- I'm not a liar. - You are a liar!
You're the biggest liar
I've ever met in my whole entire life!
I'm Christi Lukasiak,
and on this episode of "Dance Moms Epic Showdowns."
- [Abby] What's wrong with you?
Why wouldn't you introduce yourself?
That's what your mother should say.
- Why are you doing this?
- Because you are a bad mother.
- [Holly] Jill is not bad mother.
- Nothing sets a dance mom off
more than someone who thinks they know
what's best for our kids.
- Your daughter's not always the victim.
- [Christi] And when everyone thinks they know best...
- And I think it'll be better for you
if Abby doesn't really see it in person.
- It's a recipe for disaster.
Why are you getting all bent out of shape?
Nobody asked you.
- Look at me when you talk.
- Excuse me?
- [bleep]
[dramatic music]
- [Leslie] I'll kick your ass.
- Bite me!
- [Tami] Honey, if I had lips the size of [bleep] Texas,
I would!
- [Abby] Hey, hey, hey!
- [Christi] This is Dance Moms Epic Showdowns:
Mother Knows Best.
- Don't look at your phone, watch your tongue.
You call me a [bleep] one more time...
- What, are you gonna hit me? - Watch your tongue.
[dramatic music]
- As dance moms, we knew what was best for our kids,
and we weren't shy about letting everyone else know.
- Don't you dare think I'm gonna listen to you
tell me what I can and cannot say.
- [Christi] And when it came to the team as a whole,
each one of us thought we knew best, which never ended well.
Like the time we took our kids ice skating
for some much-needed fun.
- [Jill] Here's a 2, who's a 2?
- [Christi] But Asia's mom, Kristie,
had to get all helicopter parent.
- [Child] Asia, Asia, why aren't you going?
- [Asia] I can't.
- [Child] Why?
- [Kristie] She's not allowed to.
- [Child] Why?
- [Kristie] Because she can't be hurt.
- [Christi] Well, nobody can be hurt.
- Well, I know. She's not going do it. She knows why.
- [Christi] Well, it's up to you.
You let your kids skate if they want to.
- [Kristie] No, I'm not playing their games.
I'm not playing there [bleep] game. You're not skating.
- Asia, you know why you can't skate.
[Kelly shrieking] [bleep]!
- [Melissa] Come on. Come on.
- [Jill] Chloe, I can turn like you!
- [Paige] Stand up!
[dramatic music]
- [Christi] Abby was the ultimate authority
when it came to the team and she punished all the kids
for ice skating, except for Asia.
- And you all are gonna do a hundred pushups.
Asia, she doesn't have to do the hundred pushups
'cause she didn't ice skate.
You were selfish, you were naive.
And you put this entire group in jeopardy.
I found out the girls went ice skating.
The Abby Lee Dance Company contract is very specific.
No ice skating. These are things that protect
your child as well as the group.
- Did the kids have a really good time? They did.
- [Kelly] And that's all that matters.
Sometimes they have to just be kids, like.
- [Holly] Enjoy their childhood.
- [Kelly] For God's sakes.
- [Christi] And with Asia being spared, Kristie with a K
remained on her high horse.
- [Kristie] She's not gonna ice skate
two days before competition
because you can't be a hundred percent sure
an accident won't happen on the ice.
- That's not what you said yesterday.
- Well, I'm telling you now. After thinking about it,
we have two days out for a show.
You wanna just take that chance?
I don't as a mother, my daughter's a dancer.
- Why are you getting all bent out of shape?
Nobody asked you.
- Christi, look at me when you talk.
- Yes, I'm speaking. - Look at me when you talk.
- Excuse me. - Look at me when you talk.
- [Christi] Excuse me. - [Kristie] Excuse ME.
- I don't wanna look at you when I talk.
- Well then don't talk to me.
- Well then don't talk to us.
Nobody asked you.
- I'm answering a question.
- Nobody asked you a question.
- Yes you did. You just asked me a [bleep] question.
- You need to settle yourself down.
- [Kristie] No, I don't.
