The WORST episodes of Dance Moms
Every episode of Dance Moms ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Dance Moms!
Set in Pittsburgh, Dance Moms follows the Abby Lee Dance Company's Junior Elite Competition Team of young girls aged 11–14 years old as they travel week-to-week to various dance competitions, winning awards and hoping for an invitation to one of the National Competitions. Much of the program depicts the doting mothers as rivals not only of each other but as a group to protect the reputation of the team. All performances are choreographed by Miller and her staff, with the exception of a few guest choreographers. Later in the program, rival dance teams are introduced that spur the team's competitiveness. In season 5, Miller brings the team to Los Angeles to help build her repertoire. Every week on the show, Miller uses a pyramid to present who she feels performed the best in her eyes based on behavior, previous performance and who needs to improve.
#1 - Epic Showdowns: Mommy Mayhem
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/1/2024
Dance Moms will do anything to protect their daughters. Join OG Dance Mom Christi Lukasiak as she relives the fiercest Dance Moms battles waged in their children's names. See showdowns between Christi and Yolanda, Holly and Jill, Kelly and Christi and more!
Watch Now:Apple TV#2 - Epic Showdowns: Call 911
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/1/2024
Relive the Dance Moms Showdowns that were so epic and downright disruptive that police had to step in. Join OG Dance Mom Christi Lukasiak as she breaks down showdowns between Abby and Minister Dawn, Stacey and Yolanda, and more!
Watch Now:Apple TV
#3 - Abby's Top Ten Dances
Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 6/24/2014
Abby Lee Miller opens up, dishing on her ten favorite group dances of all time. As she leads us through the countdown to number one, we'll get the inside story on how the dances came about, the drama behind the scenes, and see all new extended cuts of the all-time best "Dance Moms" dances.
Watch Now:Apple TV#4 - Epic Showdowns: Pyramid Pandemonium
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/1/2024
At the Abby Lee Dance Company the infamous pyramid decides your fate on the team and every dance mom will fight for their child to be at the top. Join OG Dance Mom Christi Lukasiak as she relives the most chaotic pyramid fights between Jessalyn and Abby, Jill and Abby, the infamous pyramid walkout, and more!
Watch Now:Apple TV
#5 - Playing Favorites
Season 4 - Episode 32 - Aired 10/14/2014
The moms from both the Elite and Select Teams face off against Abby to hash out their grudges from this season and accuse her of blatant favoritism. Maddie takes the stage to talk about her recent success in Hollywood with the Sia video, the girls present new dances, and of course, Cathy makes an appearance to ruffle Abby's feathers.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#6 - Wingman Down
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/18/2014
With Kelly and her daughters no longer at the studio, a lonely Christi isolates herself from the other moms. Kira and her daughter Kalani are tested for a spot on Abby's competition team. Holly worries that Nia won't be prepared for her solo due to Abby's inattentiveness.
#7 - The Battle of Maddie vs. Chloe
Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 5/13/2014
The rivalry between Maddie and Chloe has boiled for four seasons and this episode of Dance Moms traces the very beginnings of it. Maddie and Chloe battled for first place in competitions, first position on the pyramid and ultimately, for a place in Abby's heart... But is the rivalry really between them...or between their mothers?
#8 - When Stars Collide
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/10/2011
The Abby Lee Dance Company is on the edge after learning that a big Broadway casting director will attend their annual showcase, an exhibition in which she shows off her accomplished dancers. Abby's desire to push the girls to the max could have catastrophic effects if they don't do their best.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#10 - Reunion: Off the Dance Floor, Part 2
Season 2 - Episode 28 - Aired 9/25/2012
After the most tumultuous dance competition season ever, Abby and the Dance Moms reunite on stage to set the record straight. Unfiltered and unleashed, everyone gets the chance to tell each other what they really think. May the best Dance Mom win. Part 2 of 2.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#11 - No Room for Rotten Apples
Season 3 - Episode 25 - Aired 6/25/2013
The pressure is on for Candy Apple's team and no one's spot is guaranteed. Rick is worried when Jalen is assigned his first contemporary solo. Cathy battles it out with Anthony as she struggles to gain back control of her studio.
