Make it or Break it Recap: Dream On

My heart is still hurt by the events of this episode so I apologize for the delay in getting this to you…

This week the girls learn that they will be competing in the Eliminations portion of the Training Camp where some of their Olympic dreams may come to an end. The girls are lined up to meet Regina Turner who is the new head of the NGO Olympic Committee and a former all around champion gymnast. She will be assisting Coach Mac with judging the elimination rounds which will be split into two days. The girls will perform in groups of two and will select from a hat which day they will perform on. The apparatus’ that they perform on could be all 4 or just 1 so they are warned to be prepared for anything. Coach Mac tells them to treat it as if it were a pop quiz except that at the end if they fail, they will be heading home.

Another Ellen Beals?

Kaylie and Kelly and Lauren and Payson will compete on Day 2 while Wendy and Jordan will compete on Day 1 which makes Wendy happy. She reveals that 1 is her favorite number but the other girls tell her it might not be so lucky in this situation. The girls remind her that Day 2 is preferred because your performance is fresh in the minds of the judges and you have another day to prepare. Lauren says that Day 1 is comparable to the appetizers everyone tries to avoid filling up on and that Wendy and Jordan are basically pigs in a blanket while the other girls are filet mignon. Jordan replies that it just means she will kick their asses one day earlier. Coach walks up and imposes a strict curfew of 7pm which ruffles Payson because she has plans to see Rigo.

Steak Babies!

Lauren and Payson are in their room talking and doing breathing excerises which are meant to relax Lauren since stress can cause her to have an episode. Apparently she has had this arrhythmia her entire life though she’s never mentioned it before. Good to know you can always throw in a pre-existing condition that only NOW is life threatening. Anyway she tells Payson that she has set up an appointment with a cardiologist after the NGO cuts. Payson changes subjects and says that she is upset because she wanted to see Rigo tonight and Lauren of all people tells her that she should wait until after the cuts are made. Payson calls her on it and says that she expected her to tell her that she performs on Day 2 so she has time to go get her fix of his big beautiful brown eyes tonight and then she can get her head in the game tomorrow. Lauren asks her if she really thought she would say that and Payson says she was hoping she would. Man…a little bit of attention and Payson falls deep.

 

LOL at Payson…

Payson eventually breaks down and asks for Lauren’s devious little mind to help her sneak out to meet with Rigo. Lauren bites and hides her in a huge sweatshirt and they sneak out of the dorm but not before Jordan and Wendy spot them. Lauren creates a diversion with the security guard and tells him that a wrestler went streaking in the hallway. He doesn’t believe her but eventually relents and goes with her to find the streaker. Payson hops over the railing and meets with Rigo who happens to be RIGHT THERE. Guys I am convinced that he is a stalker because he is always just right there when Payson turns around. Think about it, he knew exactly where she would be on that huge campus the first time he just randomly showed up to impress her with coffee? Payson better check her clothing for GPS tracking devices! Just saying…

Glamour Shots review time

Meanwhile, Regina and Mac are in his office looking over headshots of all the girls and commenting on how many of them are impressive. Regina has a lot to prove as the new head of the committee and so does Mac with coaching girls gymnastics for the first time. She knows what their skills are but she asks Mac how they are doing mentally and if they are behaving themselves. He reassures her that they are focused and determined with no disciplinary problems and then conveniently receives a text message that someone has broken curfew. He lies to Regina when asked about the text and says that it’s nothing he can’t handle.

 
Another red herring?

PayGo is laying down on a blanket looking up at the stars and trying to guess the constellations before the other can. Nearby there are some people on metal detectors and Payson asks what they are doing. Rigo says that they are trying to locate Otis which makes Payson jump up exclaiming that they should follow them to capture Otis for themselves. Rigo says that she is the most competitive girl he has ever dated and that 5 years ago BMX wasn’t even an Olympic sport (I didn’t know it was actually…lol). Payson says that for years her and the girls have talked and dreamed of going to the Olympics but they never discussed who would actually win the gold. Rigo assures her that it will be her and then they kiss a bit before heading back home.

BUSTED!

