[MUSIC PLAYING]
What if you did brush, whack, threw that leg behind you,
use your momentum on the verge?
It's a very difficult piece.
It's about women on the verge of a breakdown,
and I think the kids are going to do
a great job with this piece.
Take your body.
Lower your left shoulder.
Come on. Think.
Figure out what you're doing.
Why can't you stay there?
You know what's kind of funny?
I've never seen Abby put anybody, like, third spot
on the pyramid like she did Maddie for being too perfect.
(LAUGHING) Did anybody else catch that?
I mean, it's weird because Maddie
should have been at the top, but every week it's something.
Excuse me.
Melissa, did you really just say Maddie should have
been at the top of the pyramid?
You know, I know you're freaking out because Maddie
didn't get the "Broadway Baby" solo or any solo
for that matter.
Maybe all that poop scooping really didn't pay off, did it?
Because Nia is the one doing the solo.
I'm really happy for Nia that she has a solo.
That's an enormous responsibility to do
a tribute for "Broadway Baby."
It better be good and perfect because she
will hold her to it.
Really?
These moms are too much.
Holly's been begging for a solo for months.
Now Nia has a solo, and now it's too much responsibility.
Asia can dance with any subject matter with no complaints
because she's a professional. - Slow down.
Slow down.
She's seven.
You're 15.
You're in charge.
If you can't do this to her-- come here.
If you can't do this and slow her down, you're not a leader.
Brooke wasn't a leader.
I needed her to step up and take charge of this team,
and she didn't.
Sorry I have to go here.
I just don't think-- once you've left three times,
there's got to be a time where you leave,
and you are not welcomed back.
Being on the elite competition team
is a great opportunity for any dancer
and Kelly is not going to take that away from my daughter.
Not one of you women feel just a tad bit upset
that she constantly picks up and leaves this team?
Well, Leslie you're also just desperate to be on the team.
So say what you mean.
You don't like me?
Leslie better be careful.
You know, she's really not a member of this team,
and the last thing she wants to do is make an enemy out of me.
OK, Kristen.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, look who's calling me.
Kelly.
(SWEETLY) Oh!
- Hello. - Hey, Kel.
Hello.
What you doing?
Oh.
All right. Well, I'm there.
MELISSA: I know Kelly is still mad at me
because I didn't speak up to Abby when she pulled Paige's
solo from the recital and pushed Maddie into doing hers,
but I had to do what I had to do.
Can we talk you into coming back?
- Well, that's nice of you. - Thanks for the invitation.
- Bye. - All right.
Bye, Kel.
Bye,
Melissa, do you feel bad that Kelly didn't invite you over?
Of course.
I mean, I've been her friend for years, so it hurts me.
But--
I'm hurt too.
But she doesn't know you're here.
- I'm jagging, Melissa. - Oh.
You think Kelly would invite me over?
Oh.
(DOING A FUNNY IMITATION) I didn't
get invited to Kelly's house.
Well, you were a jerk to her kids.
Maybe there's a reason.
Maybe she wants to talk about something.
It's not like her just to identify
just, like, one or two people.
She knows that Melissa's close with Abby.
It's OK. It's her choice.
It's her house.
Hey, guys.
How's it going?
What the cat dragged in.
Ah!
Chloe, you just screwed that up.
Sloppy feet.
Are you ladies going to go to Kelly's and talk about oh,
Leslie's there.
We miss Brooke, and we want Brooke back.
Are you going to do that? Is that what you're going to do?
Are you paranoid about that?
I'm fine sitting in Kelly's seat for now.
I'm going to try to keep the seat for as long
as I can if not forever.
So we'll see where it goes from here.
I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying.
I don't care if Brooke and Paige come back.
But you're really not on the team, you know.
I mean, you're only here to fill in,
and you keep saying you're OK with filling in.
And then, all of a sudden, you say, oh, no.
I'm here to stay.
And this must be deja vu because I've
been here many of times, and you keep telling me I'm not on.
But you're not on the team, Leslie.
I'm on the team. I have traveled with you.
No, you're traveling with the team.
You're not on the team.
If you were on the team, Abby would
have given you the jacket.
Oh, no, no.
I'm in Kelly's seat today.
Why are you in Kelly's seat?
You still have me on the end.
I wanted to sit there.
Well, get here!
Kelly's seat is on the end.
I could not see my daughter yesterday.
Oh, wha, wha, wha.
If I were Leslie, I would just shut up and be happy
that I was here for the moment.
I think you guys are lucky, though.
I would love and die for Payton to be
getting this special attention.
All these critiques are better than no attention at all.
My name is Leslie, and I beg, beg, beg for my daughter,
Payton, to be on the team.
And blah, blah, blah.
And I annoy the crap out of everyone.
Chloe, let's see.
Come here.
If Chloe drops that fan, I'm moving to South America.