- I don't know why you're getting so emotional about this.
- Because when can't look at me in the eye-
- I'm looking at you in the eye [bleep].
- [bleep], let's go. Let's go.
- [Christi] Settle yourself down.
- No, I don't. Do not call me a [bleep]
if you can't back it up.
- [Christi] I can back it up,
but I don't fight like that.
- Okay, then don't use those words towards me.
- I'm not looking away now, am I?
- Good. Now I've taught you a lesson.
- You've taught me how I don't wanna behave.
Kristie may have thought she knew it all,
but she could have used a lesson or two in humility.
- You're a real pathetical person.
- Pathetical isn't a word.
I thought you had a master's degree.
Did you not know that pathetical isn't a word,
but you have a master's degree?
- What's worse than a dance mom who thinks she knows best?
Two dance moms who think they know best!
Like the time Kalani's mom Kira and Brynn's mom Ashlee
faced off at a competition in Phoenix over whose
daughter was a better dancer.
- What's she pissed about?
- Somebody told her that I was talking [bleep]
about her all day.
And then she sent me all those horrible texts.
- [Jill] You have sat here for the last four weeks saying
Brynn has the best record.
And we're just saying be prepared.
- Well, she does.
Kalani is not as good as she used to be.
- What? - [Jill] Wait, what?
- Kalani was amazing a couple years ago.
- [Holly] She said what?
- [Ashlee] She's not.
- [Holly] You don't wanna say that.
- [Jess] I think you're alone on that island. I mean...
- I'm really not.
- [Jess] Who does Ashlee think she is?
Kalani is the same amazing dancer she always has been.
It's gonna be tough for Brynn to win.
There's a lot of talented kids in Phoenix.
I hope Ashlee isn't writing a check
that her mouth can't cash.
- [Kira] Ever since Kalani and Brynn started training
together in Arizona, Ashlee has been so jealous of Kalani.
Ashlee, you can talk all the [bleep] you want to,
but if you try and start stuff at competition,
you're gonna regret it
- [Jill] What's she pissed about?
- Somebody told her that I was talking
[bleep] about her all day.
- We were all set for our competition in Arizona,
which set the stage for rival know-it-all dance moms
Ashlee and Kira.
- [Melissa] Where's Kalani? She has a solo.
That stresses me out.
- [Ashlee] But she always gets special treatment.
You guys know it. - [Jess] Kira doesn't care.
- [Ashlee] When Kira's around, she can't get her here
on time. She's not even in California with her kid.
As much as I like Kalani, Kira does not care about this.
She's just sitting on her ass at home
and we're all working our asses off and she's getting
the benefits of it.
- [Kira] You're working your asses off?
- [Jill] Well, we were just saying that we were all
on time and you're a little late.
- I didn't realize that having to pump milk for the day
and get the baby all settled and explain was-
- [Jill] No, I know, listen. - [Kira] The easiest thing.
- [Ashlee] So then why are you here?
- Because Kalani wants to be here.
- Brynn wants to be here and I have to be here.
And I show up and I work hard.
She gets all the benefits and she gets to sit at home.
You're a manipulator, you're a user, you're a liar.
And you know it. Everybody knows it.
- I don't really care what you think of me. I really don't.
- I don't care what you think. Woman with three baby daddies
and a criminal record, I could care less
what you think about me.
- You're a real pathetical person.
- Pathetical isn't a word.
I thought you had a master's degree.
Did you not know that pathetical isn't a word,
but you have a master's degree?
- [Kira] You can sit here and say all you want, Ashlee.
Fine - [Jill] No, Kira, don't go.
Please don't go. Please don't go.
- [Kira] If you wanna sit here and let her play her
[bleep] game, then you can. [bleep] you all.
She's a [bleep] and I'm not gonna sit here and allow her
to play her [bleep] games. So go [bleep] yourself.
This is why she's a pathetic piece of [bleep].
- [Jill] We're supposed to be a well-oiled machine,
and it's not gonna work if these two moms
don't lay off of each other.
