Minicap: Dance Moms

29 Comments

1. 1
   April
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 10:20 am

   I loved Chloe’s solo. Very cute idea and I loved the costume and the prop. She looked Stunning!

   I think Justice is a great dancer and a cute little boy and has a lot of talent. However his numbers are kinda sloppy around the edges. Which is probably more Cathy’s fault than his.

   I really liked the group number too. It was so neat at the end where they all bent their heads and then Maddie did too. I liked it.

   I really wish they would put Mackenzie against Vivi. We know Mackenzie would win but I would still like to see it happen. Candy Apples number was stupid. Vivi the living prop as usual. I liked the boys duet a lot but they did not show much of it. It kinda reminds me of a SYTYCD number they did with a board room type theme and they wore similar costumes and danced on a board room table.

   Jabby is so mean to Chloe. She did amazing and instead of saying “I thought you should have won Chloe, good job.” She just acted like a bitch.

2. 2
   sagittariuskim
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 11:09 am

   Didn’t Maddie lose against Justice the last time he had a solo? So why would she be intimidating?

   @April Haven’t we seen Mackenzie vs. Vivi?I thought the same thing about the duet. As soon as saw the rehearsal I thought it seemed similar. I remember the dancers were Sabra and Neil and I think the choreographer was Mandy Moore.

3. 3
   April
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 11:20 am

   I think we saw Nia and Mackenzie versus Justice and Vivi and Nia and Mack won. I would like to see solos though. I don’t think they have done that yet.

   I think Maddie beat Justice before. I bet they compete against each other all the time though so there are probably various outcomes.

   Abby is right about boys in competitions getting extra points just for being boys. We had guys in our hip hop number and the judges adored them and we always did very well at competitions. Especially here in the South where not many boys dance especially African American boys. They were a novelty. So if Justice was not a boy I doubt he would have beat Chloe, but both dancers did great and there was no reason for Abby to be so harsh with Chloe. I guarantee had Maddie lost to Justice, Abby would have ranted and said it was unfair and what not and not blamed Maddie.

4. 4
   Dani
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 11:26 am

   @sagittariuskim– No, Maddie did win during a comp against Justice. For the record, Justice has been doing this same solo, “shipwrecked,” ALL year (which is what most do, of course), and Chloe just learned hers. I also thought Chloe was better, in my opinion and most of what Justice did was gymnastics, which I’m really getting sick of. Chloe is such a beautiful, graceful, natural dancer and I’m so sick of her being put down by Abby. I would have loved for her to beat Justice, just so Abby wouldn’t have had anything nasty to say to Chloe. She’s such a bitch!

   Vivi against MacKenzie would be no contest. I don’t think Vivi even dances at all. Of course most of what Mackenzie does is tumbling, but still has much more talent in dance/gymnastics then Vivi. I think Cathy should just encourage her daughter to do some different activities that she might actually enjoy and excel at. Not everyone is made to be a dancer! She might be an awesome softball player- who knows?

5. 5
   sagittariuskim
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 11:45 am

   @April and Dani Thanks for explaining. The last Justice solo I remember ended up with the same results, but with Maddie instead of Chloe. And I remember Abby saying the exact same thing about the judges favoring boys. I really didn’t Justice’s solos was that great and the solo . I thought Chloe’s was so much better and I feel bad for her that she lost because the judges favor boys.

6. 6
   bec
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 12:07 pm

   I know some people hate how the ALDC walk on stage, but I really hate that weird tiptoe walk the candy apples do.

7. 7
   Wednesday
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 12:19 pm

   Abby and Christi really are perfect for each other. They are both disgustingly spiteful people. It’s obvious that Christi, on some level, resents Melissa and Maddie for being Abby’s favorite and for outshining her daughter. I’m sure she especially loves beating up on Melissa because she isn’t the type to fight back. Spreading lies about Maddie cheating, constantly belittling her wins as being undeserved results of special treatment, and tattling about Melissa’s personal life on TV for everyone (even her daughters) to hear is just pathetic. I don’t care if she is pushed by producers to be obnoxious, it’s still unacceptable. If she had an ounce of self-awareness she’d realize she treats them just as bad as Abby treats Chloe. They both are just horrible.

   I’m sick of all the moms acting like victims and hypocrites all the time. When Chloe goes up against Maddie it’s too much pressure, and when Chloe is the only one with a solo it’s too much pressure. When Abby wants Maddie to learn a solo at the last minute it’s favoritism, if it happens to another kid it’s setting them up to fail. When Abby focuses on Nia’s race it’s not ok, but if it gets Nia the lead in a dance suddenly Holly is ok with it. Is there anything they can’t spin?

