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Back to the Barre
Brooke Makes a Cameo
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“It’s finally time,” says Brooke about making her long-awaited guest appearance on Back to the Barre. Throughout the episode, her references reiterate the robust second life that Dance Moms has been given on TikTok. She explains what the platform has dubbed “The Brooke Effect,” and that she learned from many of her followers that her inability to remember much from her time filming the show is actually a trauma response. As Kelly points out, Brooke was the worst age to film the show, not only because she was basically going through puberty on camera. She was old enough to teach the younger girls how to kiss on the back of the bus while traveling to competitions, but too young to join Kelly and Christi as they passed wine back and forth through the cracks in the seats.
Producers of all kinds continue to sell the Hyland girls short, as this episode shows Brooke recording her “Summertime Love Song” in L.A., where the girls have stayed to compete at Intensity Dance ahead of Nationals. Music producers autotuned her naturally lovely voice beyond recognition, and the show forced her to work with small-time producers who buried her singing career. According to Kelly, Brooke never made a penny from the record or the merch. Abby appointed herself director of Brooke’s music video which featured all the girls, even directing Maddie to dance in heavy traffic.
Throughout today’s episode, they discuss behind-the-scenes stories and clips that were never aired, like what the big lips on Kendall’s costume were a tribute to and what Brooke’s young male co-star said about Brooke off-camera. We also learn why Kelly sat in a dumpster all afternoon and why Christi had to explain STDs to the girls at seven in the morning.
Quotes
- “We're always on the bottom row, huh, Brookie? We lived there. That’s where all my money went. I paid rent on the third row of the pyramid.” (23:09-23:20 | Kelly)
- “People who grew up watching the show and are coming back have a better understanding of it now that they're adults…I mean, there is absolutely an element of crazy there ” (100:53-1:01:20 | Christi)
- “McKenzie was sucking her thumb and carrying around a blanket and I had a boyfriend who was driving around.” (1:07:59-1:08:06 | Brooke)
Links
Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC50aSBAYXH_9yU2YkKyXZ0w
Subscribe to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/backtothebarre
Thank you to Ashley Jana for allowing us to use Electricity!! Follow her on IG HERE: https://instagram.com/ashleyjanamusic?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Download Electricity HERE: https://music.apple.com/us/album/electricity/1497482509?i=1497482510
Follow Christi on IG: www.instagram.com/christilukasiak
Follow Kelly on IG: www.instagram.com/kellylhyland
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The Moms Are Forced To Dance… And It’s A TOTAL DISASTER | Back To The Barre REWIND
01:11:29|Welcome back to our REWIND series! Christi and Kelly are going back through the archive, re-editing, and re-uploading our old episodes — in order, from the very beginning of Dance Moms. This week, they’re revisiting season 1, episode 5 (“When Stars Collide”), where the girls are getting ready for the ALDC showcase, a Broadway agent is coming to watch… and somehow, the moms end up being forced to perform too.Christi and Kelly look back on the absolute nightmare of learning a dance from Cathy, wearing those costumes on national television, and realizing they were about to be humiliated in front of their kids, the audience, and every person who would ever watch the episode later. Plus, the two revisit the fallout from Christi’s fight with Abby and Melissa from the previous episode. There are some apologies, but not before Abby tries to get Christi to sign an outrageous contract. Also covered in the episode is Mackenzie refusing to sing, Chloe getting called out over a hair tie on her birthday, and the early signs that Dance Moms was becoming much bigger than anyone originally thought!We originally aired this episode back in 2022, but it's been re-edited specifically for YouTube!Grab your tickets to our LIVE TOUR here: x1entertainment.com/bttb See you in 2026!!Welcome to Back to the Barre, the ultimate podcast channel where Kelly Hyland and Christi Lukasiak from Dance Moms spill the tea, share the laughs, and take you behind the scenes of your favorite reality TV moments! 🎥✨Join us as we relive the wild drama of pyramid days, outrageous competitions, and unforgettable moments that made Dance Moms a pop culture phenomenon. But this isn’t just about rhinestones—we’re giving you the real stories: the chaos, the camaraderie, and yes, the cocktails that got us through it all. 🍸💃If you love binge-worthy reality TV, snarky humor, and behind-the-scenes gossip, you’ve come to the right place. Expect hilarious recaps, juicy secrets, and unfiltered opinions (because honestly, what else would you expect from us?). Get ready to laugh, cry, and question how we survived it all! 💅💥 Subscribe now for your weekly dose of drama and fun—you know you can’t look away. 😉 And if want more video content, subscribe to our exclusive Patreon channel below! https://www.patreon.com/backtothebarreThe ALDC vs. MDP Rivalry Gets PERSONAL | Back To The Barre
