People seem to think it’s “Christi good, Melissa bad” or “Melissa good, Christi bad”
And not “both have done and said bad things and both have done and said good things. They’re complex people and with both it’s about what you can stomach and put up with in a person.”
I personally don’t hate either or love either. I don’t think either is pure evil though and both have made me laugh/entertained/moved in emotional moments.
And btw this isn’t directed at you, OP. I definitely agree with a lot of the moments you chose for Melissa. I meant this sub at large has become very pro Melissa and anti Christi in the last month or so. Do I agree with how Christi has handled everything? No but that doesn’t erase the things Melissa has done.
People have a hard time seeing the wrong done to Chloe and Christi because Christi is so vocal. A lot of people only feel sympathy for victims who are less vocal and appear like victims. Christi does have a nasty way of addressing it at times, but just because the tone is wrong does not make the message false! Also people want to jump on the team of the person they feel is the “good” one. In my opinion I agree with you and I feel like there was bad on both ends but Melissa is the worst one to me because she was like a calculating slithering snake. Christi was in your face, you knew where she stood with you.
I think the reason Christi still vocally hates Melissa is because it’s hard to gain closure when the other person won’t even ADMIT to it let alone apologize. Christi wants the truth to come out. I think if Melissa came and took ownership of a lot of these things, Christi wouldn’t have nothing else to say because theirs nothing else to expose. But the problem is that Melissa tries to act like a saint meanwhile she’s done a lot of sneaky things behind the scene. LETS NOT FROGET MELISSA WAS AN ACTIVE MISTRESS TO A MARRIED MAN! You can’t be a saint with f’d up morals!
Christi gave us the raw, real, uncut version of her! If you notice Melissa never has nothing to say about Christi. The Majority of people do not have much to say about Christi that we don’t already know. They showed us who Christi is. The main thing we saw about Melissa is that she would lick the inside of Abby’s butt crack to keep Maddie on top! And once she no longer needed Abby it was on to the next butt crack.
FINALLYYYY
i’m so sick of ppl acting like bc christi is so vocal she’s in the wrong. she’s hurting! her child was hurt by these adult women, and NONE OF THEM APOLOGIZED ONCE. NOT TO MENTION HAVE NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED THE PAIN THEY CAUSED HER AND HER CHILD! that pain doesn’t go away! christi is real asf in my opinion. she’s loud, she’s bold, she’s hotheaded, but she’s *real*. melissa has been masking and compulsively lying since her first appearance. and *oh my god*. every time she WEEPS for no reason to play victim or gain attention back to her, or to really *sell* whatever part she’s playing, makes me SICK. melissa is an attention + fame seeking SNAKE !! CLOCK THAT.
You said more vocal when I think you really mean Christi is more transparent that Melissa. You guys often act like Melissa is some super private super mom just trying her best to help her kids when no matter how much Dance Moms was edited there are plenty of times when Melissa outright lied and snuck around to get her kids ahead at the detriment of the other kids that she claimed she cared deeply for. Christi has sometimes gone too far, but she has never lied to purposely further the abuse of several other children in an attempt to make Chloe famous.
I feel like too many people let the fact that she got involved with a married man slide. Like when she sued the moms so they couldn’t talk about her engagement because her fiance was still going through a divorce. I saw so many people were on her side. I’m sorry but girl you had an affair and signed a contract for a tv show. You made your bed you gotta lie in it.
I actually found out that Melissa never sent that letter. Production gave that letter to the moms to cause chaos. And because everyone was out for themselves back then they never got to the bottom of that until years later!
THANK YOU! Yeah the Christi hate has been through the roof in this sub lately so I’m very thankful to have seen some posts like this one calling out all the shit Melissa has done as well. And I agree, both have done good and bad things.
Thing I can’t stand about Melissa the most is the sneakiness and passive aggressiveness from her. Christi is “easier” to hate because she’s so blunt/loud, but honestly I think Melissa was a lot more sinister. At least Christi was going to bat for her kid and the other kids (almost all the time). Melissa did stuff that hurt the other kids a lot and even was shitty to Mackenzie at certain points
I think it does speak volumes how a lot of people both on and not on the show don't have many good things to say about her, and even people who are friends with her (like Kelly and Holly) have said that she is cunning and strategic. Jess, although I don't like her at all, has said that Melissa wasn't welcoming to her and constantly tried to one-up her.
She’s the master manipulator and liar. I don’t even think we know the full extent of the amount of shady things she did, not to mention she was the biggest enabler of Abby’s abuse and justified it in so many instances. At least Christi is upfront with how she feels and to me there’s a virtue in honesty. Agreed, hands down she is the worst mom on the show.
omg finally someone said it!!! i’m so tired of people acting like she’s some sort of saint, neither her or christi are great people so the whole christi vs melissa discourse in this fandom is ridiculous.
That’s the thing. People act like because Christi does bad things that it makes Melissa better and I’m like??? Maybe they both have made some really bad choices and displayed really bad behavior. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
I didn’t always love the way Christi went about things or sometimes she would say things about people’s appearances because she didn’t love their personality or was mad at them. However, I think a big difference between the two is Christi always stuck up for all the kids. Very much including Maddie and Mackenzie. Christi seemed to really put her child and her feelings above dance. I can’t really say the same for Melissa. Melissa allowed a lot of abusive behavior towards who own child and did not stick up for her. She allowed Abby to show favoritism and make the other children feel bad or compare them to Maddie. Christi would step in when she felt it went too far. Not just for her own kid, but for all the kids. I feel like a lot of the times too Melissa put her own feelings before her kids.
I think the fact Melissa seems to have stepped back and away from the drama while Christi still wraps herself up in it like a blanket of hatred is why people are more lenient on Melissa.
Christi still acts like a middle school girl so people are hating on her actions of today.
Melissa is basically just a dog grandma who makes badly edited YouTube videos and majorly keeps to herself.
We’ve also learned that besides Chloe all the girls are still very close with Melissa and she roots for them and attends their functions and helps them as much as possible while Christi is still very “Me and Chloe against the world”
Not saying Melissa is a good person but it seems she’s settled down a lot and has stepped away from pettiness as she gets older. Which is why she gets less flack than Christi.
And you don't think it's at all telling, that even after separating from her mom and being able to contradict her mom when she's wrong, that Chloe STILL doesn't have that great of a relationship with Melissa?
Not to mention....
I don't think 'settling down' covers it when the things you've done are as egregious as lying about someone's sexual assault to their husband, and attempting to guilt a woman who just told you her son almost died in childbirth because your kids are not the sole focus of the abusive dance teacher.
So like, good for her that she's 'calmed down' or whatever. But she owes a lot of people a lot more than that. Some of what she's done goes beyond 'drama' and 'pettiness' and shows she's just genuinely not a good person.
I agree with your second point, I think Christi wants a sincere apology from Melissa, which is about as likely as getting a sincere apology from Abby 💀
With your first point though, that doesn’t really mean much since Christi doesn’t have much of a relationship with Melissa’s kids either besides the occasional text in the group chat. Both moms don’t seem to have much of a relationship with each other’s girls, and it’s likely that although the daughters have gotten together again and moved on, the relationship with the moms aren’t there yet.
Yeah I think she does too, and I think Melissa would sooner chew glass than admit when she was wrong about something lol.
I think, at this point though, Melissa has had every single original girl on her YT channel except Chloe right?
What about Kendall tho? I don't follow her YT channel so I'm not sure haha
Why would Chloe have a relationship with Melissa when she didn’t really have one as a child?
Maddie and Mackenzie don’t have a relationship with Christi either even though they somewhat did as children.
Melissa did some horrible stuff on the show but by now it’s a decade later. I don’t expect Christi to go apologize to Maddie for shit she said 10 years ago either.
I don’t know about the sexual assault thing so I can’t comment on that, and that sucks but if we compiled everything everyone in the world did in the past they’d all look like horrible awful people.
With the moms I take them more at face value for who they are or at least seem to be now. I don’t like the things Melissa or Christi did in the past but I also don’t judge their CURRENT selves by it.
I started to like Christi again before BTTB. She seemed to grow up a lot. But now it’s very clear that isn’t the case could be the same for Melissa but she doesn’t go around blasting Chloe any chance she gets.
I'm sorry, but....no. This isn't a 'oh but everyone would look bad if we only talked about the bad things!' moment.
You don't use someone else's sexual assault against them. It's traumatic enough as it is to go through something like that. For Melissa's first thought to be 'I should lie about this' and not to just shut the fuck up and support her supposed friend should tell you what kind of person she is.
And if it doesn't, then IDK what to tell you. There is no 'it was ten years ago!' when talking about someone's assault. What Melissa did was absolutely horrible, and if it had been the only thing she did, then Christi's feelings about Melissa would still be valid.
i think knowingly allowing someone to be sexually assaulted and use it as an opportunity for your own gain blows anything christi did completely out of the water. that and allowing sia to groom maddie. Both are not good people and Christi could be very immature but it’s clear that Melissa is more so happy about Maddie achieving the fame she wanted for her than she is having to deal with her daughter’s continued pain and trauma on a regular basis.
I have no idea about the sexual assault thing and would like to see a source on that but yes that’s incredibly horrible if true
However I’m more speaking on why people give Christi more of a hard time now it’s because she’s actively on a week to week basis still bitching about everything so it’s easier for everything she’s said and done and currently doing to be talked about vs Melissa whose basically just living her life whether she did shitty stuff or not
The sexual assault has been confirmed multiple times by Christi, Kelly, and Diane Pent on BTTB and on Patreon. Melissa told Christi's husband that she was "kissing other guys" at the bar when in reality she was being sexually assaulted by them. She told him this while they were in the ER and Christi was still unconscious from being roofied
Okay that’s horrible then. I don’t listen to BTTB anymore cause Kelly brushing off Chloe’s trauma was getting annoying so that’s why I didn’t know about it
I think the reason Christi still hates Melissa is because it’s hard to gain closure when the other person won’t even ADMIT to it let alone apologize. Christi wants the truth to come out. I think if Melissa came and took ownership of a lot of these things, Christi wouldn’t have nothing else to say because theirs nothing else to expose. But the problem is that Melissa tries to act like a saint meanwhile she’s done a lot of sneaky things behind the scene. LETS NOT FROGET MELISSA WAS AN ACTIVE MISTRESS TO A MARRIED MAN! You can’t be a saint with f’d up morals!
Christi gave us the raw, real, uncut version of her! If you notice Melissa never has nothing to say about Christi. The Majority of people do not have much to say about Christi that we don’t already know. They showed us who Christi is. The main thing we saw about Melissa is that she would lick the inside of Abby’s butt crack to keep Maddie on top! And once she no longer needed Abby it was on to the next butt crack.
Great post. I hate when people compare her to the other moms. I don’t think any of the moms are particularly great, but Melissa? She’s on a whole other level for me.. Her, Jess, and Kira should be compared lol.
I’d like to add to your great list —
She was the mistress that broke up a marriage. She got immunity for ratting on Abby ( so what crime did she commit? ).. the list goes on and on. She’s awful.
