S08.E09: Making a Splash in Pittsburgh

[Guest]

Airs July 23, 2019

Quote

Heading to her first competition in Pittsburgh since her return, Abby challenges the ALDC team with their most daring routine yet; longtime rivals Lilliana and Elliana go head-to-head in famous solos inspired by former ALDC member JoJo Siwa.

[Absolom]

Can they make this any sadder and more retread?

[Lady of nod]

Lily. Is. Amazing. So sad that her mom is a psycho.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Lady of nod

[TomGirl]

Lily gave a riveting performance.  Loved it!

[LibertarianSlut]

Oh, no, what have I done to deserve the human swine that is JessaLynn showing up on my screen?  She is garbage.  She was disgusting to Ashlee and Brynn, queen mean girl amongst some seriously stiff competition.  I mean...when you're making Kira look demure in comparison, it's time to check yo self.

Glad to see that JessaLynn still has the light pink blazer she wore like every episode in seasons five and six, before she quit the team because she didn't want Jojo to have to challenge herself and do a ballet duo, leaving Kendall and the rest of the team high and dry.  If Jojo has so much Nickelodeon money, buy your creepy mother something new to wear.  I loathe this woman.  

And WTF with "sorry, JoJo couldn't be here" only for JoJo to come in a side door?  Oh, I am laughing...??  FAIL.

The sun shines on the rest of these moms (including Yolanda) compared to JessaLynn.  Yolanda is quietly crazy.  She doesn't pick targets and harass them until they cry.  She's just got a warped relationship with her daughter.

Also, can we relax with Stacey still being up in arms about being choked?  As someone posted earlier this season, Lilliana and Elliana danced together in the off season.  Stacey and Yo and also showed up to a gay bar as allies against the original moms in S7, so I'm a little tired of the revisionist history.

Abby...you admitted the dance was too dangerous to practice.  So why be surprised that they couldn't win with it, dummy?  I finally realized with the group dance last night what everyone was saying--they look like a bunch of soloists dancing together.  Not terribly impressed.

I thought Lilliana could have been better.  I was expecting some turns and maybe an aerial.  She looked like she was writhing around.  It didn't look incredibly natural.  It certainly didn't seem to be a perfect dance, as the judges branded it.  

I thought Elliana was good.  Room for improvement.  I constantly see early Maddie when she dances.

This episode was a downer from the last one.  We didn't get to see the kids' personalities.  Even Brady returning was like eh.  It felt 100% like he got a job and left, and it might happen again, as Tricia was being noncommittal about whether she was going to stay.

I don't take the sins of the mother out on the daughter, so I don't despise JoJo, and I'm glad her speech has improved.  She also seemed kind to the young dancers (although it was rich for her to tell them to have good feet).  I do think she looks ridiculous to be dressed up constantly in that colorful costume with the shoulder pads and rainbow hair, but almost no makeup. Jojo was going on 16 when she filmed this.  I wish someone would steer her in a more mature and understated direction now that she is actually 16.  (And I love avante garde, but she's way too young for that to just be "her" and not her dressing up.  If I was a parent, I would let her appear at the competition that way, but make her show up to the rehearsal...normal).

Abby did something that I hate this episode--she used JoJo to make her appearance.  I hate that she did that, because Abby freaking despised JoJo when she was on the show.  She was constantly screaming at the kid and making her cry.  Abby didn't even want to be physically near her.  But Abby is actually kind of shy and insecure, so she used JoJo to appear at that competition.  It reminded me of the way Abby treated Nia like a second-class citizen for so long, but Abby wouldn't walk into Holly's book party without clutching Nia's hand.  Grow up and walk in your own light, Abby.  Isn't that always what you preach?  Who cares what other people think??

I dunno.  There are certain moms and kids that push my buttons.  I don't respect the casual, smiling cruelty exhibited by JessaLynn, Kira, Camille, Christi (second time), Jill, Holly, Melissa (toward the end of her run), and Kalani.  It's different from the loud sort of awful that was exhibited by Abby, Cathy, Kristi Ray, Kelly, and Stacey, and different from the poor, shifty attitudes shown by Gia, Nia, Kendall, Cameron, and Chloe toward the end.  The latter can be forgiven.  The former...I never need to see again.  

