The thing about Dance Moms is that even though it becomes more and more scripted every week, at least these people knew each other and were arguing before the cameras ever showed up. Tonight’s recap is the final half of the season finale. If you missed last week you can catch it here. The first part of the finale was all about the convention and Nia’s video premiere. Tonight, we have the competition between ALDC, Candy Apples and the Detroit Team. Nia, Holly, Jo Jo and Jess are the only ones who have arrived at the competition. Holly is convinced something is going on behind her back.
Apparently Abby got special permission for the other girls to arrive late due to their commitments at JUMP! the dance convention. I have no idea why Nia and Jo Jo have been excluded from that appearance.
The competition confronts Holly, Jess who are joined by Jill and Michelle about where the rest of the team is. Jess blabs the whole story to the ENEMY and Holly chimes in with her two cents. Abby walks up and Jess and Holly get in to a verbal sparring match with Abby right in front of the ENEMY making their whole lives complete. What a bunch of idiots. Handle the conflict in private. Abby basically says that Holly stabbed her in the back and that is why she was excluded. Jill tells Holly to shut her mouth in front of the ENEMY and Holly claps back with, ” Don’t tell me what to do!” Well, Holly, somebody needs to put you in check. You’re embarrassing yourself and ALDC. Holly and Jess stomp off like two little brats.
Dancing in the Rain.
Oh God. Cathy put Vivi in her group dance. Poor Vivi.
Abby just decided to give Nia, Kalani’s solo and Jo Jo Kendalls solo. They are on in less than an hour. This won’t really happen will it? Nia will be doing a solo she has done before and Abby says that Jo Jo can just improv. What? This just gets crazier and crazier. I am a Nia fan, but there is no way she can beat Ava. And this competition is huge. She may not even make the top five. Nia looks longer and leaner today, like she had a growth spurt since last week.
Nia’s solo is shown first. It was good. It was sort of a bit Xena Warrior Princessy, but she committed to the dance and gave good face. We shall see.
Ava’s dance was beautiful. She beat Nia by a mile and would have beaten the girls who were supposed to have solos today as well. I wonder if that is why Abby didn’t put them in. Ava has such beautiful lines.
There is no way in hell that Jo Jo’s dance was an improv. It was perfectly choreographed. But didn’t seem at all like Abby’s usual routines. Jo Jo was better than Nia and almost as good as Ava.
The group dances start and the majority of ALDC is still MIA. Jill says the kids can’t get their scholarship if they leave Jump. What does that even mean? The ENEMY is in the audience and they point out that the ALDC doesn’t have a group dance in the program at all.
The Candy Apples Dance was good in sort of a middle school play meets the Rockettes sort of way. If the ALDC shows up, they can beat them easily. Vivi basically just ran out with a flag and did a leg lift. It was kind of cheesy.
The team from Detroit did a fantastic hip hop group dance. It was a big risk for them as hip hop doesn’t usually beat the lyrical or contemporary dances. But the should beat Candy Apples and who know, they could win the whole thing.
ALDC finally shows up with no time to warm up or do a run through. After several hissyfits about make-up, and nearly being disqualified for being late, the girls give an excellent performance. It has a shot a winning. I’d say ALDC will beat Detroit by a hair and Candy Apples will be somewhere behind them both.
Jo Jo places third in her solo division. Ava wins first place. Holly looks like she thought Nia had won. So does Abby. Abby had to know that was not a first place dance that Nia did.
Somehow Candy Apples crappy group dance got SECOND. That is just wrong. ALDC won first. Detroit was robbed.
After the competition, they have one final brawl between the three groups of moms. Both coaches come for Abby. Jill starts filming Cathy acting like an ass with her iPhone and Cathy snatches her phone out of her hands. Suddenly, things are about to get physical with these two. Security has to come in and separate them.
Next Week: The Reunion.
All the yelling and screaming between these women is really wearing on me. Is no one capable of a mature civilized conversation?
Poor, poor Vivi. It’s like Cathy knows she can’t dance and throws her in there for a few seconds. She looked like a deer in the headlights. You can tell that kid had zero interest in dancing.
Free Vivi
Like!
Also, is it me or is Melissa getting stupider and stupider every season?
They are all getting stupider. Nia looks beautiful. Ava was great. She has the perfect Balanchine ballerina body. Little head, short waist, and legs up to her underarms. Too bad she is caught in between the bitchfest. Too bad all the girls are caught in between the bitchfest.