Here you are complaining again.
No, Leslie.
I'm not complaining.
All I said was if Chloe drops the fan,
I'm moving to South America because of what happened
when she dropped the hat.
But you wouldn't know because you weren't here
because you're not really on the team.
No, I am on the team. I'm here.
You're speaking to me.
I'm on this team.
You weren't on this team back then.
But I am now.
Oh, this is tiny, tiny, tiny.
The last time we talked, you guys
were getting ready to leave for Kelly's house.
What happened there?
- Oh, you didn't hear? - No.
Kelly's here.
Today, here?
Yeah.
Why?
The fact of the matter is Kelly
and her kids are part of the team.
No.
Let's get something straight.
The Abby Lee Dance Company has one president, and it's me.
I roll this Abby Lee Dance Company.
When you have a quarterback that's old,
and they've had a good run, and you have a new kid sitting
on the bench, you got to cut the quarterback loose,
and you got to go with the new rookie.
This is The Abby Lee Dance Company.
It's my company.
It's not up to them who becomes a member.
It's nice to have you here, Kelly.
It really is. - Thank you.
Leslie says you're not a part of the team
anymore because you left.
It's really not up to Leslie, (LAUGHING) is it?
But I'm in your seat, and you're not.
So--
Thanks for keeping it warm for me.
If you come back, that doesn't mean we're getting kicked off?
You know what, Leslie?
I'm going to continue to do it as long as Abby treats
my kids the way she does.
You are hurting my daughter.
What am I doing to Payton?
[ARGUING]
--with my team members, and they want me here.
I am more a part of this team than you will ever.
No, you're not. You're a friend.
You're a habit that's hard to break.
Well, maybe you should ask them.
If you're going to leave, leave.
- Everybody did fabulous. - OK.
Thank you, Kelly.
And I'll watch the group dance.
Thank you.
And I will be supporting Payton whether you believe me
or not.
LESLIE: We all have our own opinion
on what happened out there.
And my opinion is, I thought it was wrong for her to show up.
It makes my daughter and I uncomfortable.
It was unnecessary.
I'm mad if Kelly gets back on this team.
Our opportunity to travel with Abby
is going to be taken away from us again,
and I don't want that.
I don't want that.
I want more than that for my daughter, Payton.
Taking the stage now is entry number 79.
Here they are with "On The Verge."
[CHEERS, APPLAUSE]
[SHANNON NICOLE, "ON THE VERGE"]
(SINGING) You wouldn't mess with a child's mind.
You wouldn't be unkind.
Single file down the aisle, you're
the reason that they made this rule,
to protect us from that smile.
This pain is anything but my own because we're all
not as strong as we pretend.
We only bend to be.
You wouldn't mess with a child's mind.
You wouldn't be unkind.
[CHEERS, APPLAUSE]
I think they did a nice job, but the choreography
was very intricate.
Sometimes simple and clean is better than
difficult and sloppy.
Fourth place, entry number 79, "On The Verge."
[CHEERS, APPLAUSE]
Fourth place?
The only thing worse than fourth place
would be Kelly crashing the competition.
I think I've had enough.
It's time for me to go home.
So what we think of the number, ladies?
- I liked it. - I thought it was really good.
It was.
Thank you.
This is Payton's second week now with the team.
CHRISTI: Not on the team with the team.
Just saying.
It's very difficult. Coming into you ladies, you ladies
have this pack.
And it's known.
You've run quite a few people off,
including myself a few times.
When you're here, I'm not here because that's
the reason you're here is replacing Brooke.
Why be here then if you know this is happening with Abby?
Because I'm part of this team, and my kids
are part of this team.
And we're going to be part of this team,
whether Abby likes it or not.
CHRISTI: The truth is we're really not a team
without Kelly and her girls.
And frankly, I'm afraid to go to nationals without them.
I want them back.
You wouldn't like me on this team anyway,
though, because I would do everything for my kid.
I won't hurt your kids, but if my child gets an opportunity,
I'm taking it.
We're not just raising dancers, we're raising people.
No matter how much I want Nia to succeed in life,
if she's not a good person, then I have failed.
And that might be the reason why Leslie
doesn't quite fit in here.
Even Melissa and Jill, the biggest dance moms,
around want more for their daughters than stardom or fame.
I'd rather be who I am and be not a success on Broadway
because I can look myself in a mirror
when they dance on a stage.
When opportunity comes knocking,
you better take advantage of it.
What kind of kid are you raising?
I want my daughter to have this.
Shame on you.
OK, well I'm going to be open right now.
I'm tired of this chit chat.
And if my daughter doesn't get a solo,
then I'll leave and take the next opportunity
and work in LA.
I'm tired of this chat. - Why are you leaving?
I'm just tired of this chat.
All the fighting, the complaining, the unhappiness,
I just had enough.
Peace!
[MUSIC PLAYING]