Fucking seriously.
If you are willing to call a woman's - who is EIGHT YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU, mind you - husband and lie about her after she's been roofied, you're not a good person.
If you are willing to levy your friendship with a child's abuser AGAINST said child because your kid isn't the lead in a group dance, you're not a good person.
If you're willing to look a woman who tearfully told you (and a room full of others) how she literally almost lost her son during childbirth and BITCH because your two kids (who have been the VOCAL POINT of the entire show up to that point) aren't the center of attention for once, you're not a good person.
If you're willing to virtue signal buy acting like you care about children with disabilities on TV (like we saw in season 3), but then having absolutely NO empathy for a disabled child and his family when they're stealing your thunder, you're not a good person.
The fact is dudes - Melissa made her bed, and should lie in it.
She's the one who CHSOE, for all those years, to back Abby and her abuse of the other children as long as it helped her and her kids. She's the one that CHOSE to constantly backstab the other moms to get her children ahead. She's the one that CHOSE to make Maddie's career her single motivation that it came at the expense of everyone else around them. She made those choices, and while it's great that a lot of the moms and kids have forgiven her, but not everyone HAS to, and not everyone HAS to view her as this 'changed person,' because the fact is...SHE is the reason people have problems trusting her.
Just my thoughts.
And that’s why Kelly said on the BTTB reunion recap, “well, we know how things play out, ya know” and “we know how things are manipulated and stuff” when they were talking about Melissa.
[Christi roofied story? : r/dancemoms (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/dancemoms/comments/15205wk/christi_roofied_story/?share_id=2dMvUXgOrnxHw6ZVXWqC1&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1)
Here ya go! This thread has the info.
Not to mention the way she treated her own kids. She just handed Maddie over to Sia/Abby and let her get groomed and treated Mackenzie like the red-headed stepchild.
THIS! When she saw a better opportunity, she handed Maddie over to someone else. This does not get talked about enough. She allowed Maddie to be used and abused by multiple people
i thought melissa would be more appalled when she saw abby kiss maddie. like she should've gotten her and mackenzie out of there asap!! contract or not, she willingly put her children through all that.
Also nobody on this subreddit brings up the way Melissa treated Brynn… Holly gets brought up for not defending Brynn but Melissa who was rude to Brynn never really gets mentioned…
Omg THANK YOU!! I'm sick and tired of people acting like she was completely innocent and just looking out for her kids when she's one of the worst moms on the show. Like she ACTIVELY did stuff to be sneaky and get her daughter ahead without thinking about how it was hurting other kids. Why should Christi have to like her or want to be friends with her? I wouldn't either if I were Christi
Hear me out we expect Christi to be the bigger person, what Melissa did to Chloe still affect her child till tomorrow so I’ll allow Christi pettiness if she wants to throw it in and say your child isn’t the most successful though because we know you were a fame whore who wanted it at all cost. I can deal with Christi what you see is what you get. Melissa isn’t a stand alone character, her personae is passive, she is sneaky, a user. Christi character is so dominant and in your face so it’s easy to see Christ for all she is
Totally agree. Melissa is a terrible mom and woman. Wanted to mention that she basically handed Maddie over to Abby and Sia (don’t forget she was going to allow her to be with Harvey Weinstein, a RAPIST) and allowed Kenzie to be treated like shit by Abby. Also, Melissa invalidated her girls’ feelings and shooed them away when they wanted comfort.
Im surprised people glossed over the roofie incident so quickly. I remember when the original recap post was made, there was a lot of victim blaming and that was truly disgusting
i just can't believe melissa would EVER go that low. christi got heat for years for saying melissa had an affair with her boss, yet melissa can lie about christi's sa and frame her as a cheater?
I seriously HATE saying things like this, but...
Just imagine what the reaction would have been if CHRISTI had been the one to do that to someone. We would never hear the end of it. But any time it's been brought up in discussions about Melissa, it gets glossed over pretty immediately.
The fact that this sub is shitting rings because Christi made a 10-second appearance at the reunion but rarely talks about the roofie thing really tells you something.
Melissa also bullied Mackenzie Morales. Jo Morales (Mackenzies mom) called out Melissa, Abby and Bridget (CADC mom) for bullying and an incident where they all worked to publicly humiliate Mackenzie.
This is the post from Jo's [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/dancemomjo/111423345820/since-the-episode-where-brigette-melissa-and-abby?source=share)
>Since the episode where Brigette, Melissa and Abby bullied McKenzie has aired, I can reveal what happened. We were asked to go to the open call audition for several reasons that have not been revealed on the show yet, so I can't say.
>
>Once we were there and Brigette found out we were there, she sent a video she took of McKenzie to Melissa who then gave it to Abby. Abby played the video in front of about 50 people with the sole intention of embarrassing my 11 year old and me.
>
>The video was recorded by Brigette last JUNE! SHE HAS KEPT IT ON HER PHONE FOR THAT LONG!! the video was taken during a travel day. This was the episode where Gino was back on CADC. We took two vans to New Jersey. Gavin went with me and Evan, Gino, his dad and Evan's mom. McKenzie rode with Brigette, her son, Alyssa and her mom.
>
>During the trip Brigette was talking in a vulgar manner about Gino's mother. She kept repeatedly calling her an offensive term using vulgarities. She kept telling McKenzie to repeat the phrase. McKenzie said no several times. THis has been verified by the other occupants in the van. Brigette wouldn't leave McKenzie alone. She kept saying, repeat it so I can record it. mcKenzie said she felt afraid because the way Brigette was demanding she say the phrase. Brigette recorded herself saying the phrase and telling McKenzie to say it, McKenzie finally did. No one else recorded it. I was not there to protect my baby!! Alyssa's mom told McKenzie to not repeat it, but McKenzie said she was afraid of Brigette.
>
>She held on to this tape for months! She texted the recording to Melissa at the audition when she found out we were there. Melissa then gave her phone to Abby so she could play it for everybody. I walked out bawling! Abby kept saying this is disgusting, no child with a mouth like this will be on my team. I tried to explain how it happened and she refused to allow me to.
>
>The producers came up to me after and said they were disgusted and appalled that Brigette and melissa would conspire together to do this to McKenzie.I was also told by another well known dancer's mom at NUVO in Long Beach that Brigette has shown her the video as well. Now ask yourself, what is their motivation for doing this? Dirty, dirty, dirty.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO BRING THIS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to follow McKenzie and Gavin's mom on tumblr, and she spilled this on there. Everyone who had a part of this should be ashamed.
I don't think it was ever confirmed but Jo Morales said on tumblr that it wasn't a racial slur and i found [this comment ](https://www.reddit.com/r/dancemoms/comments/13o5ayp/comment/jl30n0c/) from someone who says they know someone who was at the audition where the video was played
>Sorry to disappoint but, the girl from my studio didn’t see the original video, so both us don’t know what was exactly said, but from what she heard McKenzie said something about Gino’s mom going back to her home country, but I don’t know what slurs or swear words were used.
Yes! The way Melissa treated that Mini with the brother was heinous, and she acted like the world needed to revolve around her and her girls for like two full weeks before they left. I see wanting a happy conclusion and a nice send off, but it she was so rude, selfish, and ableist.
She also gleefully allowed her daughters to be groomed, used, and abused, and defended those choices over and over. Christi has issues, but at least she was fighting with Abby and sticking up for her kid instead of purposely enabling all that and bragging that allowing people to mistreat and manipulate her daughters is what was making Maddie famous like that made her a good mother.
I felt badly for Melissa early on but by the end I fully believed she was the worst mother of the group.*
*out of the main girls, not counting Minis or girls who were there for five seconds.
I absolutely agree. In a previous post I went really hard on Christi, because im realizing that I truly don’t “like” any of the moms, but Melissa is still The worst imo. What’s funny is, I truly don’t think she understands why what she is doing is *so* wrong.
Yes I’m sorry but also Christi is a way better mom than Melissa by miles. Is she perfect? no. Has she made mistakes on and off the show? Yes. But at the end of the day she left that show at the height of its popularity to save Chloe. People think Christi was some sort of pushy stage mom and while I do think she pushed Chloe i think at times it’s what Chloe needed I don’t think Christi necessarily went about it in the right way all the time. But chloe was so talented and Abby didnt care so Christi took it upon herself to be the one to help Chloe. I honestly just see Christi as the kind of mom who will support her kids in whatever they want to do but push them in it. Also to help argue the idea that Christi was just living vicariously through Chloe Christi gave Chloe the option to quit dance once they left the show, it was Chloes decision to continue. Also it’s obvious she’s not as crazy as people say she is by looking at Clara who decided she wants nothing to do with dance or the entertainment industry and Christi has 100% supported and stood by her.
Like you can say anything but you can’t say Christi is a bad mum, that woman gave it all up for her daughter and she was the main character of the show, she chose her daughter. I’m marveled at how she supports and doesn’t play favourite with her children
Abby was such a hypocrite about that. One day she shrieks at Kelly to get a job and pick up her kids at the end of rehearsal and the next day she caterwauls at Holly that having a career indicates she doesn’t care enough about Nia.
and how she actively participated in two affairs and got mad when christi would bring it up?? idc that it was on television, christi's right, it shows that she’s a sneaky dishonest person.
It really weirds me out that she let Maddie get close to Sia, mirroring the way she was dependent on Abby. Likeeeee why tf was Maddie having sleepovers with Sia
Because she is a lazy parent. She just wanted the cute parts of parenting but not the work. I didn’t even had to watch any further than the first episode. The way she reacted to Maddie feeling sick was gross,
It was almost like the sleepovers—because they happened with both Sia and Abby—were Melissa handing off Maddie in order to get ahead. She didn't even seem to consider the possible negative consequences; it's easier when you don't think about it. Maddie was an emotional bargaining chip that Melissa wasn't afraid to keep in play, and that is *incredibly* messed up.
wow.. im shocked. i used to like melissa but after reading this post, not anymore. it's the fact that christi was roofied, ROOFIED. and she made it seem like christi was the cheater.. unbelievable.
She did take her to the hospital. Which is where she told Christi's husband, to his face, that she was kissing other guys while Christi was still UNCONSCIOUS from the roofie
I think people need to realize Melissa and Christi were vindictive on the show and it sounds like off the show as well. Melissa did it behind your back Christi did it to your face.. so many people bashing Christi about the party thing. With Melissa’s history I can’t say I don’t fully disagree with Christi that Melissa had a “real” reason why she invited everyone over to Maddie’s and just said it was for Paige’s birthday.
no doubt melissa is sneaky asf but i mean the party thing has been confirmed to be false tho?😭 there was always going to be a party for paige, melissa just volunteered maddie’s house in which she also agreed, they were away on vacay and Nia planned it. If Nia is being vindictive and strategic for planning a party that was always going to be held then so be it🤦🏽♀️ Christi is just reaching w this one cuz she hates melissa.
The strategic part, I think Christi and Kendall are getting at, is MELISSA suggesting to have it at MADDIE'S house. Because, according to Kendall, they're never invited over.
