that a Jess function?  As for the bows, I see your point, but does she really just want to be known as "that girl with the bow?"  I would hate to see that become a crutch for her, because I genuinely think she is a little girl with so much personality beyond a bow.  Is she going to have to feel like she has to wear a bow at 25, because that is what she is known for?  I hope not, but I think when something becomes a crutch, its a possibility.

[Chewy101]

Brynn IS boring. She just is. She's full of great technique and she has the best feet on the show but there's a disconnect with her that is obvious in all of her solos. It's like she dances it without heart or something. She nails her choreography but doesn't hammer it home if that makes sense. It lacks soul or something.

 

 

Her face is blank. It's a shame, really. It reminds me of Chloe. Pretty lines and little emotion.

 

I agree that everyone should wear what they like, but does Jojo really want her hair to be blonde, or is that a Jess function?  As for the bows, I see your point, but does she really just want to be known as "that girl with the bow?"  I would hate to see that become a crutch for her, because I genuinely think she is a little girl with so much personality beyond a bow.  Is she going to have to feel like she has to wear a bow at 25, because that is what she is known for?  I hope not, but I think when something becomes a crutch, its a possibility.

 

 

Personally, I would love for Jo Jo to wear bows a little longer. It reminds me of the 80's, lol. And when I look at what kids are wearing on sitcoms and dramas, they all look 25 and they are Jo Jo's age. If the kid is still feeling like a kid, I'd be a relieved mom. However, the forcing her to color her hair is another matter. Jessalynn is a monster. 

 

Ashley, Jessalynn AND Jill all acted exactly the same way when they came onto the Dance Mom scene. Jill was the most conniving of the bunch. She didn't just say things, she did sneaky things. I think she is having such a violent reaction to these new moms coming in and doing it because she is now being "Jilled."

 

What is with these kids thinking they can be actors and singers when they are trained to dance, anyway? I just saw Asia on Grey's Anatomy and she was terrible. If it weren't for those teeth I would not have known it was her. All of the moms want their kids to be stars. Unfortunately, none of them are exceptionally talented. So instead they are reality monkeys. I would LOVE to see Kate Gosselin drag her twins on to this show and take on these lunatics. Imagine THOSE cat fights between the worst moms ever.

[sofiah]

It's nice to see the focus on hiphop, and it was nice to see Rumor Noel and Guy Amir teaching the girls.  ALDC LA has been hosting a lot of open hiphop classes and trying to attract some of the better hiphop LA kids to classes there... obviously a market they are trying to capitalize on.  You can search for either one of those teacher on youtube and find MANY videos of the girls dancing.  To me Kalani is the best.  It is clearly a new style for them, and they are not as good as even the other kids in the classes.  It makes sense that the girls, now that they are exposed to good hiphop dancers, would take a newfound liking to the genre.  I am sure they've caught on that the hiphop kids book a lot of jobs and do a lot of cool stuff.  

 

I thought all the moms were horrendous at the end.  I don't know what is scripted or not, I can only react to what I see - but I would go so far as to say I don't think the moms, collectively, have been as nasty about any child as they are about Brynn.  By allowing Jess to say the things she was doing, and not only saying nothing but actually laughing and making little jokes about it, they are totally complicit.  

 

And Jess is delusional.  Seriously -- Ashley is trying to "dress Brynn up like Jojo" because she put a bow in her hair?!?!?!  She also seems to be under the impression that bows = personality, and that Jojo could be the next Maddie even though Jojo is, even on her best day, an average dancer.   

 

ETA:  Kalani's new solo with club dance:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTULTNndGS0

Edited April 20, 2016 by sofiah

[spanana]

As much as there is all this talk about Brynn being the next Maddie, at least in the eyes of Abby, I do think production is more positioning her as the next Chloe.  I know this is all moot if the show ends after the next handful of episodes, but I will say as much as the other mothers are awful to Brynn, I think production wants it that way.  I think they want us to feel sorry for Brynn and to see her as the underdog, the way Chloe was to Maddie.  Of course it's also very different.  Brynn is already one of Abby faves.  Most of the other moms didn't attack Chloe because Chloe was always a member of the team and grew up with the other girls.  Her bad treatment came mostly from Abby and somewhat from Melissa.  But point being is I do think storyline wise, the show wants us to feel bad for Brynn.  Granted it's on the other mothers for continually playing into it.

