S08.E02: Mommy Dearest

[Guest]

From TVGuide.com

Quote

The pressure is on with Abby giving two lucky dancers the first solos of the season, leading one mom to explode at competition. The team struggles with a challenging tribal dance, and an injury puts the entire routine in jeopardy. Abby's star dancer cracks under the pressure.

[Absolom]

Child pressure, cultural appropriation, lack of compassion, nothing changes?

[RalyWilmy]

A few thoughts:

• The kids are superior dancers to the OGs.  I enjoyed the dances and thought the histrionics about the little wobbles were ridiculous.
• As usual, the moms are obviously being instructed to throw barbs and it's very jarring how they seem to come out of nowhere.  The original moms did the same thing, but at least their history together before the show made it less obvious.
• Cat ears. The end.
• #freehannah

All of that said, Baby Girl RalyWilmy and I are in! The awesome dancing, coupled with crazy moms (scripted or not) has us hooked already. 🙂

Edited June 5, 2019 by RalyWilmy
I was an English major and grammatical erros are embarassing.

[Twopper]

Not sure if I am in or out.  I haven't seen this in years and only saw it last night by accident.   I had a vague recollection that she had legal troubles, but I didn't know about her being in federal prison and having cancer and being paralyzed.   I think I may want to go back and read a few old posts to get up to date.

I usually like the dances.  I think I will be recording it so I can fast forward through the catty moms.  Cat ears, really?   It is obvious you are catty---no ears needed.  

[tessat]

So glad they are back!! I love the new kids and think they are so much more talented than the original OGs. Looking forward to seeing these kids grow - but I can't stand Stacy and as much as I  don't care for Yolanda - I can't wait to see her back to throw some shade on Stacy.

Response on FB is mostly positive with a couple upset about the team being all white - there is always someone with a gripe!

[Absolom]

Ratings:  569K viewers and a .17 rating.  34th cable show of the day.  This episode dropped 60K viewers and .02 rating from the episode just preceding.  

[TomGirl]

5 minutes ago, Absolom said:

This episode dropped 60K viewers and .02 rating from the episode just preceding.

Not a good sign.....

[LibertarianSlut]

It's too heavily produced now. I'm roughly up to episode 3,001 of season three on a re-watch binge, and the moms were nowhere near as cutthroat, there was no dramatic music during pyramid, more footage of them rehearsing, etc.

The costumes have changed a lot.  Everything is a lot more professional.  I would bet dollars to doughnuts they brought a professional makeup artist in to do Savannah's makeup.

Call me old school, but I don't like a boy being on the team.  It changes the dynamic.  

Stacey is just an awful human being.  I am pretty sure she cut Lilliana's "hair" (not her real hair, is my educated guess) on purpose, to divert attention from Abby's rant about Lilliana's dance, and she was successful in her attempt.

As bad as I find Stacey, I think that mom (was it Erin?  All the blondes look the same to me right now) who first intimidated the kid, Sarah, and then freaked out on the mom, Michelle, is a raging asshole.

The moms who I think are alright so far are Ashley, Michelle, Ann, and Tricia.  I also think GiaNina's mom might be alright.  Jury's still out.

Can't we have Maisie instead of Lilliana?  I am so tired of hearing how Lilliana! Is! The! Only! Former! Team!  Member! As if that means anything.  Nia was the only one who was original who went the whole way.  I hate the revisionist history.

I think it's interesting that Abby hasn't seemed to soften at all.  She also seems ready and willing to replace, which is a welcome change from just threatening, ranting and raving, but doing nothing for awhile there.

[Absolom]

It's still all me, me, me, me, Abby Lee.  She's all about the adulation for her and bragging about what she can do.  Some things will never change.

[jenifaohjenny]

Abby reminds me of Dr. Evil whenever she comes into a room. 

[TomGirl]

Hannah’s mother, Ann, is the worst!  Feeding her child lines to say, and constantly laughing like a maniac.  That poor child!

[Lady of nod]

If this show proves one thing it's that there are a lot of lovely talented young kids out there who love to dance, but are sadly cursed with psycho mothers who are working hard to turn them into neurotic kids. I watch for the kids.

[MavisL]

On 6/5/2019 at 6:15 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

It's too heavily produced now. I'm roughly up to episode 3,001 of season three on a re-watch binge, and the moms were nowhere near as cutthroat, there was no dramatic music during pyramid, more footage of them rehearsing, etc.

The costumes have changed a lot.  Everything is a lot more professional.  I would bet dollars to doughnuts they brought a professional makeup artist in to do Savannah's makeup.