Payson comes running into the room telling Lauren that it was so worth sneaking out except that Coach Mac is there. He says that sneaking out must mean that they don’t need an extra day to practice and so he bumps them down from Day 2 to Day 1 of eliminations. Payson says that it’s not Lauren’s fault and she shouldn’t be punished but Coach Mac says that they are teammates so they are responsible for each other’s decisions and then leaves. Payson is in shock and wonders how he found out while Lauren replies that the mole has struck again. Jordan did see them sneaking out earlier…

Work your magic Sheila!

SHEILA IS BACK!! She heads into the gym with Regina discussing shoes and how fabulous Regina’s are…um they look pretty plain and black to me but okay. Sheila kisses butt and says how glad she is that Regina got the job that she deserved and how she had been telling Ellen Beals for years that she should be in that position. They walk up to Kelly who thought her mom was in town to do some press or something and not suck up to the NGO. Wendy walks by and says hi to Sheila which makes Kelly question how Wendy would know her mother. Sheila explains that Wendy wanted to be represented by Sheila but she turned her down because there is only room for one star in the sport and that is Kelly. Kelly says that it would be weird of her mother to represent her competition and Sheila says that it is weird that Kelly is besties with her competition a.k.a. Kaylie. Kelly says she has been her friend and rock since she got there and it’s not weird.

Another victim for Sheila to pounce on.

Kelly walks off to continue practicing leaving Sheila to look for another victim in the form of Jordan who is stretching nearby. She tells her that she has figured it out and that Jordan must be related to Coach Mac and Jordan asks her why she thinks that. It’s implied that the reasoning is because Jordan and Coach are black and therefore they must be related. Sheila says she thought they were related because otherwise she can’t understand what Jordan is doing there. Ouch…Sheila’s out for blood you guys!

Eyes Wide Shut

Regina and Mac are discussing Jin from China who has just perfected a huge super move and how they will now have to settle with silver. Coach is putting his eggs into Jordan’s basket but wonders why she won’t perform the move that made her famous and that is named after her. They watch Jordan practicing from the office and Regina believes that while she might have talent she is too headstrong for the team. The NGO seem like they want a bunch of performing robots on their side and I guess they couldn’t afford to purchase more Wendy models because that’s the only one that conforms to their standards.

Jordan is the mole!

The girls are waiting on the side of the mat for Jordan to finish her routines so they can practice while Lauren complains that she has been hogging it all day. She finally tires of Jordan and walks in front of her and lets her know that her spying and narcing only make them hate her even more. Jordan says she isn’t there to make friends and continues practicing while Payson and Kaylie run over. That to them confirms that Jordan must be the spy. It just seems like she wanted to make it clear that she has her eyes on Gold and not on besties to me. Then again she is always there when they break the rules.

What, this isn’t the library?

Kaylie walks into her room with laundry and as she shuts the door we see that SHEILA IS HIDING BEHIND THE DOOR! LOLOLOL!! Kaylie is startled, rightfully so, by Sheila and asks what she is doing there. She mentions that she was supposed to met Kelly but she gets lightheaded and dizzy when she is hungry and says Kaylie should know what that’s all about. She says she is worried about Kaylie because of all the stress and how it could affect her eating disorder and Kaylie says that she is onto her games. Sheila says she is just concerned as a mother and Kaylie retorts that she has a great mother unlike Kelly. Sheila says that as long as they are being honest she thinks that Kaylie is a freaky little toothpick and that Kelly will bury her bony ass at the Olympics because she isn’t really her friend. Kaylie says that she is her friend and that she loves how that screws with Sheila’s mental state and Sheila says that Kaylie needs to back off Kelly and stop making her lose her competitive edge. She goes to walk out and as she does she gives Kaylie a huge candy bar and tells her to eat something. HAHAAHHA! How can you not love Sheila?? She’s a 14 year old trapped in a 40 year old’s body!

Um, if Kaylie doesn’t want that huge candy bar then I’ll take it.

Kaylie and Kelly are playing cards and Kaylie mentions that she spoke to Sheila earlier in the day. Kelly says she knows because her mom wanted to thank her for being Kelly’s rock while at the training center. Kaylie doesn’t reveal what really happened and says Sheila is full of surprises. Lauren walks into the kitchen area where they are sitting and Payson follows behind whispering rather loudly that the doctor called and said that Lauren’s appointment wasn’t for another two weeks. Lauren says that it is after cuts and the first available that he had and that if he wasn’t concerned then she shouldn’t be either. Payson says if he knew she was an Olympic caliber athlete he probably would have squeezed her in sooner. Lauren tells Payson to back off because she is adding to her stress by constantly being on her back.