Candy Apple Cathy is the biggest bitch of all. Did you see the look on JoJo’s face after Cathy made the big fuss over Nia? Just a few weeks ago Cathy said Nia was a loser.
I’m hoping this is Holly’s last season. She lost all sense of reason. Anything to piss off Abby to her own daughter’s detriment. Now that Kendall is one of Abby’s chosen, Jill is all Abby can do no wrong. I think Nia is a better dancer than Kendall. Kendall is just pretty. JoJo was a little fire cracker on stage. Any technique she lacks is made up by personality.
You do know that when Dance Mom was in talks, Cathy was supposed to be the star, not Abby. Then Cathy was able to choose her own team, Abby wasn’t allowed to pick her team, the production picked the ALDC team. That’s when Cathy and Abby became enemies, as they were friends before. In fact Cathy was the one to suggest Abby as the lesser teacher. Then someone in production decided that Abby in the lead and Cathy as the lesser role.
It’s not you
Mellissa, mellissa, Mellisssa…that woman might as well not even BE on the show anymore, she either doesn’t say anything OR offers up some empty commentary OR just repeats what Abby says. I’m almost surprised that Abby hasn’t just adopted Maddie and Mack, cuz it seems like Abby wears the pants in THAT family.
Melissa does seem to get dumber and dumber every season. I don’t think Ava’s group got robbed. To me they were as equally bad as Kathy’s dry choreography. It was a nice hip hop/lyrical attempt but just not executed well. A for effort; C for execution. I mean one section was a bounce beat and no girl bounced. They tried though. I thought Candy Apples would get second cos it wasn’t COMPLETELY horrible choreography but the message was Yay! and WHOO! and AMERICA!
Somewhere there must be the official word count of Melissa vs Everyone Else! She says nothing, ever. I assume it is to ingratiate herself further up Abby’s ample ass but it is super annoying to watch such passivity be rewarded.
Melissa should think about starting to speak. Those pained expressions she always has are going to give her some nasty wrinkles! She shares the look of constant constipation with Melissa Gorga.
And do all these women go to the same colorist? What the F is up with the stripey dye jobs? Jill, Melissa, Cathy…they’d be better off having JoJo’s mom bleach their hair at home. Yikes!
Anyone else notice how Kalani’s mom has just gotten quiter and quieter since she was publicly outed as a criminal?
Wait what? Did you send me this? 🙂
On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 10:30 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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The Kira stuff came out this season – Season 5, Episode 8, the one where the kids did the Lucy/Ethel number. Another mother brought up that Kira lost custody of one kid and was arrested and charged for credit card fraud. and then Jill had to look the whole thing up and read it to everyone.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 10:58 AM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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There needs to be a super cut of Abby’s “just caught” faces and Melissa’s lying faces.
The mothers and Abby have perfected the art of deflecting – Jill, especially. Horrible, horrible behavior is excused because someone reacted to it. Holly falls into this trap a lot.
Hard to believe that The Apples took 2nd. Vivy has never shown the least bit of interest in dancing. Yet Kathy tells us she is practically gifted. Has such great technique. But I feel for Nia. Hopefully she will go forth and make it big WITHOUT HELP FROM ABBY!! After all the years with Abby, she didn’t seem to reap any rewards That child deserves a big pay day.
That group dance from the Candy Apples was horrid. I stand by my assertion that Detroit was ROBBED.
On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 11:02 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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The concept of the dance was ridiculous and Vivi’s “part” was silly, but the dance was packed with high-scoring moves. That’s the problem with dance competitions, it’s a bit like putting together a gymnastics routine — you focus on cramming in as many high-scoring elements and less value is given to artistry and presentation. Those things certainly are important, but without the high-scoring moves, you’ll never win.
Take Nia’s solo. Very good this week I thought, but not enough points in there to place. You need to throw in complicated turn sequences, big leaps, etc. My daughters dance and did competition for one year….not my cup of tea. It just ruins the artistry of dance.
Holly was loving all the attention they were giving Nia even if it was the enemy with the praise. At some point the script just gets flat out flashed in our face. Point given to TT, yet it’s still so amusing! Jill and Melissa going ape sh!+ over the embarrassment, IMO, was Holly taunting them too! Holly was grinning half the time the Detroit Coach and Cathy had anything to share!
