G’day readers! It looks like we’re all still gluttons for punishment when it comes to Abby Lee Miller and the drama of Dance Moms, but this time we’re cringing while the girls explore an entirely different hemisphere. Koala bears make even the nastiest of people much easier to tolerate, right? Plus, those accents! Abby arrives at the airport, and of course, things are stressful right from the start. Abby has misplaced her passport (and license and credit cards) and there are tears, y’all! The ALDC has already arrived in Australia to perform at the Astra Awards which Jill touts as Down Under’s Emmys. Note to Jill…save the duck face for the tweens!
Melissa, who has clearly opted for the international data plan, calls Abby to find out why she’s missing in action. When Abby laments that she’s lost her passport, Melissa starts listing places where Abby could have left it. Geez, Melissa! If she knew where she left it, it wouldn’t be lost. Glad to see some things don’t change with the time zones! Abby won’t be arriving until the day of the event, and she suggests that only Maddie perform since she won’t be there to micromanage. Hold up! Jill and Holly interject that all of the girls were invited to participate, to which Abby retorts, “Show me your invitation.” When Jill counters that Maddie didn’t receive a personal invitation, Abby snarks that she can pull up the e-mail that specifically requests Maddie’s presence. Abby warns Holly that she won’t put up with any of her crap. After all, Holly, Nia. Jessalyn, and JoJo weren’t included in Abby’s plans…they are just tagging along for the trip.
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Holly plans to search out other opportunities for Nia while in Australia, including a concert in Melbourne. However, she’s keeping her plans quiet for now. Jessalyn isn’t upset that JoJo isn’t part of the Astra events, given the fact that there is a petition in the Australian dance community to have Abby’s visa revokes. The Aussies aren’t fans of the dance teacher, and Jessalyn has received several e-mails suggesting she distance herself from Abby to avoid backlash. When Jill hears of this negative feedback, she accuses Jessalyn of having her cake and eating it too. It’s fine for her to ride Abby’s coattails to get to Australia, but she poo-poos the promotion that JoJo’s remaining ALDC teammates will be doing. Jessalyn reminds Jill that JoJo wasn’t included in the promotion–she didn’t opt out to save face…although she’s glad not to be associated with the drama.
At rehearsal, Gia is heading up the routine in Abby’s absence, and she’s in charge of the choreography. The routine is entitled Bulletproof, Baby, and Abby has given the green light for all of the girls to perform. Abby calls to remind her team that this performance could make or break them in the Australian market. Jill interrupts to stir the pot, sharing that Jessalyn has heard rumors of bad press surrounding the ALDC. An irate Abby snarks that any press is good press, and her loyal mothers shouldn’t be entertaining the ramblings of a blonde bimbo who doesn’t even have her own dance studio. Abby then ejects JoJo from the routine, citing that Jessalyn needs to crawl up her a$$ a little farther to teach JoJo how to better kiss it. You have got to be kidding me. Jessalyn asserts that all of the girls are listening to Abby’s ugliness, but Abby doesn’t care. Holly didn’t believe it was possible for Abby to get any worse, but she has.
The moms head to dinner, and Melissa hopes the women can make the best of things until Abby arrives. Jill wishes that Abby would stop putting such a damper on their events. Holly isn’t shocked that Abby “lost” her passport–it’s an avoidance tactic so she doesn’t have to deal with the negative feedback swirling in Australia. Jessalyn isn’t ready to toast the other ladies given the fact that many people around the world alerted her to a leaked video of the ALDC girls making fun of JoJo during a recent trip to Ireland. Jill defends the actions as innocent fun, and Kira explains the girls that aren’t saying anything they haven’t already said to JoJo’s face. Holly finds the behavior deplorable, but the girls were just ribbing JoJo by imitating her speech impediment…even though JoJo wasn’t there to laugh “with them.” I’m trying not to get on my soapbox. I’m not a parent, but I did teach elementary school for several years. This whole “my kid isn’t responsible for their actions” BS is what is wrong with the younger generations. If my mom ever heard an inkling of me making fun of a friend, it would be discipline first, ask questions later!
