Pressleys mom not confirming her daughter is beautiful and instead saying, “I told you to stop eating so much” is so concerning on so many levels. Pressley thinks she looked overweight on the show? My Lord.
Actually, I don’t think Ashley is to blame. She defended Presley on the show when Abby was mocking her appearance, and even tried to leave but Presley didn’t want to leave. The comment about “eating too much” was simply her saying “I told you to stop eating all the junk food”, because the production team brought unhealthy food to mess with everyone.
It wasn’t mentioned but Camryn revealed that her mom was so anxious on the show that she wouldn’t eat or if she did, she couldn’t keep it down. Such a terrible experience for anyone to go through
• Softiieglow • they were doing a dance and lily couldn’t keep up and then Abby started talking to her I think to do it by herself then boom I’m pretty sure don’t fully remember
I feel like both christi & cathy were able to distinguish between reality drama and reality tv show drama. they were willing to put the shows drama aside that's y they get along in real life even if they seem like enemies on the show.
It’s so heartbreaking to see how the show destroyed the cast mentally. Sadly, viewers don’t always get to see the effects of it because not everything is filmed.
The sad part is these are young girls - and most girls entering puberty have enough stress with issues of body image, weight, looks, sexuality, etc... Having Abby hyper focused on weight, and looks had to be hard on their self-image. Often Abby made fun of Maddie’s high forehead, teeth, voice - McKenzie’s stomach, her teeth, and not being as good as Maddie. Kendall’s slouching, Nia’s hair and bad feet, chloe’s teeth (she had braces) and her eye that dropped due to Silent Sinus Syndrome; Brooke’s stomach, and big butt/hips; Jojo’s lisp; Camryn’s skin colour (saying the bottom of her feet were a different colour than the top); Ava’s height and long limbs, Chloe (from Cathy’s team) for her ears, and poor Presley from season 8 had problems with her hair, feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, neck, eyebrows and a thin upper lip! Jeez - for such a beautiful girl it’s hard to believe Abby saw nothing good about her! Only Bryn and Kalani seemed to be perfect as far as Abby was concerned.
I disagree with the statement that Kalani’s anxiety can’t be caused by the show because she still experiences it. Situations like this can definitely cause lasting mental health issues that persist even after the individual is removed from the situation.
Yes.... I wish more people would understand that Maddie and Chloe were emotionally abused and manipulated in similar but very different ways by Abby and production. I wish more people could see that Those girls survived so much more than we know. The mom's thought they were doing what they should for their daughters dreams. Melissa felt like Abby was her friend and like an auntie to her girls. But in season 3 I think when Abby is mad at Melissa and Maddie for not dancing or something and she throws Melissa under the bus Infront of Kelly and Christie to show dominance and that our friendship is nothing if you aren't on my side and letting me use your daughter to my benefit. How Christie and all of them didn't catch on is beyond me. Christie hated Maddie and Melissa but really if she would of looked at who was pulling strings she would of noticed they were being abused and used just differently. Abby and production were monsters.
You can tell that it was getting to both Chloe & Christi as they went on. Christi got more and more aggressive while Chloe became silent. She was very talkative in S1 but by S4, she barely opened her mouth.
@@marvincorre4783 i dont think Christi was portrayed the same thing what Leslie experienced, I think they portrayed her as a crazy dance mom after Kelly left since they made it seemed like after Kelly left, Christi insulted Maddie many times but the producers told her to do it
It was hard to watch. She always looked so happy and talkative in early seasons but by season 4, she looked miserable and almost mute in most situations 😔
she obviously doesn't look bad, her face looks beautiful, however abby was criticising her thighs. And her thighs are really nowhere near like Lilly's or Elli's.
@@chungleanne2690 whats wrong with her thighs though? Genuine question coz I don't see it 😅? She's not fat by a long stretch so this is weird to me 😅 also does it affect how she dances-thighs? No one should criticise a child that much, it's damaging mentally as we can see here 😣😔 abby uses the same technique they do to horses to get them to accept being ridden, it's called breaking them in, it basically means breaking their spirit so they become obedient little dancers who show no emotion in front of her, unless it's on stage, and let's adults berate and scream at them when they want, it's not teaching 😒
@@gelleg I get that it jiggles but does it affect her ability to dance I meant 😅? It's meant ti jiggle, eli was pushed hard for years prior to coming to abbys studio very hardcore training, and did different styles to presley, same with lilli and her contortion stuff 😊 so they shouldn't be compared esp on "aesthetic" or how they look 🙈 nias thighs jiggled, same with kalani and she was a favourite of abbys til season 5, everyone's thighs should jiggle a little, and when your 12 you've not stretched out yet and can have "puppy fat" but she doesn't really have much if any puppy fat so it confused me 😅 abbys hardly one to talk about fat thighs aswell 🙈 maybe coz she lost weight she forgets how big she was 😅 and how horrible it was being taken the piss out of just for having some fat, but it's abby so if course she just turns into a bully about weight aswell 🙈
Paige’s worsening anxiety throughout the show was heartbreaking. It’s very rough to watch that back, especially the episode when Abby said she’d come back “when Brooke and Paige get the hell out my studio”.
I don't think... season 8 dancers and mothers went on the show while they knew how it was. I think when you can be on TV, there always be someone to be willing to go...
abby and lifetimes contract is over, so even if it came back it would be a different studio, so it probably wouldn’t as that could be a big mistake for lifetime
@// yoongiclapton // Remember when blackout Tuesday happened during the Black Lives Matter? Abby did that but it featured her logo and people got mad about it, but she was racist way before that happened. Check out the video on Racism.
I can totally understand why Cathy would be upset about the show being extended. It is one thing to agree to play a “villain” for 6 episodes, but to then find out that you are stuck playing this role for months and then years.....
I remember watching Lily’s panic attack in the season 8 episode and it was so heartbreaking to watch as I have panic attacks and I’m much older than her so it’s very scary to see a young girl go through it
Yeah I’m 13 and I got my first panic attack when I was 12 and it was so bad and so scary coz my parents don’t know and wouldn’t believe me if I told them it makes me so sad that such young people are put under that stress and have issues like this it is so sad
@@shimmershine6902 I don’t necessarily think they’re being paid to give the kids panic attacks but Abby definitely could have done more than do what is effectively telling her to get out
No she isn’t. If she allegedly faced racism and all the above why would she bring her kid back to Abby and stay there till the show ended. Terrible parenting
As far as Kalani goes, sometimes stress gets worse after the traumatic experience. I believe she is experiencing heightened delayed anxiety & trauma from her experience on the show.