- [Christi] With two moms who are at each other's throat
over who would be the best fit for the team,
it all came down to what happened
on the competition floor.
[dance music]
[audience applauding]
- [Announcer] Entry number 73, Mystical Beauty.
[ballet music]
- [Jill] Good job, Brynn.
- [Ashlee] For years, Kira has lied and manipulated
to get Kalani ahead.
Today's the day that it's all gonna catch up with her.
Kalani's not gonna place us higher than Brynn
and that's gonna prove that Brynn's
a valuable member of this team.
- [Announcer] So for the overall high score solo/duo/trio.
First place goes to
entry number 74.
[crowd cheering]
- Ashlee came in saying,
Brynn always wins, Brynn's the best.
Her technique's better than everybody.
You know what? She didn't place. So learn a lesson, Ashlee.
You can't always win. There's always someone better.
- Competitive dance 101, even I can't argue with that.
I'm talking to my friend!
- [Leslie] Then you're yelling at her.
- Shush! - You had too much to drink.
You better settle it down.
I'll kick your ass.
- [Christi] At Nationals in New Orleans,
the mood was festive, but things were on edge.
Not only were the girls
competing against the Candy Apples,
but they were competing against each other
for the last solo up for grabs.
So the last thing I needed was part-time dance mom Leslie
thinking she knew what was best for the team.
I have to say, if she's only giving out X many of solos,
I find it wrong that she would give one of those solo spots
to Payton, who's not even really a member on the team.
- I don't give a crap if I'm on your team
or I'm not on your team.
We're here and if she has a chance to do a solo,
let her do a solo.
- [Christi] Things only got worse as Leslie decided
to add her two cents into things she knew nothing about.
- [Leslie] I feel that Chloe gets every single opportunity
that Maddie gets.
- Can I finish a sentence?
- Your daughter's not always the victim.
You might cry it all the time. She's not always the victim.
- Don't go there, you.
- [Leslie] I'm going there. And you know what?
Every time somebody calls you out on something,
you always say don't go there.
I'm going there!
- [Christi] Everyone is so stressed out
with this whole competing against each other
for solos at Nationals.
I think the moms need a girls night out.
We need to go have a cocktail.
[ragtime music]
And what better way than an evening out
in the French Quarter?
- [Leslie] New Orleans!
[everyone cheering]
- [Jill] To winning Nationals!
- [Christi] To the French Quarter and Bourbon Street!
- [Holly] What is that?
- [Christi] A voodoo doll?
It's Abby!
- [Kelly] Let's throw Abby over.
[Christi wooing]
[upbeat music]
- At Nationals in New Orleans, us moms decided to let loose
a little in the French Quarter.
But when you mix beads, boobs, humidity,
and about 8 billion drinks,
things might get a little messy.
- [Jill] Drinks are flowing.
Christi has been drinking all day,
and Leslie has been drinking all night.
- [Christi] And I've had it with Leslie's mouth.
- Your daughter's not always the victim.
You might cry it all the time. She's not always the victim.
- Don't go there, you.
- [Leslie] I'm going there.
You better grab Christi. She's going nuts.
Christi is so full of herself.
She needs to just shut up
and be grateful for what Abby does for her and her child.
- [Christi] I'm a real dance mom and I will stand here.
- [Leslie] Why are you yelling at us?
- I'm not. I'm talking to my friend.
- [Leslie] Then you're yelling at her.
- Shush!
- [Leslie] You had too much to drink.
- You better settle it down.
[bleep]!
- [Producer] Stop, stop, stop!
Stop! Stop!
- [Bleep] I'll [bleep] kick your ass.
Stop. Stop.
Don't hit me!
[dramatic music] [sirens wail]
- [Christi] As punishment for the fight,
Abby sent Leslie and me packing.
- Chloe is gone for this week.
- Hot damn.
- Leslie, you have to take Payton home. You're gone.
- [Christi] And that meant our daughters
couldn't dance at Nationals either.
Not my finest moment, I'll admit it.
