Dance Moms Recap: Really, Lifetime???

55 Comments

1. 1
   Gwen
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 2:19 pm

   I think it’s “Payton”, because her twitter name is something along the lines of “payyyyton3″ or something (but I know it’s spelled with an A).

2. 2
   Gwen
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 2:30 pm

   Also, Maddie did come in second for her solo at the second competition. However, the person who placed first must not have entered for the title competition (it’s an additional fee) so the title went to Maddie. The comments on the minicap said that the girl who came in first had won a title at another Starpower competition previously, and Starpower’s rules say you can’t win two titles in the same season. Lifetime probably paid them off.

3. 3
   keebler elf
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 3:16 pm

   i dont know who’s voice is more annoying, cathy’s or leslie’s !

4. 4
   Andyourlittledogtoo
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 4:42 pm

   God, there should be a CPS file open on all of these mothers for exposing their daughters to all of this. And by all of this I mean Jabby and the cameras.

5. 5
   Dani
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 5:09 pm

   Cathy’s voice is the most annoying to me! Leslie is annoying, but something about Cathy just really rubs me the wrong way!!

6. 6
   maryedith
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 5:24 pm

   At this point Chloe has lied to the camera and Maddie has had to some serious pretending, which, going by the look on her face during the award presentation and afterward caused her a lot of strain. The show has crossed a line by involving the girls in this way. And the moms have participated in that.

7. 7
   maryedith
   Posted June 30, 2012 at 5:25 pm

   And that’s not even mentioning labelling Payton a bully on tv.

8. 8
   MummyButterfly
   Posted July 1, 2012 at 10:57 am

   The more I watch and read, the more I think Holly REALLY regrets what is going on and what she has gotten her daughter into. I actually think all the Mums (the main Mums, Cathy is crazy), really love their kids – and the rest have gotten caught up in the “you signed this contract so you HAVE to do what we say” thing.

   Holly at least seems to be trying to maintain some sort of “I want to have a career again someday”, thoughts when she’s on camera. But I DO wonder how much is the production company saying “this is your “role” so play it up!” to the Mums.

9. 9
   maryedith
   Posted July 1, 2012 at 11:32 am

   They are always in the same positions on that couch and Holly is usually turned away from the others and looking down. The things she says are almost always to define something or clarify something. “This is the definition of bullying.” “If Abby did that, it would be really despicable.” Also, she tends to jerk her body upright when she says something as if she’s told herself she’s not going to get involved, but she HAS to make this one thing clear before the crazy train goes completely off the cliff.

   Of course, now that I’ve said this, on the next episode she’ll probably throw a chair at Maddie or something.

10. 10
    Dani
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 11:44 am

    Holly is a good example that even if you DO sign a contract, nobody can make you make an ass of yourself- you do that on your own. They may try to coax you to do this or do that, but you are the one talking (or screaming or arguing, whatever..). Maybe they won’t want you for the next season, but, who cares? If you want out of the awful contract, then just act respectfully and responsibly and they will probably get bored of you and then your out of your contract.. Right? Basically what I’m saying is that even if they are “in a contract” they don’t need to act the way they do. Sure, the producers proably bait them on, but they should know they are going to do this and have more self-control.

11. 11
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 11:58 am

    @Dani — exactly. To be honest, I think it makes the viewers (me included, of course) feel more comfortable about watching the show if we tell ourselves that the moms have to be there and have to act that way. But the thing is, if they’re acting that way because they “have to” to stay there then it means all their complaining is BS. The logic just goes round in circles.

12. 12
    Wednesday
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Maddie did look pretty uncomfortable during this episode. Usually when she wins she is really happy, but in both awards ceremonies it looked forced. She looked kind of confused during when she got the second title, but I guess that it was after she placed second overall, so maybe she wasn’t expecting to win. This show is putting way too much stress on these girls, making them take part in the show’s lies.

    I did get the impression that they were keeping Maddie’s second solo secret for real, though, because Maddie looked very upset when Abby was telling everyone about it, and she turned towards the other girls/moms as if to see how they’d react.

13. 13
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    If it is true that Maddie performed not one but two solos on the second day, and that all the moms and girls were present at both locations then Maddie would have been upset because the whole thing was so staged she wasn’t sure how to react. That would also explain the rather lackluster reaction from Christi and the others. They would have been concentrating on looking shocked that Maddie was doing another solo. Only after Abby was gone did Leslie think to remind them that maybe they should have got into with Abby. I mean, think about. If that scene was really shot after the performances for the first day, then there was nowhere for Maddie to go and everyone in the room would have known that!