Anyone could see that girl was fighting an internal battle on the show - it wasn't just that she had panic attacks from the show but developed an actual anxiety disorder :( Mine started at 14 and 12 years later I'm still dealing with it. What people don't understand is once your brain begins to process things a certain way and is repeatedly exposed to the trigger its very hard to undo without lots of therapy. I wonder if what she was trying to suggest is that perhaps she had a predisposition to developing it and the show brought that out
Horrid what that beast got away with, still shocked Child services did not step in. As for Chloe not remembering, it is indeed a renowned coping strategy for many people who are abused , ideal imo as when they feel ready to get help, with a therapists support they can safely begin their healing process and open up. Chloe also shared her poem about her eating disorders, it was so heartfelt, even thinking about it has me holding back tears. Christi said when Chloe shared the poem with her and Marc, she thought it was part of her College creative writing class requirement. Chloe carried this demon on her own for all those years. No child or adult deserved emotional or verbal abuse and Nia apparently was physically grabbed by the beast, the producers tried to shut down them saying anything by gifting the girls ipads. I am shocked the season 8 parents knowing what she and the show was like, thought it was a good idea to take the risk of exposing their child to such abusive ways.
You could tell that them moms on season 8 just wanted their kid to be famous and be on TV, I was especially shocked to see Lilli and Stacy because they knew exactly how everything worked, I obviously don’t think the girls were the bad ones but the moms letting them go through what they did, the only mom I didn’t have much of an issue with was Joanne because you could see she cares about Gia and Gia cares about her
Maddie also can’t remember almost anything about the show. This makes me feel horrible because even the one who supposedly had it better, still got ptsd...
@@gabis314 what puzzles me the most is that Stacey is a psychologist. she literally has the education and the credentials to help a client heal from similarly traumatic circumstances. wasn’t the fact that the show’s environment very obviously being damaging for one’s mental health alarming enough for her to put her therapist-hat on and say “hey, professionally speaking, this is NOT okay”? and why she continued to stay on the show, despite having seen Lilly’s panic attacks and spiraling mental health (maybe even the depression too) with her own eyes, is beyond me. Like... excuse me ma’am, but isn’t that your daughter’s mental health circling the drain???
i agree abby is horrible, but can we talk abt the PRODUCERS?? I remember back in June i got blocked by the main producer twice because I called him out on racial inequalities in the show.
I just wanted to thank you for the triggers warnings that you have. They are clearly thought out, warn about the issue, and tell you when to skip. It means a lot.
I've had anxiety literally my whole life (separation anxiety as a child that turned into generalized anxiety disorder)... seeing those girls have panic attacks and freaking out BREAKS my heart. :( They're too young for that pressure.
These girls were exploited by all the adults around them. I hope all the girls are in therapy, or at least have a positive outlet for the psychological (and physical) fallout.
@@kayseecoward7571the moms should’ve hired good contract lawyers to break the contract, not bringing their daughters back to the studio to endure more stress
It was such a harmful environment to begin with and then they had to deal with public scrutiny on top of it all. They deserve way more credit for everything they endured!
This is actually the BEST series regarding the show. I absolutely love how in depth you go with your research and provide sources for everything. I also really appreciate you talking about serious topics such as depression, self image, anxiety etc.
God, I have mental illness, most of my family does, it’s pretty genetic. I can’t even imagine going through what they did, let alone recovering from it.
I wonder what lessons/legal wins that dance moms girls unfortunately won for future child reality TV stars... I feel like both child reality TV stars and RUclips kids both have minimal protections/rights... and that the lack of a script is really just an abusive capitalist tool to exploit them.
Most things were tip toed around. For example, providing gross food for the cast so they wouldn’t eat it. They technically provided food, regardless of the taste, so it’s considered legal. Though some things weren’t legal, all of the worst ones were just snuck by the line from being illegal smh
Wow I only knew about the little anxiety ticks - like Maddie saying that all those time she was shown biting her nails was due to stress and anxiety, and that she hasn't bit her nails since leaving the show. It also is quite disturbing to see how they laugh off these traumatic experiences, especially with Lily. The way she talked about the show giving her depression and her having panic attacks on camera and she doesn't stop smiling...
That episode is so heart breaking. You can really tell in that episode how bad kelly's and paige' anxiety was. I think half of episode they were crying
I feel Camryn and Nicaya's should've been included here as well. I understand this was discussed in earlier videos, but since this video's subject was stress affecting the cast, I feel it'd only be fair to revisit because of the implications. There is an odious perception out there that dark skinned black women like Camryn and Nicaya are impervious to stress, since there is very little discussion about mental health within the black community. Moreover, stereotypes of black women are often weaponized to muzzle emotions which would otherwise be expressed by other races of people. Cheryl Burke had a poor impression of Camryn's attitude because she rolled her eyes. Thankfully, Camryn clarified that this was due to stress caused by production, and Cheryl apologized graciously. Had Cheryl not recanted her comment, this could've damaged Camryn's reputation in the industry, which is one of the reasons why dark skinned black women are often stifled in the entertainment industry. I would love to see the fandom extend support to them as well, and this video would've been a fantastic opportunity to touch on these nuanced experiences.
The amount of times they showed cast members having panic/anxiety attacks was just.... So awful. Once I put that sentiment under a Lifetime video of Abby clearly having a breakdown and someone was like "They knew what they were getting into" but we all know that's not even close to true
I agree. Honestly I don’t think they had any idea. They all said it started out as 6 episodes. A short documentary. Then production twisted it into 6 seasons and nobody could leave because they were locked into a contract with limited exceptions. People say the moms only stayed because their daughters wanted to, but there were so many times the girls said that they wanted to leave or go home. So if neither the moms or daughters wanted to stay, then why wouldn’t they just quit? They were locked into contract. I don’t think the original cast knew anything about what they were getting into, so it’s horrible to blame them and pawn it off as them just wanting fame. It clearly became too much for them all, but people gloss over that and call them ungrateful or attention seekers.