 

Also it was definitely Kendall on her phone during the Brynn talking part of the filler stuff where the girls all sit around talking.  Maddie may have been on her phone during another part of those segments.  I only noticed because I was curious if Kendall would actually interact with Brynn or play mean girl, and while she wasn't playing mean girl, she also just wasn't paying attention.  She didn't look up from her phone until the girls stopped talking about Brynn joining the team.  Then she joined the conversation.

[Chewy101]

That choreography (Kalani's Club Dance solo) was awesome. Why is she slumming it on a reality show full of half talents who are more famous for their instagram accounts and mothers' antics rather than actual jobs?

 

She didn't look up from her phone until the girls stopped talking about Brynn joining the team.  Then she joined the conversation.

 

 

It is so weird to me that they all had their phones and were scrolling while filming these segments. The self absorption and need to check status and number of likes and followers continuously is so annoying. They are all little campaign managers checking the polls to see if they are more important than five minutes ago.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Chewy101

[Odelia]

I agree that everyone should wear what they like, but does Jojo really want her hair to be blonde, or is that a Jess function?  As for the bows, I see your point, but does she really just want to be known as "that girl with the bow?"  I would hate to see that become a crutch for her, because I genuinely think she is a little girl with so much personality beyond a bow.  Is she going to have to feel like she has to wear a bow at 25, because that is what she is known for?  I hope not, but I think when something becomes a crutch, its a possibility.

Possibly, in the sense that when she stops wearing bows it will be like "a big thing", kind of like when you always do well at things you have such pressure every time in case you don't, I mean people expect something of you.. well people expect bows from Jojo so she might feel that she can't stop. Right now I think she likes the image she has of blonde with bows, but who knows about the future.

 

I feel bad for Brynn but she could never be Chloe, because her mother isn't as funny.

 

^Agreed about the phones, it irritates me so much when people do that when out to dinner.

[RCharter]

Possibly, in the sense that when she stops wearing bows it will be like "a big thing", kind of like when you always do well at things you have such pressure every time in case you don't, I mean people expect something of you.. well people expect bows from Jojo so she might feel that she can't stop. Right now I think she likes the image she has of blonde with bows, but who knows about the future.

 

I feel bad for Brynn but she could never be Chloe, because her mother isn't as funny.

 

^Agreed about the phones, it irritates me so much when people do that when out to dinner.

Yeah, at what point does the bow wear you???  :)

[Lemons]

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTULTNndGS0

 

Thanks for showing this.  She's no Maddie but she's still pretty good. 

[spanana]

Thanks for showing this.  She's no Maddie but she's still pretty good. 

 

What does Kalani's solo have to do with Maddie?  She's no Maddie because she's thankfully not Maddie.  She's a beautiful girl and beautiful dancer.   Maddie isn't the supreme being of dance.

[hellohoping]

It is so weird to me that they all had their phones and were scrolling while filming these segments. The self absorption and need to check status and number of likes and followers continuously is so annoying. They are all little campaign managers checking the polls to see if they are more important than five minutes ago.

 

I didn't see the segment but to be fair, isn't this what all kids do these days? The obsession with Instagram and Twitter followers certainly isn't exclusive to just these girls.

 

Regarding the episode, I agree with previous comments that the good hip-hop dancers out there would DESTROY these girls! However I'm really glad that Mackenzie got to prove herself. And she impressed me actually... whether it was jazz or hiphop or whatever it really was, I'm glad it wasn't another stupid acrobatic dance. I really hate those. And she proved herself a performer here. Good to see :)

 

As for JoJo, I feel she's digressing a bit. She's been a little sloppy in her last two solos - solos where she should have shined. Those isolations should be sharp and easy for her but they were... blah. I like her and I like her attitude but, yeah, an average dancer.

 

I loved the group dance choreography.

 

I like Brynn and she is SUCH a gorgeous dancer (especially if you watch her solos with Club Dance and at the Dance Awards). I want to see her let go a bit and learn to project more feeling/emotion, it's the only thing letting her down. I can't see her as a real Maddie replacement for that reason. Maddie's stage presence to go along with the ability will be really missing when she's gone - I'm going to miss her a lot.

 

Yes and these women are nasty pieces of work and utter morons. The hypocrisy and unwillingness to admit it when it's being pointed out to them so clearly is MADDENING. You can not rip into a child's personality. Sheesh. 

[VelvetMatte]

What on earth was up with the costumes this week? The solo costumes were awful... but those green leotards for the group dance took the biscuit!! I've never seen anything as unflattering as that leotard!

