Recently, I've spent a lot of time rewatching old shows that I was obsessed with when they first premiered. My current obsession? Dance Moms, obvi. With most of our time being spent at home, I suspect I'm not the only one.
In my opinion, the first five seasons are the only ones worth watching. The ALDC really fell off after Maddie left. Further, the transition to the ALDC-LA in Santa Monica was just not it. I miss the original Pittsburg studio! For whatever reason, I'm just extremely passionate about the earlier seasons of Dance Moms and the original competition team. Can you blame me? That team brought us the most iconic group of mothers.
So, after much strenuous deliberation, I have compiled a definitive ranking of the OG moms from the original ALDC competition team.
5. Melissa
Coming in last place, we have Melissa. Can anyone really be surprised? It's no wonder that Maddie was Abby's favorite with Melissa being the biggest kiss-ass ever. Though she wasn't the most outspoken and hectic of all the moms, she was so shady. I will never forgive her for ratting Chloe out for rolling her eyes in class and leaving class early to go to the movies. I understand that most of these Dance Moms would do anything for their kids to get ahead, but Melissa was the biggest snake of them all.
Moreover, it was blatantly obvious that Melissa only cared about Maddie's dancing. Hello! You have two daughters on this team! Remember when Mackenzie beat Maddie at one of the competitions? Melissa completely disapproved of the scores, spoke down on Mackenzie's performance and openly said that Maddie should have won. She's the worst, and I'm not sorry.
4. Jill
It's so fitting that Jill and Melissa became quick friends when Kendall made the team. Remember all the gifts she would buy for Abby when she first joined, trying to get Kendall ahead? And yes, I know, Kendall technically wasn't on the team from the beginning, but in my expert opinion, her and Jill qualify as OG cast members.
I'll never forget when she first joined the ALDC and was branded a studio hopper. That being said, Jill wasn't horrible, and she really did speak up for what she believed in. Also, she does have some funny moments on Dance Moms. What really grinds my gears about Jill though is how her precious Kendall was never given enough for her liking. News flash: Kendall didn't deserve a solo every week! On multiple occasions of snubbed solos, Jill would get aggressive to the point of yelling at the other kids, which is never okay.
3. Kelly
Finally, we can start talking about the Dance Moms that I liked! Kelly was wild, loud and fiercely protective of her kids. Her friendship with Christi was everything. I always admired her for being able to stand up to Abby. Where Melissa and Jill would let Abby beat up on their kids to a certain extent, Kelly always had Paige and Brooke's backs. She really didn't care about the Abby-Lee Miller name, she just wanted to do what her kids wanted. Plus, she's easily the funniest mom on the show.
The reason why I can't rank Kelly and higher is because of her blowout fight with Abby. In the weeks leading up to their altercation, Kelly became increasingly aggressive, surpassing the point of mere protection of her kids. While I do believe her reasons were valid, as Abby was indeed mistreating Brooke and Paige, I can't defend her for getting in a physical altercation in front of the kids. But hey, it made for great reality TV!
2. Christi
As the other half of the dynamic duo, I feel similarly about Christi as I do Kelly. They're both just so funny! I loved Christi's humor and her ability to alleviate tension in many situations. She's also such an amazing mom. Always fierce in her defense of Chloe, viewers can clearly see how much she loves her daughter. Who could forget the season 4 episode where she battles the moms over the exclusion of Chloe? Apparently, Maddie told Chloe that she wasn't a good dancer, and of course Christi wouldn't tolerate any of that.
She's also so loyal. After Kelly, Brooke and Paige left the studio, nothing was ever the same for Christi and Chloe. Time and time again Christi would express how broken the team was without them. I just love this strong woman.
1. Holly
Holly is undeniably the best mom on the show. She's intelligent, level-headed and kind, which usually wouldn't make for the best reality TV. Nevertheless, Holly managed to bring the maturity that all the moms needed at any given time. I don't think I saw her ever do wrong. Nia was definitely the biggest underdog on Dance Moms, yet she never went crazy like the other moms. That is not to say that she didn't defend Nia, she was just too dignified to go ballistic. She is a role model that we should all aspire to be like.
This has been the scoop on the OG mothers of Dance Moms. Make sure to check out some of our other stuff, too!
Anita dump says
When you said that Jill never stands up for her kids, I disagree she stands up for Kendall a lot. I don’t really like Jill but that was not true