JoJo never exhibited behavior as bad as Kalani basically threatening Brynn that she would risk her safety and go to the top of the human pyramid without an instructor or mats, but I was not happy with the way she left the show, as I outlined above.  Jojo was also not very nice to the underdogs, Ashlee and Brynn, and I think that is a character flaw, so I'm not sure I need to see her again on this show unless she wants to express regret for her behavior, which I would be happy to accept and let bygones be bygones.

The kids that are on now--even the ones that are sassy, like Sarah and GiaNina--have only been shown to be slightly bratty at best.  Elliana is neurotic.  I'll take those character traits every day and twice on Sunday over JoJo's obnoxiousness, lack of filter, and immaturity (for her age.  I'm not holding her to an adult standard).

Sorry for the rant.  I have watched my share of reality TV.  I just re-watched this entire thing, and nothing has disturbed me as much as the behavior exhibited in seasons 5-7 from the moms, and season seven from the older girls.  It is a visciousness that I haven't seen before or since.  They were inexplicably horrible to the minis and their moms, and I will probably always cut Stacey, Lilly, Yolanda and Elliana a little extra slack for enduring that.

I hope they keep moving forward and not backward.  Exception:  I would like to see Maisie back.  I never felt like she got her due.  

[Absolom]

Ratings:  643K viewers and a .18 rating.  Still bad. 

[Bichon]

Let's examine the rating for "Making a Splash in Pittsburgh" in detail:

1. The .18 demographic for People 18 - 49 went up one point and was #25 in the list of 150 Original Cable programs televised on Tuesday, July 23, 2019

2. The Female 18 - 49 demographic of .27 was #13 in the list of 150 Original Cable programs televised on Tuesday, July 23, 2019

3. The Female 12 -34 demographic of 0.25 was #6 in the list of 150 Original Cable programs televised on Tuesday, July 23, 2019

4. Generally, Dance Moms usually scores a rock bottom 0.08 rating with Men 18 - 34 and 18 - 49 which negatively contributes to the chart placement of the overall People 18 - 49 rating (#25).  In any event, I don't believe that Lifetime covets this specific demographic. 

5. The number of actual viewers is not as important to advertisers and networks as the demographic. Although "Making a Splash in Pittsburgh" had approximately 100K more viewers than MTV's "Ex on the Beach, " the combined strong 18 - 34 and 12 - 34 demographic of both men and women (.35) placed the MTV episode at #8 for the night. 

6. For a program now in its 8th season, these are not "bad" ratings. 

[Saraher]

3 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

Oh, no, what have I done to deserve the human swine that is JessaLynn showing up on my screen?  She is garbage.  She was disgusting to Ashlee and Brynn, queen mean girl amongst some seriously stiff competition.  I mean...when you're making Kira look demure in comparison, it's time to check yo self.

Glad to see that JessaLynn still has the light pink blazer she wore like every episode in seasons five and six, before she quit the team because she didn't want Jojo to have to challenge herself and do a ballet duo, leaving Kendall and the rest of the team high and dry.  If Jojo has so much Nickelodeon money, buy your creepy mother something new to wear.  I loathe this woman.  

And WTF with "sorry, JoJo couldn't be here" only for JoJo to come in a side door?  Oh, I am laughing...??  FAIL.

The sun shines on the rest of these moms (including Yolanda) compared to JessaLynn.  Yolanda is quietly crazy.  She doesn't pick targets and harass them until they cry.  She's just got a warped relationship with her daughter.

Also, can we relax with Stacey still being up in arms about being choked?  As someone posted earlier this season, Lilliana and Elliana danced together in the off season.  Stacey and Yo and also showed up to a gay bar as allies against the original moms in S7, so I'm a little tired of the revisionist history.

Abby...you admitted the dance was too dangerous to practice.  So why be surprised that they couldn't win with it, dummy?  I finally realized with the group dance last night what everyone was saying--they look like a bunch of soloists dancing together.  Not terribly impressed.

I thought Lilliana could have been better.  I was expecting some turns and maybe an aerial.  She looked like she was writhing around.  It didn't look incredibly natural.  It certainly didn't seem to be a perfect dance, as the judges branded it.  

I thought Elliana was good.  Room for improvement.  I constantly see early Maddie when she dances.

This episode was a downer from the last one.  We didn't get to see the kids' personalities.  Even Brady returning was like eh.  It felt 100% like he got a job and left, and it might happen again, as Tricia was being noncommittal about whether she was going to stay.