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34:05|The Housewives cheating video was real after all, and Christi and Kelly have plenty to say about how the Real Housewives of Rhode Island finally handled it.This week on BTTB Reality Exposed, we review episode 12 of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island "The Ferry-Tale Is Over." The cast heads to Block Island, where Jo-Ellen is still being treated like the problem even though Brian is the one everyone should be talking about. Rulla has spent past few episodes questioning the cheating video, the date, and whether it could have been manipulated, but that all falls apart once Brian admits the video is realChristi and Kelly also react to the lobster dinner, where Rosie finally says what everyone else keeps dancing around: Jo-Ellen did not create this mess. Brian did. And just when it seems like the season is trying to wrap the cheating drama up, the post-filming update makes everything even messier, with Brian’s arrest, the tracker on Rulla’s car, and Rulla still seeming unsure about what comes next.Plus, Christi and Kelly break down the parts of the episode that felt the most produced, including the beach makeups, Billy’s proposal, and why Rosie might be exactly the kind of cast member reality TV producers love.Grab your tickets to our LIVE TOUR here: x1entertainment.com/bttb See you in 2026!!Welcome to Back to the Barre, the ultimate podcast channel where Kelly Hyland and Christi Lukasiak from Dance Moms spill the tea, share the laughs, and take you behind the scenes of your favorite reality TV moments! 🎥✨Join us as we relive the wild drama of pyramid days, outrageous competitions, and unforgettable moments that made Dance Moms a pop culture phenomenon. But this isn’t just about rhinestones—we’re giving you the real stories: the chaos, the camaraderie, and yes, the cocktails that got us through it all. 🍸💃If you love binge-worthy reality TV, snarky humor, and behind-the-scenes gossip, you’ve come to the right place. Expect hilarious recaps, juicy secrets, and unfiltered opinions (because honestly, what else would you expect from us?).Get ready to laugh, cry, and question how we survived it all! 💅💥 Subscribe now for your weekly dose of drama and fun—you know you can’t look away. 😉 And if want more video content, subscribe to our exclusive Patreon channel below!https://www.patreon.com/backtothebarreBack To The Barre REWIND: The Dance Moms Episode Christi & Kelly Can Barely Watch
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01:07:39|Christi and Kelly recap and react to Dance Moms season 5, episode 22 — “Live From LA, It's Kendall K.”Kendall's big music video premiere has finally arrived, giving Jill the moment she had been chasing all season. Christi and Kelly revisit the event at Universal Studios, the pressure surrounding Kendall's debut, and the constant comparisons being made between Kendall and Nia's music careers. Looking back, both agree the girls were never really rivals, even if the show desperately wanted them to be.Meanwhile, Abby seems completely checked out. She skips the competition, leaves the team without important props and costumes, and continues taking shots at Nia by casting her as the "traitor" in the group's routine. Christi and Kelly discuss why they believe Abby was unfairly blaming Nia for decisions made by adults, and relive one of the funniest moments of the entire season: the infamous purse dump that exposed the absolute chaos hiding inside Abby Lee Miller's handbag.Grab your tickets to our LIVE TOUR here: x1entertainment.com/bttb See you in 2026!!Welcome to Back to the Barre, the ultimate podcast channel where Kelly Hyland and Christi Lukasiak from Dance Moms spill the tea, share the laughs, and take you behind the scenes of your favorite reality TV moments! 🎥✨Join us as we relive the wild drama of pyramid days, outrageous competitions, and unforgettable moments that made Dance Moms a pop culture phenomenon. But this isn’t just about rhinestones—we’re giving you the real stories: the chaos, the camaraderie, and yes, the cocktails that got us through it all. 🍸💃If you love binge-worthy reality TV, snarky humor, and behind-the-scenes gossip, you’ve come to the right place. Expect hilarious recaps, juicy secrets, and unfiltered opinions (because honestly, what else would you expect from us?). Get ready to laugh, cry, and question how we survived it all! 💅💥 Subscribe now for your weekly dose of drama and fun—you know you can’t look away. 😉 And if want more video content, subscribe to our exclusive Patreon channel below! https://www.patreon.com/backtothebarreThe Australia Trip Got WAY WEIRDER | Back To The Barre with Christi Lukasiak & Kelly Hyland
59:18|Christi and Kelly recap and react to Dance Moms season 5, episode 21 — “Dance Moms Down Under, Part 2.”The Australia trip continues, but this episode feels different from a normal competition week. There is no usual pyramid-to-competition rhythm, and Christi and Kelly both point out that the whole thing feels a little off. Instead, the episode follows the team through Australia as Abby plans a Mad Max-inspired showcase routine for Maddie, Mackenzie, Kendall, and Kalani — while Nia and JoJo are once again left out of the main ALDC plan.That divide becomes the center of the episode. Christi and Kelly react to Nia getting her own performance in Melbourne, Mikey flying in to work with her, and how different the energy feels when Nia is being built up instead of torn down. They also break down the fallout from the Ireland video mocking JoJo, the moms defending the girls’ apology, and JoJo admitting that even if you forgive something, you do not just forget it.Grab your tickets to our LIVE TOUR here: x1entertainment.com/bttb See you in 2026!!Welcome to Back to the Barre, the ultimate podcast channel where Kelly Hyland and Christi Lukasiak from Dance Moms spill the tea, share the laughs, and take you behind the scenes of your favorite reality TV moments! 🎥✨Join us as we relive the wild drama of pyramid days, outrageous competitions, and unforgettable moments that made Dance Moms a pop culture phenomenon. But this isn’t just about rhinestones—we’re giving you the real stories: the chaos, the camaraderie, and yes, the cocktails that got us through it all. 🍸💃If you love binge-worthy reality TV, snarky humor, and behind-the-scenes gossip, you’ve come to the right place. Expect hilarious recaps, juicy secrets, and unfiltered opinions (because honestly, what else would you expect from us?). Get ready to laugh, cry, and question how we survived it all! 💅💥 Subscribe now for your weekly dose of drama and fun—you know you can’t look away. 😉 And if want more video content, subscribe to our exclusive Patreon channel below! https://www.patreon.com/backtothebarre