Yeah, it was super obvious she had a anxiety disorder. She couldn’t breathe, looked flushed and clearly when she cried it was a reflex for the stress/anxiety she was feeling.
I'm pretty sure people mock Kendall for her bad attitude and rude behavior (at times), not her anxiety. Anxiety is not an excuse for having a bad attitude
@@rebeccaatkins2514 A lot of cast mates have claimed she was quite mean off camera, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she did have a bad attitude at times.
Exactly I’m talking about jojo because she always talked about the girls not talking about the show or not talking to Abby that women gave them mental issues and insulted them on a daily biases that’s not normal
@@elizahamilton2895 yep same. My parents fight like every other week and one time it got physical and I saw the whole thing. I was only 9 at the time.😭
Our house was constant chaos and yelling growing up. First time I ever heard a room being quiet was in college; it was so strange, almost eerie. I'm 29 now and I still have issues from all the yelling/arguing that happened.
I'm so glad Kalani mentioned her headaches. I've been getting bad ones to the point where they make me cry or can't do anything, so I'll do what Kalani does! :)
Kalani has definitely developed anxiety on the show which has then continued into her life , once your body learns the coping around anxiety at a young age it does continue x
i watched dance moms during quarantine since being constantly stuck inside my house sucked and so i had something kinda silly to watch, but watching lily have a panic attack felt way too real. i have bad anxiety and i’m 16, so witnessing lily, who’s a tiny little kiddo, panic like that makes me feel heartbroken. i’m still able to socialize with others relatively easily and junk like that, but when shit hits the fan for me, or when even it barely does, my brain goes ballistic
Every time I see scenes of the girls have panic attacks, I feel that pain. I've had anxiety and depression ever since I was a kid and the show can bring me back to my childhood anxiety.
I'm super early and I just want to thank you for educating everyone that reality tv isn't always what it seems. The cast went through so much, and most of it wasn't even publicly know, thank you for taking time out of your days go research and make these videos.
We don't know how MANY she was eating. Probably she was binge eating or something like that and it was probably junk food. so i think that is why her mom wanted to stop eating so much
I feel like if it was binge eating they should have specified that because the way it sounds just makes it sound like “eating is bad” but I haven’t seen that full video so idk
I have never clicked so FASTTTT I REALLY ENJOY THIS SERIES IT IS SO INTERESTING, I wish you posted like twice a week. I kinda wanna see 1. The history of Abby and Kelly's relationship 2. Holly and Nia's time on the show
Kalani is my guess because she was the one who met her before and said "I love her but...she is a bit intense". Jojo stole Kalani's scrip in AUDC and Keira was eager to her rid of Jojo. To be fair Jojo and her mom were very obnoxious in the other show, and later everyone worked the things out.
just want to commend you for your trigger warnings- so many content creators don't care about using them but yours are so considerate!! love your videos so much!!
I'm glad you mentioned the bit about people forcing the cast into being grateful for the show. Sure, career opportunities arose from the show, but one could ask if it was even worth it... so much pressure, stress, expectations, fake situations to deal with at such a young age. It would surprise me if there was a castmember who has not dealt with any consequences. And they also did not really choose this for themselves, they were little kids... Money is not everything and sometimes I feel like these voices calling them ungrateful are just jealous and unaware of what it really meant to be a child celebrity or a reality tv castmember. And... thanks for a great video, as always!
And her husbands name is Mark and their daughter is Chloe... being a Christina Grimmie fan that makes me happy. Cause Christina’s brothers name is Marcus but goes by Mark and they have a dog named Chloe and Chloe and Christi were my favorites. It all makes sense now.
To anyone who may struggle with these same issues or just need help with confidence: Christi does amazing sessions with college girls on her journey to confidence and how to get through the hard times! It was so enlightening and genuinely helped me unlike most virtual speakers!!!
For Kalani and her anxiety, of course she can still be feeling and dealing with it from the tv show. That stuff doesn’t just disappear over night. So, yes I do believe we can fully hold the show responsible for this.
I know she was joking but I was really disappointed to hear Pressley’s mom react the way she did to her daughter talking about her appearance. Pressley looked amazing on TV
About the Kalani thing, just because she still has it today doesn't mean it wasn't caused by the show. She might have PTSD or something similar, and anxiety can last for years even after the initial trigger has been removed, so seeing as it started while she was on the show it can very likely be the sole reason why she is still suffering to this day, as it usually doesn't go away if formed through some sort of trauma and without proper help/therapy to work through.
This breaks my heart, these poor girls (and Brady) just wanted to dance. Dancing shouldn’t come with depression and anxiety attacks😔 I always feel guilty for loving dance moms so much because of how abusive and traumatizing it was
i never even thought about how the last text would affect the girls, i just saw it as a really powerful piece. ik when i was their age and i learned about things like that, i also couldn't sleep properly for weeks
I can confirm from experience that your brain will make you forget traumatic experiences. I legitimately cannot remember the majority of my K-12 school years because I was bullied constantly and a lot of other really bad things happening. It is a coping mechanism. It's so sad to see others dealing with it...It's really hard because it makes you forget all the good, happy times as well...
Honestly? It is amazing to me that none of the cast (especially the vulnerable children) turned to self harm behaviour (other than food related) or commited suicid. I just now that as somebody who is severely mentally ill and has a genetic predisposition to it, I would hsve not survived a childhood in this environment. The show should be held accountable for this and should have established a better schedule for the cast, to ease pressure, employ counsellers and child psychologists, asses the cast before filming to ensure their mental stability is enough to be on the show,etc. I'm surprised that the cast didn't end up much worse after all the years of stress they went through.
These are all such serious stress issues and I feel so bad for all the things the cast went through just for the sake of the show. One thing that really opened my eyes was that Chloe was freaked out by The Last Text or any other chilling routines. I never thought about how a child might not be able to handle the serious issues that Abby choreographs. And it’s not something that fans keep in mind as well. Great video as always!
I’ve had anxiety my whole life. It started to come out in 1st grade when I moved schools but went full blown in 3rd grade when my parents got divorced. Anxiety attacks and panic attacks are completely different. Personally in my anxiety attacks I would get violent and essentially black out on the inside without actually blacking out. I never remembered anything that I did or what had happened after. Nothing that my mom would say or do could help me. Luckily I haven’t had an anxiety attack in a while. Sometimes I have panic attacks but those are much milder and usually happen inside my head so I can often control them. It’s horrible that they now experience anxiety because of a TV show. No one should ever have to go through this.
