Abby Lee Miller Dramatically Left the 'Dance Moms' Reunion, and No One Was Surprised
Abby Lee Miller is gaining a bit of a reputation for leaving in the middle of Dance Moms episodes. Last week the ALDC teacher left during her team's Nationals performances after being confronted by Studio 19's owner Tammy Croftcheck. And during the Dance Moms reunion on Sept. 3, Abby left after Pressley's mom Ashley simply mentioned Tammy's name.
Abby made it clear all season that she doesn't want to hear or have anything to do with Studio 19 or Tammy, and she illustrated that on Tuesday when she immediately left the stage upon hearing Tammy's name. It didn't matter that there was an audience of people watching the reunion live or that the production had to be halted until she returned.
The drama began when Ashley accused Sarah Georgiana's mom Michelle of being a "studio hopper," since Sarah has danced for both Studio 19 and the ALDC. Michelle denied the accusation and Ashley said, "Let's talk about Tammy." Abby immediately said, "Am I finished now? Do I get to leave?"
No one answered her, but Abby seemingly took the silence as a yes. She waved goodbye to the crowd and exited the stage. "She does it all the time," GiaNina Paolantonio's mom Joanne said after Abby left. The moms then explained that they're not allowed to say Tammy's name. Considering Abby's reaction to Michelle bringing up Studio 19 earlier in the season, they should probably adhere to that — lest their own kids get dropped from dances like Michelle's daughter Sarah as been.
Everyone from the other moms to producers on the show tried to get Abby to come back, or to at least explain why she won't talk about Tammy. "Because I'm not gonna be on a show where you're talking about someone that is potentially a competitor in Pittsburgh," Abby said of Tammy and her studio. Honestly, that kind of makes sense, but some viewers have had it with Abby leaving.
"Running away once again," a fan tweeted alongside a rolling-eyes emoji.
Others turned the moment into a meme. "Me when a teacher asks me to stay after school," one viewer wrote alongside a video of Abby leaving the reunion venue. Another shared a gif of a kid speeding off in a toy car and someone else tweeted a gif of a car dodging in and out of traffic to get away just like Abby basically did to avoid talking about Studio 19.
Abby eventually decided to return (and Tammy was not discussed again), but it was a pretty dramatic response to one word uttered by Ashley. Abby is not messing around when it comes to not discussing or putting up with other studios. She has left multiple times this season and refused to engage with either the Studio 19 members or the moms talking about Studio 19. Does that mean the rival studio will go away in a potential next season? Probably not.
The early Dance Moms seasons had Cathy and her Candy Apples as dance rivals. This new ALDC team has Studio 19. It's a TV show, so there's got to be drama and competition. The producers will just have to find more clever ways to involve Tammy and Studio 19 in a potential season nine unless they want to chase Abby down every other episode. And that would get old fast.
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