14. 14
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    I’m sorry, I left out the main point of that last comment which was if everyone was shocked it would have been because Maddie was leaving the room like that at all. I can see the producers getting Abby to drag her out like that so they could get a genuine surprise out of the moms. And Maddie looked freaked out not because the solo was a secret but because she knew it wasn’t until the next day. They wouldn’t have bothered faking that scene if the moms hadn’t all known that Maddie was performing the next day.

15. 15
    Wednesday
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    That’s a good point. I was thinking that the reveal was real, but all the fake and misleading stuff was either dubbed in or filmed later, but who knows with this show.

16. 16
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    And that is, alas, also a good point, Wednesday.

17. 17
    gun kata
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    I wonder if certain parts of this episode were filmed weeks in advance of the others. Namely, some of the things Kelly said about Brooke and the dance. In the episode, it was quickly resolved that Brooke would be missing the competition to attend the dance (and she had permission to do so). But, a few things Kelly said, especially in interviews, were along the lines of how sad it was for Brooke to miss her first formal to participate in a group dance lasting only a couple of minutes (for some reason, Kelly is hung up on how long her kids are actually on stage… which is strange). Maybe once Brooke got permission, Kelly didn’t complain any more so they used interviews from her deciding to let Brooke ask or waiting to find out the verdict. I kind of get the idea that was supposed to be more controversial than Payton coming in for the dance. But, the moms probably knew Brooke was thinking about asking long before she did.

18. 18
    gun kata
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Also, I am not exactly sure what day or when things happened because Maddie had another solo at the second competition. So, one of her solos may have been on one day and one on another. It’s pretty confusing. I guess I take random people on the internet with as much of a grain of salt as I do reality shows. SOME people have proven reliable, but I don’t really understand everything going on at that one place.

    I do believe that some of the girls and their moms were doing autographs, etc. Several people reported that.

    I am not disparaging anyone. I just don’t know what to think. So, I am just going forward with the idea that Maddie won another title because she did. So, yay, Maddie.

    As for some of the other stuff… the show inflames certain feelings people had. It’s hard to put something back in the box when it’s been removed and made three times larger. But, Christi needs to try. Chloe is picking up on that and I think it’s stressful for her.

    Btw, I don’t think they’re trying to say, “Chloe is evil.” Because, clearly she is not. But, more that she is a normal person. She’s a good girl, but not a perfect girl.

    Christi tweeted like she thought “what goes around comes around” referred to Chloe, not her. And she kind of ranted that then everything would be great because Chloe is a very sweet person. Well, true. But, even though Chloe was doing the dance, the message wasn’t about her. However, sometimes innocent people (like Chloe) get caught in the middle.

19. 19
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    Several people reported that both solos were on the second day.

20. 20
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Sorry, hit “post” by mistake. The first solo was on Saturday night and then there were two extra solos on Sunday. Since Maddie was the only girl to perform on Sunday and the other girls were all still changing, I’m assuming that scene was filmed Saturday night. If not, then all the girls would have had to act like they were changing which would be … pretty awful.

21. 21
    maryedith
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    @gun kata, do you think the remark about Chloe was a little bit in reference to the way a lot of people talk about her online? I’ve seen her constantly referred to as “so sweet and humble” in comparison to the “arrogant” Maddie. Sweet, yes. But I don’t think you can have the drive and determination it takes to be as good a dancer as Chloe is and also be “humble” all the time. I think she should be given more credit for being a kickass dancer and a nice girl and not be put on this angel pedestal.

22. 22
    Gwen
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    I posted this on the minicap, but I’ll post it here again for anyone who didn’t see it; these are the full dances. The girl who took this video said that Maddie’s “Looking for a Place Called Home” solo was at around 10:30 at night.

23. 23
    StageMom
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    I don’t know why Melissa was pretending to be surprised, there’s no way my kids can enter anything without my signature on multiple papers in triplicate.

24. 24
    Rebecca Pressley
    Posted July 1, 2012 at 11:23 pm

    Loved the Seinfeld reference!!

25. 25
    Corinthia
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 2:16 am

    gun kata, maybe I misunderstood, but I thought Kelly was talking about being sad because of Kelly herself missing Brooke’s first formal. Helping her get ready, taking photos, bonding, etc…

26. 26
    Bec
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 5:32 am

    http://youtu.be/hHtMh2XnazM this dance is way too similar to maddies disappear and Helen Keller.., also done the year before. Coincidence?