Thank you so much for the trigger warning 🥰 I’ve watched other videos talking about the stress and anxiety of these girls and they most don’t put a trigger warning which is bad for me since anything as simple as mentioning it can trigger me. Thank you so much 🤗
The more and more we discover about this show, the more GLARINGLY obvious is the rampant child abuse! I know firsthand how a coach can really mess you up for life. And at least my trauma wasn’t being mined for entertainment! I am so incredibly disgusted with EVERY SINGLE ADULT who was ever even tangentially involved in this. I’m almost more disgusted with myself for gobbling up this delicious dance content and just mildly joking about how the girls will all need EXTENSIVE therapy. Har har. I hate that NO ONE had the moral fortitude to put a stop to this. Processing trauma like this isn’t something everyone can survive. I’m really rooting for these kids to make it. But if there is another season of this abomination, we are going to have to hardcore protest and make sure none of this ever happens again.
The fact that Christi and Cathy were still secretly friends off camera is amazing yet unbelievable
it’s a hate crime I can’t like this twice
Because they're both hilarious
Abby and Cathy are good friends away from dance mums
Naaahh you can tell they’re friends. All of that was fake goofy banter 😂😂😂
@@miusees Ikr even crazier I love it
Pressleys mom not confirming her daughter is beautiful and instead saying, “I told you to stop eating so much” is so concerning on so many levels. Pressley thinks she looked overweight on the show? My Lord.
KateMich12 and all Pressley will do is project that onto others. We live in a fatphobic world and it is endangers so many
Gen Z social media culture is so unbelievably toxic. Pressley is beautiful and the fact that kids now all have body issues is awful.
Actually, I don’t think Ashley is to blame. She defended Presley on the show when Abby was mocking her appearance, and even tried to leave but Presley didn’t want to leave. The comment about “eating too much” was simply her saying “I told you to stop eating all the junk food”, because the production team brought unhealthy food to mess with everyone.
RIGHT
pressley is so gorgeous and so young. this is heartbreaking
It wasn’t mentioned but Camryn revealed that her mom was so anxious on the show that she wouldn’t eat or if she did, she couldn’t keep it down. Such a terrible experience for anyone to go through
Yeah and they said If she didn’t cause drama she wouldn’t get a pay check!
I think it was mentioned in a previous video.
Oh yes, I remember hearing that! The cast deserve so much more respect for surviving the show than we give them ✊❤️
@@Hannah-ck9nn That is hell.
@@MackZBoss you’ve definitely talked about that before
When lily couldn't breath it was honestly hard to watch in the actual episode
Oh yes, I really felt like at that point, they should’ve been allowed to step out of view of the cameras.
@@MackZBoss unfortunately the producers always included when the girls started crying or having anxiety/panic attacks because it caused more drama
@@madi410 this just makes me cry
What happened? I watched the short clip but not the actual episode
• Softiieglow • they were doing a dance and lily couldn’t keep up and then Abby started talking to her I think to do it by herself then boom I’m pretty sure don’t fully remember
Honestly, based off the show it’s so surprising that Cathy and Christi where friends, they seemed like mortal enemies on the show
IKR🤔
It's called acting 🎭 😀
I feel like both christi & cathy were able to distinguish between reality drama and reality tv show drama. they were willing to put the shows drama aside that's y they get along in real life even if they seem like enemies on the show.
fr like acting is on point 😂
I agree
It’s so heartbreaking to see how the show destroyed the cast mentally. Sadly, viewers don’t always get to see the effects of it because not everything is filmed.
Yeah and then they expect the cast to be grateful every single second of the day
@@bya1281 which is especially insidious for the kids, as if they chose this
@@overgrownkudzu ikr really haters need to get their facts first
The sad part is these are young girls - and most girls entering puberty have enough stress with issues of body image, weight, looks, sexuality, etc... Having Abby hyper focused on weight, and looks had to be hard on their self-image. Often Abby made fun of Maddie’s high forehead, teeth, voice - McKenzie’s stomach, her teeth, and not being as good as Maddie. Kendall’s slouching, Nia’s hair and bad feet, chloe’s teeth (she had braces) and her eye that dropped due to Silent Sinus Syndrome; Brooke’s stomach, and big butt/hips; Jojo’s lisp; Camryn’s skin colour (saying the bottom of her feet were a different colour than the top); Ava’s height and long limbs, Chloe (from Cathy’s team) for her ears, and poor Presley from season 8 had problems with her hair, feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, neck, eyebrows and a thin upper lip! Jeez - for such a beautiful girl it’s hard to believe Abby saw nothing good about her! Only Bryn and Kalani seemed to be perfect as far as Abby was concerned.
@@lostcontrol1981 I know that is sooooooooo sad 😞😞😞😞
I disagree with the statement that Kalani’s anxiety can’t be caused by the show because she still experiences it. Situations like this can definitely cause lasting mental health issues that persist even after the individual is removed from the situation.
i mean yeah completely. i got anxiety from a bad school two years ago, and it's just gotten worse from other situations.
Yeah this.
yes. trauma.
@@meredithbisioski471 I’m so sorry
The amount of psychological abuse these kids were subjected to is enough to leave someone with complex ptsd
Maddie has also said that she has trouble remembering her time on Dance Moms, so it seems that both her and Chloe are repressing some major trauma
Where did she say that?
@@mathilde4994 In the video she did with Nikki Tutorials.
Yes.... I wish more people would understand that Maddie and Chloe were emotionally abused and manipulated in similar but very different ways by Abby and production. I wish more people could see that Those girls survived so much more than we know. The mom's thought they were doing what they should for their daughters dreams. Melissa felt like Abby was her friend and like an auntie to her girls. But in season 3 I think when Abby is mad at Melissa and Maddie for not dancing or something and she throws Melissa under the bus Infront of Kelly and Christie to show dominance and that our friendship is nothing if you aren't on my side and letting me use your daughter to my benefit.
How Christie and all of them didn't catch on is beyond me. Christie hated Maddie and Melissa but really if she would of looked at who was pulling strings she would of noticed they were being abused and used just differently.
Abby and production were monsters.
You can tell that it was getting to both Chloe & Christi as they went on. Christi got more and more aggressive while Chloe became silent. She was very talkative in S1 but by S4, she barely opened her mouth.
