Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition

Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition
Genre	Reality competition
Presented by	Kevin Manno
Judges	Abby Lee Miller Richy Jackson Robin Antin (season 1) Rachelle Rak (season 2)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	22
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jeff Collins Michael Hammond Bryan Stinson Sandi Johnson Abby Lee Miller Rob Sharenow Gena McCarthy Kimberly Chessler Toby Faulkner Adam Vetri John Corella
Running time	42 minutes
Production company(s)	Collins Avenue Productions
Release
Original network	Lifetime
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Original release	October 9, 2012 – November 19, 2013
Chronology
Related shows	Dance Moms
External links
Website

Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition is an American dance reality competition series on Lifetime. The series encompasses twelve talented boy and girl dancers who are competing for the top spot and a scholarship to a prestigious dance academy.^[1] The show is hosted by Kevin Manno, and judged by Abby Lee Miller, Richy Jackson, and Robin Antin. Season 2 premiered on September 3, 2013, with Rachelle Rak replacing Robin Antin in the judging panel.^[2]

Episodes

Season 1 (2012)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
0	0	"Casting Special"	October 9, 2012	1.00[3]
Meet 14 amazing dancers and their moms from around the country when they arrive in Los Angeles for the chance of a lifetime, the final audition of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition. In an intense rehearsal, the dancers must learn three different routines in only two hours. The finalists also get a chance to meet their judges, including "Lead Judge" Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller, who is joined at the judges table by Robin Antin, founder of the Pussycat Doll's dance troupe, and celebrity choreographer Richard "Richy" Jackson. It all comes down to a double elimination and the pressure is on as the contestants must impress the judges if they want to make the cut.
1	1	"Let The Dancing Begin"	October 9, 2012	1.11[3]
When this life-changing competition kicks off the 12 finalists are tasked with their first live performance in front of judges including, Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller, Robin Antin, founder of the Pussycat Doll's dance troupe and celebrity choreographer, Richard "Richy" Jackson. The dancers are split into trios and assigned routines with a "Hollywood" theme. As the contestants prepare throughout the week, the moms start sizing each other up. Alliances begin to form, but when one mom takes charge during rehearsal, the other moms realize that she could be trouble. Plus, one mother and daughter team reveal just how far they're willing to go to win the competition.
2	2	"Unleash The Monsters"	October 16, 2012	0.89[4]
There are 11 dancers left and the theme for this week’s competition is "Monsters of the Night." The theme proves to be very fitting as one mom bares her claws and strikes at another, who is using her divorce as a way to get attention. After witnessing that mom make one of the girls break into tears, two of the other mothers join forces and conjure up a demon, unleashing on the other mom claiming she is being fake. Also one of the girls wins the group dance challenge and gets a solo, but there must be a full moon because she brings out the beast in her mother who refuses to listen to her daughter’s suggestions.
3	3	"Get Into Character"	October 23, 2012	1.11[5]
This week, the 10 remaining dancers are assigned duets based on "American Extremes." One of the classically trained dancers struggles during her hip-hop duet. Meanwhile, another contestant's role in the group dance forces her to share painful memories with her fellow dancers. Plus, one mother's meddling threatens to send a team home.
4	4	"In A New York Minute"	October 30, 2012	0.89[6]
The nine remaining dancers are thrilled when they learn the theme for this week's performance is "Broadway." But when two mothers at odds team up, everyone prepares for the worst. Meanwhile, one dancer struggles with the hip-hop trio and when the judges can't decide who should go home, that can mean only one thing — a dance-off.
5	5	"Sabotage"	November 6, 2012	0.98[7]
After winning the right to pick all the dance assignments for the week, one mother takes this week's skill, survival, to heart. Her strategy to sabotage the other dancers by putting them in their weakest areas creates discord amongst the mothers who feel betrayed by her actions. Meanwhile, one dancer struggles with her technique while ignoring her mother's corrections, which threatens to turn their dance into a real disaster. And, one pair must overcome their physical differences in order to become the perfect dancing machines.
6	6	"Dancing Through the Decades"	November 13, 2012	0.97[8]
With only seven dancers left in the competition, the pressure is at a fever-pitch. One mom is overwhelmed as she deals with competition demands as well as personal problems. Meanwhile, one dancer struggles with confidence issues as she tackles her very first solo of the competition.
7	7	"Happily Never After"	November 20, 2012	1.11[9]
It's Witches, Wolves and Wicked Stepmothers, this week when the dancers enter the land of fairy tales. But for one mother and daughter, their fantasy of being the ultimate dancer comes to an end. Meanwhile another dancer struggles with becoming the evil Stepmother. Plus an injury during rehearsal could spell disaster for another mother and daughter duo.
8	8	"Bend it Like Abby"	November 27, 2012	1.05[10]
The final five dancers must be very flexible this week as they try to master dance styles from around the world. One dancer starts some drama that quickly goes global after she tells her mother she overheard other dancers saying she wished she had been eliminated. Another dancer struggles to connect with the history of the people that inspired her routine. And, the bottom two dancers must undergo a flexibility test to stay in the competition.
9	9	"Cirque du Solos"	December 4, 2012	1.35[11]
With only four dancers remaining in the competition, the moms have to do whatever it takes to ensure their child makes it to the final three. This week the girls not only have to worry about perfecting their solos, but they're also doing a complicated and grueling circus inspired group dance.
10	10	"Dance for Your Life"	December 11, 2012	1.54[12]
Only three dancers remain for the grueling final round of this life changing competition. With $100,000 and a scholarship to the Joffrey School of Ballet in New York on the line, the three remaining girls must dance for their lives. But they're not alone. Former contestants and their moms make a surprise return for one last performance. It all comes down to the two-hour finale when Abby will reveal her first Ultimate Dancer.