 

However, I watched Nia the most in the group this week. Damn, that kid danced strong! She'd be better finding a proper contemporary company and not this 'contemporary' rubbish Abbey puts on stage!

[Lemons]

What does Kalani's solo have to do with Maddie?  She's no Maddie because she's thankfully not Maddie.  She's a beautiful girl and beautiful dancer.   Maddie isn't the supreme being of dance.

 

It means that Kalani is good but not extraordinary. 

[spanana]

It means that Kalani is good but not extraordinary. 

 

I know what you meant.  I just thought it was an unnecessary comment when Maddie is far from the best dancer in existence.  I'm sure there are also a lot of people that would say Maddie isn't extraordinary either.  Maybe an extraordinary performer but not an extraordinary technician?  Either way, not every dancer needs to be held up to the lens that is Maddie's brilliance.

[Hiacios]

What does Kalani's solo have to do with Maddie?  She's no Maddie because she's thankfully not Maddie.  She's a beautiful girl and beautiful dancer.   Maddie isn't the supreme being of dance.

Maddie is way overrated and just isn't that good imo.  

[Lemons]

I know what you meant.  I just thought it was an unnecessary comment when Maddie is far from the best dancer in existence.  I'm sure there are also a lot of people that would say Maddie isn't extraordinary either.  Maybe an extraordinary performer but not an extraordinary technician?  Either way, not every dancer needs to be held up to the lens that is Maddie's brilliance.

The reason to use Maddie as a comparison is that she is on the show. So far they haven't shown any dancers on Maddie's level on Dance Mom although there are thousands out there. It's a quality of movement that you rarely see in that age group, especially from a second tier competition studio.

[DaisyFields500]

The reason to use Maddie as a comparison is that she is on the show. So far they haven't shown any dancers on Maddie's level on Dance Mom although there are thousands out there. It's a quality of movement that you rarely see in that age group, especially from a second tier competition studio.

I get what you are saying, but I don't like to compare the other dancers to her. She gets enough props that I want to see the other kids win on the opportunities they get. The show was set up to favor her and it helped her to succeed above everybody else, especially with branding. Like you mention, the show strategically chose their dancers for the show. She stepped into the golden child role and succeeded. I am happy for her perusing her dreams. She worked hard and a great dancer. Edited April 20, 2016 by DaisyFields500

[Hiacios]

I been watching the show for awhile now and I see how Melissa favors Maddie over Mackenzie, and treats her like a 3rd wheel. I can honestly see Mackenzie not having a relationship with her older sister and mother when she is older because of how she was treated by them.

[RazzleberryPie]

They all seem to forget how the minute Sofia Lucia showed up, they all started wearing the big donut buns on top of their heads. All of them.

[Absolom]

Ratings are in: 1.404 M viewers and a .51 rating.

[Odelia]

Abby hinted more than just the Ziegler's will leave, and I'm scared they will use the minis to fill out the team. Finding more dancers who can emote like Maddie would be better, none of the minis are interesting at all.

[CDC]

 

I been watching the show for awhile now and I see how Melissa favors Maddie over Mackenzie, and treats her like a 3rd wheel. I can honestly see Mackenzie not having a relationship with her older sister and mother when she is older because of how she was treated by them.

 

I'm watching Lifetime and they just showed a preview for next week.  The captions they showed on the screen said, "Only one more week before Maddie's final farewell."  I guess Lifetime takes its cues from Melissa when it comes to remembering Mackenzie...

 

*Edited to fix quote

Edited April 21, 2016 by Cynthia24

[EscapedNurse]

According to Jessalynn, JoJo designed the costume that Brynn wore. She said they ordered it from a catalog for the competition, and that JoJo was modeling the outfit in the catalog.

[spanana]

Not sure I'd buy much that comes out of Jessalyn's mouth.  I took a peep at her twitter feed and woman is beyond immature.  

[MyFavShows]

Kind of sad that Holly is more in touch with Mack's needs than her own mother is. Was she wearing one of the costumes from "Electricity"? Thought the outfit was inappropriate with that style of dance :-/

I wish this show had better hip-hop choreography. We saw cute jazz routines.

Guess Brynn is the new Chloe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg6NTRa44K4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkKDBD3qtqo

Asia is okay in this one, but at 9 she would definitely have beaten Mackenzie in this style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_9XlPqLsb8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQraeOG-3L8

The girls in the second group kill it.