Hard agree.
Like Lilly
My goodness
@@marvincorre4783 i dont think Christi was portrayed the same thing what Leslie experienced, I think they portrayed her as a crazy dance mom after Kelly left since they made it seemed like after Kelly left, Christi insulted Maddie many times but the producers told her to do it
It was hard to watch. She always looked so happy and talkative in early seasons but by season 4, she looked miserable and almost mute in most situations 😔
the pressley part breaks my heart, she didn’t even look bad on tv she’s way too young to have to worry abt her weight 😕
she obviously doesn't look bad, her face looks beautiful, however abby was criticising her thighs. And her thighs are really nowhere near like Lilly's or Elli's.
@@chungleanne2690 whats wrong with her thighs though? Genuine question coz I don't see it 😅? She's not fat by a long stretch so this is weird to me 😅 also does it affect how she dances-thighs? No one should criticise a child that much, it's damaging mentally as we can see here 😣😔 abby uses the same technique they do to horses to get them to accept being ridden, it's called breaking them in, it basically means breaking their spirit so they become obedient little dancers who show no emotion in front of her, unless it's on stage, and let's adults berate and scream at them when they want, it's not teaching 😒
@@chungleanne2690 she was criticising every bit of the child aswell over the whole series it's sad 😔
@@gelleg I get that it jiggles but does it affect her ability to dance I meant 😅? It's meant ti jiggle, eli was pushed hard for years prior to coming to abbys studio very hardcore training, and did different styles to presley, same with lilli and her contortion stuff 😊 so they shouldn't be compared esp on "aesthetic" or how they look 🙈 nias thighs jiggled, same with kalani and she was a favourite of abbys til season 5, everyone's thighs should jiggle a little, and when your 12 you've not stretched out yet and can have "puppy fat" but she doesn't really have much if any puppy fat so it confused me 😅 abbys hardly one to talk about fat thighs aswell 🙈 maybe coz she lost weight she forgets how big she was 😅 and how horrible it was being taken the piss out of just for having some fat, but it's abby so if course she just turns into a bully about weight aswell 🙈
@@gelleg ahhhh okay thank you for replying 🥰 I just wasn't sure if it affected the dancing so I had to ask so I'm not missing something 😅🙈
Paige’s worsening anxiety throughout the show was heartbreaking. It’s very rough to watch that back, especially the episode when Abby said she’d come back “when Brooke and Paige get the hell out my studio”.
And when Brooke and Kelly started crying, god it was a sad episode.
@@carleighluvsari and the saddest part is is that brooke never cries, so you know she was done with it all.
The way Pressley said “that’s why I looked like that on TV” even though she looked totally fine broke my heart
At competition (pre dance moms) she was always so confident and now to see her suffering so badly mentally breaks my heart
after everything coming out, dance moms most definitely won’t be coming back. because barely anyone would return or join the team
I don't think... season 8 dancers and mothers went on the show while they knew how it was. I think when you can be on TV, there always be someone to be willing to go...
abby and lifetimes contract is over, so even if it came back it would be a different studio, so it probably wouldn’t as that could be a big mistake for lifetime
@// yoongiclapton // she got fired bc of her racist behavior
@// yoongiclapton // Remember when blackout Tuesday happened during the Black Lives Matter? Abby did that but it featured her logo and people got mad about it, but she was racist way before that happened. Check out the video on Racism.
I would much rather they brought back kim of queens.
I can totally understand why Cathy would be upset about the show being extended. It is one thing to agree to play a “villain” for 6 episodes, but to then find out that you are stuck playing this role for months and then years.....
I remember watching Lily’s panic attack in the season 8 episode and it was so heartbreaking to watch as I have panic attacks and I’m much older than her so it’s very scary to see a young girl go through it
I’m so sorry you have panic attacks
Yeah and she’s like... what, 11? 12? Way too much stress for such a little kid. Like imagine getting paid to give tweens panic attacks 😀 wtf
Yeah I’m 13 and I got my first panic attack when I was 12 and it was so bad and so scary coz my parents don’t know and wouldn’t believe me if I told them it makes me so sad that such young people are put under that stress and have issues like this it is so sad
@@shimmershine6902 yep u are so right and it’s so sad I can’t even imagine what it must be like
@@shimmershine6902 I don’t necessarily think they’re being paid to give the kids panic attacks but Abby definitely could have done more than do what is effectively telling her to get out
"holly was the most normal mom"
no surprise there
PERIOT
Ikr!we all knew this 😂
No she isn’t. If she allegedly faced racism and all the above why would she bring her kid back to Abby and stay there till the show ended. Terrible parenting
As far as Kalani goes, sometimes stress gets worse after the traumatic experience. I believe she is experiencing heightened delayed anxiety & trauma from her experience on the show.
Anyone could see that girl was fighting an internal battle on the show - it wasn't just that she had panic attacks from the show but developed an actual anxiety disorder :( Mine started at 14 and 12 years later I'm still dealing with it. What people don't understand is once your brain begins to process things a certain way and is repeatedly exposed to the trigger its very hard to undo without lots of therapy. I wonder if what she was trying to suggest is that perhaps she had a predisposition to developing it and the show brought that out
Horrid what that beast got away with, still shocked Child services did not step in. As for Chloe not remembering, it is indeed a renowned coping strategy for many people who are abused , ideal imo as when they feel ready to get help, with a therapists support they can safely begin their healing process and open up. Chloe also shared her poem about her eating disorders, it was so heartfelt, even thinking about it has me holding back tears. Christi said when Chloe shared the poem with her and Marc, she thought it was part of her College creative writing class requirement. Chloe carried this demon on her own for all those years. No child or adult deserved emotional or verbal abuse and Nia apparently was physically grabbed by the beast, the producers tried to shut down them saying anything by gifting the girls ipads. I am shocked the season 8 parents knowing what she and the show was like, thought it was a good idea to take the risk of exposing their child to such abusive ways.
Honestly, same.
You could tell that them moms on season 8 just wanted their kid to be famous and be on TV, I was especially shocked to see Lilli and Stacy because they knew exactly how everything worked, I obviously don’t think the girls were the bad ones but the moms letting them go through what they did, the only mom I didn’t have much of an issue with was Joanne because you could see she cares about Gia and Gia cares about her
Maddie also can’t remember almost anything about the show. This makes me feel horrible because even the one who supposedly had it better, still got ptsd...