I don't take the sins of the mother out on the daughter, so I don't despise JoJo, and I'm glad her speech has improved.  She also seemed kind to the young dancers (although it was rich for her to tell them to have good feet).  I do think she looks ridiculous to be dressed up constantly in that colorful costume with the shoulder pads and rainbow hair, but almost no makeup. Jojo was going on 16 when she filmed this.  I wish someone would steer her in a more mature and understated direction now that she is actually 16.  (And I love avante garde, but she's way too young for that to just be "her" and not her dressing up.  If I was a parent, I would let her appear at the competition that way, but make her show up to the rehearsal...normal).

Abby did something that I hate this episode--she used JoJo to make her appearance.  I hate that she did that, because Abby freaking despised JoJo when she was on the show.  She was constantly screaming at the kid and making her cry.  Abby didn't even want to be physically near her.  But Abby is actually kind of shy and insecure, so she used JoJo to appear at that competition.  It reminded me of the way Abby treated Nia like a second-class citizen for so long, but Abby wouldn't walk into Holly's book party without clutching Nia's hand.  Grow up and walk in your own light, Abby.  Isn't that always what you preach?  Who cares what other people think??

I dunno.  There are certain moms and kids that push my buttons.  I don't respect the casual, smiling cruelty exhibited by JessaLynn, Kira, Camille, Christi (second time), Jill, Holly, Melissa (toward the end of her run), and Kalani.  It's different from the loud sort of awful that was exhibited by Abby, Cathy, Kristi Ray, Kelly, and Stacey, and different from the poor, shifty attitudes shown by Gia, Nia, Kendall, Cameron, and Chloe toward the end.  The latter can be forgiven.  The former...I never need to see again.  

JoJo never exhibited behavior as bad as Kalani basically threatening Brynn that she would risk her safety and go to the top of the human pyramid without an instructor or mats, but I was not happy with the way she left the show, as I outlined above.  Jojo was also not very nice to the underdogs, Ashlee and Brynn, and I think that is a character flaw, so I'm not sure I need to see her again on this show unless she wants to express regret for her behavior, which I would be happy to accept and let bygones be bygones.

The kids that are on now--even the ones that are sassy, like Sarah and GiaNina--have only been shown to be slightly bratty at best.  Elliana is neurotic.  I'll take those character traits every day and twice on Sunday over JoJo's obnoxiousness, lack of filter, and immaturity (for her age.  I'm not holding her to an adult standard).

Sorry for the rant.  I have watched my share of reality TV.  I just re-watched this entire thing, and nothing has disturbed me as much as the behavior exhibited in seasons 5-7 from the moms, and season seven from the older girls.  It is a visciousness that I haven't seen before or since.  They were inexplicably horrible to the minis and their moms, and I will probably always cut Stacey, Lilly, Yolanda and Elliana a little extra slack for enduring that.

I hope they keep moving forward and not backward.  Exception:  I would like to see Maisie back.  I never felt like she got her due.  

What do you mean my Ellianna being nuerotic? Other than the end of season 3 (I think) Kelly wasn’t to bad. I just think she was annoyed with Abby and the show. 
 

I’m also confused about the shift attitudes of the girls towards the end of their run. Can you elaborate? Thank you!!

[LibertarianSlut]

^^^

Sorry, I kind of jammed a lot of names in there without being as clear as I perhaps could have, as I didn't want to bore people with too much inside baseball from the past.

Elliana being neurotic--I just find that she is extremely afraid to mess up her dance and preoccupied with pleasing Abby and her mom.  I find it endearing.  Someone might find it annoying.  

I was using Kelly as an example of someone who wasn't so bad, so I agree with you wholeheartedly.  She was a mom first and foremost and she got mad and blew her top and cussed, but she didn't try to hurt people.  Even when she grabbed Abby, it was somewhat a defensive maneuver.  Kelly is just fine with me.

