This time on Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, the dancers learned that anything can happen during this week’s theme – the unconventional. The competitors battled Abby and then performed with some interesting props, but craziest of all, one of the moms got to choose the bottom three for elimination!
When the dancers lined up for this week’s challenge, Abby said that the theme would be “the unconventional.” She explained that there would be surprises thrown at them left and right, and to start, she called out Kalani – the dancer who was eliminated at the end of the last episode. Abby shocked everyone when she pulled out her “callback card” and announced she was using it to bring Kalani back into the competition.
Kalani and the other dancers were then thrown right into the unconventional challenge. After they learned a martial arts inspired combination, they had to perform it while trying to get past the choreographer and Abby, who were brandishing long sticks. If they got hit with the stick, they were out!
McKaylee forgot a jump when it was her turn, but Abby decided to let her try it again. Dance mom Cindy was angry that Abby was going to give McKaylee a second chance, but not anyone else. Cindy yelled at Abby, who later commented “I really wanted to take that stick and shove it down [Cindy’s] throat.”
Kalani and Trinity were the last two left, but Trinity won the challenge because she made good eye contact while she was dancing. As the challenge prize, Trinity’s mom, Tina, would get to choose the bottom three dancers who would face elimination.
As Tina deliberated on whom she would choose, the competitors started learning the choreography for their dances. Each one involved performing on or around a strange prop. In the rehearsal for McKaylee and Ally’s duet, Ally’s mom, Tiffany, complained that the choreography was too fast. The choreographer was so fed up that she threw both of the moms out of the practice room (after Abby encouraged her to do so, or course)!
Finally, it was performance night. “I don’t want to see them play it safe,” was all Abby hoped for the dances.
First up was a dance entitled “Walk the Plank,” featuring JoJo, Haley, and Trinity. The girls wore pirate inspired costumes and had to dance on blocks through the entire performance. Abby was disappointed in Trinity – even though she shined in the challenge, she choked on stage. Richy thought JoJo was her sassy self, but Haley looked like she was about to fall.
The next performance was a duo with Ally and McKaylee called “Tangled Web.” The girls portrayed spiders in black, torn, unitards, as they crawled from a prop that represented a spider web at the back of the stage. The pair did not dance in sync for part of the routine, and the judges noticed. Abby told them that the duet was not cohesive. She also thought that McKaylee needed a personality and Ally needed technique. When Ally admitted she only started ballet classes this year, Abby was horrified.
Kalani and Gianna’s duet, “Twisted,” was my favorite of the night. The duo danced with a long silver piece of silk fabric, twisting themselves in and out of it. Abby, Richy, and Rachelle all loved the dance. Watch the video below and see if you love it for yourself.
The final dance was Tyler and Travis’s duet, “Top of the Pyramid.” The brothers danced to rock music and climbed up and down a climbing wall prop on stage. I wasn’t a big fan of this dance, and the judges agreed. Abby thought they played it too safe with the prop, and Richy agreed that they weren’t going for it. Rachelle thought that Travis was a little safe, but that the pair showed “boy power” nonetheless.
The performances were finished, and it was time for Tina to choose the bottom three. Tina was really stressed about the pressure, saying, “It breaks my heart that I have to do this.”
She ended up making her decision based on the dancers’ performances and the judge’s feedback, choosing the three weakest dancers for the bottom three. Tina could have picked the three strongest dancers in order to weed out her daughter’s competition, but she decided to play fair instead.
Tina chose Ally, McKaylee, and Haley to face elimination. The judges deliberated, and decided that out of those three dancers, they would send Haley home. Haley and her mom Melanie both cried when Abby said today wasn’t their day.
Next week on Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, the dancers will take on Broadway. Catch the episode Tuesday at 9/8c on Lifetime.
Image: Youtube Screenshot