The reality TV landscape is often filled with shows vying for attention, but few capture the family-friendly demographic quite like Dance Moms. On the surface, it seems like the perfect show to watch with your kids. However, beneath the glitter and costumes, Dance Moms season 6, and the show in general, often presents a whirlwind of interpersonal conflicts, bullying accusations, and questionable parenting moments, all centered around the intense world of competitive dance. Even with these reservations, many viewers, including myself, find themselves drawn into the drama week after week.
SPOILER ALERT: Proceed with caution if you haven’t watched the season 6 premiere of Dance Moms.
Please note: This review discusses the episode before Abby Lee Miller’s legal issues regarding bankruptcy fraud became public knowledge within the show’s narrative.
Season 6 of Dance Moms kicks off with the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) back in Los Angeles, reeling from a significant loss at Nationals against rival Jeanette’s team. The episode opens with the girls, minus Maddie Ziegler (who is notably absent filming a movie), entering the ALDC studio on hoverboards – a fleeting moment of levity before Abby Lee Miller unleashes her displeasure. Abby immediately berates the team for their Nationals defeat, announcing a strict ban on outside activities, including auditions and other performance opportunities. The focus, she declares, must be solely on dance.
This announcement is met with understandable resistance from the mothers. They question the apparent double standard: why is Maddie, Abby’s star pupil, allowed to pursue external projects while the other girls are restricted? Abby’s vague and somewhat convoluted explanation does little to appease the moms, and it’s clear the favoritism towards Maddie remains a central tension. Adding fuel to the fire, Abby introduces Brynn Rumfallo, a new dancer who Abby explicitly positions as potential competition for Maddie’s top spot. The swift, visceral reaction from my own children mirrored what many viewers likely felt. When asked about Brynn, they immediately voiced their disapproval: “I don’t like her,” they stated plainly, “because she barged in, and her mom is annoying.” This immediate dislike highlights the established loyalties within the Dance Moms universe and the inherent resistance to newcomers disrupting the dynamic.
This week’s competition pits the ALDC once again against Jeanette’s team, raising the stakes and pre-existing rivalries. Brynn is awarded a solo, a decision that ignites Jill Vertes’ notorious temper. Jill’s over-the-top reaction and public embarrassment of her daughter, Kendall, further solidifies her role as a primary source of mom-drama. Abby’s harsh critique of Kendall, labeling her a “hot mess,” pushes Jill to her breaking point, and in a dramatic moment, they declare they are quitting the ALDC – a mere 18 minutes into the season premiere.
The ALDC group dance, “Boy in the Plastic Bubble,” introduces a bizarre and memorable performance concept. JoJo Siwa is encased in a large plastic bubble while the other dancers perform around her. During the rehearsal, a moment of genuine panic ensues when the team struggles to get JoJo out of the bubble. The episode cuts to commercial, leaving viewers in suspense and, in my household, prompting genuine concern from my kids about JoJo’s well-being. The commercial break is filled with anxious speculation about JoJo’s fate within the plastic bubble. Thankfully, upon the show’s return, JoJo is safely extracted, and the bubble-related drama subsides – for now.
In a predictable turn of events, Jill and Kendall reappear roughly twenty minutes into the episode. However, their return is contingent on a lengthy lecture from Abby, who, unsurprisingly, places the blame for the earlier outburst squarely on Jill’s shoulders. This cyclical pattern of drama, departure, and return is a hallmark of Dance Moms, reinforcing the tumultuous environment the young dancers navigate.
Further fueling the episode’s tension, Brynn’s mother, Ashlee, discovers that Brynn’s solo will be directly competing against Gavin, Jeanette’s talented male dancer. Melissa Gisoni, Maddie and Mackenzie’s mother, makes a cringeworthy comment about Gavin potentially receiving “penis points” from the judges, adding another layer of awkwardness to the episode, especially when watching with children. My daughters, despite their ALDC loyalty, voiced their prediction that Gavin would outperform Brynn, stating, “I don’t like Brynn, and I don’t like her mom. She called Maddie’s mom a coward, and she’s the coward!” This again emphasizes the children’s strong emotional investment in the established cast and their resistance to perceived antagonists. Adding another layer of competition, Jeanette’s team announces their intention to perform the same dance routine that the ALDC performed at Nationals, promising to demonstrate how it should be done.
The dance competition unfolds, and Gavin delivers a strong performance. My daughter, echoing her earlier sentiment, admits, “Even though I love the ALDC, I want Gavin to win because I don’t like Brynn.” This highlights the extent to which personal biases, fueled by the show’s manufactured drama, can influence viewers’ perceptions of the competition itself.
Both Abby and Jeanette’s teams perform amidst further backstage drama, including a near disqualification for Jeanette’s team – a plot point that ultimately resolves without major consequence. When asked to predict the winner, my daughters remained steadfast in their preference for the familiar, stating, “I don’t like Brynn. I just want Maddie back.” The episode culminates in Brynn winning the solo competition, and the ALDC securing victory in the group dance. The episode concludes with a somewhat cryptic and tearful statement from Abby: “I feel like I am in shackles.” This seemingly out-of-context remark foreshadows Abby Lee Miller’s impending legal battles, referencing the fraud charges filed against her in October of the previous year, for which she had pleaded not guilty in November. This real-world legal drama adds a layer of unintended irony to Abby’s on-screen struggles.
Ultimately, the season 6 premiere of Dance Moms successfully re-establishes the show’s core elements: intense competition, interpersonal drama, and Abby Lee Miller’s demanding and often controversial coaching style. For my children, the episode’s central focus became Brynn and her mother. Their immediate and strong reactions underscore the power of established character dynamics in reality television and the audience’s emotional investment in these narratives. Despite the questionable behavior and manufactured conflicts, the episode, and indeed the show itself, retains a certain addictive quality. Perhaps, as viewers, we are drawn to the displays of loyalty, however skewed, that emerge amidst the chaos. Or perhaps, like my daughters and myself, we simply remain invested in the ongoing saga of the ALDC, drama and all, eagerly anticipating what the rest of Dance Moms season 6 has in store.