Call me old school, but I don't like a boy being on the team.  It changes the dynamic.  

Stacey is just an awful human being.  I am pretty sure she cut Lilliana's "hair" (not her real hair, is my educated guess) on purpose, to divert attention from Abby's rant about Lilliana's dance, and she was successful in her attempt.

As bad as I find Stacey, I think that mom (was it Erin?  All the blondes look the same to me right now) who first intimidated the kid, Sarah, and then freaked out on the mom, Michelle, is a raging asshole.

The moms who I think are alright so far are Ashley, Michelle, Ann, and Tricia.  I also think GiaNina's mom might be alright.  Jury's still out.

Can't we have Maisie instead of Lilliana?  I am so tired of hearing how Lilliana! Is! The! Only! Former! Team!  Member! As if that means anything.  Nia was the only one who was original who went the whole way.  I hate the revisionist history.

I think it's interesting that Abby hasn't seemed to soften at all.  She also seems ready and willing to replace, which is a welcome change from just threatening, ranting and raving, but doing nothing for awhile there.

Oh thank goodness, someone else. I've been on a watch binge all week and I'm saving the new ep for when I finish. I'm dying to know what Abby's relationship is now with the original moms and kids. It always seemed like she and Kelly had a love/hate relationship-and that there was more than met the eye, but I'm only on the third season. Can't wait to finally catch the new one!

[LibertarianSlut]

Gurl! Season Three is the shit!  I flove Kelly. I wish there was a place to talk about it, or even read about it, but this site started in 2014, one year later, so I guess we'll just have to ride it out until season four. 

Totally unrelated comment--anyone who posted on season four in 2014, get ready for some likes in about a week, lol!

back on topic:  I can't believe that poor little girl (Hannah?) lost a toenail dancing! That is some dark, Black Swan shit right there!

[Katy M]

I liked the group dance.  

I can't figure out why Abby can't figure out that if she has two dancers going head to head and they come in first and second that's the best she can do.  They can't both come in first.

I don't know why, but something about Pressley reminds me of Brooke.  I can't quite put my finger on it.

I like having a boy around.  It's different.  But, he'll have to be the new Maddie, because he'll stick out in every group.

[Loves2Dance]

I'm here...I'm not sure for how long but I did catch up on the first 2 episodes. 

I think one of the greatest misses Lifetime has with this show is how it's so jarring to meet mom 1-6 and then have them at each others throats in mere seconds.

Brady's mom talked about knowing Erin, Savannah's mom---okay, how? What is the background? How deep is that friendship or frienemy? 

The dance world is vast and open, but incredibly small at the same time. There is no way some of these moms haven't crossed paths before and instead of building up to why comment A would come from Mom 2 to Mom 3---we just get a volcano. 

That is, and will always be, the disconnect I feel when she brings in new people. The original cast were not BFFs4Eva when they started, in fact, Nia didn't dance with most of them at all---but they had history and the comments were built from that. 

If all they want is trashy reality TV then they already have that. And clearly, the ratings show that trashy isn't enough. 

Seeing Abby is really jarring---like I hear the voice, but I can't meld it together with the imagine I'm seeing. I didn't cry into my pillow when she went to jail for fraud, but I wouldn't wish cancer on my worst enemy. She has been through a lot and yet...has come out...the same. It's like bad acting. 

The kids seem fine enough. I really wish Lilly would have been left out because Stacey is my least favorite mom---I'd even take Jill at this point. The mom with the cat ears is clearly the new Melissa. The Pittsburgh mom is kinda giving me a Kelly vibe. Hannah's mom is very Cathy---that laugh is terrible, no wonder the kid can't find her words. There is no doubt she can dance as she wouldn't be there if she couldn't, but she is not meant for TV. It's okay to be shy and quiet. Erin's mom is like a weird Christi/Melissa mashed together vibe of being way too manic---she is one who I can already see is 100% aware of the cameras and how she comes across. I don't have much of an impression on Presley's mom or Brady's mom. 

At the end of the day, they're 7 soloists being thrown together to compete under the ALDC name at mostly fake/limited competitions that won't further their dance training. If these moms cared about further their children's dancer careers they'd be attending actual competitions with titles that matter and doing intensives with working choreographers. This garbage is a waste of their time. I mean the cat ear lady listed several working jobs GiaNina did (and btw, who the heck gives their kid a name like GiaNina???) and they're legitimate...the title of next week's episode is literally 'Broadway Brat'...not sure how that is gonna help, but you do you cat lady.