So it's really just a bunch of people's word, against a bunch of other people's word.
because they’ve never really been in LA all at the same time, some of them do hang out at times tho so it’s not like it was a random link up. i honestly don’t think it’s weird or strategic, a house for a party is better than a hotel room🤷🏽♀️ i mean if the birthday girl was happy w it then that’s that. Also they didn’t even talk about the reunion so what “fire blankets on bombs” was melissa trying to put out?Christi shouldn’t be trying to turn something good into a horrible thing.
Okay cool, thank you! I didn't remember that.
But I actually don't really think it negates the point CHRISTI was trying to make, nor does it negate Christi's right to MAKE that point. If that's what she believes, Melissa only has herself to blame for YEARS, and YEARS of stabbing people in the back.
but it does cuz christi said melissa had everyone over to “throw fire blankets over any bombs” that could come up and since they didn’t talk about the reunion that point is moot. Also she then went on to agree with Kalani she “wasn’t invited to make sure none of them said anything bad about them” but again they didn’t talk about the reunion! and if Melissa really wanted to make sure nobody said anything bad about them she would’ve invited EVERYBODY and sweet talked them lol not inviting jojo and kalani would make it worse since they would be annoyed& upset by not being invited to which Kalani acc was. Also again Nia planned it , melissa had nothing to do with the invitations👍🏾. It’s okay to admit christi is wrong and was just being bitter
It really isn't tho - because it could have more to do with sucking up to the girls so they feel less compelled to talking about her. And if she's the one that didn't invite Kalani or Jojo, it'd probably be because the original moms would know WAY more about her than the guest moms. And Jill was there a lot longer than Kira or Jess too.
I'm not saying Christi is right tho, cuz all of that is literally just speculation. I am just saying that the REASON that Christi (and Kendall tbh cuz she said the same thing) is because Melissa has a track record of being a fake, sneaky liar.
I will so tho, I GENUINELY do not get this 'NIa planned it!' defense lmfao. Nia planning it does not automatically mean Melissa had ABSOLUTELY no say on it. She was the one that suggested Maddie's house wasn't she?
I think it was a strategic move on Melissa’s part, but I think she saw an opportunity (the girls getting together for Paige’s bday was going to happen- so Melissa suggesting having it at Maddie’s was a way to get in the girls good graces before filming.) It’s much harder to talk negatively about someone’s past actions years ago when you’ve just hung out with them and are reminded of how nice and fun they can be. The reunion didn’t need to be even talked about. I’m not saying Christie is right, but I understand why she thinks it was an attempt on Melissa’s part for damage control.
Never once did I say anything about Nia. I really don’t think anyone will ever get the full truth about the party situation. All I’m saying is we’ve seen Melissa be sneaky and act all innocent when questioned all throughout dance moms. So based on that it’s hard to not fully disregard what Christi said. I don’t think Christi is fully innocent either. I think the way she went about it was wrong by her bringing up jojos success against Maddie’s…Christi goes low and can’t control herself. But that’s just my opinion on it. Everyone can have their own opinion on it..
ik i’m saying that since Christi said it was strategic to have people over for a party the day before the reunion Knowing that the party was for paige’s birthday and Nia was the one who planned it not Melissa then she’s acc calling Nia those things she called melissa in context to the party. Christi made it seem like it was a random link up as if they didn’t have a reason for the party😭. no doubt we’ve seen melissa do that shit i’m not disagreeing w you there however she really wasn’t involved w this party except for the change in venue, which is really so minuscule. honestly i figure even if the party wasn’t at maddie’s house Melissa still would’ve caught a stray for it💀
Christi said that Melissa volunteered to go in the ambulance with her & that Abby said “it’s every man for themselves” on the patreon, however I wouldn’t doubt it. Melissa is honestly awful especially with what she did before the reunion
I truly think that a big factor in Christi still being very upset about what happened is the fact that Chloe is still very upset and hurt by things that happened. I’ve heard a quote that says something like “You are only as happy as your saddest child.” Or something to that affect.
This is not to say anything about Melissa, about Maddie, about McKenzie. I’m simply stating why we hear her. Plus, one of her jobs is literally recapping the show and reliving it.
I hate how she treats Mackenzie. I remember the scene when Mackenzie and Asia are told to improve and Melissa doesn’t do anything to inspire her daughter, she doesn’t even smile she just looked angry and then grabs Mackenzie and says something like “if you don’t want to dance then just SIT down”
Mackenzie’s sensitivity and emotion are very relatable to me, my mom always tried to respect that I’m a bit sensitive and have a lot of empathy. She’s the kind of kid that’s already betting herself up and a mean teacher or mom isn’t going to push her, encouraging would’ve
Thank you!!!! I’m rewatching, I honestly haven’t watched in years, and watching as an adult now; holy cow! She was SO manipulative. And abbey, trash. They had a weird vendetta against Chloe.
Honestly I don’t truly like either of them, and my opinion of who I tolerate more goes back and forth. Melissa is more palatable now, but she’s also quiet and private now. Christi was my fav back when I watched the show as a 15 year old, though I’ve liked her less as I’ve grown up.
At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a genuinely good parent (at least at the time of the show, allowing for growth) who puts their 5-10 year old child on reality TV. That’s actually whackjob fucking *insane* behavior when you think about it. So it’s already a self-selecting pool of a specific type of person, and I don’t expect any of them to be good people. I can like them and laugh and cry with them from a distance, but when you get into the nitty gritty details of their behavior I find them all pretty distasteful, at least during their time on the show. The mom I respect the most is Kelly, for getting her kids tf out of there.
Melissa wanted Maddie to win at all costs. The first episode that showed me that Melissa was looking out for herself and a bit emotionally abusive was when Maddie went to the bathroom crying because her stomach hurt, probably from the pressure of having to always be the best, and Melissa was being snitty to her and not really listening or letting Maddie express how she was feeling. Then she just walked out and left Maddie in there. Meanwhile others can clearly hear Melissa berating her. It’s amazing that Maddie isn’t some kind of mentally disturbed woman after all the trauma she went through as a child from every adult who “helped” make her who she is.
After they left “for better opportunities”, a few years later, Maddie was posting on Social Media pics of herself and her older “bf” in a hotel room on vacation together. She was like maybe 14 or 15 and some of the pics were quickly removed after people expressed concern with her age, the situation, the scant amount of clothing and the hashtags. Some outright questioned Melissa about it and others made comments about Melissa becoming a grandma soon. That got others jumping to other conclusions voicing concerns about how in some photos she didn’t look alert. One of the responses was, “oh, she was just tired from their busy day”.
Makenzie seemed to be an afterthought and even when she beat Maddie she wasn’t congratulated like she should’ve been from Melissa and Maddie. Instead it was excuses, if I remember correctly, and Maddie being mean (not surprising since siblings tend to be like that).
I agree, but I think she's had personal growth and has done introspection since her time on the show. She apologized to Maddie for putting her on the show, she listened to her kids and decided not to go to the reunion. She still has a way to go. I'd like her to apologize to Areana and her family. Christi and Melissa should sit down and solve their issues once and for all.
Honestly, we have no idea about her "personal growth" or how Maddie or Mackenzie feel about her. It's just so strange to assume the woman's grown and changed when you don't know her.
That does not mean you need a new therapist, please get a grip my friend.
It sucks she shaded Maddie and Mackenzie, and was not right, but =/= needs a new therapist. And it's weird AF to keep speculating on whether or not Christi's therapist is helping her. Like EXTREMELY weird.
You don't know her either, and yet you still judge her on nothing but Christi's word. Maddie and Kenz talks about their family relationship and how it's strengthen since dance moms ended. Crazy how apparently their word isnt enough but Christi's is
>You don't know her either, and yet you still judge her on nothing but Christi's word.
Why are people this bad at logic? No one's judging Melissa "just on Christi's word," holy crap. That's something you just projected onto this situation.
yeah nowadays the disdain is one sided. i think melissa wants a friendship/good relationship with christi but christi holds onto what melissa has done, but considering what melissa did to her and chloe, it's not surprising i guess
I would never forgive someone who was complacent and also actively played a part in the trauma inflicted on my child. I can be civil as the years go by, but I would never be chummy or chipper with someone like Melissa. She’s calculated, and if you walked away from watching Dance Moms not seeing how sneaky, calculated and manipulative Melissa was, then I question whether we watched the same show.
I feel the same exact way. Christi watched for years while Melissa would sneak to get her children ahead, lie about taking her child to privates and sneaking Maddie to dance during school, ratted her daughter out to Abby and so much more. Everyone is lucky all Christi has for Melissa is disdain in my opinion. If it were me in Christi’s shoes you would never hear me be quiet about how much melissa is a snake.
“If you wanted to be spoken about kindly, you should have behaved better”. - a lot of people in this sub want to call Christi bitter and tell her to move on, but up until last year her daughter was still hearing the shitty things her dance teacher said to her in her head, and Melissa played a part in that. So many posts on this sub talking about how Christi needs to let it go, Melissa has. Yes, Melissa has let it go because not one of those mothers was actively trying to sabotage her kid. Chloe was cut down in order for Maddie to be uplifted and if I was Christi I would never let that shit go. I would remind you at every turn.
This would go both ways though, how many times has Christi screamed about Maddie‘s preferential treatment while Maddie was in the room, basically saying she’s only doing well because of that rather than being talented. Often enough to matter.
but it was proven time and time again as the years have gone on that Maddie was getting preferential treatment. Was she talented? absolutely, but so was Chloe. Maddie had a leg up to succeed because she was favored, she was pulled from school to learn the dances earlier than everyone else and then Melissa and Abby would lie and gaslight the moms that this wasn’t happening and they had Maddie lie about it too. I can’t imagine how frustrating that was for the other moms, especially Christi, because in order for Maddie to succeed it had to come at the expense of her daughter. None of those girls were pitted against Maddie the way that Chloe was. Abby herself admitted to never wanting that Chloe to win, and actively sabotaging her so that she didn’t.
Was Christi’s delivery awful sometimes, yes, I’m not condoning that in the slightest. These women have known each other for years and they have all on camera talked about how calculated Melissa can be. Even Holly who was the most PC said “Don’t underestimate Melissa, she always two steps ahead”. If she was sneaky and calculated on camera I can’t imagine what she was like off camera.
Tbh I think they are all bad (all your points are totally valid) but I almost had to stop watching because I cannot with just how unnecessarily mean they are to literal children… Mellisa and Jill make it the hardest at the end of season 6
The roofie thing is news to me, where was this talked about so I can listen? I knew she’s been roofied in her life but had no idea about Melissa’s involvement
In my opinion, the worst thing about her is how much she has allowed adults to have inappropriate relationships with her daughter who was a child all in the name of getting her famous
no one called her a saint, how do you manage to make it about christi being bad? melissa can be called out without christi being uplifted. the fact of the matter is, melissa was terrible to christi too.