27. 27
    MummyButterfly
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 8:33 am

    @Corinthia/Gun Kata – I took it the same way Corinthia did, that Kelly’s sadness was that SHE was missing helping Brooke get ready, and doing her hair, and taking pictures, etc. I could be mistaken, but that’s a pretty common thing around here, Mums going ALL OUT for dances for their daughters. Especially when they are younger (8th/9th grade) and still letting the Mums do it!

28. 28
    KRB
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 10:44 am

    Bec – not being in the dance world, it’s hard for me to say. But I would think that several ideas are used over and over by different people… How many throwbacks to Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, different musicals, etc. have there been? I would think that it would be easy for someone to have the same idea to see an idea and use the idea but use their own choreography. Again, I know little about dance, but that’s what I would speculate.

29. 29
    gun kata
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    Bec, despite the dirt.. I’m not thinking of HK, it’s not as spastic. But, it is like Disappear and another one. Not Cry. Maybe Quiet Voices? I’m not sure, but there is another one where Maddie has a stuffed animal… maybe first season. The beginning is what looks so much like Disappear. I think in places the choreography is extremely similar, but it is possible Micah’s parents paid Abby or Gianna to choreograph this dance. There are some changes which is good because this girl is a different person than Maddie and, I think, a solo should be matched to the dancer. Since it departs from Maddie’s dances along the way, it could be a different choreographer. I wonder if this is also inspired by Trapped… like what if Trapped was a solo? Or, as some have said, two choreographers drawing from the same inspiration (although there are some parts that it’s the same dance, but there could be yet an older dance that they both take those from… as in much older).

30. 30
    gun kata
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    Corinthis/MB, there are definitely places where it is exactly as you say. Kelly is talking about herself not being home while Brooke gets ready for the dance. Especially in the dress shop and her interview right after. I’m rewatching it now so I can point to the specific interview. I could be wrong, but it struck me at the time because it sounded different than what she said before.

    On the subject of KELLY. If she saw Payton push Paige and knock her down, why didn’t she say something to Payton, Leslie, or Abby? I wonder, didn’t Payton “push” some of the girls in the bully dance? I am thinking this may be what Kelly was talking about since pushing Paige seems much worse than talking to Maddie (which sounds more like Payton was trying to help her learn the dance). Since the subject of pushed Paige was totally dropped and Kelly drops nothing, I really believe that all went with the part where they were talking about Payton in their dances. I guess Leslie opening a can of whoopass up in the booth was considered by the editors to negate the whole works.

    But, it doesn’t really.

31. 31
    gun kata
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    O.k., I rewatched. What threw me off is Kelly is rambling about being glad she let Brooke go to the formal. This is around the time she receives the photo from Brooke.

    Here are the competition results:
    http://www.starpowertalent.com/CompetitionResults/2012RegionalResultsVideos/WoodbridgeVA/tabid/989/Default.aspx

    Here is the schedule:
    http://www.starpowertalent.com/Schedule/ShowDetails/tabid/764/Default.aspx?showguid=2d147440-e1d2-4d51-b6f9-045a18074305&showtitle=Woodbridge,%20VA&showdate=May%204-6,%202012&cutoffdate=04/04/2012

    Both downloads are the same. It seems 9-11 solos danced last on Saturday in one venue and first on Sunday in the next venue. So, since someone mentioned seeing Maddie on stage at 10:30 one place, it sounds as if the “two hours” may refer to competition time if she danced early the next day. That kind of made sense to me.

    The other place, some studio is mad because they wanted to dance against ALDC. This may be why Maddie was put in the second venue and none of the moms said that much about it. Again another studio wants to dance against them, but they at another location and all of their recent group dances have Brooke who isn’t competing. So, Maddie went against them by themselves. Melissa was probably the only one who was interested in letting her daughter to this due to the late night one night and early morning next day issue (as well as dislike for Abby and/or other things). I am tired of the complaining over there, so I don’t know… but, that accounts for everyone’s behavior.

    During rehearsal, Abby commented to the girls about two competitions. So, they knew. I guess they were just surprised when she announced she was taking Maddie since she wasn’t doing it at a logical time.

32. 32
    cathy821
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    NEW SHOW ALERT EVERYBODY !!! ************** & if we thought dance moms was bad ….. check out this new show starting next week http://www.cinemablend.com/television/TLC-Strives-Cheer-Perfection-With-Cheerleading-Special-44004.html

33. 33
    gun kata
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    I attempted to watch the extras over at Lifetime and one shows Abby bring in three older dancers. One girl (I forgot her name!), but she was the same height at Chloe. Then, Payton. Then, Liz (which is the same girl who a fan met and posted about if anyone happens to recall me posting that, haha). So, I think Payton was the youngest who was also bigger.