@@gabis314 what puzzles me the most is that Stacey is a psychologist. she literally has the education and the credentials to help a client heal from similarly traumatic circumstances. wasn’t the fact that the show’s environment very obviously being damaging for one’s mental health alarming enough for her to put her therapist-hat on and say “hey, professionally speaking, this is NOT okay”? and why she continued to stay on the show, despite having seen Lilly’s panic attacks and spiraling mental health (maybe even the depression too) with her own eyes, is beyond me. Like... excuse me ma’am, but isn’t that your daughter’s mental health circling the drain???
i agree abby is horrible, but can we talk abt the PRODUCERS?? I remember back in June i got blocked by the main producer twice because I called him out on racial inequalities in the show.
I just wanted to thank you for the triggers warnings that you have. They are clearly thought out, warn about the issue, and tell you when to skip. It means a lot.
I've had anxiety literally my whole life (separation anxiety as a child that turned into generalized anxiety disorder)... seeing those girls have panic attacks and freaking out BREAKS my heart. :( They're too young for that pressure.
I know and then everyone expects them to be grateful every second of the day.
Same I grew up w the same way as well, I hate how meanwhile I was enjoying the show, they were suffering:(
@@ihhjokhausmannkkjhh1545 Ikr it make me feel kind of guilty
I know right? Lilly was like 10.
These girls were exploited by all the adults around them. I hope all the girls are in therapy, or at least have a positive outlet for the psychological (and physical) fallout.
I also really hope they have support systems that help them to deal with everything they endured in a healthy way.
The producers should’ve gotten them therapy sessions, not IPads
@@kayseecoward7571the moms should’ve hired good contract lawyers to break the contract, not bringing their daughters back to the studio to endure more stress
The things these young girls went through are crazy to even think about
Yup especially lilly idk why she returned in s8 probe for fame
Ikr
@@jawaherxyasminegaming2450 contract
It was such a harmful environment to begin with and then they had to deal with public scrutiny on top of it all. They deserve way more credit for everything they endured!
And yet they have to be "grateful".
This is actually the BEST series regarding the show. I absolutely love how in depth you go with your research and provide sources for everything. I also really appreciate you talking about serious topics such as depression, self image, anxiety etc.
God, I have mental illness, most of my family does, it’s pretty genetic. I can’t even imagine going through what they did, let alone recovering from it.
I’m so sorry!!
It sucks I haven’t be diagnosed but I have had panic attacks and some other symptoms
It truly must’ve been so difficult for them! I never could have endured all that pressure at such a young age 😮
@@iamtheaceupmysleeve1687 I know this is a serious matter..but..U jUsT GoT DiAGNoSED
*JuSt gOt dIaGnOsEd*
I click faster than mackzboss could say " welcome back to my series dance moms uncovered"
Haha, thanks so much for your support! 😁💕
@@MackZBoss no thank you from doing theses
Noise cancelling headphones always do the trick😌
i dont even know how half this stuff was legal tbh
Honestly I dont think it was.
I wonder what lessons/legal wins that dance moms girls unfortunately won for future child reality TV stars...
I feel like both child reality TV stars and RUclips kids both have minimal protections/rights... and that the lack of a script is really just an abusive capitalist tool to exploit them.
Most things were tip toed around. For example, providing gross food for the cast so they wouldn’t eat it. They technically provided food, regardless of the taste, so it’s considered legal. Though some things weren’t legal, all of the worst ones were just snuck by the line from being illegal smh
I think it's so heartbreaking that Lily's like laughing while telling these things...
she was laughing because it’s just her personality, she’s a really happy and cheery person
Wow I only knew about the little anxiety ticks - like Maddie saying that all those time she was shown biting her nails was due to stress and anxiety, and that she hasn't bit her nails since leaving the show. It also is quite disturbing to see how they laugh off these traumatic experiences, especially with Lily. The way she talked about the show giving her depression and her having panic attacks on camera and she doesn't stop smiling...
I want to be on tv.
Paige had a panic attack in late Season 3 too when they were in Vegas! It’s so uncomfortable to watch knowing what those girls went through.
That episode is so heart breaking. You can really tell in that episode how bad kelly's and paige' anxiety was. I think half of episode they were crying
I always skip that episode because of how sad it is
I feel Camryn and Nicaya's should've been included here as well. I understand this was discussed in earlier videos, but since this video's subject was stress affecting the cast, I feel it'd only be fair to revisit because of the implications. There is an odious perception out there that dark skinned black women like Camryn and Nicaya are impervious to stress, since there is very little discussion about mental health within the black community.
Moreover, stereotypes of black women are often weaponized to muzzle emotions which would otherwise be expressed by other races of people. Cheryl Burke had a poor impression of Camryn's attitude because she rolled her eyes. Thankfully, Camryn clarified that this was due to stress caused by production, and Cheryl apologized graciously. Had Cheryl not recanted her comment, this could've damaged Camryn's reputation in the industry, which is one of the reasons why dark skinned black women are often stifled in the entertainment industry. I would love to see the fandom extend support to them as well, and this video would've been a fantastic opportunity to touch on these nuanced experiences.
The amount of times they showed cast members having panic/anxiety attacks was just.... So awful.
Once I put that sentiment under a Lifetime video of Abby clearly having a breakdown and someone was like "They knew what they were getting into" but we all know that's not even close to true
I agree. Honestly I don’t think they had any idea. They all said it started out as 6 episodes. A short documentary. Then production twisted it into 6 seasons and nobody could leave because they were locked into a contract with limited exceptions. People say the moms only stayed because their daughters wanted to, but there were so many times the girls said that they wanted to leave or go home. So if neither the moms or daughters wanted to stay, then why wouldn’t they just quit? They were locked into contract. I don’t think the original cast knew anything about what they were getting into, so it’s horrible to blame them and pawn it off as them just wanting fame. It clearly became too much for them all, but people gloss over that and call them ungrateful or attention seekers.
I really want you to do a video on whether Gia was as bad as Abby on being mean to the children. I think it’s a good idea to look into
Towards the end she was horrible
I think she was
chloe definitely got the worst of the abuse it just felt so personal and vindictive it makes me so uncomfortable i hope she’s okay
I hate how everyone mocked (and still mocks Kendall) when it was obvious she was suffering from an anxiety disorder...