If you squint Kelly kinda looks like Emily.

They join Kelly and Kaylie in the living room and discuss the eliminations. They wonder if they will have to do all 4 apparatus’ but Payson believes that 2 should give them a good enough picture of their skills. Lauren says she hopes that Payson doesn’t have to do beam because she can’t beat Lauren on it. Kelly heard that last year 5 girls were sent home during eliminations but Payson heard that every other year it has been only 1 or 2. Payson then wonders if Mac has a final say in who stays or goes which makes Lauren say that Jordan probably hopes so even though she is a talentless hack. Payson says that while Jordan isn’t nice she definitely is talented and Kaylie says that she’s been landing her triple back dismount more and more which is amazing.

Why does Jordan have so much attitude…?

We then get a montage of Jordan landing the triple back dismount during practice on the uneven bars. You know I really hope that we keep focusing on Jordan because they plan to get rid of her ass soon. Coach talks with Jordan and says that she is now landing the dismount 50% of the time and now she needs another power move to really push forward. She wants to do some Russian sounding move but Coach wants her to do the Jordan Layout which is a move that he believes defines her. Apparently she invented the move which is why it is named after her. However, Jordan doesn’t want to do it for some reason and she is sick of everyone asking her to perform it. He says that it’s her signature move and that if she does it she will be a shoe in for the team. She asks what happens if she doesn’t perform it and he says that she had better make her dismount stick.

Rigo tells it like it is.

Payson and Rigo are walking when Payson asks Rigo what he would do if her were in her situation with a teammate that is risking her life because of her Olympic dreams. Rigo basically figures out that it is Lauren which prompts Payson to spill her secret. You know, you won’t tell Kaylie but you tell Rigo who you have been dating all of 2 weeks what is going on? He tells her that if Lauren wants to put her neck on the line for her goal then it’s her responsibility. Payson says that they are teammates and responsible for each other. She basically wants him to assure her that it is okay for her to tell the NGO what is going on in order to prevent Lauren from hurting herself. She has also figured out that before she blacks out her hands get numb and she shakes them as if to get the blood moving. Rigo says that he won’t tell Payson what she wants to hear and this starts their first big fight. Payson walks off and says next time she wants advice she won’t go to him.

See that spot, that’s where her head hit the beam.

Day 1 of eliminations has arrived and Lauren and Payson are waiting to be called on. It’s finally their turn and Lauren turns to Payson and says one more day and we are going to the Olympics. Payson is called first and has to perform a beam routine which she pulls off. That is all that is required of her and then it is Lauren’s turn to perform on the beam. As Lauren goes up to the beam, Payson notices her doing the hand thing she does before a black out and gets nervous. As Lauren performs a jump she faints and hits her head on the beam. So when this happened I literally yelled out “oh shit!” but luckily it was just Payson day dreaming.

Good going Pay…

As Lauren begins her routine, Payson runs over and shouts that she can’t perform and that they have to stop her. Lauren looks pissed should be an understatement. Lauren, Mac, Regina and probably a team doctor are in the office talking which we can see through the window and it does not look good. It looks like Lauren is pleading her case to let her continue. Eventually, they all leave the office and when Payson asks what is going on and Lauren just walks by her without speaking to her. Regina walks out and speaks to the other NGO members standing nearby and tells them that Tanner is done. Lauren’s Olympic dreams are over because of her health issues and Payson was the one that ousted her. I don’t know if we could consider it karma for the kiss video because Payson overcame that and is obviously still in the running for the Olympics. I just hope it’s not really over for Lauren and that somehow her dad can pull a favor through because our queen needs to be on the podium.

Tanner is out..I probably would have punched Payson.

Payson talks with Kaylie and says that she just couldn’t let her continue in the event that she fell and hurt herself. Kaylie says that it is ok and that everything will be straightened out. Of course it has to involve her somehow so she asks why Payson didn’t come to her for help. Payson says that she wanted to protect Lauren and that there was already tension between them. Kaylie reassures Payson that the three of them will get through this together like they always have. Kaylie’s just mad they left her out.

Is this where he touched you Payson?