Shifting of attitudes of girls--in season seven, the attitudes of Kendall, Kalani, Nia, Cameron and (when she came back) Chloe were really poor.  Kalani was the most striking example.  She went from being so light and sunny to scowling, disrespecting and basically hating Abby to her face, using every opportunity to shoot her down, being bossy, and being just kinda dumb for a 16 year old.  The incident to which I referred was when Abby had quit, Kalani took it upon herself to choreograph a group dance without an instructor or mats.  She wanted to put Brynn at the top of a human pyramid, Brynn refused, and Kalani (and Nia) were basically like, "No, you're gonna do it.  It's for the team and you're going to do it."  I was like, holy shit, Kalani, that is so mean girl!!  Brynn was really scared, and as a result of that, she left the team and went back to Abby.  

It wasn't just a personality clash with Abby.  The girls I named above became very sullen with their next three choreographers--Loriann Gibson, Aisha, and Cheryl Burke.  Their choreographers all told them the exact same thing--basically, that you are nowhere near as good as you think you are, and you need to work your asses off.  The girls didn't want to hear it, and they were outright disrespectful to the point where they made each choreographer cry or come close to it.

Chloe returning to the show at the end of season 7 was like a king's coronation.  She went from being a showboat to having panic attacks to being very grouchy and mopey and didn't want to work either.  There was jealousy with who was an "OG" vs who wasn't, and Christi tried to crowd out Cameron and Camille (because Cameron was actually good) before she reluctantly gave up.  

They basically took the back half of season seven to moan and gripe and do anything to avoid dancing.  It was really disheartening.  Meanwhile, Brynn, Maisie, Lilli, and Elli were working so hard and doing so well with Abby and it was like night and day.  

Anyone who doesn't want to watch season seven, read some of the comments in this forum.  Everyone who had hated Abby in the past said she was right, and the girls and the moms were awful.  Not trying to overstate my case, but it's some of the most disgusting reality TV I've ever seen.  This season is leaps and bounds better thought, to end this post on a good note! 

[marinaalexis]

On 7/24/2019 at 7:29 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

Glad to see that JessaLynn still has the light pink blazer she wore like every episode in seasons five and six, before she quit the team because she didn't want Jojo to have to challenge herself and do a ballet duo, leaving Kendall and the rest of the team high and dry.

JoJo and Jess actually left the team because JoJo got offered a contract with Nickelodeon. The ballet duet tantrum was a storyline that was concocted for the show to make their departure more dramatic. It was all completely set-up. 

(I don't mean to defend Jess in any way, for the record. Remembering the way she and Jill treated Brynn in season 6 still makes my skin crawl.)

[LibertarianSlut]

^^^ 

I get what you're saying, and I don't take it as a defense of Jess.  I had a feeling someone was going to point this out after I wrote my post.

My response to any type of clarification due to reality is: I don't care (I don't care about the idea that it may have been fake; of course of I care that you're saying it!).  It's just plain and simple.  They were not on the show playing characters.  JessaLynn signed up for Dance Moms as a reality show participant.  That means that I get to take her her words and actions at face value.

What you--the global you--don't get to do is sign up for reality TV, cash nice big, fat reality show checks that keep you in light pink blazers, do shitty things like leave the team with no notice, and then say, "hey, it was all a set-up; Collins knew. Abby knew.  She was leaving to do Nickelodeon."  That makes my blood boil.  JessaLynn did this in her own name, not JessaLynn Siwa as Jocelyn Sawyer, so I'm going to hold her feet to the fire 100%.  One cannot have it both ways.  

On a related note, even if it was all above-board and none of the co-stars were affected, not everyone goes on social media or gets the inside scoop like some of us.  So what kind of a$$hole goes on reality TV and pretends to pull her daughter from a duet and a group dance because ballet is too hard, leaving Abby and the others having to reblock?  I wouldn't agree to it under any circumstances.  No one is going to have footage of me being a beast on national television just because I got a better offer.  I would simply refuse to play out that storyline.  I would say that I am willing to go on camera and report that JoJo got an offer to do Nickelodeon, so she is so sorry, but she has to leave the team.  That's all.  I'm not lying to 700,000 people.  

This is the same feeling I have whenever anyone points out that the people on this show have signed contracts.  I don't care.  If they signed a contract to be a jerk...then they're a jerk.  If they didn't sign a contract to be a jerk--if the contract was just to go on TV and be a typical Dance Mom--then they don't have to be a jerk, and any jerkiness is on them.  I have zero sympathy for the way they choose to portray themselves on TV.