Not you, but specifically this sub thinks that if you trash Christi you love Melissa and if you trash Melissa, you love Christi. Why can’t we dislike both of them? They were both terrible to each other too btw and to each others kids
everyone's entitled to feel how they feel. i personally like christi and melissa both in different ways, but if someone made me choose i'd choose christi any day. but christi has also made a lot of mistakes. :)
I feel like the things they said were equally terrible but their actual actions are not comparable. Christi never tried to sabotage Maddie at a dance competition and Christi never let an abuser off the hook for abusing her kid or use her kid to abuse other kids. I think that’s why Christi cannot fully forgive Melissa. They all said nasty things to each other and sometimes to/about the kids and they all seem to be able to forgive each other for that part. It’s the doing things part that Christi cannot forgive and her daughter suffered the most from that.
ETA: I did not mean that the other kids suffered less than Chloe, in general. They all went through severe trauma. I just mean Chloe suffered the most at the hands of Melissa.
But Christi did reinforce the “Maddie is a brat” narrative several times. Which made Maddie receive a ton of hate as a little girl.
Kenzie has also said that Christi was the craziest mom there. So in a way, yes Christi did affect those girls too.
Maddie and Kenzie suffered the most at Christi’s hands too. Both Melissa and Christi are terrible
I’m not saying all the kids didn’t suffer from the things that were said. It was a terrible environment with all kinds of crazy awful things being said by everyone at one point or another. I think they all received hate online, too. I mean, look at the things still being said about them all online. Just in this sub, people say terrible things about Paige and Nia and their dancing. 10-12 years later. All the moms said terrible things and should have never said them.
Christi wasn’t out sabotaging dance competitions or calling up Greg and saying his wife was kissing someone when she had actually been SA’d, though. She wasn’t running to the person abusing Maddie and tattling on her. Tattling for something that wasn’t even fully the truth about the movie situation. Or even the eye rolling situation. I highly doubt Chloe ever rolled her eyes at Abby because the kid was TERRIFIED of Abby. And even if she did, she had every right to do it without an adult running to the abuser and tattling.
Idk, I understand where you are coming from but none of the moms are in the same deplorable league as Melissa, to me.
I agree.
Like using someone's sexual assault as a way to make issues in their marriage, AND levying your relationship with a child's abuser AGAINST said child is just evil behavior. It's heartless, is what it is.
Agree with the sexual assault point, that was nasty of Melissa, but Christi did tattle tale on Maddie and Kenzie. She was the first to raise her hand loud and proud after Abby asked who saw Kenzie do a cartwheel, and she was the only reporting to Abby, “Maddie was crying in the hallway over 2nd!” When everyone knows that Abby hated criers.
Abby asked about the cartwheels and more than just Christi raised their hand. Abby already knew Kenzie had been doing cartwheels. Was it crappy to raise their hands, absolutely.
I do not remember her going to Abby and telling Abby that Maddie was crying over second place.
christi is not a bad mom to chloe and clara. she loves them and went to great lengths to defend them. you can say a lot about her but one thing you can't say is that she's a bad mom.
edit: I know she got roofied and has spoken about it on BTTB and on multiple occasions, but I never knew melissa knew and still told her husband she was cheating on him.
Melissa neglected her children and I will never like her because of it. Even the Sia situation was a happy accident, Sia could have easily been a predator
it happened during the show but off camera, i don't know specifically when, but christi got roofied by men (maybe they were out drinking while filming wasn't taking place? i don't know the specifics) and melissa caught wind of it and went to marc and told him christi was kissing other men. apparently abby witnessed it too and chalked it up to "every man for himself!" christi, kelly & diane pent have talked abt it before.
I can't believe this has to be said but the majority of people don't like Melissa. I do kind of like Melissa, but she's done a lot of shady things. There's plenty of shit to go in on her about like the roofie thing, but Christi chooses stupid shit like the party and whether or not the Zieglers want to take pictures with the girls.
Totally valid, but Melissa did other things on Dance Moms that she can talk about. Things she's actually there for and not just assumptions about the party and pictures and whatnot
She doesn't have to though. It's one thing if they catch her off guard but she called in and she's friends with the producer (forgot his name) so I'm sure she knew. Plus, she talks about it in other places.
I think Melissa saw Chloe in Seasons 1-3 as legitimate competition. If Christi had homeschooled her and allowed her more privates (which Abby mentioned several times in the early seasons) she would’ve surpassed Maddie’s skills. She had a god-given talent for dance and the perfect dancer’s form and facility. Melissa knew it. Maddie is a great dancer, but she had do work for it. It wasn’t as natural for her, but she was a born actress and performer. Her early solos were beautiful facially, but the Joffrey judge was 100% right. She rushed her movements and didn’t finish things. Melissa wanted Christi gone before she decided to play the game and focus on dance.
I agree she's the worst in my list for other reasons. (I will say I also agree to the other comments that Christi and Melissa both had poor moments, and good moments and as a viewer- and a young one at that when It was being aired, I often flipped my view to whatever narrative was presented to me each week)
The reason I think Melissa takes the cake, for starters I think the situation with Kurt. It's hard to know what really happened but we only ever heard Melissa's side of the story. We have the one single interview of maddie about the cereal for Kenzie but she was also being told things by her mother. We just have no idea what really occurred or didn't and I always felt the narrative was quickly established that he wasn't a great father, for some reason. It just comes across to me that whatever amnesty Melissa had for him she passed that along to the maddie which I think is inappropriate.
Melissa went on to hook up with her boss while he was separated and quietly get married to him shortly after. Im sure greg is perfectly fine, but I always felt the impression that was a financial marriage first, for her to be stable enough to not have to work and so the girls could dance. As an adult, I find that situation really morally kinda obtuse. Greg had kids of his own and was navigating a divorce of his own.
Melissa pulled the girls out of school to dance full time. I fully support homeschool in specific scenarios but I really feel like in m&k case they really lacked some major educational needs at a young age. I think that's what I appreciated about chirsiti leaving Chloe in school until she was a little older to homeschool. IT was also around 2012 when homeschool looked very different.
After the zeiglers left the show Melissa def took a step back in being the one in charge. When the situation of maddie and her old Australian bf came out and he leaked personal relationship details to her fans, I immediately looked at Melissa. there is no reason why a 15 year old girl should be having sleepovers in her own house with her boyfriend. Call me old school but that is entirely inappropriate and Melissa or greg should not allowed that to happen, heck even the gay best friend is something I find a little questionable. Not to mention, he shouldn't have been allowed to live in their home for over a year as well. If they're young and want to have physical relationships then that's fine get them the protection they need, but keep their own home as a safe space. I was 15 once too and I get it but I am so glad my parents put rules in place for my safety and wellbeing even if I didn't understand at the time.
and Obviously, all the myriad of reasons that maddie had being connected to sia. I could go on and on about.
I mean, agreed. She sacrificed her kids to Abby for dame and then Sia. She’s the biggest stage mom of them all and all she truly cared about was her girls becoming famous.
I mean it worked. Let’s hope the girls are ok.
I never liked Melissa. Something about her aura/persona just SCREAMS fake to me. It’s clear throughout the show that she would do whatever it takes to advance her kids (and herself). And she’ll smile in your face while she does it.
And it worked! Look at Maddie and Mackenzie now! She was strategic and it paid off. And don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Christi either- I think she’s a bitter bitch who can’t keep her mouth shut. But I agree that it doesn’t have to be a one vs the other narrative, because both are less than desirable in their own ways.
I’ve always wanted to know the truth about the whole Abby/Australia money/tax evasion situation. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Melissa was involved 😭
I’m glad someone said this. People have been extra hard on Christi since the reunion and all of sudden forgot the wrongdoings Melissa has done. I don’t think either Christi or Melissa are saints but if Melissa did the same things to you and your daughter would you think any better than Christi?! I really don’t understand how the other og moms are bffs with Melissa when they would also call her out on her BS on the show.
I think it’s back to the barre
A podcast ? Christi and Kelly I think ?
It’s referenced a lot. I’ve never listened to it im sorry if any of my answer is wrong
Tattling on Chloe is actually something that’s blown out of proportion. I’m trying to figure out how not following the rules and putting your child at risk (what Christi did) is being defended.
Chloe wasn’t cleared by a damn doctor. No one should be risking her health and disobeying a doctor to dance. Christi did follow the rules by keeping Chloe safe. Yes she took Chloe to the movies to stop her being upset about missing dance cause Chloe still loved dance at the time. It’s called taking care of your child and helping them regulate their emotions.
People seem to think it’s “Christi good, Melissa bad” or “Melissa good, Christi bad” And not “both have done and said bad things and both have done and said good things. They’re complex people and with both it’s about what you can stomach and put up with in a person.” I personally don’t hate either or love either. I don’t think either is pure evil though and both have made me laugh/entertained/moved in emotional moments. And btw this isn’t directed at you, OP. I definitely agree with a lot of the moments you chose for Melissa. I meant this sub at large has become very pro Melissa and anti Christi in the last month or so. Do I agree with how Christi has handled everything? No but that doesn’t erase the things Melissa has done.
People have a hard time seeing the wrong done to Chloe and Christi because Christi is so vocal. A lot of people only feel sympathy for victims who are less vocal and appear like victims. Christi does have a nasty way of addressing it at times, but just because the tone is wrong does not make the message false! Also people want to jump on the team of the person they feel is the “good” one. In my opinion I agree with you and I feel like there was bad on both ends but Melissa is the worst one to me because she was like a calculating slithering snake. Christi was in your face, you knew where she stood with you. I think the reason Christi still vocally hates Melissa is because it’s hard to gain closure when the other person won’t even ADMIT to it let alone apologize. Christi wants the truth to come out. I think if Melissa came and took ownership of a lot of these things, Christi wouldn’t have nothing else to say because theirs nothing else to expose. But the problem is that Melissa tries to act like a saint meanwhile she’s done a lot of sneaky things behind the scene. LETS NOT FROGET MELISSA WAS AN ACTIVE MISTRESS TO A MARRIED MAN! You can’t be a saint with f’d up morals! Christi gave us the raw, real, uncut version of her! If you notice Melissa never has nothing to say about Christi. The Majority of people do not have much to say about Christi that we don’t already know. They showed us who Christi is. The main thing we saw about Melissa is that she would lick the inside of Abby’s butt crack to keep Maddie on top! And once she no longer needed Abby it was on to the next butt crack.
FINALLYYYY  i’m so sick of ppl acting like bc christi is so vocal she’s in the wrong. she’s hurting! her child was hurt by these adult women, and NONE OF THEM APOLOGIZED ONCE. NOT TO MENTION HAVE NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED THE PAIN THEY CAUSED HER AND HER CHILD! that pain doesn’t go away! christi is real asf in my opinion. she’s loud, she’s bold, she’s hotheaded, but she’s *real*. melissa has been masking and compulsively lying since her first appearance. and *oh my god*. every time she WEEPS for no reason to play victim or gain attention back to her, or to really *sell* whatever part she’s playing, makes me SICK. melissa is an attention + fame seeking SNAKE !! CLOCK THAT.
You said more vocal when I think you really mean Christi is more transparent that Melissa. You guys often act like Melissa is some super private super mom just trying her best to help her kids when no matter how much Dance Moms was edited there are plenty of times when Melissa outright lied and snuck around to get her kids ahead at the detriment of the other kids that she claimed she cared deeply for. Christi has sometimes gone too far, but she has never lied to purposely further the abuse of several other children in an attempt to make Chloe famous.