   I was really confused when the other moms talked about Melissa like she was Machiavelli. Saying she’s four steps ahead and not to underestimate her? What the hell are they talking about? This isn’t a competitive reality show like Survivor, what the hell could she be “planning?” I’m sure it wouldn’t involve getting shit on every week and the moms making her daughters cry. What idiots.

   Abby, well, she’s still Abby. The kid always dances well unless someone else wins, then suddenly she changes her tune. It’s dumb to say Chloe only danced well if she wins. If Justice had gotten a point less and gotten second place Chloe still would have danced the same. The way she got on Chloe, and even Maddie for not “intimidating” Justice, was just asinine.

   As much as I love Nia, she didn’t really deserve to be at the top of the pyramid. And the reasons for keeping the other girls down were weird (expecting Maddie to win by 20 points seems ridiculously unreasonable considering how often it comes down to a fraction of a point). Are the producers pushing for more variety at the top of the pyramid or something? Next week’s pyramid should be interesting with Chloe “costing” Abby her sweep and Maddie refusing to do the last minute solo. Maybe Abby will put Kendal on top just to create more artificial drama.

   Whew, that was more ranting than I meant to do, but these moms and Abby just drive me crazy with their horrible behavior. On a lighter note, I thought it was hilarious when Abby filled in for Maddie during the group dance. Keep dreaming.

8. 8
   SaraKate
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 1:00 pm

   I totally agreed with Abby AGAIN this week (I really do hate that). Justice’s number was sloppy, and full of developes and backflips. He won because he was a boy, no other reason. Lame. And irritating when my Chloebird loses!

   Frankly, given Melissa’s behavior, I think she deserved to be called out for living with a guy who’s still married. However, it shouldn’t have happened in from of Mac, and the girls. And Melissa needs to grow up and admit to the things she HAS done.

   I’m *SHOCKED* that the choreographers would come back a second time to CrabApples, but as my husband pointed out, they are getting paid and they’re on national TV. They choreographed another couple awful, derivative routines though. I about choked I was laughing so hard when Crazy Cathy was going on and on to Abby about her routines being “old” when Justice and the other little boy’s duet was practically ripped from SYTYCD!

   Also, Jill is freaking hilarious, because she’s such a cartoon!

9. 9
   Gwen
   Posted August 15, 2012 at 1:19 pm

   Justice beat Chloe with the same dance before when they were at Nexstar in Ohio (when Chloe performed her Angry Bird solo). They just didn’t air it to make it look like ALDC beat CADC in every category. And yes, Maddie has beaten Justice before (when she did the solo “Reflection” and the group dance was homeless-themed). I missed the first ten minutes of this episode (I was able to watch it later) and when I first saw the group dance I thought it was about a cult. It probably was and they just didn’t say it.

10. 10
    April
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    I thought the guest choreographers had smirks on their faces the whole time. I think they are doing this just for kicks and are laughing about it and not taking it seriously. I can’t blame them!

    I also don’t think it was wrong to call out Melissa for sleeping with her married boss and letting him pay her bills when he is still married etc etc. If you don’t want something being mentioned, how about you just don’t do it then!? I don’t do anything I am embarrassed of being called out on for a reason. So I won’t give anyone any ammo to call me out on. Simple enough. True, maybe not in front of the kids, but it really wasn’t in front of the kids. They were in class down below and could not hear most likely. They didn’t know Melissa sent Mack back up to get her bag and Melissa should have gotten her own damn bag. Be an adult about it. Face your attackers head on.

    Plus even if the kids did hear, so what? They have a right to know what their mother is doing in her personal life. I don’t follow that kids should think their parents do no wrong. They need to know so they can potentially learn from their parent’s mistakes and not practice hero worship when it comes to their infallible parents.

11. 11
    ANTM Fan
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    What is this “dance captain” thing? It sounds like something Abby made up on the fly to explain why Nia is at the top of the pyramid but doesn’t have a solo.

    I think Justice is a strong dancer, but someone needs to get that boy some decent choreography, stat.

    The scene where MacKenzie was crying b/c the other moms were talking about Melissa was heartbreaking. It makes me kind of ill that the show stages these dramatic fights, but the kids get caught in the crossfire. Sad.