By the by, I am kind of an Abby fan, even though I call her out constantly, but if I ever use behind the scenes justifications for her behavior, call me on it!  I hope to be an equal opportunity critic 🙂 Also, I think there is pointing out reasons, as @marinaalexis did, above, and making excuses.  If Abby quit the show multiple times, the reason was because she was going to jail and wanted to do some things in preparation.  Is that a partial excuse?  That's a question for a different day, I guess.....

-------------------------------------------

I know this is kind of a separate topic, but did my eyes deceive me or did they play the group dance in slow motion???  What the...why?  We are trying to watch a dance competition, what the hell are you doing?  Why are there special effects people working on a reality show anyway?  This makes me grouchy 😞 

[CoolMom]

On 7/24/2019 at 7:29 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

I do think she looks ridiculous to be dressed up constantly in that colorful costume with the shoulder pads and rainbow hair, but almost no makeup. Jojo was going on 16 when she filmed this.  I wish someone would steer her in a more mature and understated direction now that she is actually 16.  (And I love avante garde, but she's way too young for that to just be "her" and not her dressing up.  If I was a parent, I would let her appear at the competition that way, but make her show up to the rehearsal...normal).

This is JoJo's persona for her brand and it's made her a millionaire.  My daughter googled her net worth the other night: est. 8 MILLION.

I was never a fan of JoJo but her branding is good for the younger girls that are her target audience without all the skimpy shorts, sexualized outfits and overdone makeup. 

[Loves2Dance]

I recently brought my daughter to one of Jojo's concerts. It was her first arena stop on her extended tour and it was a sold out/packed house with more tweenyboppers than I could ever count. Every little girl was decked out in shirts, bows, glitter and sequins. Jojo's brand is bright, colorful, positive and anti-bullying and she plays to her crowd very well. Unlike some of the pop princesses of my time like Britney and Christina who broke into the market with crop tops and suggestive dance moves, Jojo is playing to an entirely different audience and it's making her millions.  

Jessalynn may not be anyone's favorite Dance Mom, but she was the smartest Dance Mom who's hustle turned her kid into an actual star. In comparison, no one is going to remember Maddie or Chloe or the OG crew 20 years from now, but I guarantee you my daughter's kids will know their mom's first concert was Jojo Siwa and they'll jam out to her music like I did with them...only it was Hanson. 

[Lady of nod]

On 7/24/2019 at 11:44 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

Shifting of attitudes of girls--in season seven, the attitudes of Kendall, Kalani, Nia, Cameron and (when she came back) Chloe were really poor.  Kalani was the most striking example.  She went from being so light and sunny to scowling, disrespecting and basically hating Abby to her face, using every opportunity to shoot her down, being bossy, and being just kinda dumb for a 16 year old.  The incident to which I referred was when Abby had quit, Kalani took it upon herself to choreograph a group dance without an instructor or mats.  She wanted to put Brynn at the top of a human pyramid, Brynn refused, and Kalani (and Nia) were basically like, "No, you're gonna do it.  It's for the team and you're going to do it."  I was like, holy shit, Kalani, that is so mean girl!!  Brynn was really scared, and as a result of that, she left the team and went back to Abby.  

ITA with this. I recently rewatched season 7 , and by the end I couldn't stand any of them except Brynn, Lilly and Eliana. I think there was a lot of mean girl attitude, and I think a lot of it was jealousy. Brynn was a beautiful dancer - the best of the lot imo. She always caught my eye and was the most graceful of them. The only other one who had talent imo was Kalani. The rest were mediocre at best. Bratty Kendall and Nia never had that it factor that would make me want to watch them. And Lilly and Eliana showed great potential, which is even more evident this season.

I do disagree though about your opinion of Lilly's straight jacket dance. I was wowwed and rewatched it a few times. I even made my husband - who refuses to watch any reality tv, watch. He was blown away.

I don't believe you mentioned Jill. I might have despised her more than any other Mom we've seen - along with Kathy.  So glad she's gone. Glad I never have to hear her whining about minis and going on and on about Kendall again. 

I wish Stacey and Yolanda would settle down already. Yolanda is the reason poor Elianna is such a nervous wreck. Can't she see this?

I'd have to rewatch the early seasons to see where Maddie was at Lilly's age, because I remember thinking that Maddie wasn't all that and preferred Chloe. I also think the choreography is better now than in the early years. I do love Maddie in the Sia videos.