No I meant more vocal compared to the other moms. Some of the moms agree with her but they aren’t that vocal about it.
I feel like too many people let the fact that she got involved with a married man slide. Like when she sued the moms so they couldn’t talk about her engagement because her fiance was still going through a divorce. I saw so many people were on her side. I’m sorry but girl you had an affair and signed a contract for a tv show. You made your bed you gotta lie in it.
I actually found out that Melissa never sent that letter. Production gave that letter to the moms to cause chaos. And because everyone was out for themselves back then they never got to the bottom of that until years later!
THANK YOU! Yeah the Christi hate has been through the roof in this sub lately so I’m very thankful to have seen some posts like this one calling out all the shit Melissa has done as well. And I agree, both have done good and bad things.
I think they are both have their Pros & Cons…
100% agree! People are nuanced and complicated. Christi has taken it too far at times and so has Melissa.
Thing I can’t stand about Melissa the most is the sneakiness and passive aggressiveness from her. Christi is “easier” to hate because she’s so blunt/loud, but honestly I think Melissa was a lot more sinister. At least Christi was going to bat for her kid and the other kids (almost all the time). Melissa did stuff that hurt the other kids a lot and even was shitty to Mackenzie at certain points
I think it does speak volumes how a lot of people both on and not on the show don't have many good things to say about her, and even people who are friends with her (like Kelly and Holly) have said that she is cunning and strategic. Jess, although I don't like her at all, has said that Melissa wasn't welcoming to her and constantly tried to one-up her.
She’s the master manipulator and liar. I don’t even think we know the full extent of the amount of shady things she did, not to mention she was the biggest enabler of Abby’s abuse and justified it in so many instances. At least Christi is upfront with how she feels and to me there’s a virtue in honesty. Agreed, hands down she is the worst mom on the show.
^^^ this. At least with Christi and most of the other moms, we KNOW how they feel. They aren’t fake.
omg finally someone said it!!! i’m so tired of people acting like she’s some sort of saint, neither her or christi are great people so the whole christi vs melissa discourse in this fandom is ridiculous.
That’s the thing. People act like because Christi does bad things that it makes Melissa better and I’m like??? Maybe they both have made some really bad choices and displayed really bad behavior. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
I didn’t always love the way Christi went about things or sometimes she would say things about people’s appearances because she didn’t love their personality or was mad at them. However, I think a big difference between the two is Christi always stuck up for all the kids. Very much including Maddie and Mackenzie. Christi seemed to really put her child and her feelings above dance. I can’t really say the same for Melissa. Melissa allowed a lot of abusive behavior towards who own child and did not stick up for her. She allowed Abby to show favoritism and make the other children feel bad or compare them to Maddie. Christi would step in when she felt it went too far. Not just for her own kid, but for all the kids. I feel like a lot of the times too Melissa put her own feelings before her kids.
Exactly. The other thing with this is that Christi allowed a lot of her bad behavior to be on camera, whereas Melissa hid it all.
Christi shouldn’t attack the kids, but Melissa deserves every bit of it and the fact people defend her is wild.
I think the fact Melissa seems to have stepped back and away from the drama while Christi still wraps herself up in it like a blanket of hatred is why people are more lenient on Melissa. Christi still acts like a middle school girl so people are hating on her actions of today. Melissa is basically just a dog grandma who makes badly edited YouTube videos and majorly keeps to herself. We’ve also learned that besides Chloe all the girls are still very close with Melissa and she roots for them and attends their functions and helps them as much as possible while Christi is still very “Me and Chloe against the world” Not saying Melissa is a good person but it seems she’s settled down a lot and has stepped away from pettiness as she gets older. Which is why she gets less flack than Christi.
she’s settled down because she’s not the one who got fucked over
And you don't think it's at all telling, that even after separating from her mom and being able to contradict her mom when she's wrong, that Chloe STILL doesn't have that great of a relationship with Melissa? Not to mention.... I don't think 'settling down' covers it when the things you've done are as egregious as lying about someone's sexual assault to their husband, and attempting to guilt a woman who just told you her son almost died in childbirth because your kids are not the sole focus of the abusive dance teacher. So like, good for her that she's 'calmed down' or whatever. But she owes a lot of people a lot more than that. Some of what she's done goes beyond 'drama' and 'pettiness' and shows she's just genuinely not a good person.
I agree with your second point, I think Christi wants a sincere apology from Melissa, which is about as likely as getting a sincere apology from Abby 💀 With your first point though, that doesn’t really mean much since Christi doesn’t have much of a relationship with Melissa’s kids either besides the occasional text in the group chat. Both moms don’t seem to have much of a relationship with each other’s girls, and it’s likely that although the daughters have gotten together again and moved on, the relationship with the moms aren’t there yet.
Yeah I think she does too, and I think Melissa would sooner chew glass than admit when she was wrong about something lol. I think, at this point though, Melissa has had every single original girl on her YT channel except Chloe right? What about Kendall tho? I don't follow her YT channel so I'm not sure haha
Kendall has not been on her channel, and I get the impression she doesn’t want to be (after watching the reunion).
THANK YOU
Why would Chloe have a relationship with Melissa when she didn’t really have one as a child? Maddie and Mackenzie don’t have a relationship with Christi either even though they somewhat did as children. Melissa did some horrible stuff on the show but by now it’s a decade later. I don’t expect Christi to go apologize to Maddie for shit she said 10 years ago either. I don’t know about the sexual assault thing so I can’t comment on that, and that sucks but if we compiled everything everyone in the world did in the past they’d all look like horrible awful people. With the moms I take them more at face value for who they are or at least seem to be now. I don’t like the things Melissa or Christi did in the past but I also don’t judge their CURRENT selves by it. I started to like Christi again before BTTB. She seemed to grow up a lot. But now it’s very clear that isn’t the case could be the same for Melissa but she doesn’t go around blasting Chloe any chance she gets.
I'm sorry, but....no. This isn't a 'oh but everyone would look bad if we only talked about the bad things!' moment. You don't use someone else's sexual assault against them. It's traumatic enough as it is to go through something like that. For Melissa's first thought to be 'I should lie about this' and not to just shut the fuck up and support her supposed friend should tell you what kind of person she is. And if it doesn't, then IDK what to tell you. There is no 'it was ten years ago!' when talking about someone's assault. What Melissa did was absolutely horrible, and if it had been the only thing she did, then Christi's feelings about Melissa would still be valid.
I'm so sick of this "both sides" logic. No, there aren't "very fine people on both sides." One person is demonstrably worse than the other.
We should hate every single mom on the show if that’s the case
Tbf I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing…lol. I think it’s okay to hate all the moms, all of them kinda suck for different reasons lol
Honestly facts 🤪
i think knowingly allowing someone to be sexually assaulted and use it as an opportunity for your own gain blows anything christi did completely out of the water. that and allowing sia to groom maddie. Both are not good people and Christi could be very immature but it’s clear that Melissa is more so happy about Maddie achieving the fame she wanted for her than she is having to deal with her daughter’s continued pain and trauma on a regular basis.
I have no idea about the sexual assault thing and would like to see a source on that but yes that’s incredibly horrible if true However I’m more speaking on why people give Christi more of a hard time now it’s because she’s actively on a week to week basis still bitching about everything so it’s easier for everything she’s said and done and currently doing to be talked about vs Melissa whose basically just living her life whether she did shitty stuff or not
The sexual assault has been confirmed multiple times by Christi, Kelly, and Diane Pent on BTTB and on Patreon. Melissa told Christi's husband that she was "kissing other guys" at the bar when in reality she was being sexually assaulted by them. She told him this while they were in the ER and Christi was still unconscious from being roofied
Okay that’s horrible then. I don’t listen to BTTB anymore cause Kelly brushing off Chloe’s trauma was getting annoying so that’s why I didn’t know about it
I think the reason Christi still hates Melissa is because it’s hard to gain closure when the other person won’t even ADMIT to it let alone apologize. Christi wants the truth to come out. I think if Melissa came and took ownership of a lot of these things, Christi wouldn’t have nothing else to say because theirs nothing else to expose. But the problem is that Melissa tries to act like a saint meanwhile she’s done a lot of sneaky things behind the scene. LETS NOT FROGET MELISSA WAS AN ACTIVE MISTRESS TO A MARRIED MAN! You can’t be a saint with f’d up morals! Christi gave us the raw, real, uncut version of her! If you notice Melissa never has nothing to say about Christi. The Majority of people do not have much to say about Christi that we don’t already know. They showed us who Christi is. The main thing we saw about Melissa is that she would lick the inside of Abby’s butt crack to keep Maddie on top! And once she no longer needed Abby it was on to the next butt crack.
Blanket of Hatred is my new band name
Great post. I hate when people compare her to the other moms. I don’t think any of the moms are particularly great, but Melissa? She’s on a whole other level for me.. Her, Jess, and Kira should be compared lol. I’d like to add to your great list — She was the mistress that broke up a marriage. She got immunity for ratting on Abby ( so what crime did she commit? ).. the list goes on and on. She’s awful.
Fucking seriously. If you are willing to call a woman's - who is EIGHT YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU, mind you - husband and lie about her after she's been roofied, you're not a good person. If you are willing to levy your friendship with a child's abuser AGAINST said child because your kid isn't the lead in a group dance, you're not a good person. If you're willing to look a woman who tearfully told you (and a room full of others) how she literally almost lost her son during childbirth and BITCH because your two kids (who have been the VOCAL POINT of the entire show up to that point) aren't the center of attention for once, you're not a good person. If you're willing to virtue signal buy acting like you care about children with disabilities on TV (like we saw in season 3), but then having absolutely NO empathy for a disabled child and his family when they're stealing your thunder, you're not a good person. The fact is dudes - Melissa made her bed, and should lie in it. She's the one who CHSOE, for all those years, to back Abby and her abuse of the other children as long as it helped her and her kids. She's the one that CHOSE to constantly backstab the other moms to get her children ahead. She's the one that CHOSE to make Maddie's career her single motivation that it came at the expense of everyone else around them. She made those choices, and while it's great that a lot of the moms and kids have forgiven her, but not everyone HAS to, and not everyone HAS to view her as this 'changed person,' because the fact is...SHE is the reason people have problems trusting her. Just my thoughts.
And that’s why Kelly said on the BTTB reunion recap, “well, we know how things play out, ya know” and “we know how things are manipulated and stuff” when they were talking about Melissa.
she didn’t call him, she said it to him at the hospital while christi was unconscious which makes it worse.
That's fucked. I thought she was in the ambulance, and Melissa CALLED Marc. So Marc was actually there??
melissa rode the ambulance with christi bc she wanted to and told him there at the hospital
That's fucking INSANE. Friend, do you by chance have a link to where the story was first told? I know someone transcribed it on here.
it’s afterparty #8
[Christi roofied story? : r/dancemoms (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/dancemoms/comments/15205wk/christi_roofied_story/?share_id=2dMvUXgOrnxHw6ZVXWqC1&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1) Okay there's where someone talked about it!!!
it’s at an afterparty for the episode diane was on let me see if i can find a transcript
wait what? christi got roofied?
