Episode 16 of Season 6 of the American dance competition reality show “Dance Moms” was aired on April 19 on Lifetime and it featured the clash of Mackenzie Ziegler and dance leader Abby Lee Miller.
It was obvious from the episode title, “Mack Z vs. Abby Lee” that the two would go head-to-head during the episode.
Apparently, Mackenzie Ziegler got dismayed after Abby Lee Miller gave both JoJo Siwa and Brynn Rumfallo hip hop solos while she was only assigned a more laid-back and safe acrobatic routine.
Mackenzie even attempted to fight for what she wants but instead Abby Lee walked out on her and the studio. Viewers were caught in suspense as to what will happen next.
But as it turned out, the misunderstanding between Mackenzie and Abby Lee somehow turned to a good thing as the dance leader allowed the younger Mackenzie to have a solo routine for the Xpression Dance Competition, notes the Christian Times.
It was a sort of validation for Mackenzie because she also snagged first place in the Junior Division with her solo entitled “Bully.”
Breaking down in tears
Long before Season 6 of “Dance Moms” started airing, rumors started swirling that Maddie Ziegler will no longer return to the show. But then when the sixth season premiered, she was not there alright but rejoined the show during its episode 8.
During episode 15, Melissa Gisoni, the mother of Maddie and Mackenzie, has threatened Abby that she will pull out her two daughters from the show, citing among other reasons the pending fraud cases being faced in court by the dance leader.
In the 16th episode of “Dance Moms,” Maddie bid farewell to her fellow dancers and she broke down in tears doing so, cited News Every Day.
With her departure, Maddie will soon be pursuing a career in Hollywood which started off last year when she appeared in Sia’s music videos of “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart,” and “Big Girls Cry.”
She will reportedly appear in Sia’s film project titled “Sister” and she was not part of the first seven episodes of “Dance Moms” Season 6 because she was filming “The Book of Henry” under the direction of “Jurassic World” Director Colin Trevorrow. She stars in the movie along with Lee Pace, Naomi Watts, and Jacob Tremblay and she plays the role of dance-talented Christina Sickleman who was physically abused by her violent father.
A farewell performance
Incidentally, Mackenzie’s win at the junior competition is her farewell performance in “Dance Moms” but it shall still depend on her mother whether she can stay despite Maddie’s official departure.
But it seems that Gisoni has already made up her mind about her two daughters and herself leaving the show because she does not seem to have much faith in Miller anymore.
She thinks that the fraud cases of Abby might jeopardize the promising careers of both Maddie and Mackenzie.
Despite dropping the bomb on episode 16 that they will be leaving the show, the Mackenzie sisters and their mother Melissa will still appear in the next two episodes of “Dance Moms,” according to reports.
Gisoni’s decision to take her daughters out of the elite junior team and away from the competition was a result of her getting upset in episode 14 in the backstage of a competition and asked that her co-stars ease up on the drama. So Ashlee Allen questioned her intention considering that she is probably leaving the team anyway.
At that point, dance leader Abby Lee Miller asked Melissa what’s her reply on the question thrown at her. Melissa did not respond.
Subsequently, Melissa was shown telling her daughter Maddie that she was over the show because she was tired and that there is more to the world than going to a dance competition.
It seems that the writings on the wall are already there and it all began when Melissa pulled out Maddie and Mackenzie from the team.
It was also in the same episode, which was entitled “JoJo Steals the Show,” where the TV series focused more on JoJo Siwa and Kendall Vertes than Maddie or Mackenzie.