Yeah, it was super obvious she had a anxiety disorder. She couldn’t breathe, looked flushed and clearly when she cried it was a reflex for the stress/anxiety she was feeling.
I'm pretty sure people mock Kendall for her bad attitude and rude behavior (at times), not her anxiety. Anxiety is not an excuse for having a bad attitude
@@fortheloveofcats2462 How do you even know if she really had a bad attitude, the show is 99% edited.
Yes they still mock Kendall for crying. She is having a panic attack, morons. 🙄🙄🙄
@@rebeccaatkins2514 A lot of cast mates have claimed she was quite mean off camera, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she did have a bad attitude at times.
the show: "be grateful for being on the show!"
also the show: gives mental and physical issues
Exactly I’m talking about jojo because she always talked about the girls not talking about the show or not talking to Abby that women gave them mental issues and insulted them on a daily biases that’s not normal
I love that Cathy and Christi are friends off camera. Cathy and Christi reuniting in season 7 was my favorite moment of the whole show
No kid should be watching adults fight.
Coming from someone who had parents fighting constantly sometimes violently until I was 13 it sucks.
@@elizahamilton2895 yep same. My parents fight like every other week and one time it got physical and I saw the whole thing. I was only 9 at the time.😭
This is a huge reason why i loved when Holly made the girls get out of the room when Kelly and Abby had that fight
Our house was constant chaos and yelling growing up. First time I ever heard a room being quiet was in college; it was so strange, almost eerie. I'm 29 now and I still have issues from all the yelling/arguing that happened.
I'm so glad Kalani mentioned her headaches.
I've been getting bad ones to the point where they make me cry or can't do anything, so I'll do what Kalani does! :)
I do too, I’ve been getting a least one a week lately
Kalani has definitely developed anxiety on the show which has then continued into her life , once your body learns the coping around anxiety at a young age it does continue x
i watched dance moms during quarantine since being constantly stuck inside my house sucked and so i had something kinda silly to watch, but watching lily have a panic attack felt way too real. i have bad anxiety and i’m 16, so witnessing lily, who’s a tiny little kiddo, panic like that makes me feel heartbroken. i’m still able to socialize with others relatively easily and junk like that, but when shit hits the fan for me, or when even it barely does, my brain goes ballistic
Every time I see scenes of the girls have panic attacks, I feel that pain. I've had anxiety and depression ever since I was a kid and the show can bring me back to my childhood anxiety.
I'm super early and I just want to thank you for educating everyone that reality tv isn't always what it seems. The cast went through so much, and most of it wasn't even publicly know, thank you for taking time out of your days go research and make these videos.
Thank you for continuing to watching my videos! I really, really appreciate it 💕
Not Pressleys mom agreeing that she needed to eat less....pls tell me I misheard that
maybe she was binge eating? that's not very healthy for anyone, regardless of size.
We don't know how MANY she was eating. Probably she was binge eating or something like that and it was probably junk food. so i think that is why her mom wanted to stop eating so much
I feel like if it was binge eating they should have specified that because the way it sounds just makes it sound like “eating is bad” but I haven’t seen that full video so idk
I have never clicked so FASTTTT
I REALLY ENJOY THIS SERIES IT IS SO INTERESTING, I wish you posted like twice a week.
I kinda wanna see
1. The history of Abby and Kelly's relationship
2. Holly and Nia's time on the show
so does anyone else think that Kendall is the one who had problems with Jojo in the beginning? i’m like 90% sure that’s who Jess was talking about
i was just thinking that
Yes, i think too. My other option is kalani because kira was kinda mean to jojo too
@@valeritafg Not to mention they were on AUDC as well.
Kalani is my guess because she was the one who met her before and said "I love her but...she is a bit intense". Jojo stole Kalani's scrip in AUDC and Keira was eager to her rid of Jojo. To be fair Jojo and her mom were very obnoxious in the other show, and later everyone worked the things out.
Lmao Cathy and Christi = besties
just want to commend you for your trigger warnings- so many content creators don't care about using them but yours are so considerate!! love your videos so much!!
same, I need them to help me mentally prepare to watch them, bc with trigger warnings I can watch them without my anxiety getting worked up
PLZ MAKE MERCH THAT SAYS "More than the produces cared to show!!"WOAH 37 likes???? thank you guyss😊
Hahahaha thats such a great idea
Omg yesssss
That would make such a good canvas tote
92 likes now
@@Alishaqaium yess im so happyy!!!
It was so hard watching lilys panic attack in season 8 i felt so bad for her! Especailly the fact the producers kept filming her!
And Chloe said that Abby was so much worse in real life that people wouldn't watch the show, there was probably heaps more behind the scenes.
I'm glad you mentioned the bit about people forcing the cast into being grateful for the show. Sure, career opportunities arose from the show, but one could ask if it was even worth it... so much pressure, stress, expectations, fake situations to deal with at such a young age. It would surprise me if there was a castmember who has not dealt with any consequences. And they also did not really choose this for themselves, they were little kids... Money is not everything and sometimes I feel like these voices calling them ungrateful are just jealous and unaware of what it really meant to be a child celebrity or a reality tv castmember.
And... thanks for a great video, as always!
It‘s funny how Cathy who is portrayed like the villain that doesnt care about anyone but herself is actually a very decent person
Fun Fact: Christi’s actually name is Christina!!!
i mean
And her husbands name is Mark and their daughter is Chloe... being a Christina Grimmie fan that makes me happy. Cause Christina’s brothers name is Marcus but goes by Mark and they have a dog named Chloe and Chloe and Christi were my favorites. It all makes sense now.
that's interesting but Christi doesn't look like a Christina she just looks like a Christi imo
@@sissyray haha my thought exactly! Christi fits her so well!!
Dance moms was something that we used to just watch on TV and laugh at the arguements, I never knew it was a living hell
What is Pressley talking about? She was looking nice on that show. All the girls did.
Frrr
To anyone who may struggle with these same issues or just need help with confidence: Christi does amazing sessions with college girls on her journey to confidence and how to get through the hard times! It was so enlightening and genuinely helped me unlike most virtual speakers!!!
For Kalani and her anxiety, of course she can still be feeling and dealing with it from the tv show. That stuff doesn’t just disappear over night. So, yes I do believe we can fully hold the show responsible for this.