This is my filler until The Hills reboot anyway. 

[PumpkinLumpkin]

Bitter OG moms throwing shade at the new season/cast. They're feeling the wave of irrelevancy crashing over them, tbh. 

[Loves2Dance]

20 hours ago, PumpkinLumpkin said:

Bitter OG moms throwing shade at the new season/cast. They're feeling the wave of irrelevancy crashing over them, tbh. 

TBH, they're not wrong. While Dance Moms can go off into Season 8, 9, 10...etc, etc, it really will never return to the glory days of the original cast. I like that they've all spread their wings individually and have come back together in healthier friendships.

Brooke is at college, Paige got accepted to the University of West Virginia. 

Nia has a paid acting role on The Bold & The Beautiful. 

Maddie just got cast in the newest West Side Story and released her line with FabFitFun. Little sister Mackenzie finished in the Top 3 of Dancing with the Stars Junior, released a new song and is opening on tour for Prettymuch FOMO Tour (which is sold out in nearly every city). 

Chloe has been accepted into Pepperdine University (which has an acceptance rate of around 39% so not an easy place to get into), has a successful social media book club, YouTube channel and other paying projects. Like Maddie, she is also a published author. 

Sweet Vivi has taken up dance, though her specialty is tap and is enjoying her best life in high school like a regular kid. 

The only one who I can't highlight is Kendall. And that is mainly because I don't know what she is doing; but she had the mother who sought out the fame and a spot on the team so it's arguable whether or not she's truly an 'original mom'.

I firmly believe that Melissa, Holly, Kelly and Kristi had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they signed on. Some got more then they bargained for, some couldn't get enough...but arguably, all of the original girls have found great success in their personal and professional lives post Dance Moms. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about most of the kids who came after. With the exception of Jojo Siwa who hooked up with Nickelodeon, no one is a household name. 

Now, back to the current crop of kids, I don't think any of them has a chance of being the next great thing---if they were, they wouldn't be wasting their time on Dance Moms. 

[Absolom]

This show had better be super cheap to produce.  560,000 viewers isn't going to bring in a large amount of ad revenue.  

[Leia1021]

Nia is no longer on Bold and the Beautiful. Her acting was about as good as her dance, very wooden. I think she may be on one of the Nickelodeon channels now, though.

[LibertarianSlut]

From what I've read on the Lifetime website, there's nothing particularly impressive about what any of the "originals" are doing IMO.  I mean, college?  YouTube channels?  "Releasing" books and singles?  Seems like exactly what I would have predicted for a group of girls who were alright "contemporary" dancers that were featured on a highly controversial television show for a few years...

Abby loves to talk about her Broadway dancers.  Who is on Broadway?  Who is a Rockette?  Who is working for a professional ballet company?  Yeah...

I don't have very much respect for the genre of "contemporary."  I'm not impressed by it.  Do ballet (mwhahaha), do hip-hop, do real jazz, or tap.  These seems like dances that have objective criteria.  Contemporary is just like, emotion and costume and, weird ballet from the floor.  I don't think it's an art form; I think it's a cop-out.  

Some of these kids are really talented, but I don't think they should be doing this.  I love to watch them, but it's a guilty pleasure.  It's such a petty thing to be fighting over.  If any of these competitions are respected in the dance world, then shame on the dance world.  

GiaNina danced for Mariah Carey in 2014.  That was when season four was filming!  I guess MC was doing something with children, but...I don't think it puts her on the map as a dancer by a long shot.  

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, LibertarianSlut said:

From what I've read on the Lifetime website, there's nothing particularly impressive about what any of the "originals" are doing IMO.  I mean, college?  YouTube channels?  "Releasing" books and singles?  Seems like exactly what I would have predicted for a group of girls who were alright "contemporary" dancers that were featured on a highly controversial television show for a few years...

I think that's OK, though.  Especially in the case of Brooke and Paige who have full-out quit dancing and anything in the entertainment industry.  At least for now.  They had an experience.  I'm sure they learned something from it beyond dance.  Like how to deal with crazy people, how to work crazy long hours, how to win and lose, whatever.  And, now they'll apply that to real "normal" life

Going to college is a good thing.  I guess. It's changed a lot from when I went.  But, it's not a bad thing. Getting in, going, and graduating is an accomplishment.  So, good for those that are doing that.  Not everybody has to be a star.

[Loves2Dance]

I think what the originals are doing is pretty good considering none of them are pursuing jobs in the dance industry. Even Maddie stated her ambition was to act not dance from Season 1. I think the originals are doing what normal teenagers are doing with their lives---I may not always get the influencer/social media stuff, but they're doing a fairly solid job at it.