    The fan asked Liz if she would be on a show and she said, “watch and see.” I wouldn’t mind older dancers mixing in because it helps the younger girls have more time to clean their routines without working too many hours in one week. I don’t care if they give them more than a week. They are competing against good dancers and need time to perfect their dances and learn technique.

    I am tired of all the bitching about choreography. I hope that is just for the show, but it’s still mean. Some dancers can learn more, do more, and put across more in their choreography. I think that is just as likely to be the case as sabotage or whatever nonsense.

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    Cheergirl
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    a show about cheerleading? count me in!

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    Dani
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 9:34 pm

    My daughter (now 13- was 11 when she did cheer) did 1 year of cheer and it was awful! Now, those moms were seriously crazy, and the girls were evil.. Ok, I know I shouldn’t say that about 11 and 12 year old girls, but they were pretty awful. The coaches were high school cheerleaders (except the head coach who was an adult) and those high school girls were absolutely horrible. My daughter never wanted to do that again, and I sure didn’t try to talk her back into it. I’m sure they’re not all like that, but these ones sure were.. Might be an interesting show. Hopefully it’s more real, not scripted..

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    maryedith
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 9:54 pm

    P-Gran is a cheer coach, isn’t she? I hope she’ll chime in.

37. 37
    Flossygirl
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 1:32 am

    I wish this show wasn’t scripted at all and was more doco. Honestly it would be so much more interesting. I just can’t be bothered much any more as we have discovered its so fake.

38. 38
    April
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 4:40 am

    KRB is right. Ideas or themes are used over and over and very frequently are the same. Our own studio would redo dances that had the same theme with different choreography but the same music for example all the time. Its common. Also common for studios to try to copy each other.

39. 39
    Schadenfreude
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 8:14 am

    Heygirlhey. I’m jumping in on your recaps kind of late, so maybe you already covered this.

    I’m just worried you could be missing out on a fitting nickname for Abby: Abberwocky. You know? On account of what a terrifying FUCKING MONSTER she is.

40. 40
    gun kata
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    I think Payton was chosen because Leslie will not be run over by anybody. I have watched more of the show. Christi is mean. She hides it with humor, but she wants Maddie gone. Period. But, since Melissa boyfriend basically bought the dance studio (he made a loan so Abby could save it), that is not going to happen. It pisses me off because all this BS makes Chloe think she will lose more than anything Abby is doing. If she goes all out, Maddie will flat have to outdance her. And sometimes she will. Othertimes, she won’t. But, they will both get better. I think THAT is what Abby wants. If she could have two top girls with different styles, but who could dance duets… dream come true. They would rake in the awards.

41. 41
    Gwen
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    That cheer gym is owned by the person who owns Perfection Studios; the people who were on Toddlers & Tiaras. They had the blond daughter named Cassadee who won the pageant. The mom was kinda nutty.

42. 42
    KRB
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    gun kata – that has been my thought this entire time. I think that she really just wants to push Chloe into working harder. In one of the “extras” on Lifetime, Abby was talking about how much she liked Payton, because she worked hard. Abby said that she wasn’t naturally flexible, had ugly feet, and didn’t have a very good turnout, but she won awards and scholarships because she had the desire and wanted to work hard. I think that is all that Abby really wants, is for her “Elite” dancers is to put everything in to dancing… right or wrong, I think that is what she’s wanting. Chloe comes off as indifferent sometimes, like she doesn’t care, I think that Abby takes that as Chloe not trying or caring maybe. Obviously there is favoritism, but as my stance has been, we don’t see what is really going on so some of it could be editing, or simply Maddie works hard and puts in more time and effort so she gets rewarded more?

43. 43
    sheesh
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    SnoopK8…you’re hilarious!

44. 44
    maryedith
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 3:15 pm

    Even if the girls are kept totally away from watching the show and reading anything about it, they have to have picked up on the fact that, while the cameras are rolling at least, Abby is Public Enemy Number One in Christi and Kelly’s eyes. How can that not adversely affect all of them as far as preparing for these competitions goes?

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    maryedith
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    I mean, it’s almost to the point where if Chloe wins first place it will make Christi look bad, with all her complaining!

46. 46
    gun kata
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 5:08 pm

    The other night, Chloe was on Christi’s twitter to post a few photos. (It is verified as Christi’s.) Even if she was somehow unaware of all of things said on the show, it’s on twitter. Of course, she’s 11, so it is possible she didn’t bother to read anything old. Chloe didn’t do or say anything controversial. I imagine she just had specific photos to post for friends and wanted to say hi. I guess when I was 11, that’s all I’d do, too. Haha

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    Closet Fan
    Posted July 4, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    Thank you cathy821 for the cheer link. I remember the family from Toddlers and Tiaras.

