‘Dance Moms’ recap: "On-Again, Off-Again, Abby"

This week on Dance Moms, Abby showed up for some of the time, but ultimately left the team abandoned once again as the ALDC girls competed against Candy Apples.
Before the first practice of the week, Melissa stopped by Abby’s house to see what was going on. Abby, in a bathrobe and hair towel, told Melissa that she didn’t know if she’s going to make it this week because her elderly mom is not doing well. When Melissa pleaded that Maddie needed her there, Abby snapped, saying that her sick mother needs her more.
When Melissa got to the studio, the other moms, especially Christi were outraged at Melissa’s “secret meeting” with Abby. The moms grilled Melissa if Abby said anything about nationals, and Melissa relented that Abby said Maddie would have a nationals solo, which send the moms into a frenzy.
Whe Abby didn’t show up, Gianna was in charge of the team again. At least Abby left some instructions for her this week. Along with the group dance, Chloe would have a solo, and Asia and Mackenzie would be doing a duet.
Meanwhile at Candy Apples, Cathy’s team was preparing to compete, too. Cathy changed her team’s lineup yet again. She kicked off Anthony as choreographer, and this week’s dancers included Zach, Mari, Kaya, Hadley, and Lucas. As well as a group dance, Cathy gave Zach a solo that she hoped would beat Chloe.
The next day at ALDC when Abby still wasn’t there, the moms suggested they could leave a trail of hamburgers from Abby’s house to studio. That would surely bring her to dance class! It turned out that the fast food trail wasn’t needed, though, because halfway into practice, in strutted Abby. After yelling at Brooke and Paige, but ultimately letting them stay, and then fighting with Christi, Abby was ready to work on the group dance.
Candy Apples was working on their group dance too. With Anthony gone, dance mom Yvette decided to jump in and help Cathy with the choreography. Cathy wasn’t sure about Yvette’s takeover, saying, “I’m happy if Yvette wants to pitch in, but ultimately it’s my dance studio!”
Abby hopped on the bus to go to the competition with the girls, but the day of the competition she was nowhere to be found. Abby called Gianna saying she couldn’t make it, with no further explanation.
Mackenzie and Asia’s duet, entitled “We Hit Hard,” was first on stage. In the sassy routine, Asia Mackenzie “faced off” against each other in a pseudo cat fight/ dance competition. Abby entered the duet to decide which girl would have a mini solo at nationals. Although both girls put on an incredible performance, Abby, of course, wasn’t there to see it.
Zach’s solo, “Rescue,” was very graceful, and showed off what a talented dancer he is. Chloe’s lyrical solo was great too, though. The dance was suppose to be a test if Chloe was nationals material, but just like the duet, Abby wasn’t there to see it.
In Candy Apples’ group dance, “Phoenix Rising,” the girls wore beautiful orange and red costumes with the boys in black pants. The choreography was a vast improvement from Anthony’s too cluttered routines.
The ALDC group routine, “Black and Blue” was a dark contemporary piece. All the girls were in black dresses except for Maddie who was in blue, and had one black eye. The girls danced really well together, and Maddie’s expressions were very moving in her featured part.
Only awards would tell if Candy Apples or ALDC came out on top! Mackenzie and Asia’s duet earned first place. In the solo division, Zach came in second and Chloe in first. Similarly in the small group category, Candy Apples came in second and ALDC came in first.
When the Candy Apples and ALDC moms ran into each other after the show, the cat claws came out. Cathy smugly claimed that she choreographed all the routines by herself, which send Yvette storming off in tears. Yvette cried that she helped too, and she wasn’t given any credit or respect! Cathy was frazzled, saying, “I thought by getting rid of Anthony, I would get rid of the drama, but I traded yelling for weeping.”
When the ALDC moms called Abby to celebrate their clean sweep, Abby didn’t want to hear it. “I know. I already talked to the girls, you ding-dongs,” she said flatly before hanging up.
Will Abby make it to a full week of practice next week? We’ll find out next Tuesday at 9/8c!