[meatball77]

Brady is head and shoulders above the rest of them and I can't see why he's on the show.  The others are typical comp dancers that weren't going to get more than lots of instagram followers.  Brady on the other hand is one of the best ballet dancers his age and has spent hours and hours training in ballet, he's been dancing in gala's with ballet superstars.  He could have a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School if he wanted it.  Now that doesn't come with the fame and influencer $$ of being on a reality show but he's already got a ton of followers, but why spend so much time doing ballet if his goal was celebrity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDNKpUmnc6c

[Loves2Dance]

4 hours ago, meatball77 said:

Brady is head and shoulders above the rest of them and I can't see why he's on the show.  The others are typical comp dancers that weren't going to get more than lots of instagram followers.  Brady on the other hand is one of the best ballet dancers his age and has spent hours and hours training in ballet, he's been dancing in gala's with ballet superstars.  He could have a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School if he wanted it.  Now that doesn't come with the fame and influencer $$ of being on a reality show but he's already got a ton of followers, but why spend so much time doing ballet if his goal was celebrity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDNKpUmnc6c

My instinct says Brady doesn't last the whole season...his mom doesn't seem drama enough for Lifetime to keep them. 

[meatball77]

If he's only on the show an episode or two it's a bit different than if he's essentially giving up all the work he's done on his technique (because those kids don't actually have class, they're just learning dances).

 

[Loves2Dance]

6 minutes ago, meatball77 said:

If he's only on the show an episode or two it's a bit different than if he's essentially giving up all the work he's done on his technique (because those kids don't actually have class, they're just learning dances).

 

I wonder if his 'off' days were spent with actual quality instructors and classes. 

[meatball77]

There's only so many hours in a day.  He's got to do school at some point also.  Maybe he's got a ballet coach in Pitt that is working with him, but he would need a daily (at least five days a week) high quality (by ballet standards not by competition dance standards) class just to stay in shape and not start regressing.  Once ballet dancers get to his level they don't take more than two or three weeks off unless they are injured. 

[Chewy101]

On 6/8/2019 at 11:27 PM, Loves2Dance said:

At the end of the day, they're 7 soloists being thrown together to compete under the ALDC name at mostly fake/limited competitions that won't further their dance training. If these moms cared about further their children's dancer careers they'd be attending actual competitions with titles that matter and doing intensives with working choreographers.

I doubt these moms care about their training so much as their exposure. They don't want professional dancers, they want STARS. And just like the old batch, they will have to whore themselves out to social media like the next generation of Kardishians that they are. Who needs talent when you have an instagram account. 

On 6/9/2019 at 2:29 AM, PumpkinLumpkin said:

Bitter OG moms throwing shade at the new season/cast. They're feeling the wave of irrelevancy crashing over them, tbh.

It's almost like their kids let the fake dream go, but they can't give up the spotlight. They all look so pretty with filters and that big ole shadow crossing all of their faces.

[Chewy101]

Sarah reminds me SO MUCH of Chloe at that age.

I really hate when the moms use terms like "we" when they refer to solos and dances. It's not a we, ladies, it's a THEM. And who cares if one kid gets the solo. It's mostly just an opportunity for her to screw up and get slammed. And all is forgotten the next week anyway. These cats need to chill out and give it a few weeks. 

Hannah needs to go. Not only is her mom a lunatic, but she really screwed up the group dance, and she doesn't act like she even wants to be there. This industry will swallow her whole. She needs to go back to real training if she wants to pursue this. 

I thought Lilly did better than Savannah in the solo portion, and there is no way that group dance would have won first with that much of an error in it.

Edited June 12, 2019 by Chewy101

[PumpkinLumpkin]

4 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

Hannah needs to go. Not only is her mom a lunatic, but she really screwed up the group dance, and she doesn't act like she even wants to be there. This industry will swallow her whole. She needs to go back to real training if she wants to pursue this. 

Hannah seems like she does not want anything to do with the cameras. After her solo she asks the camera man like "Am I good" and races off like the roadrunner. Her mom shouldn't have signed her up to be on a reality tv show on national television. Either way, I hope we're not about to spend a whole season watching a kid who clearly does not want to be on TV. 

I feel the same about that Brady. Him and his mom are just... there at the moment.  If he wants to pursue professional dancing he's need to focus on real training. He's wasting his talent.

[GreyBunny]

Caught this by accident. Why is this Abby bitch not dead?