Make it or Break it Recap: Smells Like Winner

Lauren, Emily, Payson and Kaylie

If you have never seen Make it or Break it you are missing out on some primo teen drama in the form of four girls trying to make it to the 2012 Olympics and the things they go through in order to get there. Here is a quick catch up so you the backstory since this is likely the last 8 episodes of the series. You can also catch up by watching all the episodes on abcfamily.com:

Payson, Kaylie and Lauren have been best friends forever and train at The Rock in hopes of going to the 2012 Olympics in London. Their bond is tested when new girl Emily joins The Rock and proves that she is just as good as they are. Their first coach Marty is blackmailed into leaving the gym after it is found out that he is sleeping with Kaylie’s mother. He is replaced by Sasha whom the girls (except Payson) do not like because he is more demanding than Marty. The National Championships are the first stop on the road to the Olympics and all the girls get a spot on the National Team except for Payson who suffers a terrible fall and ends up with a career ending injury to her back.

Payson’s back injury forces her into a normal teenage life where she has a hard time adjusting since she has always focused on gymnastics. She ends up getting an operation which allows her to compete but she can no longer perform as a power gymnast due to changes in her body but Sasha helps her adapt to being an artistic gymnast like Kaylie. She ends up falling for Sasha and while training one night attempts to kiss him. He pushes her off but doesn’t realize that the tape they were recording the training session with is still running and Lauren uses the tape to get Sasha kicked out of the gym. She wants him out because he is falling for Summer whom she wants to marry her dad and become her new mother since her mom is an addict and hasn’t seen her since she was younger.

The girls realize they need Sasha and track him down in Romania while at the World Competition and get him to become their coach once more. However, there is more drama as Emily ends up pregnant and leaving the girls to be with the baby’s father who is a musician she fell for while working at The Pizza Shack. Kaylie develops an eating disorder and goes to rehab to get treatment which was really annoying because they played PSAs for Eating Disorders for like 8 episodes. I get that it’s a big problem but they really, reallllllly stretched her story line and Kaylie is already my least favorite character /soapbox rant. Lauren is distraught after learning her mother did love her but was pushed away by her father who didn’t want her mother to hurt Lauren with her addiction problems. The girls finally regroup minus Emily and head to the World Competition in Rio de Janeiro where they win gold.

They must have really hated Emily…

Now that we are all caught up the girls have finally made it to the USA Training Center in Colorado where all the Olympic hopefuls are training. The girls take pictures with their parents and are very excited that they are one more step closer to their dreams of going to the Olympics. Their previous Rock coach, Sasha, is speaking with their new coach, Mackenzie and explains that the girls separately are great but together they are unstoppable. Coach says that Payson has been solid since her back injury but nothing spectacular and wonders if she has peaked but Sasha says she will give you everything and more but Coach counters that she doesn’t pull triple anythings. Lauren he has heard is a spoiled princess but all he cares about is if she is coachable and Sasha says that she is and is a beam specialist but Coach counters that he needs well rounded girls. For Kaylie he just wants to know if her eating disorder is under control which Sasha says that it is and she has a great support system. Coach counters again because he is a hardass and says that will they be there if it’s them or Kaylie for a spot on the Olympic team? This new coach is a dick and I hope they write in some way for us to have Sasha in every episode because not only is he fine but that accent is to die for.

Mac’s Mom (you better know who that is)

Mac’s Mom is driving a girl in a semi and starts asking about her life story. She relays that she’s lived everywhere because she has been in 5 foster homes and then stares at Mac’s mom’s burrito. I thought she was staring because it was kind of odd to just have a burrito up on your dashboard but apparently she was hungry and so Mac’s Mom offers it to her saying she wasn’t going to eat it anyway…so it was just on display for no reason? She drops her off at the training center and we find out her name is Jordan. The girls meanwhile are moving into their new dorm room when Lauren announces that her dad scored her a perfume deal with QVC that she plans to call Winner. Kaylie is still with Austin and Payson is still with Max but Lauren is single and says the other girls are missing out on all the gorgeous men around campus especially now that they don’t have to sneak around to date.