Jill is quite the conundrum. She will praise Abby for building up Maddie’s career in one breath (hoping Kendall will be her next project) and then tear down the talented dancer with the next. Maddie and Melissa are filling in for an appearance that Abby is missing, and Melissa brings up the video of the girls making fun of JoJo. Maddie feels badly for her part in the video, and she wants to apologize to JoJo. She sees her teammates like additional sisters, and while they sometimes get on each other’s nerves, she loves them all so much. Maddie is worried about facing negative press in light of Australia’s collective opinion of the show. Back at rehearsal, Jessalyn questions if Melissa is concerned about Maddie’s performance given she missed practice. Kira and Jill follow up with the notion that Maddie continues to do the same types of dances and turns…she’s not really growing as a dancer. Melissa refuses to take the bait, regardless of how much Jill tries to instigate between her and Kira.
At dress rehearsal, the girls and moms are in awe of the set. Maddie is thrilled to share such a big venue with her teammates. It will be their biggest team performance to date. Abby has given up her passport search in lieu of baked goods, and she’s still trying to micromanage Gia and her teaching skills from across the globe. Holly reminds the mothers that they need to promote the team with a united front to rise above the country’s negative feelings towards Abby. The girls are so great, and they can be defined separately from hateful Abby. Speaking of the wretched one, who is shocked that Abby manages to make it to Sydney the day of the Astra Awards. Melissa swoops her from the airport, and Abby is livid to find the moms wanting to bother her as she preps for the evening. In an effort to be proactive, Holly shares that Nia will be performing a concert in Melbourne, but Jill sees it as an ambush. Abby wants to make sure that there will be no mention of the ALDC in anything Nia does.
Gia is terrified of Abby’s reaction to the number. Abby arrives to the final rehearsal with a head full of curlers, all set to critique. The moms think the routine is amazing, but Abby is set on giving her corrections. Admittedly, I know nothing about dance, but Abby’s commentary seems incredibly constructive. Of course, Jill wonders why Abby just can’t leave well enough alone. Why stress out the girls right before their big night? Before their big number, the girls will be walking the red carpet, but before the red carpet, Abby explains that because of the success of Aussie Sia’s videos featuring Maddie, the Astras were quick to invite her to perform. As the manager to some (side eye to Holly) of her ALDC team, she convinced the producers to allow all of her girls to be a part of the show even though they only really wanted Maddie. Hey, it’s a pep talk when it’s coming from Abby. She should really consider being a motivational speaker. Kendall is excited to be on the red carpet even though it’s all about Maddie with a little Nia thrown in for good measure. After this awards show, Holly and Jess and their girls have been blacklisted from the other ALDC private events. Melissa warns them not to show up because she doesn’t want any trouble as they have paying customers coming to see their daughters. No matter how many times Holly assures Melissa that she won’t come where she isn’t invited, Melissa keeps harping on how unprofessional it would be for their fans to see a mom fight. Memo received, Melissa.
Maddie and the girls of the Abby Lee Dance Company are introduced, and the moms are beaming with pride. The dance is great, although it’s a bit hard to follow due to editing and the size of the stage. Abby hisses about JoJo’s timing backstage, and then poor Maddie falls out of a turn. Jill is thankful that it isn’t a competition because her mistake would have cost them the win. After the performance, Abby criticizes JoJo’s timing and states she couldn’t see if Nia implemented her corrections due to her spot backstage. Gia interjects that Nia did exactly as Abby told her to do. Jessalyn is peeved that Abby will call out JoJo’s minor flaw without mentioning Maddie’s huge flub. Feeling that someone needs to call attention to it, Jill pretends to care about Maddie’s feelings, asking her why she looks so sad and reminding her that despite that awful turning sequence, she’s the reason they are all here. Am I the only one who thinks Jill’s intentions weren’t pure with her “sympathy”? Jill’s concern causes Maddie to flee the room in tears. Holly wonders why it’s okay for Maddie to cry knowing that Abby would ream any dancer for shedding a tear. I just feel badly that Maddie is getting it from all sides. Can’t we all just get along?
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? WAS ABBY’S LOST PASSPORT TOTALLY STAGED? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE MADDIE DOUBLE STANDARD?
[Photo Credit: Lifetime]