I didn’t think about Abby keeping Kalani and Kendall out on purpose to avoid Ava’s stellar lines and performance. Good point. I think Kalani could have still taken her. Maybe Abby didn’t giver either girls ‘first place choreography’ before hand so pulled them both? Hmmmm.
Abby’s confessional at the end talking about the group being so disfunctional they might even get kicked out of Australia was very telling. TT didn’t you cover this in real time about that country not wanting ALDC there?
I loved one of the comments sharing Melissa Gorga and this Melissa having the same stank face! Classic!!! Avoid the wrinkles ladies! Melissa is definitely a joke to the viewers always lying and having such horribly telling non verbals, tone, and facial expressions. I was rooting for Jill. She’s getting lost in the Abby haze of no return.
Sigh.
why yes, yes I did cover the Aussie stuff.
On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 11:57 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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oh the hair swizzle! What is going on with the Apple mom with what I can only hope is “naturally permed” hair? The thick platinum blond streaks over super dark brown hair? Visually assaulting. Not sure what decade that might have looked good in…
I did like the apples costumes except Vivi’s but the dance was simplistic. Should not have placed. Ava danced beautifully. I stand by my thought that any time Abby thinks Maddie stands a chance of loosing she finds a reason for her not to dance or gives solos to the other girls that week.
I agree Abby doesn’t want her precious Maddie to lose. I didn’t think Nia would beat Ava. Ava is a very good dancer. I don’t feel Kalani would have beaten her either. JoJo did good to place third, even though I thought it was wrong to congratulate Nia and not JoJo too. I honestly hope Holly will have sense enough to leave the ALDC. Then Abby want have Nia to pick on anymore and she will have to find another victim.
I’m curious about the eligibility rules for the dance competitions the girls enter. Are the competitions for “amateurs” and if so, where or how is the line drawn with professionals like Madie? If I were a dancer competing and/or a parent with a child competing w/Mady I’d be upset that someone who is actually working and being paid, ie: a professional, was being grouped with dancers who are still truly amateurs. Am I off and this isn’t and shouldn’t be an issue, or does anyone else question this, too?
They dance in the “advanced” division.
On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 2:00 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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B
Ok , because of you guys, I can no longer look at Kim Richards eyebrows the same way or I spend the whole time realizing that they are somehow reversed…….now I will give you one to get fascinated with, ok maybe not fascinated but distracted with…….every time someone speaks and the camera is on our sweet little Melissa who is not speaking but listening , she is mouthing their words. It is so distracting to watch her but I find her so despicable it gives me a reason not to fast forward it– I can mute it and just read her lips I suppose.
I feel for Holly, but she should have seen it coming. Abby needs to pick on one or two girls a show and if Holly leaves, Jill better pull out her black card or Kira will have to grab a black card from somewhere, because it’s a coming. Nia deserves better, and was sad to see only Jojo show up at the vide0….. Jill is one jealous lady. Sorry so long had surgery yesterday and I’m here with my iPad….. Thanks TT, yours was the first place I’ve come Sicere thanks.
Sorry about the above- still loopy
Hollyreally has become #TeamTooMuch…but I also get why. I mean I don’t have any kids but if I felt like they were being blatantly left out of opportunities then yeah, I’d be pretty heated and it’s not because Holly is makin this up in her mind…Abby is TELLING her to her face, she is purposefully doing these things because she’s pissed that she decided to go with the person that was gonna actually INVEST her daughter. People can say what they want but I honestly don’t feel Abby would’ve done ANYTHING for Nia concerning a music video or a single cuz she considers her to be on the back burner. Now I know she was suppose to expect SOME back-lash but Abby is being relentless in not allowing Nia or Jojo (cuz she supported Nia) in on the scholarship opportunities.
As for Jill…I’m sad to see the demise of her and Holly’s friendship. True, it’s always been kinda tentative but at the base, they did seem to be cool with each other, and to see it just disintegrate in front of our eyes as Abby kinda sits back and laughs is disheartening. Jill is almost ready to turn in2 Mellissa, but she’s not quite there yet cuz she still has a voice but it’s starting to go down that road.
This whole episode was just ugh…the only comic relief was Holly telling the empty chair to do a solo and Cathy non-stop barging in cuz it was ridiculous.