12. 12
    Gwen
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Also the part where Abby said “Well, I didn’t get my clean sweep, but we have Chloe to blame for that!” was kind of unsettling… I feel like she’s getting more bitchy.

13. 13
    Wednesday
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    You really think it’s ok to tell kids that their mother slept around with her boss? I don’t even know what to say to that. And now all their friends and kids they go to school with will know too. I feel terrible for them.

    I think people should be treated respectfully. Everyone has dirty laundry they want kept secret, and it’s no ones place to share it with the world in order to hurt that person. Isn’t Christi the one who was so against “tattling?” Breaking a supposed friend’s confidence and airing her secrets to the world is despicable. People deserve better than that. Christi had no right to say what she did and it’s none of her business anyway. And that’s assuming it’s even true, or at least in the way Christi presented it. She’s lied plenty of times on the show to serve her own cause so who knows.

    This also shows that the moms knew exactly why Melissa didn’t want to talk about her engagement last season and yet they kept bringing it up to create drama. That’s just terrible to do to a person.

14. 14
    April
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    Dance captain is actually a real thing. Most musicals have a “Dance Captain” that is basically what Abby said it was. They get a special title in the program compared to the other dancers and possibly paid more. They are in charge of learning the choreography first and making sure everyone learns it and helps if they need to. They are supposed to be a stronger dancer and a strong leader.

15. 15
    April
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 2:42 pm

    I don’t think you should betray your friend’s secrets. But, what Melissa is doing is public knowledge. We all knew about it here weeks ago. So there is no shame in speaking the truth or pointing out something everyone knows. I still say if you don’t want something brought up, don’t do it in the first place! I have dirty laundry but nothing I will try to deny. I own up to everything.

    I was a child who was lied to in order to “protect” me from the truth and it did me no good in the long run. I would have rather known the truth at an age appropriate level all along.

16. 16
    Dani
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    I don’t think Christi said anything that people didn’t already know about Melissa. She’s very out there about living with Greg Gisoni, and it’s a fact that he is indeed married still. It’s also been said by many that they met while she worked for him and they began an affair while both Melissa and Greg were married (Melissa is now officially divorced from Kirk- Maddie and Mackenzie’s dad). Greg IS still married and living with Melissa and her kids. That’s just a fact. In the very first season, first episode, Melissa was right out there saying she had a boyfriend that “signed the checks” and basically paid for everything. Also, it’s been reported that Greg Gisoni came in and helped financially to save Abby’s studio when she was close to losing it. I don’t know if that makes him a partial owner or what, but he is a big part of why she was able to stay in business and keep her studio. I don’t think any of this is a big secret, so don’t think Christi really said anything that people didn’t know. Yeah, I guess she shouldn’t have blown up, but it’s obvious that a lot was edited and a lot was said before and we just got the tail end of the blow up. Melissa is a sneak and does talk about Chloe to Abby and I’m sure that pissed Christi off- this episode may have been filmed right when Christi WATCHED the episode of Melissa talking crap about Chloe, which probably pissed her off, as well it should..

    I think it’s unfortunate that MacKenzie heard them talking, but I’m sure they didn’t intend for her to hear them. As someone stated already, Melissa should have been woman enough to go up there herself and get her stuff instead of sending her little girl up there- especially when she knew the moms were most likely still talking about everything, so her daughter would hear it.. Melissa seems to think most about herself before she thinks about her daughters or anyone else for that matter, and that has always bothered me with her. Plus, she is sneaky and talks behind peoples back and very two-faced, in my opinion.

17. 17
    April
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    I agree 100% Dani. I also noticed that about Melissa too. She is a lucky woman to have two beautiful sweet talented daughters and I think also two sons. What a blessed woman and yet she acts like she is so persecuted.

18. 18
    Amykins
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 5:33 pm

    Jill reminds me of Endora from Bewitched.

19. 19
    brzysmom12
    Posted August 15, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    At the end of last week’s episode, Abby shouted how Chloe was a sneak or a snake and sweet Chloe was crying hysterically. TLC just forgot about it this week. It’s horrible how Abby treats her and hard to watch. There is no rhyme, reason or explanation for it. Does anybody know the story about what caused her to say that?

    Such bad editing on this show. Example: when adorable little Mackenzie was crying saying the moms were saying mean things, it was shown she was up there right when Holly was saying how smart Melissa was. I know lots was said but the timing of it was just wrong.