48. 48
    maryedith
    Posted July 4, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    I just cried like a baby watching the latest Deadliest Catch. They monkey with the editing on that show somewhat, but basically it’s just a bunch of guys catching crabs and dealing with life. And it’s one of the most popular shows on tv, isn’t it?

49. 49
    gun kata
    Posted July 4, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    I watched Abby’s dance a thon or whatever. She showed a never before seen dance and guess who it was? PAIGE. It was an adorable dance, too.

    I also saw for the first time the very first episode ever. Christi is complaining her complaints right away. So, I know she didn’t have a multi year contract then. This is the one Chloe’s headpiece falls in front of her face (and it starts sliding before Chloe even goes on stage). Abby scold Christi for being in the bar rather than properly affixing Chloe’s headpiece. So, in interview Christi shares she does not care if Chloe has to quit dancing forever, no one will talk to her like this.

    And she and Kelly were mighty close to being drunk that episode. I was in a fraternity, so tipsy to drunk women I have seen many (I am not a guy, I was a little sister).

50. 50
    fancyface
    Posted July 4, 2012 at 7:39 pm

    OMG I can’t WAIT for Cheer Perfection to air! You guys haven’t seen ANYTHING until you’ve seen muthertrucking cheer moms in action because those beeyotches are cray cray. ESPECIALLY the moms of the younger girls! It’s all about who can jump higher, tumble better, who’s in front during routines, and who’s cheer royalty…the FLYERS! It’s allll about THE FLYERS! If your daughter is a flyer then you have arrived, well in their minds anyway because truth be told, flyers aren’t crap without amazing bases so if they knew any better, they’d be gunning for a main base spot instead of the flyer because they are the REAL leaders of a squad! I’m PRAYING that they put a lot of focus on the moms like this show does because you all will be in for a treat! These are the same crazy beeyotches that does pageants with (against) each other & pretend to be friends.I know you guys remember the Perfection episode of T&T right? All the moms were pageant coaches &/or hair & makeup stylist for Perfection Studios? Yeah this are THOSE moms, so you know their secret hatred of each other will come shinning through!

    If that show is being capped I will make sure I’m around to give you guys the inside scoop on this crazy all-star cheerleading world I work in & LOVE! Plus? The squad they’re following..Cheer Time Revolution..is not..how do you say…um..not that good. But as with all sports it’s all about your competition and it seems like they’re in an area where they don’t really have any fierce squads so I’m sure we will see them doing pretty well at their regional comps. On the other hand..Cassadee (the owner’s daughter who kicked ass at the pageant) is AMAZEBALLS of course. They have some very talented cheerleaders there which means they have good coaches, but their routines are usually very sloppy & uninspiring and doesn’t showcase the level of talent those kids have. Hopefully they’ll hire some good choreographers for the show & put in extra work to make their gym look better for the show.

    Oh sorry..where were we? Dance Moms right! I agree with the person that said Maddie looked shocked to get the title for the 2nd dance because she probably was. She won 2nd overall for the dance so she was surprised to actually win the title. That was probably the most sincere thing in this episode.

    I’m so sick of Christi! Chloe’s dance was beautiful and Gia & Abby are REALLY talented choreographers and they don’t deserve the b.s she’s putting out. Maddie just danced her ass off & she definitely deserved that win. Chloe did a good job but she definitely didn’t dance like she normally does. I do think she was put on before she expected to be & that threw her off a little, but she still did a good job and her choreography was beautiful. So stfu Christi! Ugh.

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    maryedith
    Posted July 4, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    Nice to see you here again, fancy — it’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

52. 52
    maryedith
    Posted July 4, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    Maybe you were out getting a nice bob?

53. 53
    fancyface
    Posted July 5, 2012 at 8:38 am

    @Mary….LOL I’ve been lurking but keeping the commenting light and just so happens…I AM considering a bob lol! Here’s hoping it turns out like yours and not THE BOB

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    Corinthia
    Posted July 5, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    Schadenfreude, regarding your idea to get “Abberwocky” to catch on…
    Here’s another idea you might appreciate, see first image on this paeg:
    http://www.tvgasm.com/recaps/dance-moms-the-price-of-stahdom.html

55. 55
    rose313
    Posted July 9, 2012 at 4:35 pm

    So excited about Cheer Perfection! Not like I need another guilty pleasure show…I hated Dance Moms Miami, just not interesting enough for me.