Sheila speaks with Kelly and says that it is a good thing that she has one less girl to contend with. Kelly can’t believe what her mother is saying and says that one of her friends has a serious heart condition and all Sheila is worried about is her career. Sheila reiterates that they are not her friends and this is not a sorority and Kelly needs to keep her eyes on the prize. She leaves but then Wendy comes to the door with some paperwork looking for Sheila. Wendy asks Kelly to give the papers to her mom as they are a signed contract now that Wendy is going to be managed by Sheila. Wendy says that Sheila is going to make her famous and she’s excited about her future. It gets awkward which Wendy pretty much notes as earlier Sheila told Kelly that she would not represent Wendy or anyone else as their manager because of Kelly. Kelly slams the door in Wendy’s face.

Awkward!

Day 2 of eliminations arrive and Wendy nails her spring jump. She says it felt good and man I really dislike her. She’s so perky and annoying. Jordan does her triple dismount on the uneven bars but stumbles a bit. Regina remarks that she sunk her landing and that they don’t give gold for potential. She asks Jordan to perform her signature move and Jordan says no. Regina warns her that if they don’t see the move then they are finished and Jordan walks out. Regina remarks that this is Emily Kmetko all over again and I laughed…oh I miss Emily. I forgot how much of a hardass she was and how similar she is to Jordan with the chip on her shoulder and the other girls not really accepting her. I’m hard on Jordan’s character because I miss Emily so much even though I totally hated her when she was on the show.

Don’t let the door hitcha where the Good Lord splitcha!

Kaylie and Kelly are waiting to perform while Kelly cries about her mother not being there for her like she should be and now representing her competition.  Kelly confesses that her Olympic dream is to win gold just so she can get away from her mother and that she always believed gold would make her stronger. Kaylie, being an actual friend for once, tells her that she is a strong girl and that she needs to believe in herself. She tells her to wipe her tears and to show the judges how the sport is really done. I can’t believe Kaylie is actually backing Kelly but then again Lauren and Payson ditched her so she needs to latch on to someone. Kaylie starts on the uneven bars and does a good job but Kelly falters a bit on her landing from the spring jump. Kaylie’s floor routine is pretty good while Kelly stumbles at the end. Although Kelly didn’t perform at the top of her game, she hugs Kaylie and they walk off together relieved that it is over.

Okay…why is that guy sitting with his legs THAT far apart while leering at Mac?

Coach is discussing the performances with the rest of the NGO and Regina and says that Jordan continues to improve every week. Regina is not so convinced about Jordan and thinks that her stunt earlier proves that she’s a loose cannon. Regina wants more consistent performs like Kelly Parker who she seems to bank on being a star. Coach disagrees and says that he has been watching Kelly since her win at Worlds and does not believe that she has been improving as much as the others have. He believes that Payson is more consistent than Kelly. They all agree that a star needs athleticism and flash which Wendy has and the NGO believes that because of that package she is the one to beat. Coach ends the discussion saying they need to send home anyone who won’t benefit from staying. Payson and Rigo are talking on a bench and Payson says to Rigo that he told her so and now Lauren won’t speak to her. Rigo tells her that she is family and Lauren needs her now more than ever even if Lauren makes it difficult to be around her. Payson receives a text that the list has been posted and leaves to find Kaylie.

Moment of Truth

Kaylie and Payson walk into the gym and see a girl crying as she walks away from the list as well as a smug Wendy who made it. They look at the list see that they both made it and hug each other. They turn around and Kelly is standing there and they hug her because SHE DIDN’T FREAKING MAKE IT!! UGH! Kelly says she know she peaked at Worlds and that she couldn’t keep up with everyone and the judges saw it. Sheila comes waltzing in pissed off and blames Kelly’s friends for her not making it. She yells that the NGO won’t be happy when they find out their shining star got tossed and that she will make it her mission to fix this. She is raging hard like she was Godzilla knocking down towers.

I QUIT!

Here’s where it gets a little interesting…Sheila basically blurts out that the only reason Jordan made it past eliminations is because she and Coach Mac are both black and that he pulled some affirmative action shit. The girls all look at her like she has 4 heads and Kelly finally has enough and quits gymnastics for good. She tells her mom that she can now put her focus on Wendy and Sheila says she was just using Wendy to find out information on the others so that she can feed it to the coach.

She literally went from please believe me crying face to got you bitches in three seconds.