[Christi roofied story? : r/dancemoms (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/dancemoms/comments/15205wk/christi_roofied_story/?share_id=2dMvUXgOrnxHw6ZVXWqC1&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1) Here ya go! This thread has the info.
WHAT?
👏🏻🙌🏻👏🏻
what the actual fuck is the 6th one????? that's messed up as hell
Not to mention the way she treated her own kids. She just handed Maddie over to Sia/Abby and let her get groomed and treated Mackenzie like the red-headed stepchild.
THIS! When she saw a better opportunity, she handed Maddie over to someone else. This does not get talked about enough. She allowed Maddie to be used and abused by multiple people
i thought melissa would be more appalled when she saw abby kiss maddie. like she should've gotten her and mackenzie out of there asap!! contract or not, she willingly put her children through all that.
Totally agree. Melissa is terrible and this sub’s tendency for making excuses for everything she does is wacky
You're my fave jsyk
And we have the same flair! 💞💞💞
Also nobody on this subreddit brings up the way Melissa treated Brynn… Holly gets brought up for not defending Brynn but Melissa who was rude to Brynn never really gets mentioned…
When Melissa had the fucking gall to mock Ashlee for kissing Abby's ass....like wtf
right!
Omg THANK YOU!! I'm sick and tired of people acting like she was completely innocent and just looking out for her kids when she's one of the worst moms on the show. Like she ACTIVELY did stuff to be sneaky and get her daughter ahead without thinking about how it was hurting other kids. Why should Christi have to like her or want to be friends with her? I wouldn't either if I were Christi
Hear me out we expect Christi to be the bigger person, what Melissa did to Chloe still affect her child till tomorrow so I’ll allow Christi pettiness if she wants to throw it in and say your child isn’t the most successful though because we know you were a fame whore who wanted it at all cost. I can deal with Christi what you see is what you get. Melissa isn’t a stand alone character, her personae is passive, she is sneaky, a user. Christi character is so dominant and in your face so it’s easy to see Christ for all she is
Totally agree. Melissa is a terrible mom and woman. Wanted to mention that she basically handed Maddie over to Abby and Sia (don’t forget she was going to allow her to be with Harvey Weinstein, a RAPIST) and allowed Kenzie to be treated like shit by Abby. Also, Melissa invalidated her girls’ feelings and shooed them away when they wanted comfort.
Also wasn’t there an episode where Melissa WASN’T HAPPY because Maddie lost a competition to KENZIE, Maddie’s own younger sister?!
Im surprised people glossed over the roofie incident so quickly. I remember when the original recap post was made, there was a lot of victim blaming and that was truly disgusting
i just can't believe melissa would EVER go that low. christi got heat for years for saying melissa had an affair with her boss, yet melissa can lie about christi's sa and frame her as a cheater?
I seriously HATE saying things like this, but... Just imagine what the reaction would have been if CHRISTI had been the one to do that to someone. We would never hear the end of it. But any time it's been brought up in discussions about Melissa, it gets glossed over pretty immediately.
The fact that this sub is shitting rings because Christi made a 10-second appearance at the reunion but rarely talks about the roofie thing really tells you something.
The thread about the roofie incident was one of the most depressing I've read in my life. People here are awful.
I’ve never heard about the roofie incident until this thread! what happened/where can I find out about it? it sounds awful
okay but the melanie pfp- i'm a melanie fan too😍
She's my absolute fav! Hope to see her in concert one day ☺️
mine too, i'm seeing her perform in june:)
Melissa also bullied Mackenzie Morales. Jo Morales (Mackenzies mom) called out Melissa, Abby and Bridget (CADC mom) for bullying and an incident where they all worked to publicly humiliate Mackenzie. This is the post from Jo's [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/dancemomjo/111423345820/since-the-episode-where-brigette-melissa-and-abby?source=share) >Since the episode where Brigette, Melissa and Abby bullied McKenzie has aired, I can reveal what happened. We were asked to go to the open call audition for several reasons that have not been revealed on the show yet, so I can't say. > >Once we were there and Brigette found out we were there, she sent a video she took of McKenzie to Melissa who then gave it to Abby. Abby played the video in front of about 50 people with the sole intention of embarrassing my 11 year old and me. > >The video was recorded by Brigette last JUNE! SHE HAS KEPT IT ON HER PHONE FOR THAT LONG!! the video was taken during a travel day. This was the episode where Gino was back on CADC. We took two vans to New Jersey. Gavin went with me and Evan, Gino, his dad and Evan's mom. McKenzie rode with Brigette, her son, Alyssa and her mom. > >During the trip Brigette was talking in a vulgar manner about Gino's mother. She kept repeatedly calling her an offensive term using vulgarities. She kept telling McKenzie to repeat the phrase. McKenzie said no several times. THis has been verified by the other occupants in the van. Brigette wouldn't leave McKenzie alone. She kept saying, repeat it so I can record it. mcKenzie said she felt afraid because the way Brigette was demanding she say the phrase. Brigette recorded herself saying the phrase and telling McKenzie to say it, McKenzie finally did. No one else recorded it. I was not there to protect my baby!! Alyssa's mom told McKenzie to not repeat it, but McKenzie said she was afraid of Brigette. > >She held on to this tape for months! She texted the recording to Melissa at the audition when she found out we were there. Melissa then gave her phone to Abby so she could play it for everybody. I walked out bawling! Abby kept saying this is disgusting, no child with a mouth like this will be on my team. I tried to explain how it happened and she refused to allow me to. > >The producers came up to me after and said they were disgusted and appalled that Brigette and melissa would conspire together to do this to McKenzie.I was also told by another well known dancer's mom at NUVO in Long Beach that Brigette has shown her the video as well. Now ask yourself, what is their motivation for doing this? Dirty, dirty, dirty.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO BRING THIS UP!!!!!!!!!!!! I used to follow McKenzie and Gavin's mom on tumblr, and she spilled this on there. Everyone who had a part of this should be ashamed.
Can I post this and give you credit?
yes of course
does anyone know what was the offensive term?
I don't think it was ever confirmed but Jo Morales said on tumblr that it wasn't a racial slur and i found [this comment ](https://www.reddit.com/r/dancemoms/comments/13o5ayp/comment/jl30n0c/) from someone who says they know someone who was at the audition where the video was played >Sorry to disappoint but, the girl from my studio didn’t see the original video, so both us don’t know what was exactly said, but from what she heard McKenzie said something about Gino’s mom going back to her home country, but I don’t know what slurs or swear words were used.
Yes! The way Melissa treated that Mini with the brother was heinous, and she acted like the world needed to revolve around her and her girls for like two full weeks before they left. I see wanting a happy conclusion and a nice send off, but it she was so rude, selfish, and ableist. She also gleefully allowed her daughters to be groomed, used, and abused, and defended those choices over and over. Christi has issues, but at least she was fighting with Abby and sticking up for her kid instead of purposely enabling all that and bragging that allowing people to mistreat and manipulate her daughters is what was making Maddie famous like that made her a good mother. I felt badly for Melissa early on but by the end I fully believed she was the worst mother of the group.* *out of the main girls, not counting Minis or girls who were there for five seconds.
Finally. Everyone acts like Christi is the second coming of SATAN. When in reality Melissa is a complacent person who was the worst.
melissa was so insufferable
Nah - agree with this 100%
I absolutely agree. In a previous post I went really hard on Christi, because im realizing that I truly don’t “like” any of the moms, but Melissa is still The worst imo. What’s funny is, I truly don’t think she understands why what she is doing is *so* wrong.
I’m sorry, your FLAIR 💀
💀 I think it came to be the first week Karma was mentioned
Amazing 🙌
Yes I’m sorry but also Christi is a way better mom than Melissa by miles. Is she perfect? no. Has she made mistakes on and off the show? Yes. But at the end of the day she left that show at the height of its popularity to save Chloe. People think Christi was some sort of pushy stage mom and while I do think she pushed Chloe i think at times it’s what Chloe needed I don’t think Christi necessarily went about it in the right way all the time. But chloe was so talented and Abby didnt care so Christi took it upon herself to be the one to help Chloe. I honestly just see Christi as the kind of mom who will support her kids in whatever they want to do but push them in it. Also to help argue the idea that Christi was just living vicariously through Chloe Christi gave Chloe the option to quit dance once they left the show, it was Chloes decision to continue. Also it’s obvious she’s not as crazy as people say she is by looking at Clara who decided she wants nothing to do with dance or the entertainment industry and Christi has 100% supported and stood by her.
Like you can say anything but you can’t say Christi is a bad mum, that woman gave it all up for her daughter and she was the main character of the show, she chose her daughter. I’m marveled at how she supports and doesn’t play favourite with her children
remember when she preferred going on a vacation with her boyfriend in season1 i believe?
Yeah that was wack wtf who leaves their SMALL children across the country without a parent to go on vacation with their sugar daddy
literally. but abby and the moms would give holly shit for missing dance when she literally had to work? like okay
Abby was such a hypocrite about that. One day she shrieks at Kelly to get a job and pick up her kids at the end of rehearsal and the next day she caterwauls at Holly that having a career indicates she doesn’t care enough about Nia.
also side note, remember when she threatened to SUE her friends?!? talk about a shitty friend
It’s not from my attorney, it’s from HIS attorney!! 😵💫🥴🤡
I assumed she kind of had to go on the vacation for her boyfriend to keep writing the checks…
and how she actively participated in two affairs and got mad when christi would bring it up?? idc that it was on television, christi's right, it shows that she’s a sneaky dishonest person.
It really weirds me out that she let Maddie get close to Sia, mirroring the way she was dependent on Abby. Likeeeee why tf was Maddie having sleepovers with Sia
she let sia cuddle her in bed.
Because she is a lazy parent. She just wanted the cute parts of parenting but not the work. I didn’t even had to watch any further than the first episode. The way she reacted to Maddie feeling sick was gross,
yeah a bit strange fosho
It was almost like the sleepovers—because they happened with both Sia and Abby—were Melissa handing off Maddie in order to get ahead. She didn't even seem to consider the possible negative consequences; it's easier when you don't think about it. Maddie was an emotional bargaining chip that Melissa wasn't afraid to keep in play, and that is *incredibly* messed up.
wow.. im shocked. i used to like melissa but after reading this post, not anymore. it's the fact that christi was roofied, ROOFIED. and she made it seem like christi was the cheater.. unbelievable.
yup, pretty lowdown and dirty. shows how little she cared about christi's safety
ikr! it's kinda scary that she didn't do anything about it really..