Kaylie is walking around the campus with Austin and her parents when they come upon a statue of a man named Otis that all the passerbys are rubbing. Austin explains that it is for good luck and that he won’t be there for long as he is stolen each year. Apparently Otis was a judge who died tragically when he looked down during a javelin toss and was struck and killed. Kaylie and her mother rub his head for good luck and meet up with the rest of the parents and girls at the cars saying goodbye. Lauren’s father has researched the coach and says to make sure she impresses him off the bat but Lauren can’t concentrate as she gets a little lightheaded. Kaylie asks her mother if she will bring her father when she comes back to visit but her mom says no matter what their relationship is, he will always be there for Kaylie as will she. Kaylie’s father asks Austin to keep an eye out for Kaylie who agrees. Payson’s father tells her that he will miss her so she gives him her power bar that she endorses and says he can always look at that if he wants to see her as she is on the wrapper.

Jordan walks up to the coach and says she is there to try out for the team but hardass lets her know that she has to be invited and she was not. She reminds him that she was a junior champion and that she is better than the girls there but he says you were also trouble at your other gyms and you haven’t competed in two years before blowing her off. Sasha speaks with the girls and reminds them of their goal and Lauren proposes one more Rock On! but Sasha declines saying they need to focus on the team. Before leaving he gives Payson his gold medal for good luck and inspiration just as he had previously after she broke her back to inspire her to keep moving forward. He tells her that her dreams can either be a reality or left to die and that is is up to her to decide and then leaves.

Lauren is walking around campus when a boy calls out to security that she has stolen his cell phone. It turns out to be a distraction so his friends can steal the Otis statue Kaylie and Austin were talking about earlier. Of course Queen Lauren doesn’t like being used but continues on her way as the boy welcomes her to life at the TC. She heads to get the mail and finds a letter from Max to Payton that she can’t wait to read. As she is opening it she gets stopped by an annoying girl named Whitney who is also a gymnast and a huge fan of Laurens. She congratulates her on her beam work from Rio and then continues blabbering about what her favorite color is and how excited she is to be training for the Olympics. Lauren makes it back to the room and Payson asks if she has the letter as she was expecting it from Max. Lauren who didn’t have a chance to read it because of Whitney says no. The girls all decide that they want to do something fun together so they head to the gym to check it out and almost catch Jordan who is filming something. Jordan hides as the girls chatter about how many superstar gymnasts had trained there previously and how it is now their turn. They each take turns posing in the number one spot on the podium and vow to let nothing get in their way. Lauren again gets a little lightheaded as she makes her way to the top but brushes it off at Kaylie’s suggestion that her perfume is making her sick.

Lauren calls her dad and tells him that she believes the perfume has something in it that is making her sick and they need to fix the formula because she will not put her name on something that will make people sick. She also reveals that she has not seen a doctor yet. Her dad reminds her that it is every girl for herself and she needs to keep her eyes on the prize and stay focused and that he will take care of the perfume. Lauren then reads Payson’s letter from Max. Jordan is a persistent bitch as she catches the Coach getting out of his car. She tries to get him to view some of her performance on a memory stick but he refuses and tells her to go home to which she replies that she is home. Payson finally gets her letter from Lauren who wants her to read it as they are heading to their first practice. Payson says she wants to wait because it’s the closest she can get to a date with Max and plans to read it later that night.

The girls go to their first training session and see a huge board with all the trainees names on it in a ranked order. Whitney conveniently comes up and explains the coaches training method that she learned about when she stalked him over the summer. The board positions change daily based on many factors but the most important part is that the girls on the left train directly with the Coach while the ones on the right get the assistants. She warns that being on the right is pretty much having your foot out the door. The girls start training but Lauren gets dizzy and falls to the ground. The girls try to see if she is okay but are shooed away by the coach who tells Lauren to go see the nutrionist.

