TV

Members of the original 'Dance Moms' cast claim that they were pushed into a contract for the show before they knew what it would really become.

Published on October 16, 2022

It’s no secret that Dance Moms became a wildly successful reality TV show. The Lifetime series developed a cult following and introduced scores of people to the world of competitive dance. Furthermore, many of the cast members became famous in their own right, garnering millions of fans around the world. However, the original cast members never expected the show to blow up, let alone change their lives.

‘Dance Moms’ was originally supposed to be a docuseries

Dance Moms spanned eight seasons and a whopping 224 episodes. However, the original premise for the show was only supposed to be six weeks. In fact, the show wasn’t initially pitched to the cast as a show, but rather a documentary series. In a conversation with Cosmopolitan, Melissa Gisoni (mom to Maddie Ziegler and Kenzie Ziegler) talked about the casting process for the initial docuseries.

Melissa Gisoni revealed how she, Maddie Ziegler, and Kenzie Ziegler got cast on the reality TV show

“We had to talk on tapes, kind of embellish a little, and say, ‘Oh, my daughter is the best,’ which is not something I’d normally say,” Gisoni revealed. “Then we had to send in a bunch of dance videos. It was supposed to be a documentary for six weeks, of them just following the dancers and their moms. I didn’t think it was a reality show. I didn’t even know what a reality show was then. I never watched any.”

Gisoni reveals that the original ‘Dance Moms’ cast was pushed into signing contracts

Eventually, Gisoni learned that she and her daughters had been selected for the show. Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier, Christi Lukasiak, and Kelly Hyland had also been cast from her studio. According to the moms, the Dance Moms producers presented them with contracts in the final hour. However, since they didn’t expect anyone would watch the show or for it to continue past the six-week mark, they signed the contracts.

“We were kind of pushed into the contract — like if you don’t sign today, you can’t be on the show,” Gisoni recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, OK. I’ll sign it. What’s the big deal?'” So we signed a contract when it was called Just Dance.”

The concept of ‘Dance Moms’ began after the cast was already under contract

Of course, things drastically changed when the producers realized what a big personality Abby Lee Miller was. Sensing the inherent drama that the dance teacher caused, the producers pivoted. The show shifted to focus on the contentious relationship between the moms and Miller. Soon after, it was rebranded as Dance Moms.

It didn’t take long for the executives at Lifetime to fall in love with the premise of Dance Moms. They immediately order additional episodes of the show, and the cast went on the road to nationals. Since they were locked under contract, it took a while before they were able to quit the show. And while Gisoni doesn’t necessarily regret her time on the show, she admits that she never wants to be on TV again.

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