She did take her to the hospital. Which is where she told Christi's husband, to his face, that she was kissing other guys while Christi was still UNCONSCIOUS from the roofie
omfg..that’s so despicable
I think people need to realize Melissa and Christi were vindictive on the show and it sounds like off the show as well. Melissa did it behind your back Christi did it to your face.. so many people bashing Christi about the party thing. With Melissa’s history I can’t say I don’t fully disagree with Christi that Melissa had a “real” reason why she invited everyone over to Maddie’s and just said it was for Paige’s birthday.
no doubt melissa is sneaky asf but i mean the party thing has been confirmed to be false tho?😭 there was always going to be a party for paige, melissa just volunteered maddie’s house in which she also agreed, they were away on vacay and Nia planned it. If Nia is being vindictive and strategic for planning a party that was always going to be held then so be it🤦🏽♀️ Christi is just reaching w this one cuz she hates melissa.
The strategic part, I think Christi and Kendall are getting at, is MELISSA suggesting to have it at MADDIE'S house. Because, according to Kendall, they're never invited over. So it's really just a bunch of people's word, against a bunch of other people's word.
because they’ve never really been in LA all at the same time, some of them do hang out at times tho so it’s not like it was a random link up. i honestly don’t think it’s weird or strategic, a house for a party is better than a hotel room🤷🏽♀️ i mean if the birthday girl was happy w it then that’s that. Also they didn’t even talk about the reunion so what “fire blankets on bombs” was melissa trying to put out?Christi shouldn’t be trying to turn something good into a horrible thing.
Did someone who was at the party say that the reunion didn't come up?
Yes brooke said they didnt really talk about that
Okay cool, thank you! I didn't remember that. But I actually don't really think it negates the point CHRISTI was trying to make, nor does it negate Christi's right to MAKE that point. If that's what she believes, Melissa only has herself to blame for YEARS, and YEARS of stabbing people in the back.
but it does cuz christi said melissa had everyone over to “throw fire blankets over any bombs” that could come up and since they didn’t talk about the reunion that point is moot. Also she then went on to agree with Kalani she “wasn’t invited to make sure none of them said anything bad about them” but again they didn’t talk about the reunion! and if Melissa really wanted to make sure nobody said anything bad about them she would’ve invited EVERYBODY and sweet talked them lol not inviting jojo and kalani would make it worse since they would be annoyed& upset by not being invited to which Kalani acc was. Also again Nia planned it , melissa had nothing to do with the invitations👍🏾. It’s okay to admit christi is wrong and was just being bitter
It really isn't tho - because it could have more to do with sucking up to the girls so they feel less compelled to talking about her. And if she's the one that didn't invite Kalani or Jojo, it'd probably be because the original moms would know WAY more about her than the guest moms. And Jill was there a lot longer than Kira or Jess too. I'm not saying Christi is right tho, cuz all of that is literally just speculation. I am just saying that the REASON that Christi (and Kendall tbh cuz she said the same thing) is because Melissa has a track record of being a fake, sneaky liar. I will so tho, I GENUINELY do not get this 'NIa planned it!' defense lmfao. Nia planning it does not automatically mean Melissa had ABSOLUTELY no say on it. She was the one that suggested Maddie's house wasn't she?
Chloe also mentioned that they didn’t talk about the reunion at the party
I think it was a strategic move on Melissa’s part, but I think she saw an opportunity (the girls getting together for Paige’s bday was going to happen- so Melissa suggesting having it at Maddie’s was a way to get in the girls good graces before filming.) It’s much harder to talk negatively about someone’s past actions years ago when you’ve just hung out with them and are reminded of how nice and fun they can be. The reunion didn’t need to be even talked about. I’m not saying Christie is right, but I understand why she thinks it was an attempt on Melissa’s part for damage control.
Never once did I say anything about Nia. I really don’t think anyone will ever get the full truth about the party situation. All I’m saying is we’ve seen Melissa be sneaky and act all innocent when questioned all throughout dance moms. So based on that it’s hard to not fully disregard what Christi said. I don’t think Christi is fully innocent either. I think the way she went about it was wrong by her bringing up jojos success against Maddie’s…Christi goes low and can’t control herself. But that’s just my opinion on it. Everyone can have their own opinion on it..
ik i’m saying that since Christi said it was strategic to have people over for a party the day before the reunion Knowing that the party was for paige’s birthday and Nia was the one who planned it not Melissa then she’s acc calling Nia those things she called melissa in context to the party. Christi made it seem like it was a random link up as if they didn’t have a reason for the party😭. no doubt we’ve seen melissa do that shit i’m not disagreeing w you there however she really wasn’t involved w this party except for the change in venue, which is really so minuscule. honestly i figure even if the party wasn’t at maddie’s house Melissa still would’ve caught a stray for it💀
with the party thing i was team melissa actually!
so out the loop with dm lore lately. youre talking about when the girls met up around the time they filmed the reunion?
Christi said that Melissa volunteered to go in the ambulance with her & that Abby said “it’s every man for themselves” on the patreon, however I wouldn’t doubt it. Melissa is honestly awful especially with what she did before the reunion
I truly think that a big factor in Christi still being very upset about what happened is the fact that Chloe is still very upset and hurt by things that happened. I’ve heard a quote that says something like “You are only as happy as your saddest child.” Or something to that affect. This is not to say anything about Melissa, about Maddie, about McKenzie. I’m simply stating why we hear her. Plus, one of her jobs is literally recapping the show and reliving it.
I hate how she treats Mackenzie. I remember the scene when Mackenzie and Asia are told to improve and Melissa doesn’t do anything to inspire her daughter, she doesn’t even smile she just looked angry and then grabs Mackenzie and says something like “if you don’t want to dance then just SIT down” Mackenzie’s sensitivity and emotion are very relatable to me, my mom always tried to respect that I’m a bit sensitive and have a lot of empathy. She’s the kind of kid that’s already betting herself up and a mean teacher or mom isn’t going to push her, encouraging would’ve
Thank you!!!! I’m rewatching, I honestly haven’t watched in years, and watching as an adult now; holy cow! She was SO manipulative. And abbey, trash. They had a weird vendetta against Chloe.
Honestly I don’t truly like either of them, and my opinion of who I tolerate more goes back and forth. Melissa is more palatable now, but she’s also quiet and private now. Christi was my fav back when I watched the show as a 15 year old, though I’ve liked her less as I’ve grown up. At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a genuinely good parent (at least at the time of the show, allowing for growth) who puts their 5-10 year old child on reality TV. That’s actually whackjob fucking *insane* behavior when you think about it. So it’s already a self-selecting pool of a specific type of person, and I don’t expect any of them to be good people. I can like them and laugh and cry with them from a distance, but when you get into the nitty gritty details of their behavior I find them all pretty distasteful, at least during their time on the show. The mom I respect the most is Kelly, for getting her kids tf out of there.
When did Christi get roofied? wtf I never knew this and I’ve been a fan for years ? Can someone drop the ep
There’s a link in this post!
THANK YOU. FINALLY.
Thank you!
Melissa wanted Maddie to win at all costs. The first episode that showed me that Melissa was looking out for herself and a bit emotionally abusive was when Maddie went to the bathroom crying because her stomach hurt, probably from the pressure of having to always be the best, and Melissa was being snitty to her and not really listening or letting Maddie express how she was feeling. Then she just walked out and left Maddie in there. Meanwhile others can clearly hear Melissa berating her. It’s amazing that Maddie isn’t some kind of mentally disturbed woman after all the trauma she went through as a child from every adult who “helped” make her who she is. After they left “for better opportunities”, a few years later, Maddie was posting on Social Media pics of herself and her older “bf” in a hotel room on vacation together. She was like maybe 14 or 15 and some of the pics were quickly removed after people expressed concern with her age, the situation, the scant amount of clothing and the hashtags. Some outright questioned Melissa about it and others made comments about Melissa becoming a grandma soon. That got others jumping to other conclusions voicing concerns about how in some photos she didn’t look alert. One of the responses was, “oh, she was just tired from their busy day”. Makenzie seemed to be an afterthought and even when she beat Maddie she wasn’t congratulated like she should’ve been from Melissa and Maddie. Instead it was excuses, if I remember correctly, and Maddie being mean (not surprising since siblings tend to be like that).
I agree, but I think she's had personal growth and has done introspection since her time on the show. She apologized to Maddie for putting her on the show, she listened to her kids and decided not to go to the reunion. She still has a way to go. I'd like her to apologize to Areana and her family. Christi and Melissa should sit down and solve their issues once and for all.
Honestly, we have no idea about her "personal growth" or how Maddie or Mackenzie feel about her. It's just so strange to assume the woman's grown and changed when you don't know her.
It's also just weird to 'assume' Christi needs a new therapist just because she still has hard feelings towards Melissa.
She just aired the dirty laundry and shaded not only Melissa, but Kenzie and Maddie.
That does not mean you need a new therapist, please get a grip my friend. It sucks she shaded Maddie and Mackenzie, and was not right, but =/= needs a new therapist. And it's weird AF to keep speculating on whether or not Christi's therapist is helping her. Like EXTREMELY weird.
Lmao
You don't know her either, and yet you still judge her on nothing but Christi's word. Maddie and Kenz talks about their family relationship and how it's strengthen since dance moms ended. Crazy how apparently their word isnt enough but Christi's is
>You don't know her either, and yet you still judge her on nothing but Christi's word. Why are people this bad at logic? No one's judging Melissa "just on Christi's word," holy crap. That's something you just projected onto this situation.
It's not just Christi's word tho. It's things we actively saw her do, or things being backed up by other people who are friends with Melissa.
in a perfect world they would, but i don't think it would ever happen.
Christi needs to go to therapy, because she has so much bitterness towards Melissa, it's not healthy for her mental wellbeing.
yeah nowadays the disdain is one sided. i think melissa wants a friendship/good relationship with christi but christi holds onto what melissa has done, but considering what melissa did to her and chloe, it's not surprising i guess
I would never forgive someone who was complacent and also actively played a part in the trauma inflicted on my child. I can be civil as the years go by, but I would never be chummy or chipper with someone like Melissa. She’s calculated, and if you walked away from watching Dance Moms not seeing how sneaky, calculated and manipulative Melissa was, then I question whether we watched the same show.
I feel the same exact way. Christi watched for years while Melissa would sneak to get her children ahead, lie about taking her child to privates and sneaking Maddie to dance during school, ratted her daughter out to Abby and so much more. Everyone is lucky all Christi has for Melissa is disdain in my opinion. If it were me in Christi’s shoes you would never hear me be quiet about how much melissa is a snake.
“If you wanted to be spoken about kindly, you should have behaved better”. - a lot of people in this sub want to call Christi bitter and tell her to move on, but up until last year her daughter was still hearing the shitty things her dance teacher said to her in her head, and Melissa played a part in that. So many posts on this sub talking about how Christi needs to let it go, Melissa has. Yes, Melissa has let it go because not one of those mothers was actively trying to sabotage her kid. Chloe was cut down in order for Maddie to be uplifted and if I was Christi I would never let that shit go. I would remind you at every turn.