Season 2 (2013)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
11	1	"Make It Count!"	September 3, 2013	1.28[13]
With 11 of the country's most promising young dancers selected from more than 1,000 national title holders, this season of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition is back and bigger and better than ever. The performers are all vying for a $100,000 cash prize and a scholarship to the Young Dancers Program at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. This week's theme is "Fame," as they gear up for their first performance in front of judges Abby Lee Miller, Broadway star Rachelle Rak and celebrity choreographer Richard "Richy" Jackson. Alliances begin to form and the dance floor heats up as the youngest contestant rubs one of the moms the wrong way.
12	2	"Dare to Be You"	September 10, 2013	1.45[14]
With this week's competition theme as "Dare to be You," all the dances are inspired by Lady Gaga. Under the eyes of this week's challenge choreographer Richy Jackson, the young competitors struggle to embrace their own originality. The moms crack down hard on the dancers, encouraging them to "bring it" to the dance floor and one young dancer comes close to breaking down when she can't remember her routine. When one mom throws another mom under the bus, things get ugly.
13	3	"Gods and Mortals"	September 17, 2013	1.23[15]
Abby is the dance goddess of the week and the dancers strive to attain dance immortality when the theme is "Gods and Mortals." There are nine dancers left and the performers in last week's bottom group struggle to prove that they deserve to be in the competition. The skill is "Power" and this week's challenge winner is Ally and she is allowed to make all the dance assignments and quickly discover holding the power isn't always easy. Melanie gets extreme when she overhears the others mothers talking about her daughter's weaknesses.
14	4	"Vegas Show Stoppers"	September 24, 2013	0.91[16]
"Las Vegas" is this week's theme and the remaining dancers are tested with styles they've never encountered before. One mom finally snaps and takes on Abby after she gives one too many criticisms about her daughter. With the pressure of the surprise immunity reward building, tempers between the moms reach a boiling point.
15	5	"Anything Can Happen"	October 1, 2013	1.04[17]
Abby decides to mix things up with the theme for the week being "Unconventional." Anything can, and will happen, starting with the remaining dancers battling Abby in a martial arts challenge. The winner's mom gets to decide which dancers land in the bottom three, leading to new fights and some surprise allegiances. To complicate matters further, each dance involves a giant, and sometimes unpredictable, prop.
16	6	"Broadway Backstabbers"	October 8, 2013	1.10[18]
Judge Rachelle Rak, a veteran of "The Great White Way," leads the challenge for the "Broadway" themed week and blows the kids and moms away with her sassy moves. The challenge winner's mom earns the animosity of the others by bragging about her child. The pressure is on for the dancer who chooses the first solo of the season.
17	7	"Fairytales Come to Life"	October 15, 2013	1.06[19]
The reward for the challenge this week is a private lesson with Abby Lee Miller herself, which some of the kids desperately wants to win... while others would do anything not to. The pressure of the competition has the moms harping on their children and one mom even sells out her own kid to the judges for not working hard enough.
18	8	"Wild West Showdown"	October 22, 2013	1.06[20]
The theme of the week is "Wild West". Animosity begins to build toward one dancer. A mother demands that her child get a solo.
19	9	"Your Worst Nightmare"	October 29, 2013	1.08[21]
The theme of this week is "Nightmares. One mother tries to sabotage another with dance assignments. Some of the dancers begin to turn on their mothers.
20	10	"Divas in the House"	November 5, 2013	1.23[22]
The children choose their dance styles. One unlucky dancer must perform a dance style that no one else wanted.
21	11	"Down the Rabbit Hole"	November 12, 2013	1.28[23]
The week's theme is "Alice in Wonderland". One mother sabotages the other dancers. The dancers strive to make it to the final three.
22	12	"Meet Abby's Newest Ultimate Dancer"	November 19, 2013	1.34[24]

Progress table

Season 1 (2012)

