‘Dance Moms’ recap: The Big, Not So, Easy

On the season finale of Dance Moms, the ALDC and Candy Apples teams headed to New Orleans for Nationals. The dancers and their mothers fought till the finish for a spot on the stage and a national title, but some unexpected twists helped to decide which of Abby’s girls would and would not perform.

The teams were already in New Orleans to prepare for the big day, and Abby started off practice with pyramid. On the bottom tier were Paige, Nia, Brooke, Kendall, and Payton. Jill was immediately mad – Kendall won the duet with Maddie last week, so why was she on the bottom? On the next tier were Chloe, Asia, and Mackenzie. Maddie had the top spot again. Abby told Maddie that she performed so well last week that the duet could have been a solo, at which Jill rolled her eyes.

As well as a group dance, everyone would be learning solos, although only a few would perform. Brooke and Payton would learn the same dance, Kendall and Chloe would learn the same dance, Asia and Mackenzie would learn the same dance, and Maddie, Paige, and Nia would learn the same dance.

Over at the Candy Apples rehearsal, Cathy brought in a new choreographer to replace Anthony. Blake McGrath, who has worked with Madonna and Britney Spears, would be making the dance this week. Blake admitted this would be a challenging week for the apples, because they’ve never done his style before, and they would have to learn it for nationals.

While the ALDC girls were practicing, their moms decided to hit the town for drinks and gossip. While out, Kelly insisted that it’s not fair to the girls that half of them will be learning solos they can’t perform. Christi said she just hoped Abby doesn’t give a solo to Payton, and Kelly agreed. Kelly argued that Brooke is a team member and Payton is not, and Brooke is a national title holder and Payton is not. Leslie retorted back that Payton deserved a chance to show her dedication and hard work. As they left the restaurant, Leslie called Christi a drunk and before we knew what was happening, a cat fight was ragin. The women threw drinks at each other before clawing at the other’s faces. A man from the outside had to step in and drag the ladies apart.
The next day at practice, Kristie Rae couldn’t take any more of the mama drama and decided to pull her daughter out of the competition. Kristie and Asia had already decided not to do competitive dance next season because Asia had so many opportunities in LA, so they decided to duck out early instead of enduring more dance moms wrath.

Abby cried when she said goodbye to Asia, and after hearing about the physical fight the night before, she was mad. Abby called all the moms into the studio and reprimanded them for driving another dancer away. Then, she told Christi and Leslie to take their daughters and leave. Because of their mothers’ embarrassing behavior, Chloe and Payton would not be performing at Nationals.
With three dancers gone, that meant that solos would go to Mackenzie and Kendall. Abby decided that even though Payton was nixed, Brooke would not be doing a solo. The third solo would, no surprise, go to Maddie.

On competition day, Candy Apples noticed that the ALDC team was missing a few of its members. This boosted Cathy’s confidence even more. The ALDC wasn’t ready to give up so fast, though. As Abby said, “There’s no better revenge than victory.”

Mackenzie’s solo was first up. The jazz style routine was entitled “Doctor, Doctor,” and Mackenzie wore a white top and skirt with red hearts. We could tell that the routine was definitely choreographed for Asia, not Mackenzie, with all the butt shaking and attitude that Abby wrote in. Nonetheless, Mackenzie did a phenomenal job.

Kendall’s solo also looked like it was meant for Chloe and not her, but Kendall did great anyway. Her jazz routine entitled “Voodoo Doll” involved a striking black leotard with a long ruffle on the side. Kendall’s performance was beautiful and showed off an incredible turn sequence, which Kendall nailed.

Maddie’s breathtaking lyrical solo was last. Maddie performed in a white costume to a powerful acapella version of “Amazing Grace.” Abby raved, “She was an angel on that stage.”

Candy Apple’s group dance was the next to take the stage. The number, entitled “Voodoo,” had really impressive choreography from Blake. The dancers wore black doll-inspired costumes and definitely gave Abby a run for her money.
ALDC’s group dance was a tribute to the Hurricane Katrina victims. They looked like southern bells in their pink dresses, and they danced to cleaner but simpler choreography than Candy Apples.

Finally, it was time for awards. Mackenzie came in second in her solo. In the junior category, Kendall also earned second, and Maddie came in first, earning the national title. In the small group category, Candy Apples earned second, and ALDC earned the national title.

Cathy was not pleased. She grumbled, “It’s back to the drawing table.” As for Abby, she congratulated the girls before telling them that her mother isn’t well and she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to do this again. What exactly does “this” mean? Is Abby abandoning the team? We’ll have to wait until next season to find out.