Lauren meets with the nutrionist who tells her that she needs to stop skipping meals and that her blood sugar is low which leads me to believe Lauren might be diabetic, she definitely has something wrong with her according to the promos for next week. Lauren is given some of Payson’s bars and told to remember to eat frequently and is sent on her way. Before leaving she asks if she will keep her skipping breakfast a secret from the Coach but the nutrionist says she doesn’t keep anything from him but if she eats and doesn’t have a fainting spell again she will be okay. Meanwhile, Payson and Kaylie are examining the board after practice while waiting for Lauren. They remain on the left side but are now moving down from their top spots. Lauren meets up with them and says she is fine and was prescribed Payson’s bars to eat as snacks. Coach goes to meet with the nutrionist and there is some flirtation going on as the nutrionist tells him not to start anything he can’t finish while he draws the blinds closed. She then tells him to let his wife know he will be home late and they start to kiss. Oohh another secret coach affair??

The girls head to a party on campus and Kaylie and Payson talk about their respective relationships and confess jealously over each’s situation. Payson is jealous that Kaylie gets to see Austin while Kaylie is jealous of the space Payson gets to have with her boyfriend not being there. Kaylie is getting a little tired of always seeing Austin and she confesses that Lauren was right about all the hot guys surrounding them. Speaking of Lauren, she is making her way through the party when she is stopped by a guy named Rigo who wants to ask her a question. She blows him off saying he isn’t in her league and she doesn’t have the time for him but he says she is right and he doesn’t deal with minor league. She eventually comes up to the wrestlers who stole Otis’ head and tries to persuade them to tell her where they hid him but fails. Austin comes up to Payson and Kaylie and explains to Payson that he wants to market Kaylie and himself as a golden couple to get endorsements. They leave to strategize and Payson gets up to go when a guy named Brad comes up to her and offers her a drink. He also says she has the legs of a volleyball player, the arms of a boxer but a pretty face and guesses that she is a swimmer. Payson says she is a gymnast and walks off as she has a boyfriend and is not interested. Brad walks off with his drinks to scam on another girl. What’s with these random ass encounters? Lauren and Rigo and Payson and Brad? Stupid filler…

Jordan is super creepy as she is in a tent which is literally out in the open and in front of the training center. So no one has noticed this tent as they drive into the facility grounds? Is it okay to just camp out wherever you want? Anyway she is talking to herself while unpacking her little bag and explains that she can do it and that they will go to London. It’s then revealed that she is a crazy bitch because she is literally talking to a bunny she has been carrying around in her bag. Poor thing is going to get the Glenn Close treatment, I can totally feel it. Payson is settling into bed and reading the letter from Max as her face turns from a huge smile to complete sadness. I’m guessing he broke up with her but no confirmation yet. The next day as the coach pulls in he spots Jordan in the road holding up a sign asking when she can train and that every day counts. The coach just drives off and again her tent is in PLAIN VIEW! Do they only have that one security guard from earlier?

This bitch is persistent

The coach starts working with Payson who is having a hard time pulling off simple moves on the beam. Kaylie and Lauren are watching and note that she seems off her game when Lauren inquires if Payson had read the letter yet. Kaylie says she isn’t sure but wonders why Lauren is asking and Lauren confesses that she read the letter and knows that Max broke things off with Payson and that is likely why she is off. Coach stops working with Payson and calls a girl named Maria into his office so the girls take the time to talk with Payson who breaks down crying because Max has indeed broken up with her. Since it was her first real relationship she wonders what she did wrong even though Max wrote that it was him and that he was confused about where his life was headed. Maria comes crying out of the office and Coach announces that she is off the team and places Payson on the right side of the list and sends her to work with an assistant.