Wendy happens to be walking by and says that she was just talking to Sheila because she likes to talk a lot and she had no idea that she was being used. She asks for the girls to believe her and forgive her. Kelly fires her mother…as her mother and walks off with the rest of the girls as Sheila is left in shambles. You really won’t believe what happens next and it makes all my previous hate just disappear as I marvel at the depth of this character…WHY didn’t I see this coming…oh man!

little snake…

Sheila turns to Wendy and accuses her of knowing from the start that Sheila would use what Wendy told her to turn the Coach against the other girls. Wendy’s true colors are finally revealed. She says she was interested in representation in the beginning when she first met Sheila but then when the girls were caught sneaking into the gym she knew she had something much better in her hands. She knew that she had found her own personal snitch in Sheila and says that even if Sheila tells the others, no one will believe her over Wendy. She says their common goal is taking down the Rock girls and then tells her you’re welcome for doing so. Sheila tells Wendy to watch her back and I pick my jaw up off the ground. Wow so this entire time little miss sunshine was backstabbing everyone from the sidelines. I didn’t even think that there was a possibility that there was more to Wendy than being annoying and chipper all the damn time. LOVE this turn of events!

Kelly Parker: Never Forget!

Kelly and Kaylie are saying their goodbyes and Kaylie says it will be weird to not see Kelly every day while Kelly says she will not miss gymnastics. She hopes that there is more to her than being a gymnastic star and she is excited for her future possibilities. She even called her dad and he was happy to speak with her and that her step-mother had a room waiting for her all these years. The girls agree to keep in touch and cry that it was good to finally be able to get to know each other. Payson thanks Kelly for being such a tough competitor and forcing them to be better athletes. Hugs and tears all around as we bid adieu to Kelly Parker.

I thought the NGO didn’t want to deal with “stunt” queens.

Jordan has packed her belongings and is on the way out when Coach catches up to her and asks her what it is about her signature move that makes her want to throw everything away. Jordan doesn’t reveal anything and says she can’t talk about it. I’m thinking maybe the last time she performed it was in front of her parents who abandoned her shortly after? Mac asks if she has seen the list and she says no but she knows the drill and she won’t let the door kick her on the way out. He tells her that the chip on her shoulder isn’t doing her any favors and she tells him she always feels like everyone knows the password to get inside except for her. He can relate to her struggles of being on the outside but says he knows that holding onto anger doesn’t make it easier. Jordan walks away and Coach tells her that she actually does know the password and that the vote was unanimous. Jordan is shocked that she is still in the running and Coach tells her that she could be the biggest threat but needs to focus.

GTFO Payson!

Lauren is laying in a hospital bed attached to a monitor and looking all sorts of pissed off. Payson and Kaylie walk in and she turns her head from them and when asked how she is she responds that someone killed her Olympic dreams but other than that she is just great. The girls say that this can be fixed and to not lose hope but she tells them that nothing matters because she is cut and asks Payson if she is happy with what she did. Payson says she isn’t but she was scared of Lauren hurting herself. Lauren accuses her of doing it because Payson messed up her routine and knew that Lauren would have beaten her on beam (Lauren is the Queen of the Beam after all). She then tells Payson she never wants to see her smug stupid little face and to get out of her life. She’s literally screaming and I can’t help but wonder how bad this is affecting her heart and could cause her to black out. Payson runs out crying and Kaylie says she only did it because she loves her and confesses that in Payson’s shoes Kaylie would have done the same thing. Payson runs outside to Rigo who is waiting and they hug as she cries. Damn Rigo really is everywhere…

It wasn’t supposed to end like this

You guys this was probably one of the best episodes I have seen from this show in awhile. I can’t even begin to describe how sad I am that Kelly is no longer going for Olympic gold. I’m not so sold that Lauren is completely out because Payson petitioned the NGO after her back injury and was allowed back in and look at where she is now. I wonder if they can get what she has under control in time if she will be let back in to compete for a spot. What about the race card that Sheila threw out? Are you guys happy with who is still in the running for being on the team and what do you think is going to happen now? Whose getting gold you guys? What did we think of little miss Wendy and her true colors? Did you catch on early or were you as shocked as I was that she’s a bigger manipulator than Kelly ever was?

If you missed last week’s recap, you can catch it right here! Just when it started to get good again we only have 3 more episodes left ABCFamily I need another 8 episodes, please greenlight them already kthx.