It’s been awhile since I’ve recapped this. I keep trying to take the summer off because it’s hot and I am burning up and burning out on recapping. But someone sent me an email about Dance Moms last night which I have yet to open but I am assuming something good happened. Then I got my ad revenue check and realized I needed to try and get back with the program. Plus my DVR is filling up with stuff because if it something I might recap, I just push it to the end and secretly watch The Bachelorette, or Bachelor in Paradise, or the Big Brother feeds with a couple of cold ones, or some pistachio Gelato, or my new favorite a chilled tortellini salad. I’m as big as a house.
Speaking of fat, let’s see if Abby shows up this week. Did we know Kira was pregnant? I may have missed an episode. Abby even gets a seat for Kira at rehearsal. It looks like we have sane Abby. Abby claims her studio is opening next week. I’ll believe it when I see it. Abby tells them they are not in any physical shape to win at nationals.
Yep, it looks like a missed a week, I have three shows at 9 on Tuesdays and I have to go in by hand to move one to a later time. It seems that Jo Jo screwed up in the group dance, Kendall dropped her prop in the solo knocking her out of a shot at a solo for nationals. Nia must have been fantastic because Abby said she was decent. Kalani, Mackenzie and Maddie all did well.
Okay, I see how this is going to go. It’s Nia and Kalani head to head for a spot at nationals and it’s at the competition where the judges are kids. So they are likely to pick Nia’s routine “Bye Felecia” over Kalani’s same old, same old contemporary. Then Abby will say that Nationals is judged by adults so she’s ignoring the results and picking Kalani. Also she is not letting Nia dance in the group dance because she is filming her second music video this week. Oh and the group dance has umbrellas for everyone. Disaster looms.
Well that didn’t take long three umbrella break within three minutes of practicing with the props. This group has a lousy track record when it comes to props. I just realized they are actually rehearsing in the studio this week. It looks really nice. Jessalyn tell Kira exactly what I said, a “Bye Felicia ” solo will win with kids. Abby has to know this. I smell a plot of some sort. Nia is missing solo practice to shoot her music video. That is not good.
Jo Jo has a cameo in Nia’s video, Slay. Nia is totally the focus of this episode. She is working with Carmen Electra! Her video is very gritty and in my opinion a bit much for her age. But it is very well produced. Slay is a great song and very much current. It should do quite well.
Back at the studio, the girls are rehearsing for group and the umbrellas are all in shambles. Abby leaves and tells the moms to deal with the parasols.
At the competition, Abby gets into it with some random lady from the Murietta team. I guess she is a dance mom.
Nia is first. Everything is starting to make sense. Abby said Nia was doing a Jazz routine and then Nia had to leave her solo practice to go to her video shoot. Does is make sense she would schedule those at the same time? No. This was not an Abby Lee Miller piece of choreography. It was obviously done by the young hip producer guy who does her videos. It was very contemporary in the basic sense of the word, and right in Nia’s wheelhouse. It was Beyoncé dancing in the middle of Swan Lake. She will win.
Kalani’s dance was choreographed by Abby Lee Miller. You can tell from Abby’s talking head she wants Kalani to win and she is pissed that Nia was so good. After the comp Abby hugs Kalani and sort of snubs Nia and the other Dance Moms point it out. It was one of the most staged scenes in the history of Dance Moms. More staged drama with the moms over Nia’s video.
The Murrieta Studio group dance has costumes where the girls heads are completely covered in fabric. Their group dance was really good. I just realized that was Talia dancing lead. I really thought she was going to be in ALDC for a while a couple of seasons ago. Apparently, Talia fell out of a turn or something, I believe we were on a reaction shot when it happened. That was a winning number, particularly with kid judges.
ALDC’s group dance was kind of boring. The music kind of put me into a trance. It was so relaxing it was hard to focus on the dance. Jo Jo made several mistakes and continues to be behind the count. They were not a precise and cohesive as the other group dance. The umbrellas were distracting. Mackenzie’s walkover with an umbrella was impressive. Abby seemed to love it. So did Kira.
In the solos Kalani came in third. Abby is furious. Nia got first!!! Abby was SHOCKED. Or pretending to be shocked. I don’t believe anyone could be shocked that the kids would pick Nia.
Murietta was robbed with a second place trophy. ALDC got first. This is totally rigged. Abby hugs Kalani and congratulates her on third place. Nia ask if she is going to nationals and Abby says she would not say that. And the recording stops right there. I assume there was the requisite temper tantrum by Holly while Nia has a more mature response.
Will this be the year that Nia finally gets her solo? Or will Abby put in her ringer, Kalani?
In other questions will Maddie be back next season?
Abby is a bitch, plain and simple. I am thinking Nia won’t be back next year either.
That was the most scripted episode of a reality show I have every seen. They are all good little actresses at this point.
On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 2:23 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Yes they are. Abby should have put Kalani in a disco outfit not dance hall. Kalani is a better dancer, but Nia is a better performer
Did you miss the episode where Jill kept screeching that “It’s Kendall’s week!”? Literally, EVERY time anyone else had a compliment given to them, Jill fell out and screamed “This was supposed to be Kendall’s week!” It was very Stassi-It’s-My-Birthday.
I love the fact that the LA community is embracing Nia more than Abby. It seems that people want to work with Abby’s dancers, they just don’t want to work or deal with Abby – which is understandable.
Ooh, great point! How did I forget that one? She was truly screeching it at every opportunity. Abby does need to tone her attitude down by 100% so she doesn’t alienate opportunities for her dancers and herself. She’s not at the top of the dance totem pole.