[LibertarianSlut]

Yeah, I totally agree with your assessment of Yolanda and how much she shakes her daughter up.  It's so damaging.  

I agree with pretty much everything you said, and if you disagree with me about the straighjacket dance, hey, you're in good company with the judges!

Jill...........if I had to assign any kind of superlative to her, she was probably consistently bad (as in, horrible to kids and adults who were not her own) for the longest and she is very, very stupid.  On my rewatch (think it was season 7), the moms asked Abby if she was happy with the group dance and Abby said that she was happy "with the majority of it."  Jill responds, "well, what majority weren't you happy with, Abby?"  Um, Jill, if she was happy with the majority of it; that means she was only unhappy with a minority of it.  Get thyself back to third grade math.

I do feel the other moms were worse than Jill in other ways.  Jill was very nasty to Brynn, but I think Jess, Kira, Camille and Christi (upon her return) were witchier, if that is even possible.  Ashley became a mini-Jill toward the end, which is a shame, seeing as how she started out as their victim, and may have opted not to perpetuate the cycle. I think Holly is significantly smarter than Jill, but she behaved just as poorly, especially in season five, so I dislike her more for knowing better and doing it anyway.  And Melissa was just an ugly, vile psycho in season six.  I never had a problem with her--outside of her systematic lying--until season six, and then she gave any woman who graced this show a run for her money.

Cathy made me laugh for a really long time before she got so toxic, so I agree that Jill was worse than Cathy.  

I'm glad someone else watched season seven!  It makes you appreciate season eight, doesn't it!

[Keywestclubkid]

Ok I haven’t seen this show in forever but I thought Maddie was the “star” that Abby was obsessed with. When the hell did she ever give two shits about JOJO? 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Keywestclubkid

[marinaalexis]

2 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Ok I haven’t seen this show in forever but I thought Maddie was the “star” that Abby was obsessed with. When the hell did she ever give two shits about JOJO? 

Right around the time that JoJo became a huge superstar, and Maddie stopped acknowledging Abby's existence (for good reason, I might add), I imagine.

[Jsage]

On 7/24/2019 at 7:29 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

Abby...you admitted the dance was too dangerous to practice.  So why be surprised that they couldn't win with it, dummy?  I finally realized with the group dance last night what everyone was saying--they look like a bunch of soloists dancing together.  Not terribly impressed.

I agree about everyone being a soloist. There were hardly any parts where the whole group was dancing as one. I think they placed low because the choreography was just bad and the judges were probably very concerned about the water too. It's not enjoyable for anyone to watch a dance where you have to hold your breath hoping no one breaks an ankle.

[Chewy101]

I don't really know what JoJo is up to. I don't follow little girls on instagram and Twitter, and whatever else God-awful social media they are exposing themselves on. I am hearing she is a huge success, and I guess I just don't see that as a good thing. Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus come to mind. They both went from bubble gum pop sensations in their teens, to train wrecks with questionable morals, ans so have many others (Lindsey Lohann, anyone?). They get famous at 12, then turn 18 and lose their minds. No self absorbed teenager needs that much flattery. There is a maturity that needs to happen first. 

JoJo mostly disturbed me because she looked like Rainbow Brite on steroids. She is hulked out!

Edited August 9, 2019 by Chewy101

[Stats Queen]

2 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

JoJo mostly disturbed me because she looked like Rainbow Brite on steroids. She is hulked out!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️

[Saraher]

Why did Maddie stop acknowledging Abby? Doesn’t she owe a lot of her fame to her?

[marinaalexis]

20 hours ago, Saraher said:

Why did Maddie stop acknowledging Abby? Doesn’t she owe a lot of her fame to her?

I don't believe the reason(s) have ever been stated, but I like to think (wishfully) that it's at least in part because she and/or Melissa realized that Abby was emotionally abusive and codependent to a disturbing degree toward Maddie from the time she was eight years old. Melissa has also made vague claims on social media about Abby having done something to Mackenzie, which is likely essentially holding her early "Mack Z" music hostage.

There has also been a lot of speculation that Melissa was involved with some of Abby's less-than-legal endeavors, and cut the cord to distance herself from Abby's legal troubles. Either way, I believe that Maddie's success is due to Lifetime and the show, not Abby herself, and I don't blame her for refusing to acknowledge Abby. The way that woman treated that little girl was strange and emotionally unhealthy.