The kid in the first video dancing to Justin Bieber was my favorite - so good!

[RedheadZombie]

I was surprised by Jo Jo. I thought she would kill it in her solo. Instead I found her kind of clunky.

I was so distracted by Brynn's horrible costume that I really couldn't concentrate on her solo. I think she enjoyed it and I thought she showed more facial expression.

I was uncomfortable with Mackenzie's solo. I know the girls have frequently worn inappropriate costumes as well as too mature dancing. But I thought the only thing missing was a stripper pole. Why do people think hip hop has to be sexualized? I think that Mackenzie obviously loves this genre, and (for once) she showed that confidence/arrogance that Maddie usually wears in the group dance. I call it Maddie Face #3 - lopsided facial smirk/coy. It was an appreciated variation from #1 -- glue sniffing euphoria, and #2 -- abject suffering.

And as much as Melissa always puts Maddie first, it was nice to hear an acknowledgment from her that Mack is better at this.

[Chewy101]

Are you gone yet, Maddie? I am so sick of you and your mother. Can you guys leave Mack behind, please? I am actually enjoying her

 

I know the girls have frequently worn inappropriate costumes as well as too mature dancing. But I thought the only thing missing was a stripper pole.

 

 

However, I agree with this. The garters made me uncomfortable. Instead of Mack portraying more mature, they dressed her as Lolita. That poor kid.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Chewy101

[Chewy101]

Yeah, there are so many talented kids out there. I think that if all you see is the kids on Dance Moms, it's easy to lose sight of that. If anyone is interested in seeing amazing young dancers, go to youtube and type in "Prix de Lausanne."

 

Amen! I'm sorry if anyone is watching Dance Moms thinking they will see any hard core talent. This is a reality show about the moms. The kids are just desperately trying to be something to keep their moms on television. Season one, literally, was an audition of moms, not kids. The craziest moms made the show. The kids suddenly were on a team. We cannot come to this show forgetting the point of how it was made.

 

The kid in the first video dancing to Justin Bieber was my favorite - so good!

 

 

I agree. So much technicality with amazing expression and charisma. That's what happens when you are a dancer, rather than an extra on a show about mothers. 

 

I was surprised by Jo Jo. I thought she would kill it in her solo. Instead I found her kind of clunky.

 

I did as well. Plus, she lacked the enthusiasm she usually has. I expect her to be a passionate dancer at the very least, but she did this routine like she was Kendall. I don't know why she went numb.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Chewy101

[RealityCowgirl]

Do they still get no more than a few days to learn and "perfect" their respective show performances? If so, that's another cost of reality fame. They're not only putting rough routines on TV, they're also not spending all that time on the kind of practice that make great dancers great. It sounds like some are still dancing in legitimate competitions. But imagine how much better they would be if they weren't blowing months? on this silliness.

Not that most of these girls are superstars being held back by their schedule. But it sounds like the soloists would have benefited from, you know, learning and perfecting their hip hop skills. Anonymous lessons and practice won't boost those Instagram followers, though. We know what's really important. ;)

Edited April 21, 2016 by RealityCowgirl

[hellohoping]

And as much as Melissa always puts Maddie first, it was nice to hear an acknowledgment from her that Mack is better at this.

 

As much as I'm glad Mackenzie did well and that she does seem to have confidence and passion when it comes to this genre, I have a feeling Maddie would be better at it. The few hiphop/jazz/commercial videos I've seen of Maddie, she's fantastic and I wish she did commercial/jazz more on the show rather than lyrical all the time. Mackenzie could give her a run for her money in this genre though more so than she would in others.

 

And I think it's unfair to say Maddie "isn't that good", and to say so is as big of an exaggeration as saying she's a prodigy. She's clearly very very good. I'd say she's exceptional. And yes there's hundreds of exceptional dancers out there and once they get to that level I think it becomes difficult to compare them because it's down to taste. Imo Maddie just has a natural presence and flare for the stage and she looks so effortless when she dances. I think the 'effortless' part is where she mainly differs from most of her other teammates, bar the Club Dance pair.

Edited April 21, 2016 by hellohoping

[Odelia]

Kenzie did look great at hiphop! I wonder, is hiphop something you'd be better at if you're short like Kenzie? Somehow I feel it would be easier for someone like Kenzie than say, Ava.

Where can we see Maddie doing hiphop?

Jojo could have won if her choreography wasn't so lame. Brynn just looks too skinny when she does hiphop.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Odelia