I enjoyed watching the girls, really disliked Abby. Abby’s the reason I no longer watch. Her meaness was not appropriate..
It is good to read the girls are doing well.
Abby makes me so sick! The way she treats Nia is absolutely not right, she is an evil woman. I certainly hope and pray that Nia does not come back to this messy place. Nia go on with your music career and forget about these jealous, petty women. Abby is so transparent and everyone sees how racists she is, she always treats Nia like she is so wrong in everything she does. Abby needs to grow up and act like an adult with her rude and obnoxious self.
So glad you are posting about Dance Moms again. I was very happy that Nia won but Abby was down right ugly to her. After your recording stopped, when Nia was told she’d get no solo, Holly asked her why not… that she thought that was what the week was all about. Abby replies that she thought Kalani had a huge break-through this week….huh? Holly replied that she thought Nia had a break-through as well by winning 1st place. And Abby came back with “She’s won what? Three times in her life?” What a bitch. Then Kira asked if solos at Nationals were still up in the air. And of course…yes, absolutely. Next week Abby goes missing and the girls have little prep for nationals. And did I say Abby is a bitch?
I agree with you Riley. Abby is a caricature of her bitchy self at this point, so over the top one can only hope her excessive bitchiness is scripted.
I enjoyed the Murietta team’s performance but ALDC was boring. Pretty maybe, but boring. Murietta and other teams have been robbed in a variety of shows for the sake of ALDC. I was not shocked that Abby was angry that Nia won. I hope Nia’s mom is investing wisely and they both leave this company soon.
I believe Nia will be the one with the best chance of a show biz career. I like all the girls but…
Maddie wants to go into acting but damn that is tough. Without a real manager to get her a good acting coach And help guide her it’s a long hard road. Mac Z could not care less of the spotlight. She knows her mom only wants it on Maddie. Jojo, Kendall and Kalani all will be hot commodities as sorority pledges one day.
Nia is beautiful, can actually sing, can really act, is smart and has a mom who has a plan for her. I wish them all luck. Not that any of them need it.
Scripted, sure. Still I can’t imagine Abby playing along and exaggerating her attitude and approach if she doesn’t even get along with production. Next week she goes missing again which leads to believe there was another disagreement with her and production so why would she play up their fake scenes and be so nasty for the cameras? I think she genuinely does act this way and then the drama between the moms is scripted. Melissa is the worst actress ever.
I truly feel that Abby is racist, Nia is the only Africa American on the team and Abby can never say nothing nice towards Nia, even when she just won she did not hug Nia at all. That’s truly sad
TT…this is totally off the cuff. Little over fifteen years ago I experienced my first visit to Ptown. It was an instant love affair for me. Whenever the opportunity presents itself I am off to the Cape. My first day there i was roaming the moms and pops stores and came across Life Is Good apparels. Adored them immediately and they been a part of my outdoor wardrobe since. It is such a gas to see that they are now a part of your ads. Great get TT! The Jacob brothers are so organic and giving. Totally awesome!
I’m not a Dance Mom but a Dance Auntie (in that I went to Vegas when my honorary niece went to a Nationals competition there). This is so freaking fake – yet I can’t stop watching. Even if it is fake, it is still totally inappropriate and probably damaging to those girls. I firmly believe that Mackenzie’s tears are real (and so is the favoritism towards Maddie by their mother). I actually have respect for Christi and the other mom for leaving when their contracts were over. FYI… there are no Federal Child labor/actor standards (Jackie Coogan law is only in California, and even then it isn’t fooproof). Did you know that in reality shows the kids often don’t get paychecks?? Those kids are not getting any sort of protections – or trust funds or college accounts or anything. I’ve followed Paul Peterson (child star of the Donna Reed Show) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie on Little House) and they’ve testified to Pennsylvania’s legislature about their child labor laws among other things – not just b/c of Dance Moms, but Jon and Kate, etc.
Imagine my surprise that they usually have some weird ranking system that I failed to understand – there usually isn’t a 1st place, 2nd place, etc… but it was some weird shit of 1st place second level or some shit. The announcements certainly were different more complicated than what we see.
I do think that the show is scripted but the stuff Abby says and does is not. Jill and Melissa are jealous that nia is very talented and they thought she was going to take a back seat with maddie and kendall but obviously she didn’t. I am rooting for Nia and for her to be a full fledged superstar in acting, singing, and dancing. I’m tired of seeing maddie and the rest of the girls doing those same boring dances.
Dance Moms is definitely scripted and its beginning to wear thin. Nia is a better performer over Kalani. Both Kalani and Maddie have plateaued. Same lyricals every week in addition to weak technique and choreography. Murietta should have placed first in group instead of ALDC. As for next week I think Maddie does not win at Nationals.
Has anyone noticed that Maddie is in the latest Target commercial, along with Asia? And of course, Maddie was the first kid you see, she had the lead. More money in Abby’ pocket.
I think Abby needs to hire me to take care of these beligerant moms. They should know the rules are YOU DON’T TELL THE TEACHER HOW TO TEACH. All the bullshit they try and put her through is just that. BULLSHIT. So what you want your kid to be number one. Some of them are not as good as they think. Abby needs a ref. To get these moms to shut the he’ll up. If I don’t like the way she teaches, get out. Why the he’ll put up with Cathy. Get her off the show. Everyone knows this is so fake. And she’s not the only one. Why do these other companies always have to be so jealous? Get real.