ABBY LEE MILLER: This week you will be traveling
to Syracuse, New York.
The competition is intensely dance.
The group routine is called "Gone Too Soon."
And of course, we're referring to all those Hollywood tragics.
Nia, you will portray Whitney Houston.
Kendall, I want to see the sass and spunk of Selena.
You are not playing Selena Gomez.
I'm talking about the Grammy winning, Latin artist, Selena.
Brooke will be inspired by Amy Winehouse.
Paige, Anna Nicole Smith.
Ooh!
Your buddy, Chloe, will portray Marilyn Monroe.
No!
It's not fair.
And Maddie, who else is there but Princess Di.
This week the routine is entitled "Gone Too Soon."
This is a contemporary routine.
It has very intricate timing.
And it's also characterization.
These girls need to become one with their character.
And they better bring it on, because everybody
in that audience, including the judges,
needs to easily recognize their character.
Do your homework!
Look on the internet!
Google it!
Figure it out!
Or maybe just one of you will be gone too soon from the Abby Lee
Dance Company.
But what should we have Abby be?
Ursula! She's Ursula.
The sea witch. - Oh!
Ursula was the octopus.
The big black--
Uh, she feels she's Ursula.
Oh golly!
ABBY LEE MILLER: Guys, come on!
We're getting on a bus.
We're going tomorrow.
The group number is fine choreographically,
but I don't see that skill of characterization
shining through.
And the competition exit--
that was a hot mess.
Chloe, you need to make sure your that way
a little bit more.
Put your feet, Paige, in the middle of the stage!
Foot underneath you!
Some of the kids are still trying to remember
what step comes next.
Come on, kiddos.
You have been doing this for three years.
Foot underneath you!
[dramatic music playing]
OK ABBY LEE MILLER: All right.
Come on-- let me see these looks.
Let's go. - Woo!
Whitney!
ABBY LEE MILLER: This is it, ladies!
Now is the time to go out and prove how wonderful you are.
Go out and do what you were taught.
Now this group--
I'm a little worried about!
I don't understand why the kids aren't more
familiar with these characters.
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome, "Gone Too Soon."
[cheering and applause]
[music - "gone too soon"]
I hear echoes inside myself, banging the walls for help.
Eating at my heart, choking on the darkness outside myself.
It comes from inside of me, my reality.
No, I won't wait.
[cheering and applause]
ABBY LEE MILLER: The kids went out on stage to dance.
They looked beautiful.
Now, can I be honest?
The only person I watched was Maddie.
I was watching her face.
She was all over the place.
She was sad, and she was angry, and she was
haunting, all at the same time.
ANNOUNCER: And now for our Elite Junior Soloist--
first runner-up, with a score of 280.7 points,
is Miss Maddie with act number 13,
"You And Me Against The World."
I am livid. Second?
Are you serious?
ANNOUNCER: And your highest scoring Elite Junior Small
Group, with a score of 277.5 points,
is act number 86, "Gone Too Soon" from the Abby Lee Dance
Company. [cheering and applause]
The group just won first place and Abby can't even
bother to look up from her phone,
because she's so upset that Maddie got second place.
Oh boy!
Thank God that we won the first dance.
I know.
Oh I don't think Abby cares that the girls won.
The only thing she cares about is Maddie's solo.
I feel kind of bad that the girls probably
won't get to enjoy their win.