I know she was joking but I was really disappointed to hear Pressley’s mom react the way she did to her daughter talking about her appearance. Pressley looked amazing on TV
I have social anxiety and the thought of being one of these dancers is my worst nightmare.
About the Kalani thing, just because she still has it today doesn't mean it wasn't caused by the show. She might have PTSD or something similar, and anxiety can last for years even after the initial trigger has been removed, so seeing as it started while she was on the show it can very likely be the sole reason why she is still suffering to this day, as it usually doesn't go away if formed through some sort of trauma and without proper help/therapy to work through.
This breaks my heart, these poor girls (and Brady) just wanted to dance. Dancing shouldn’t come with depression and anxiety attacks😔
I always feel guilty for loving dance moms so much because of how abusive and traumatizing it was
i see a new dance moms uncovered, i click
I love that she gives warnings for sensitive people
Maddie has also spoken out about the anxiety she had at 11 because Abby would put so much pressure on her.
i never even thought about how the last text would affect the girls, i just saw it as a really powerful piece. ik when i was their age and i learned about things like that, i also couldn't sleep properly for weeks
Kalani’s anxiety came from the show in long term: it comes from a little and can last long term years/life from starting in a way that it did
I can confirm from experience that your brain will make you forget traumatic experiences. I legitimately cannot remember the majority of my K-12 school years because I was bullied constantly and a lot of other really bad things happening. It is a coping mechanism. It's so sad to see others dealing with it...It's really hard because it makes you forget all the good, happy times as well...
The environment was so toxic on the show
This is such a great series, every episode is so well done. You rock!!
Dance is so scary. I had a whole anxiety attack this morning because the fear of people judging me is huge. I couldn’t breathe. It was just a bad day.
Most responsible creator I’ve seen, putting TWs on videos! Thank you for thinking about those who have a variety of issues💞💞
Honestly? It is amazing to me that none of the cast (especially the vulnerable children) turned to self harm behaviour (other than food related) or commited suicid.
I just now that as somebody who is severely mentally ill and has a genetic predisposition to it, I would hsve not survived a childhood in this environment. The show should be held accountable for this and should have established a better schedule for the cast, to ease pressure, employ counsellers and child psychologists, asses the cast before filming to ensure their mental stability is enough to be on the show,etc.
I'm surprised that the cast didn't end up much worse after all the years of stress they went through.
It’s also pretty disturbing to that the show had very abusive producers that will go to the length for a brim of drama
Thank you for posting. I literally find it so interesting. Keep on the hard work.
Much love for u! ❤️🌛
Okay OBSESSED!!! like ive been binge watching + i love love love all the work you put in! THANK YOUU!
These are all such serious stress issues and I feel so bad for all the things the cast went through just for the sake of the show. One thing that really opened my eyes was that Chloe was freaked out by The Last Text or any other chilling routines. I never thought about how a child might not be able to handle the serious issues that Abby choreographs. And it’s not something that fans keep in mind as well. Great video as always!
It’s crazy the amount of stress that the cast had to deal with. The amount of dancers and mums that leave the show with anxiety is insane...
You absolutely NEED to do an episode covering LaQueefa! That and a minisode about Raising Asia!
BRUHH I WAS JUST WATCHING ONE OF YOUR VIDEOS YOUR LITRALLY THE BEST DETECTIVE
I'm very thoughtful for all the warnings so I and others could skip a head thank you
I was just watching your videos yesterday! Soo glad there is a new one!!
These videos are what we needed
don't stop making these videos pretty please! fellow aussie here, love watching them :D
I’ve had anxiety my whole life. It started to come out in 1st grade when I moved schools but went full blown in 3rd grade when my parents got divorced. Anxiety attacks and panic attacks are completely different. Personally in my anxiety attacks I would get violent and essentially black out on the inside without actually blacking out. I never remembered anything that I did or what had happened after. Nothing that my mom would say or do could help me. Luckily I haven’t had an anxiety attack in a while. Sometimes I have panic attacks but those are much milder and usually happen inside my head so I can often control them. It’s horrible that they now experience anxiety because of a TV show. No one should ever have to go through this.
Ayyyeee I've never been this early lol! I love your content and always look forward to your next video! 😁❤️
i’ve literally been watching every single episode from 1-3 of this series all day it’s like therapy lmao
mackzboss: there’s more than the producers cared to show
me, munching on a sandwich: *HELL YEAH THERE IS*
in all honesty though, it’s disgusting how much pressure was put on these girls. especially with how young some of them were. it’s so sad.
The scenes where Paige hugging chole is so beautiful.
Mackzboss is really underrated like cmon how is she not at 1 million subs?!! Cmon guys
Just wanted to say thank you for putting trigger warnings and time stamps on sensitive topics. That’s really appreciated.
Thank you so much for the trigger warning 🥰 I’ve watched other videos talking about the stress and anxiety of these girls and they most don’t put a trigger warning which is bad for me since anything as simple as mentioning it can trigger me. Thank you so much 🤗
MY FAVE SERIES ON RUclips 💕
Who else notices in every video “than the producers cared to show” lol
Ur vids are amazing btw :)
I love your videos so much!
I feel so bad for the kids. I had anxiety my whole childhood and adolescence and it is hell when you're a kid. I really hope they're doing better now.
Girl u posted this at 2am....u are awsome and I admire for the dedication
um everyplace in the world has different times?
@@prishakhanna3119 oh, I didn't think about that.
i’ve never been this early mostly bc it’s always 3 am here when you post and i’m never up but woohoo!
The more and more we discover about this show, the more GLARINGLY obvious is the rampant child abuse! I know firsthand how a coach can really mess you up for life. And at least my trauma wasn’t being mined for entertainment! I am so incredibly disgusted with EVERY SINGLE ADULT who was ever even tangentially involved in this. I’m almost more disgusted with myself for gobbling up this delicious dance content and just mildly joking about how the girls will all need EXTENSIVE therapy. Har har. I hate that NO ONE had the moral fortitude to put a stop to this.
Processing trauma like this isn’t something everyone can survive. I’m really rooting for these kids to make it. But if there is another season of this abomination, we are going to have to hardcore protest and make sure none of this ever happens again.
Super Video ✨ ich liebe es deine Videos anzuschauen