Dance Moms, the only show on lifetime worth watching. Only looking at the title and not ever seeing an episode of Dance Moms would most likely lead people to the conclusion that this show is only about moms of dancers. In reality (see what I did there) the show really focuses mostly on the dancers and a little bit on the moms. Abby Lee Miller is the owner of the ALDC (Abby Lee Dance Company) and some people might say she’s mean and cruel while others say its constructive criticism. Abby teaches 6 kids, Maddie Ziegler, Mackenzie Ziegler, Nia Sioux Frazier, Kendall Vertes, Jojo Siwa, and Kalani Hilliker.
Only 2 moms and 3 kids are from the original cast and that is Dr. Holly Frazier who is Nia’s mom, and Melissa Ziegler-Gisoni who is Maddie, and Mackenzie’s mom. The other moms are Jill Vertes who is Kendall’s mom, Kira Girard who is Kalani’s mom and Jessalyn Siwa who is Jojo’s mom. This show is all about the kids learning to dance so they can do solos and group dances at competitions. This might seem a little boring if people aren’t dance enthusiast but like every good reality TV how there is always drama. Over the seasons new moms and kids have came and old moms and kids have left.
People might be left wondering why and there is only one answer to be given, Abby Lee Miller. There are many people that agree that Dance Moms is a quality Reality TV show, but there are also many that believe it is not a quality Reality TV show at all. Dance Moms does not meet the criteria of a quality Reality TV but its still a good show to watch. The first criteria reality TV shows should have is to be based on real emotions and it’s not scripted. Dance Moms has been called scripted not one time but twice. The crazy thing is that it wasn’t by people that watch the show, but by the cast themselves.
The first time the show was called scripted was by Kelly Hyland, the mom of Brooke and Paige Hyland who used to dance and be on the show. Extra footage of season three episode “Recital Rebellion” was released on YouTube where Abby yells, “Get a clue. It’s a TV show. We’re filming. Wake up! ” (Schumann, Rebecka. ) at Kelly when Kelly accuses Abby of not following the studios policy to which Kelly yells, “This is a set-up! You see how scripted the show is? You see how scripted it is? ” (Schumann, Rebecka. ) then “I can’t wait for America to see how abusive Abby Lee Miller really is. (Schumann, Rebecka. ) The second time the show was called scripted was by Abby’s favorite Maddie Ziegler.
In an interview with USA today she said, “It’s hard to do a reality show when there’s so much crying and drama. The producers set it up to make us all yell at each other” (Schumann, Rebecka. ) and she also said “You know how I said that moms do fight? The moms have to fake a fight sometimes,” (Schumann, Rebecka. ) and “Afterward they just start talking and laugh about it” (Schumann, Rebecka. ). Reality T. V. shows are called reality TV because it’s supposed to be real not scripted.
The second criteria for a quality reality TV show is that it needs to follow the characters life with most of the things they do and actually show their lives. On the show Dance Moms the girls are only showed at the studio or at a dance competition but not at home or anywhere else. It shows day 1 to day 2 and so on till competition day and doesn’t even show them leaving the dance studio nor at home. If they do happen to show a scene at one of the girl’s house it is of one of the moms doing something but not of the girls doing anything.
On seasons threes episode 32 “The Dancing Dead” Christie, Holly, and Jill are all at Kelly’s house talking and the kids are nowhere in site. In Keeping up with the Kardashians, the main characters have filmed everything they do like at home, when they go to eat, at a friends house, and when they go on vacation. Only showing the girls at dance isn’t showing their whole real life, its only showing apart of it and that’s not what reality TV is about. When people watch a reality TV show they want to watch peoples drama filled lives not just one part.
The third criteria for a quality reality TV show is that it should be unpredictable. On the show Dance Moms the out come of who is getting a solo, who’s at the top of the pyramid and who will win the competition is almost always predictable. In season 3 episode 3 “But I’m a National Champion” the group gets first place, and then on episode 4 of season 3 “Liar Liar Dance Mom on Fire” they also get first place. The girls usually get first or second place at competition every episode so it’s a very predictable show because people almost always know the outcome of the show.
The fourth criteria a good quality reality TV show has to have a natural environment like them being at home or doing fun things or even the kids doing their homework. In Dance Moms all they are ever at is the dance studio or a dance competition. One second people see the girls practicing then like magic they are at the competition like in season 3 episode 10 “ All’s Fair in Love and War” it doesn’t show how they got there or the ride they took to get there it just shows them at the competition. Sometimes they will have a little fun like they did getting to perform on the view on season 3 episode 17 “The View from the Top”.
Dance Moms makes it seem like all the kids do is eat sleep, and breath dance and not having any fun. The kids most likely have a normal life where they do other things besides dance but nobody ever gets to see that. The show would be better if people were aloud to see them in their everyday setting. People can count the times they have seen the girls having fun in a natural setting that has nothing to do with dancing. The girls only being either at the dance studio or at a competition and not in any natural setting that shows what their life is outside of dance is like the dance studio and competition places a set.
In a reality TV show there should be multiple places that people see and they change often since that is the whole point of reality TV, which is to show a person, people, or a families real lives in a natural changing environment. Some people actually think that Dance Moms is a quality reality TV show. The first criteria people believe Dance Moms meets is that there is more than one setting that the characters are in. They use the dance studio for practice, travel to dance competitions in different cities and states, and sometimes are at the girls’ houses. The thing they don’t understand is that none of that is natural.
The kids whole life is not based on dance they do other things besides that, but people just don’t get to see it. People also try to argue that they use real emotions because they say nobody can fake real feeling like they did. Dance Moms might be a good and entreating show but that doesn’t make it a quality reality TV show. In order for a TV show to be considered as a quality reality TV show it has to have certain criteria. In Dance Moms the show does not meet some of the most important things that a quality reality TV show should have. The first thing it does not have is real emotions.
The fights the moms have on the show are scripted according to maddie Ziegler. The second thing the does not do is show the dancers full lives. The only thing seen on camera is them at the dance studio or them at a dance competition. Nobody will ever know if the girls live are actually interesting because nobody gets to see them. Another thing is that the show is very predictable. There are hardly any surprises in the show. Everybody knows maddie will get a solo and win and the group will win. Dance Moms is a good and entertaining show to watch its just not a quality TV show to watch.
