Abby Lee Miller was back with a vengeance on last night's premiere of Dance Moms. At least they revamped the opener though, right? At the studio, Abby corrals the girls and their mothers for an announcement. Abby congratulates her Nationals winners while taking passive aggressive digs at everyone. She reveals that she will be holding open auditions in Atlanta, Orlando, and New York. Everyone is replaceable, y'all!
Chloe is at the bottom of the pyramid since Christi made such a scene with Leslie on Bourbon Street during Nationals and Abby gave them the boot. Christi hopes to focus more on her daughter's dancing and less on the mama drama this year. We'll see how long that lasts! Chloe apologizes to her team and promises to work her hardest. Peyton follows Chloe on the bottom for the same reason. Nia is the first actual Nationals participant to be on the bottom, followed by Brooke. Nia looks totally crestfallen, and Holly is upset. Nia is at every class and every extra practice. She is working her little bum off! Brooke is chastised for missing one class while attending New York Fasion Week (really?), and sister Paige is last on the middle tier since things just aren't clicking. Is it just me, or are these new head shots just too much? Mackenzie is next for being second in division at Nationals. Kendall is one spot away from the top of the pyramid when Abby announces that there's been a mistake. She switches out Nia's headshot for Kendall's. Jill is livid. Kendall tries not to cry as Abby complains about Kendall missing a week of booty camp to go on vacation. Maddie is on the top. Surprise, surprise!
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Maddie has a solo, as does Nia for all of her hard work. Paige, Chloe, and Kendall will have a trio, and the group number will be Girls' Night Out. Abby plans to make it a reenactment of Christi and Leslie's fight in New Orleans. She's pitting Peyton and Chloe against each other in the dance. This will be amazing. Abby promises Maddie that if her team won't step up to the plate as good back-up dancers for the star student, Abby will find new girls who will. In the viewing room, Holly doesn't agree with how Abby went about switching the pictures to make a point, but she didn't think Nia deserved to be on the bottom row. However, Holly feels that Jill threw Nia on the bus by freaking out about Kendall's fall from grace. They quiet down when they realize the premise of the group number. Abby then surprises Maddie with a cake to celebrate her Nationals victory. When Nia begins practicing her solo, Jill reminds the mothers that had Maddie not had a solo, Kendall would have won Nationals. Holly can't believe her ears. Nia deserves a solo! Brooke arrives late for rehearsal because she's been asked to sing at Jana Kramer's concert. Abby humiliates her upon her arrival, and makes her dance head-to-head with Peyton. Leslie and Kelly get into about whose daughter is better. Abby basically takes credit for Brooke being asked to sing and she belittles the girls for missing practice to attend the concert.
After a pep talk from Jana, Brooke takes the stage to perform a new song. It's a catchy little tune, and I love that all her dance friends know all the words. Now if only we could work on her stage presence…The following day, the girls are rehearsing before heading to the competition. Holly is ecstatic to see Abby actually clap for Nia. Christi finds it hilarious to see how envious Jill is of Nia's solo. Jill is angry that the trio hasn't gotten as much rehearsal time, not to mention she doesn't want her daughter lumped in with dancers that Abby doesn't particularly like. Kelly is just thrilled that Paige was asked to do something besides the group number. Abby is working hard to pit Kendall against Nia.
At the competition, a crowd is waiting for the ALDC to arrive. Abby feels a bit like Justin Bieber. As she's doling out costumes, Holly has to hug her for Nia's outfit. It's perfect. The trio is dancing first, and Chloe and Paige try to talk Kendall out of her nerves. It's a cute upbeat number, and the girls are very in sync given their lack of practice. Maddie's performance is flawless. Go figure. Holly is so nervous for Nia's performance and she hopes that all of her hard work will be evident. Nia is dancing beautifully, but she slips on an aerial walkover. Abby believes that Nia got too into the performance and didn't focus on the technique. Abby reminds the group that she'll be finding new talent. Peyton is in tears over a painful hairstyle, and Leslie makes a comment about being worried about her daughter's spot. As Peyton cries, Abby reminds her that she's sixteen-years-old and acting like a baby. She makes sure to tell Peyton that all of her younger peers are staring at her. As much as I despise Leslie's nasty behavior, I feel so badly for her poor daughter.
The group number is sassy, and the fight is actually pretty cute, although Leslie and Christi look very sheepish. Abby thinks that Brooke was horrible and she needs to stick to singing. The trio wins a well-deserved first place. Poor Nia doesn't place for her solo, but Maddie wins their division. The group number is third. Abby calls out Brooke's performance, and Kelly challenges her. Abby even insults Brooke's singing performance with Jana Kramer. Abby tells the girls they need to step up their game because they will be competing in Ohio next week. Candy Apples!
TELL US-WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT'S PREMIERE? IS IT GOING TO BE AN EXCITING SEASON?
[Photo Credit: Lifetime]