Dancer	Episode and Challenge Winner
	Casting	1 Elisabeth	2 Jordyn	3 Lexine	4 Amanda C	5 Hadley	6 Asia	7 Madison	8 Brianna	9 Amanda C	10 Madison
Brianna	IN	HIGH	LOW	LOW	IN	HIGH	IN	LOW	IN	LOW	WINNER
Madison	IN	HIGH	IN	IN	LOW	IN	HIGH	IN	IN	IN	Second
Asia	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	LOW	LOW	IN	Third
Amanda C	IN	IN	IN	IN	HIGH	IN	IN	IN	IN	OUT
Jordyn	IN	IN	LOW	IN	IN	LOW	HIGH	IN	OUT
Hadley	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	LOW	LOW	OUT
Lexine	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	HIGH	OUT
Elisabeth	IN	LOW	IN	IN	LOW	OUT
Zack	IN	IN	IN	IN	OUT
Tua	IN	LOW	LOW	OUT
Kyleigh Jai	IN	IN	OUT
Tessa	IN	OUT
Amanda K	OUT
Nicole	OUT

Season 2 (2013)

Dancer	Episode and Challenge Winner
	1 Trinity	2 Gianna	3 Ally	4 Trinity	5 Trinity	6 Mackaylee	7 Kalani	8 Trinity	9 McKaylee	10 Kalani	11 Gianna	12
McKaylee	HIGH	LOW	IN	IN	HIGH	HIGH	IN	IN	HIGH	IN	LOW	WINNER
Gianna	LOW	HIGH	LOW	IN	IN	IN	LOW	IMMUNITY	IN	IN	HIGH	SECOND
Trinity	IN	LOW	IN	IMMUNITY	IMMUNITY	HIGH	IN	IN	SAVED(RR)	IN	LOW	THIRD
Kalani	IN	IN	LOW	SAVED(A)	HIGH	IN	IN	HIGH	LOW	LOW	LOW	FOURTH
JoJo	IN	IN	IN	LOW	IN	LOW	HIGH	LOW	IN	OUT
Travis	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	LOW	IN	OUT
Ally	IN	LOW	IN	LOW	LOW	HIGH	OUT
Tyler	IN	IN	IN	LOW	IN	OUT
Haley	LOW	LOW	IN	IN	OUT
Chloe	IN	SAVED(RJ)	OUT
Sarina	OUT

References

1. "Lifetime Picks Up "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition"". Retrieved December 1, 2012.
2. ""Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," Season Two Debuts September 3 on Lifetime". The Futon Critic. August 6, 2013.
3. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: MLB Playoffs, BET Hip Hop Awards No Match for "Anarchy"". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
4. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: FNC, MSNBC Audiences Grow in Second Presidential Debate". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
5. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: FX, "Sons of Anarchy" Reclaim Top Spots". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
6. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: TNT, FX Top Charts with NBA, "Sons of Anarchy"". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
7. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: FNC, CNN Split Top Election Night Honors". thefutoncritic.
8. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Sons of Anarchy" Tops Charts with 90-Minute Episode". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
9. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: FX's "Sons of Anarchy" Rolls to Another Victory". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
10. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Sons of Anarchy" Holds Off Return of TNT Dramas". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
11. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Rizzoli & Isles," "Sons of Anarchy" Land Top Spots". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
12. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Storage Wars" Leads Viewers, "Chopper Live" Tops Demos". thefutoncritic. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
13. Bibel, Sara (September 5, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'The Game' Wins Night, 'Tosh.0', 'Suits', 'Rizzoli & Isles', 'Catfish', 'Face Off' & More". TV by the Numbers.
14. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 11, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Rides to First Place + 'Tosh.0', 'Rizzoli & Isles', World Cup Qualifiers, 'Amish Mafia' & More". TV by the Numbers.
15. Bibel, Sara (September 18, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night, 'Tosh.0', 'Suits', 'Amish Mafia', 'Face Off' & More". TV by the Numbers.
16. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 25, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night + 'Tosh.0', 'Amish Mafia', 'The Daily Show', 'Brickleberry', 'Ink Master' & More". TV by the Numbers.
17. Bibel, Sara (October 2, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night, Baseball, 'Tosh.0', 'Ink Master', 'The Bad Girls Club' & More". TV by the Numbers.
18. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 9, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Leads the Pack + MLB Baseball, 'Tosh.0', 'Catfish', 'Ink Master' & More". TV by the Numbers.
19. Bibel, Sara (October 16, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night, Real Husbands of Hollywood', 'Catfish', 'Face Off', 'Tosh.0' & More". TV by the Numbers.
20. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 23, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Tops Night + 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Snooki & JWOWW', 'Tosh.0', 'Ravenswood' & More". TV by the Numbers.
21. Bibel, Sara (October 30, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: Basketball Wins Night, 'Sons of Anarchy', 'Tosh.0', 'Face Off', 'Top Gear' & More". TV by the Numbers.
22. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 6, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Leads Night + 'Moonshiners', 'Tosh.0', 'Real Husbands of Hollywood' & More". TV by the Numbers.
23. Bibel, Sara (November 13, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night, College Basketball, 'Tosh.0', 'Moonshiners', 'Real Husbands of Hollywood' & More". TV by the Numbers.
24. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 20, 2013). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night + 'Tosh.0', 'Moonshiners', 'The Daily Show' & More". TV by the Numbers.

External links

• Official website