Payson goes to do a jump when Whitney comes over and asks how she plans to pull it off due to her previous back injury and current “old” age. As Payson readies herself, Jordan comes storming in and says you want to see this particular twist, well I’ll do it and blow these girls out of the water. Kaylie recognizes her from before and says she thought she was a friend but was wrong. Jordan goes to do the twist but Coach stands in her way and says not on my watch so she goes to do a trick on the uneven bars instead. The coach threatens to call security and she says well just watch the tape I gave you because I have what it takes and eventually storms out.

Seriously do they not have security?

The girls are back in the dorm trying to comfort a sad Payson when Austin walks in and basically tells Payson that it’s really not her fault because Max is confused. Then he blurts out that Max is bisexual and he is trying to figure out what he wants in his life. The girls are all shocked and Payson is confused because of the way he would kiss her and she never picked up on it. Lauren reminds her that he kissed her as well and then Austin chimes in that he also got kissed by Max. Payson walks away and Austin apologizes as he thought the information would help her. Lauren and Kaylie agree they need to do something because another performance like the one Payson had today will get her kicked off the team.

Payson and Kaylie are in bed talking and Payson blames herself because her relationships aren’t successful. Her feelings for Sasha were inappropriate and her last boyfriend was bisexual. Lauren bursts in and says what relationship because Payson had only gone on 3 dates with Max and had become a glorified pen pal. Lauren suggests that they do something fun to get their minds off of this and that they should steal Otis back from the wrestlers. Reluctantly, Payson and Kaylie agree and off they go to a building on campus where Lauren found out they are hiding the statue. Otis is on top of the building but they can’t reach it due to the doors being locked so I shit you not…Lauren fucking parkours her ass up the side of the building to the roof. Seriously she did a backflip onto a ledge and then used a wall to propel herself up onto the roof in another backflip. Payson and Kaylie keep an eye out as Lauren searches the roof for the statue but ends up fainting again. Finally she pops up and tells them that it was a hoax and all she found was a barbie doll with a note that says gotcha. What I want to know is how did Lauren expect to carry a statue that took 4 wrestlers to carry by herself down a few flights of stairs undetected? The wrestlers run by with Otis gloating at having tricked Lauren who made out with one of them in order to get the location. She yells that it’s not over and the guy who used her as a distraction tells her that he hopes it’s not.

She seriously parkoured the building.

So it turns out that the coach is not having an affair, the nutritionist is his wife and she brings him his dinner as he watches Jordan’s video in wonderment. Apparently she is very special because she pulls off a triple dismount on the uneven bars which no one does in competition. Then he receives a text from an unknown source asking if he knows what the rock girls had been up to that night. He goes to Jordan and lets her know that she will be moving onto the campus and has a week to prove herself to him and then he meets with the girls around a campfire. He makes the rock girls destroy their rock jackets and says that gold is forged by fire and he doesn’t want them to be held back by the team mates they have chosen and their past. The girls are hesitant but if they don’t burn the jackets he tells them they will basically be off the team. As the jackets burn, Jordan walks up and Kaylie asks what she is doing there. Lauren asks the Coach if he knows that Jordan is crazy and he tells them that she is their new team mate for now. The girls aren’t happy and Jordan looks at them with a crazy look in her eye which confirms that she probably Glenn Closed the bunny from earlier and is afraid of being caught. I mean you likely can’t have animals on campus and bunnies shit everywhere so if we don’t see him in the next episode, that’s what happened.

Um, those jackets were not free…

Gasmii what did you think about the episode? I’m having Chloe withdrawals but I’m glad Emily is gone because she was getting whiny. Is Max going to stay straight for Payson or does she just have really crappy luck with men? Will the girls get Otis or will they get duped again by the wrestlers? You Team Sasha or Team Hardass? Do you think Jordan fatal attractioned that cute bunny? More importantly Where is Kelly Parker? She was ranked number 2 on the board but I didn’t see her anywhere!

We’ve got 7 episodes left of this series (likely going to get canned soon) so let’s make the best of it together.