But the only thing I regret is that
waste of a perfectly good Hurricane.
- You had too much to drink. - Oh, you better settle it down.
- [Kaya] These ladies are a bunch of rich [bleep]
is what they are.
- [Christi] I know it's hard to believe,
but the ALDC has parted ways with several moms
over the years.
And then, lucky for us, we would run into them
at competition where they suddenly became experts on Abby,
the ALDC and our girls.
One of those moms was Kaya AKA Black Patsy,
who was suddenly an expert.
- You wanna watch your mouth because I ain't the rest
of these dance moms. Believe that.
- [Christi] And when we were on her home turf in
St. Louis, Missouri, things got a little outta hand.
- [Kaya] I am so excited about meeting up with them again.
'Cause I got a lot I wanna say to them.
[audience cheering]
I'm not at all threatened by Abby Lee and her dance company.
I just feel like they need to see some real competition.
They're on my turf now. So they get to see how we do things
in the Midwest in St. Louis.
Woo!
Diva-tude!
[applause]
- [Christi] And then Kaya decided she knew better than
all of us when it came to our girls.
- [Abby] Nia? - [Kaya] Yeah.
- [Abby] No, never noticed. - [Kaya] She was.
- [Holly] I think you were wrong about that.
- For her to sit in the audience and critique
somebody else's child is just plain wrong.
- [Kaya] And I see Kendall 'cause
that was my first time really watching her
and she can't dance either.
- [Melissa] All of a sudden, she moves on from Nia
to Kendall and starts trash talking her.
- [Kaya] That little girl cannot dance.
Your daughter cannot dance.
I thought Nia was the one that had to work her way up.
Nia dances circles around your kid.
- [Jill] You know what's funny?
We said the same thing about your little girl.
- [Kaya] You don't wanna go there with me [bleep].
Shut up! [bleep] I'm grown!
Who you talking to?
- [Christi] Stop. Stop. - You don't want this.
Unfortunately for Kaya, her unofficial rule as the judge
and jury of the ALDC came to an abrupt end.
- [Announcer] I want to sincerely apologize
from Expression Dance.
That person was removed from the competition.
- Clearly, mother didn't know best
because that was the last time we saw her.
- [Holly] You act like you are very special
and you're not that special.
- [Kira] I never said I was.
- Well, your actions definitely show that.
- [Christi] Abby definitely had her favorites.
Maddie, of course, but another was Kalani
and her mom, Kira.
Holly knew it and Dr. Holly usually did know best.
So, she decided to face the issue head on.
- [Abby] How is everybody?
- [Jill] Well, not everybody's here, as you can see.
- [Holly] Yeah, that's true.
- Kalani is late - [Holly] Again.
- [Melissa] Second week.
- Is there a penalty for not being here,
just to hold her accountable?
- Holly, would you like to make the penalty?
That's great. A hundred pushups. A hundred sit-ups.
- [Holly] I don't know! - [Jill] No solo!
- [Abby] Where were you?
- [Kira] Stuck in traffic.
Your guys' traffic is horrendous here.
- It is.
And I understand that.
- [Holly] There's a double standard when it comes to
Kira and Kalani. Abby needs Kalani.
Already, Kira is taking advantage of it.
And that means there's less time for Nia.
- I wanna get to the pyramid.
Kalani, you're doing a solo. You earned it.
Maddie, you will also be performing a solo.
The two of you are going up against each other.
[tense music]
- [Holly] Already,
the preferential treatment has begun.
She's wanted this since the first moment
that Kalani joined the team.
I'm beyond frustrated right now.
[upbeat music]
- [Abby] Where were you? - [Kira] Stuck in traffic.
Your guys' traffic is horrendous here.
- It is. And I understand that.
- [Christi] As a mom, you know what's best for your kid.
- Kalani, you're doing a solo. You earned it.
- So when it's clear they aren't getting the attention
they deserve, you need to call it out.
- I really resent the fact that you get to go and come
as you please and it's okay.
It's not right for those who do all of the work.
