Last night's Dance Moms saw the entire troupe getting to compete in solo numbers, as Abby has decided that this one dance will determine who gets the spotlight at Nationals. No need to factor in all of their other performance, right?
After last week's competition in California, the troupe will be staying on the West Coast to compete again. Abby Lee Miller applauds her dancers for being such polite young ladies to Nikaya and little Kaya, who are notably absent from the pyramid. However, she tells the mothers they weren't nearly as kind or mature as their daughters, and they managed to run off yet another potential dancer. Isn't that always the case? Kendall is at the bottom of the pyramid, but she's glad to at least be back on the team. Paige joins her, and while Abby thought she did great, she wasn't dancing full out because of her injury. Brooke and Maddie round out the bottom…Brooke for being off-beat and Maddie for blending in with her teammates during the group routine. Nia is on the second tier. Abby thinks that Nia did a great job on her solo, but she needs to work on her technique. Chloe joins Nia, with MacKenzie in the top spot. She's beaming.
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Abby then begins handing out solos left and right, as this week's competition will determine who is dancing in Nationals. Everyone but Maddie is given a solo, so Melissa has Maddie raise her hand. A tearful Maddie asks if she'll be getting a solo routine as well. Abby reveals that Maddie will have to beg for that solo, and she reminds Melissa that she's the one who put her daughter in this situation. Kelly thinks it's silly for Maddie to be upset for not having a solo. Her girls rarely get solos and they don't cry. Um, Kelly, one she's crying because she's a child, and two, it's not that she didn't get a solo, it's that she's the ONLY ONE who didn't get a solo.
Melissa then abruptly pulls the girls out of the last few minutes of practice, and all the moms wonder why she's being so secretive about where she is going. This part has to be scripted. We learn that Melissa is taking both of her daughters to talk to an agent about getting some acting work. Yeah, I wouldn't have told the other ladies either!
Paige is practicing her solo, but Abby is watering it down so she won't re-injure her foot. However, Paige is still in tears after practice due to the pain, and she's worried she won't be able to compete. Chloe is super talented, and I can't wait to see her perform it on stage. Kelly shares with the other moms that she is going to have Brooke professionally record her song while they are in L.A., and she would love all of the girls to be Brooke's back-up singers. Not to be one-upped, Melissa takes the opportunity to share that she took her girls to meet with a talent agent. Maddie and MacKenzie tell Abby where they went, and Maddie says that she thinks the other moms are fine with it. Abby wants Maddie to know that what the other mothers think isn't important.
The girls accompany Brooke to the recording studio while Kendall practices. Abby can't wait to see how Jill tries to finagle her daughter's way up the pyramid. Maddie once again requests a solo, but Abby isn't convinced she's learned her lesson yet. It shouldn't come so easily. Abby decides to shoot a music video for Brooke's song. Once Abby gets over her initial bossiness, the girls have a lot of fun filming. Maddie approaches Abby yet again, and finally she is granted her solo. Abby is shockingly impressed with all of the girls' hard work.
It's time for the competition, and MacKenzie performs first, and bless her heart…she has a few seconds where she totally blanks on her choreography. She's able to recover, but she hopes Abby isn't mad. Kendall then performs her first solo back on the team. Jill hates to put pressure on her daughter, but she HAS to win so she can compete at Nationals. In the staging area, Abby is less than impressed. Nia's routine is cute, and her expressions are amazing, but I thought it could have been more difficult. Maddie hopes to prove to Abby she deserves her solo. Abby thinks her routine was close to perfection.
Chloe is feeling very confident in her solo, and I think she was amazing. Paige is really worried about her solo because she's in so much pain. Paige is upset when she finishes because she doesn't think she did her best. Brooke is the final performer from Abby's company. She nails it.
Even with her snafu, MacKenzie places first in her age group. Chloe places sixth in the junior division, but I think she deserved better. Kendall scores fifth place, with Maddie taking the top spot. Nia is disappointed. Brooke places fourth in the teen category. All of the dancers are worried about their fate dancing at Nationals, and the mothers find it unfair that Abby is basing her entire decision on this one competition.
Next week, the Candy Apples spark fear in the hearts of the girls, and Kelly and Abby get into it.
TELL US-WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE? IS ABBY BEING UNFAIR ABOUT NATIONALS?
[Photo Credit: Lifetime]