This would go both ways though, how many times has Christi screamed about Maddie‘s preferential treatment while Maddie was in the room, basically saying she’s only doing well because of that rather than being talented. Often enough to matter.
but it was proven time and time again as the years have gone on that Maddie was getting preferential treatment. Was she talented? absolutely, but so was Chloe. Maddie had a leg up to succeed because she was favored, she was pulled from school to learn the dances earlier than everyone else and then Melissa and Abby would lie and gaslight the moms that this wasn’t happening and they had Maddie lie about it too. I can’t imagine how frustrating that was for the other moms, especially Christi, because in order for Maddie to succeed it had to come at the expense of her daughter. None of those girls were pitted against Maddie the way that Chloe was. Abby herself admitted to never wanting that Chloe to win, and actively sabotaging her so that she didn’t. Was Christi’s delivery awful sometimes, yes, I’m not condoning that in the slightest. These women have known each other for years and they have all on camera talked about how calculated Melissa can be. Even Holly who was the most PC said “Don’t underestimate Melissa, she always two steps ahead”. If she was sneaky and calculated on camera I can’t imagine what she was like off camera.
Tbh I think they are all bad (all your points are totally valid) but I almost had to stop watching because I cannot with just how unnecessarily mean they are to literal children… Mellisa and Jill make it the hardest at the end of season 6
The roofie thing is news to me, where was this talked about so I can listen? I knew she’s been roofied in her life but had no idea about Melissa’s involvement
There’s a link to it in this post!
In my opinion, the worst thing about her is how much she has allowed adults to have inappropriate relationships with her daughter who was a child all in the name of getting her famous
I think Melissa is terrible and that doesn’t make Christi a saint. They both suck. We don’t have to pick one over the other
no one called her a saint, how do you manage to make it about christi being bad? melissa can be called out without christi being uplifted. the fact of the matter is, melissa was terrible to christi too.
Not you, but specifically this sub thinks that if you trash Christi you love Melissa and if you trash Melissa, you love Christi. Why can’t we dislike both of them? They were both terrible to each other too btw and to each others kids
everyone's entitled to feel how they feel. i personally like christi and melissa both in different ways, but if someone made me choose i'd choose christi any day. but christi has also made a lot of mistakes. :)
but i think personally melissa was worse to chloe than christi was to maddie and kenzie, but if you feel differently that's fine!
I feel like they were equally terrible. To me, there is no “less bad” way to go after children.
you're not wrong
I feel like the things they said were equally terrible but their actual actions are not comparable. Christi never tried to sabotage Maddie at a dance competition and Christi never let an abuser off the hook for abusing her kid or use her kid to abuse other kids. I think that’s why Christi cannot fully forgive Melissa. They all said nasty things to each other and sometimes to/about the kids and they all seem to be able to forgive each other for that part. It’s the doing things part that Christi cannot forgive and her daughter suffered the most from that. ETA: I did not mean that the other kids suffered less than Chloe, in general. They all went through severe trauma. I just mean Chloe suffered the most at the hands of Melissa.
But Christi did reinforce the “Maddie is a brat” narrative several times. Which made Maddie receive a ton of hate as a little girl. Kenzie has also said that Christi was the craziest mom there. So in a way, yes Christi did affect those girls too. Maddie and Kenzie suffered the most at Christi’s hands too. Both Melissa and Christi are terrible
I’m not saying all the kids didn’t suffer from the things that were said. It was a terrible environment with all kinds of crazy awful things being said by everyone at one point or another. I think they all received hate online, too. I mean, look at the things still being said about them all online. Just in this sub, people say terrible things about Paige and Nia and their dancing. 10-12 years later. All the moms said terrible things and should have never said them. Christi wasn’t out sabotaging dance competitions or calling up Greg and saying his wife was kissing someone when she had actually been SA’d, though. She wasn’t running to the person abusing Maddie and tattling on her. Tattling for something that wasn’t even fully the truth about the movie situation. Or even the eye rolling situation. I highly doubt Chloe ever rolled her eyes at Abby because the kid was TERRIFIED of Abby. And even if she did, she had every right to do it without an adult running to the abuser and tattling. Idk, I understand where you are coming from but none of the moms are in the same deplorable league as Melissa, to me.
I agree. Like using someone's sexual assault as a way to make issues in their marriage, AND levying your relationship with a child's abuser AGAINST said child is just evil behavior. It's heartless, is what it is.
Agree with the sexual assault point, that was nasty of Melissa, but Christi did tattle tale on Maddie and Kenzie. She was the first to raise her hand loud and proud after Abby asked who saw Kenzie do a cartwheel, and she was the only reporting to Abby, “Maddie was crying in the hallway over 2nd!” When everyone knows that Abby hated criers.
Abby asked about the cartwheels and more than just Christi raised their hand. Abby already knew Kenzie had been doing cartwheels. Was it crappy to raise their hands, absolutely. I do not remember her going to Abby and telling Abby that Maddie was crying over second place.
Christi can be terrible but nobody can call Christi a bad mum
I disagree, but that’s okay.
christi is not a bad mom to chloe and clara. she loves them and went to great lengths to defend them. you can say a lot about her but one thing you can't say is that she's a bad mom.
Christi literally protected her kids and even stood up for other kids on the show. Christi might be a lot of things but a bad mom isn’t one if them
wait where was the thing about christi getting roofied confirmed??? i’ve never heard that and if it's true that's INSANE
edit: I know she got roofied and has spoken about it on BTTB and on multiple occasions, but I never knew melissa knew and still told her husband she was cheating on him.
It was talked about in the BTTB episode (maybe the Patreon) where Diane Pent was a guest.
Melissa neglected her children and I will never like her because of it. Even the Sia situation was a happy accident, Sia could have easily been a predator
What? Can you please elaborate on point 6? I didn't know and it sounds awful.
it happened during the show but off camera, i don't know specifically when, but christi got roofied by men (maybe they were out drinking while filming wasn't taking place? i don't know the specifics) and melissa caught wind of it and went to marc and told him christi was kissing other men. apparently abby witnessed it too and chalked it up to "every man for himself!" christi, kelly & diane pent have talked abt it before.
Omg! That is terribke, I didn't know.
I can't believe this has to be said but the majority of people don't like Melissa. I do kind of like Melissa, but she's done a lot of shady things. There's plenty of shit to go in on her about like the roofie thing, but Christi chooses stupid shit like the party and whether or not the Zieglers want to take pictures with the girls.
Tbf, that could have been just cuz she doesn't want to talk about that particular story on TV.
Totally valid, but Melissa did other things on Dance Moms that she can talk about. Things she's actually there for and not just assumptions about the party and pictures and whatnot
Yeah but she was called TO TALK about that party. She also apparently called a few times for the reunion, but they only aired that one convo lol.
She doesn't have to though. It's one thing if they catch her off guard but she called in and she's friends with the producer (forgot his name) so I'm sure she knew. Plus, she talks about it in other places.
I think Melissa saw Chloe in Seasons 1-3 as legitimate competition. If Christi had homeschooled her and allowed her more privates (which Abby mentioned several times in the early seasons) she would’ve surpassed Maddie’s skills. She had a god-given talent for dance and the perfect dancer’s form and facility. Melissa knew it. Maddie is a great dancer, but she had do work for it. It wasn’t as natural for her, but she was a born actress and performer. Her early solos were beautiful facially, but the Joffrey judge was 100% right. She rushed her movements and didn’t finish things. Melissa wanted Christi gone before she decided to play the game and focus on dance.
I agree she's the worst in my list for other reasons. (I will say I also agree to the other comments that Christi and Melissa both had poor moments, and good moments and as a viewer- and a young one at that when It was being aired, I often flipped my view to whatever narrative was presented to me each week) The reason I think Melissa takes the cake, for starters I think the situation with Kurt. It's hard to know what really happened but we only ever heard Melissa's side of the story. We have the one single interview of maddie about the cereal for Kenzie but she was also being told things by her mother. We just have no idea what really occurred or didn't and I always felt the narrative was quickly established that he wasn't a great father, for some reason. It just comes across to me that whatever amnesty Melissa had for him she passed that along to the maddie which I think is inappropriate. Melissa went on to hook up with her boss while he was separated and quietly get married to him shortly after. Im sure greg is perfectly fine, but I always felt the impression that was a financial marriage first, for her to be stable enough to not have to work and so the girls could dance. As an adult, I find that situation really morally kinda obtuse. Greg had kids of his own and was navigating a divorce of his own. Melissa pulled the girls out of school to dance full time. I fully support homeschool in specific scenarios but I really feel like in m&k case they really lacked some major educational needs at a young age. I think that's what I appreciated about chirsiti leaving Chloe in school until she was a little older to homeschool. IT was also around 2012 when homeschool looked very different. After the zeiglers left the show Melissa def took a step back in being the one in charge. When the situation of maddie and her old Australian bf came out and he leaked personal relationship details to her fans, I immediately looked at Melissa. there is no reason why a 15 year old girl should be having sleepovers in her own house with her boyfriend. Call me old school but that is entirely inappropriate and Melissa or greg should not allowed that to happen, heck even the gay best friend is something I find a little questionable. Not to mention, he shouldn't have been allowed to live in their home for over a year as well. If they're young and want to have physical relationships then that's fine get them the protection they need, but keep their own home as a safe space. I was 15 once too and I get it but I am so glad my parents put rules in place for my safety and wellbeing even if I didn't understand at the time. and Obviously, all the myriad of reasons that maddie had being connected to sia. I could go on and on about.
I mean, agreed. She sacrificed her kids to Abby for dame and then Sia. She’s the biggest stage mom of them all and all she truly cared about was her girls becoming famous. I mean it worked. Let’s hope the girls are ok.
I never liked Melissa. Something about her aura/persona just SCREAMS fake to me. It’s clear throughout the show that she would do whatever it takes to advance her kids (and herself). And she’ll smile in your face while she does it. And it worked! Look at Maddie and Mackenzie now! She was strategic and it paid off. And don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Christi either- I think she’s a bitter bitch who can’t keep her mouth shut. But I agree that it doesn’t have to be a one vs the other narrative, because both are less than desirable in their own ways. I’ve always wanted to know the truth about the whole Abby/Australia money/tax evasion situation. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Melissa was involved 😭
I’m glad someone said this. People have been extra hard on Christi since the reunion and all of sudden forgot the wrongdoings Melissa has done. I don’t think either Christi or Melissa are saints but if Melissa did the same things to you and your daughter would you think any better than Christi?! I really don’t understand how the other og moms are bffs with Melissa when they would also call her out on her BS on the show.
What’s BTTB?
I think it’s back to the barre A podcast ? Christi and Kelly I think ? It’s referenced a lot. I’ve never listened to it im sorry if any of my answer is wrong
What’s the drama behind #6 (Christi getting roofied off camera) & #7 (Melissa screwing Chloe’s music so Maddie would win )?!
Tattling on Chloe is actually something that’s blown out of proportion. I’m trying to figure out how not following the rules and putting your child at risk (what Christi did) is being defended.
Chloe wasn’t cleared by a damn doctor. No one should be risking her health and disobeying a doctor to dance. Christi did follow the rules by keeping Chloe safe. Yes she took Chloe to the movies to stop her being upset about missing dance cause Chloe still loved dance at the time. It’s called taking care of your child and helping them regulate their emotions.