20. 20
    Elle
    Posted August 16, 2012 at 7:29 am

    Vivi the prop–I had to watch the CA group dance twice because I missed Vivi the first time. I watched with a friend and he pointed out that they needed the chair because Vivi sat in the chair reading the magazine and then did her leg stretch, then the hand shake and fall down at the end. I didn’t even notice where she was the first time. If they hadn’t had the chair Vivi would have been..standing in place instead of her extra special reading. And lets all be honest with ourselves..Vivi made the dance without her presence those adults would never have qualified for the x-12 age group.

    For the record I LOVE LOVE Vivi. I think she is an awesome kid and she held a special place in my heart the first time I saw her little eyes glaze over when she talked about dance and disliking the colour pink but my gosh…just let it go. She’s not a dancer. It’s becoming just..mean. Forcing her into dance when she just does not have a aptitude for it is ridiculous. It’s going to give her a complex. She is, bless her little heart, NOT a dancer. When you put a kid into something that they don’t do well time and time again it cannot possibly be good for their self esteem. It’s starting to really make me angry with her mother. Let Vivi be great at Vivi things instead of forcing her to not do well at Kathy’s thing.

    Nia’s job–I felt awkward about Nia’s dance job. I thought it was nice to see Nia but I was concerned..if she didn’t get maddie to come to dance would that have been an excuse for Abby to berate her?

    The affair thing–I was also a kid who wasn’t told about my parents bad choices. I accidentaly heard a conversation when I woke up in the morning where I found out about infidelity in my family. I beleive that finding out about it in a less than honest way was damaging to my family view and my trust in my parents. I’d rather have known. And I definetly would rather that it never happened but I think if my parent didn’t want me to be affected by their affair they shouldn’t have had an affair. As an adult you know when something is wrong. Unfortanately a consequence of having an affair can be your friends and family knowing about it and everything that comes with it. To enter into an affair and the deception that comes with it…well you get what you pay for. I was Maddies age when I found out about what happened in my family. The knowledge of the affair is a side effect. The affair is the damaging part. To me… to say the children knowing about it is awful…well thats like saying that KNOWING about an earthquake is awful rather than the smashed houses and torn up landscape. Melissa caused an earthquake for her children. Kids are not stupid they know when things are f**ked up even if they can’t put a name to what is causing the pain. Telling those kids it was an earthquake is really the lesser blow here. Putting a name on why your family split up and why these things happen does suck..but it’s far less confusing and scary than the not knowing. In my opinion :/

    Sorry I wrote a novel.

21. 21
    Nannie
    Posted August 16, 2012 at 10:00 am

    All of these women play a specific role, and they all know the score. Most certainly they know the cameras are in the viewing room, and they know everything is fair game as far as the producers go. Heck, they even go into the homes during parties and private conversations between mother and daughter. It’s nothing more than drama, well played at times and unbelievable at others. It is staged badly, but still staged.

    Melissa plays the best mommy role, Christi plays the jealous mom, Holly the intellectual and Kelly the mom who gave it all up and became a “failed” dance mom. The only one who is truly herself is Abby. That won’t change, she really is a horror.

    The kids for the most part understand that this isn’t real, but when Abby or one of the moms goes off half corked, sometimes the drama is too much for them to understand. I think MacKenzie’s comments to her mom reflected that she just didn’t expect or understand the drama against her mom.

    After all, these women are friends, they know all the dirty little secrets of each others lives, and the producers cash in on those things. I don’t think for one minute that Melissa was unaware that Christi was going to spit out the truth on tv. They all know what a camera and mic are. Heck, half the time, I can see the mics attached under their shirts.

    Melissa simply opened the door to her life when she signed the contract. The juicy details sell, and Lifetime knows that. If she were not on TV, know one would bat an eye about her boinking the boss and later moving in with him. She chose to be on the show, and that choice let the truth out. Sad, but true.

22. 22
    ellemenop
    Posted August 16, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    ugh, i’m starting to wonder whether i can continue watching this show, based mostly on christi. she really pisses me off the most.

23. 23
    Classy Drunk
    Posted August 16, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    @Wednesday you might be the only sane person on these comments.

    Public knowledge or not…what Christi said was out of line. That is Melissa’s personal business as if she hasn’t made any mistakes. This is after you ladies sat there and spoke I’ll of how whe child is treated…you don’t think she’d be defensive about that? I’m surprised Melissa doesn’t blow up more often.

    Furthermore Christi get on one side of the fence or the other. You complain every week about Chloe getting outshines by Maddie then when Mads gets the week off you complain that it’s too much pressure for Chloe THEN when Maddie is backin the line up your mad…figure it out!