You're not that special.
- [Kira] I never said I was.
- You act like you are very special
and you're not that special.
- [Kira] I never said I was.
- Well, your actions definitely show that.
[camera clicks]
- [Christi] And then during a photo shoot for new headshots,
Abby not only said the quiet part out loud.
- [Christi] But then had the nerve to leave the photo shoot
before Nia even had her turn.
- [Abby] We got it.
Okay, I'm finished.
You're on your own, babe. Good luck.
- [Holly] Do something sassy and just be you.
Abby's showing her true colors and I don't like what I see.
- [Christi] When Abby claimed that the competition
was rigged because Kalani placed fourth,
Holly had had the last straw.
- Look, look at this competition!
- Okay, you look like an idiot. I would stop.
You're creating excuses to protect
Maddie's and Kalani's
reputations because those kids matter
'cause those are the ones who are going to work
and book jobs anyway.
- That's bull.
- I didn't say it. You did.
- [Abby] That's bull.
- You said it.
- I did not say that.
- You need to be a grown woman and own your words.
- I own my words.
- Abby. - That's ridiculous.
- [Holly] It is ridiculous.
- How many times?
- It is ridiculous that you would want us
to be loyal to you.
- That's wrong.
- Follow you to LA and you would say that
about our children.
- Okay, well then Nia can stay home.
She doesn't need to go to LA.
- You're not getting rid of me
and you're not getting rid of Nia.
- Holly, I don't know why you're acting like this.
- [Holly] Excuse me. I'm telling you.
I'm telling you what you are doing is wrong.
I think the woman has lost her mind.
Wake up. You need to change your ways
and you better do it fast
because pretty soon you're not gonna have anyone left.
Who's gonna stand around and put up with this garbage?
We're standing by you. But how much can you put up with?
- [Christi] Holly knew best how manipulative Abby
really was. So, good for you, Dr. Holly.
- [Tracey] Tami!
[screaming and yelling]
[dramatic music]
- [Christi] It was bad enough when know-it-all
dance moms clashed out in the open.
Those women, they're their own brand of crazy.
But when they went behind each other's backs
to manipulate the team, it turned ugly.
And it got downright violent when Sarah's mom,
Christy with a Y, or Christ-y as I like to call her,
caught Tea's mom, Tami, trying to convince Abby
that she knew what was best for the team.
- [Tami] Are you gonna pull Sarah's solo?
Because if you are, Tea's watching it and she'll know it.
So you can just put Tea right into it.
- I'm gonna interrupt you.
I've heard every word you guys have said.
- [Women] Good! - [Abby] Good!
- And all you are is jealous. That's all you are.
[bickering]
And that little girl that is in there, absolutely.
This is my studio, and I'm not going anywhere.
Go home!
- [Tami] If you want to hear yourself talk-
- [bleep] bite me!
- [Tami] Honey, if I had lips the size of [bleep] Texas,
I would!
- Hey, hey, hey, hey!
[screaming]
- [Tracey] Tami, my hair!
Tami!
[indistinguishable yelling]
- [Tracey] Tami!
- [Christy] She punched me!
- [Tami] Yeah, because you grabbed me and
put your hand in my face, [bleep].
- Abby gave Christ-y an ultimatum,
Apologize or Sarah loses her solo.
Which to keep the peace, Christy and Tami
engaged in what could be possibly the most disingenuous
handshake I've ever seen.
- [Tami] Hi, Christy. How are you?
- Just say you're sorry so we can all move along.
- No, she needs to apologize first.
- You know what? I extend my hand in apology.
So do you apologize for the way you were?
- Yes. Absolutely.
[dramatic music]
- That's a wrap for me.
And this episode of Dance Moms Epic Showdowns.
And just like anyone who ever threatened
to leave the ALDC...
- [Holly] Who's gonna stand around
and put up with this garbage?
- [Jill] No Kira, don't go.
Please don't go, please don't go.
- [Kristie] I'm done.
You guys can play the game. I don't have to.
- You know I'm coming back.