#12 - Chloe vs. Kendall: Round 2
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/21/2014
Cathy's back and ready to beat Abby with a new team of boys. Abby is nervous and pushes her team, especially Chloe and Kendall, who are dancing solos head-to-head for the second time this season. With another round of open call auditions looming, every team member feels the pressure to prove to Abby that they belong at the Abby Lee Dance Company.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#13 - Diva Las Vegas
Season 3 - Episode 35 - Aired 8/27/2013
After Abby leads her first pyramid in several weeks, her relationship with Kelly is pushed to new levels as Kelly feels her daughters are being treated unfairly. With Nationals only a week away, Abby must put her dancers to the test to determine who will get solos. Meanwhile, unwilling to work with Brooke and Paige, Abby brings in a new choreographer for them and this leads to a near meltdown.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#14 - Blame It on the New Girl
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/11/2014
Abby's new completion team is taking shape and another new girl and dance mom tryout. Cathy readies her team to end the Abby Lee Dance Company's winning streak. Meanwhile Abby's girls dance at a nursing home to help cheer up her ailing mother.
Watch Now:Apple TV#15 - Chatter, Part 1
Season 3 - Episode 26 - Aired 7/2/2013
This week the all-new Dance Moms Chatter talk show welcomes special guests Dance Moms Christi, Kelly and Patsy, along with celebrity blogger Nadine Rajabi and comedian Lisa Arch. During the special the moms will mash up with the famous fans, discuss and dispel rumors and provide some snarky chatter about past events. Chatter specials will be interactive, fans can tweet along using #DanceMoms for a chance to see their posts live.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#16 - It All Ends Here
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/28/2011
After competing all season, it all boils down to the National Title Competition. Abby's dancers have been on a losing streak and this is their last chance to prove they can win. Meanwhile, Melissa leaves the competition early to go on vacation. Her ex-husband, Kurt, steps in as a "Dance Dad", sending Melissa into a panic.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#17 - Clash of the Chloes
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/4/2014
The moms are shocked when Abby brings a new dancer named Chloe in for a trial run on the competition team. Christi's concerned Abby will replace her daughter as the two Chloes go head-to-head. While Holly and Jill are excited about their daughters' duet, Abby's more excited about rehearsing the new Chloe. And for the first time, Melissa feels her girls are being overshadowed.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#18 - Double the Moms, Double the Trouble
Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 7/29/2014
Abby kicks off the new dance season by bringing back her winning Select Team to compete against her original Elite Team for a rematch in Wheeling, WV. With Mackenzie's pop song climbing the charts, Abby rewards her with a solo against Christy's daughter Sarah. The original Dance Moms grow furious that Abby is once again favoring her new team but it's the Select Moms who really can't stand the heat.
#19 - Mommy Meltdown
Season 6 - Episode 26 - Aired 9/27/2016
Abby tasks the minis with their first lyrical routine to honor her mother on Mother's Day; the elites are tested when their mothers make a decision that leaves them without a group dance for the competition; the mothers give Abby an ultimatum.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#20 - Abby's Replaceable
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/2/2016
Abby locks the team out of her Los Angeles studio; Debbie Allen invites the ALDC to work with her; guest choreographer Nakul includes the minis in a difficult Bollywood routine; Kalani and Nia are pushed to their breaking point with a duet.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#21 - Recital Rebellion
Season 3 - Episode 30 - Aired 7/23/2013
This week is the ALDC recital. . The girls learn a new group dance entitled "Sugar Babies". Abby also throws in a photo shoot for Dance Track magazine. Paige gets assigned to new solo, while all the other girls get an old solo. Paige admits to Abby she doesn't want a new solo.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#22 - Big Trouble in the Big Apple
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/11/2014
With her final open casting call in NY, Abby announces that she's putting together an entirely new all-star, junior elite team to rival her own girls. The Abby Lee Dance Company has two competitions this week and Paige has more dances than ever. Abby will do anything to win and makes a bold decision, leading to a clash with Dance Mom Kelly.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#23 - Wildly Inappropriate
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/20/2011
The Dance Moms allow their girls to wear outfits at the competition that are revealing and the scandal threatens to bring down the house. Abby's attempt to turn up the competition heat blows the audience away with what some may call an inappropriate dance number. She hopes it will give them their next big win. But it could backfire.
Watch Now:Apple TV#24 - Epic Showdowns: That's Messed Up
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/8/2024
OG Dance Mom Christi Lukasiak hosts a rundown of some of the most cringeworthy clashes in Dance Moms history, including a rare showdown between Abby and Melissa, and Christi's own fights with Abby that forced her to leave the ALDC once and for all.
Watch Now:Apple TV