24. 24
    ellemenop
    Posted August 16, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    oh, but i totally disagree with those who think melissa deserved to be called out for her personal life … what the hell does it have to do with anything??? i hate it when people can’t come up with relevant material and sink to random, irrelevant attacks. either stay on subject or don’t mention it at all.

25. 25
    Dani
    Posted August 16, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    @ClassyDrunk– Yes, what Christi said was out of line. There has been a lot said that’s out of line by all the moms (least being Holly, but she’s probably even said a few things). I think A LOT was edited out of that scene. No, I don’t think she should be airing Melissa’s dirty laundry, BUT you have to know that Melissa is the one that signed on for this show and brought up the whole, “my boyfriend is rich and pays all my bills,” crap.. I think Melissa is very sneaky, completely two-faced, fake and does lie about things, and that’s probably what Chrisi was calling her out on was the constant lying, then it escalated.. I don’t know what really happened, or even know these people, but from what I’ve seen Melissa comes off as much worse than Chrisi. Yeah, Christi bitches a lot, but when it comes down to it she loves her daughter and I think her daughter is going to grow up very well-adjusted (though she should get her out of Abby’s studio ASAP). I feel bad for Maddie and MacKenzie. It seems like when Melissa has had enough, she just leaves and is not a very reliable or stable mom. I worry about how they will be in 5, 10, 20 years from now. Maddie already looks like a nervous wreck most of the time.

    Anyway, this is just my opinion from what I’ve seen. I think having a child and seeing them stomped on can bring out a lot of bad qualities, and think that’s happened at times. I personally prefer a person that says things to your face and not behind your back, (talking crap about your daughter to the teacher, etc..). At least you know where you stand with Christi, whereas with Melissa you have to always watch your back and can never trust her.

    And let’s not forget that it was Melissa who instructed her little 8 year old daughter to go up there to get her stuff because she was too chicken shit to do it herself– knowing perfectly well that those woman were upset and still talking about her (which is why she didn’t want to go up there), which shows what a shitty thing that is to do to your kid because obviously your kid is going to hear people talking badly about you (they didn’t know MacKenzie was in there, but Melissa DID know.. So, that was more Melissa’s fault). I felt awful for MacKenzie to hear that, but why the hell would Melissa send her up there in the first place?? Selfishness! She thinks about herself BEFORE she thinks about her kids, and as a mother myself, I think that’s wrong!! I know you think that makes me “insane” as you’ve already pointed out, but that’s my opinion on what we’ve seen on the show thus far..

26. 26
    Bec
    Posted August 17, 2012 at 12:56 am

    My god the girls on tumblr freak me out. I was on there looking for results from in10sity and they are threatening nick dobbs’ ex gf for “stealing his innocence” aka tbey are goig crazy coz a teen boy and his gf dos something sexual.. which they gatherEd from
    A tweet :/

27. 27
    classy drunk
    Posted August 17, 2012 at 4:43 am

    “knowing perfectly well that those woman were upset and still talking about her (which is why she didn’t want to go up there)”

    Right you would hope that they would cool it when the little girl came up stairs. I wouldn’t go back in there either.

    I have no problem with someone saying something to my face, but it’s when you hit below the belt is the problem. They were discussing the girls. Christi brought up who she was sleeping with. What did that have to do with anything?!?!?!

28. 28
    Moli
    Posted August 17, 2012 at 5:12 am

    Regardless of how you feel in a certain situation there is no need to bring in gossip that has nothing to do with the conversation. I believe people who do that are insecure and immature to handle a proper adult conversation. FREE VIVI!!!!

29. 29
    Dani
    Posted August 17, 2012 at 8:13 am

    As for MacKenzie coming back up there- it appears pretty obvious that the moms up there didn’t see or hear her. When you watch the scene, you see Mackenzie in the back quickly and quietly getting the bag and leaving and doesn’t look like any of the moms saw her. I’m sure they would have stopped if they had seen MacKenzie.

    I don’t think it went from talking about the girls to talking about Melissa cheating the way it seemed to. I think there was a lot before it got there and a lot edited out. Obviously a discussion turned into an argument that escalated into something really nasty. I don’t agree at all with Christi saying that to Melissa, but I do think there was a lot more to it that led up to it. I hate it when any of them go below the belt, and I’ve seen all of them do that- though with Melissa it’s usually behind their back, which I find even worse.