It’s the end of an era, Dance Moms fans. Tonight’s Season 6 finale (possibly the series finale, as well) marks the final regular-episode appearance of the series’ breakout star Maddie Ziegler, her little sister Mackenzie and their oft put-upon mother Melissa Gisoni.
• RELATED: We talk So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation with new judge Maddie Ziegler!
The finale, aptly titled One Last Dance, sees the Ziegler sisters taking part in their final competition as members of the Abby Lee Dance Company. But Abby’s hardly feeling sentimental toward her longtime favorites. Or at least one of them. She pits Mackenzie against a talented new competitor named Ari, sending Melissa into tailspin. But Melissa is Melissa and she refuses the other mothers’ suggestion that she talk it out with Abby and redirects her frustration in a way that Lifetime’s release says results in her “ending her time with the ALDC like she never would have imagined.”
The Dance Moms Season 6 finale, “One Last Dance,” premieres Tuesday, May 3 at 9/8CT on Lifetime.
But take heart, Ziegler/Gisoni fans — the trio also will appear in a series of follow-up specials on consecutive Tuesdays through May 24.
The first, titled Hello and Goodbye, is a reunion show hosted by former Queer Eye star Jai Rodriguez. The hour will follow Melissa, Maddie and Mackenzie’s last days with the team, rehash Season 6 drama and feature a performance by the junior elite team. Melissa’s longtime costars will also get the chance to air any lingering grievances — so much for a fond farewell — and the new moms will talk about the future of the ALDC. Which may or may not equate with the future of Dance Moms.
Dance Moms: Hello and Goodbye premieres Tuesday May 10 at 9/8CT on Lifetime.
• RELATED: Host Jai Rodriguez previews the Dance Moms Season 6 reunion specials!
On Tuesday, May 17, Dance Moms: The Girls Say Goodbye features Maddie, Mackenzie and their junior elite teammates hanging out, playing games and taking questions from diehard fans. Jai Rodriguez hosts and Todrick Hall stops by to perform with the girls before they all get the chance to say a final goodbye.
Dance Moms: The Girls Say Goodbye premieres Tuesday, May 17, at 9/8CT on Lifetime.
On May 24, Maddie and Mackenzie sit down with Abby Lee Miller to talk about their years at ALDC and the ups and downs of their Dance Moms journey before the girls bid their longtime dance coach goodbye. The trio will answer fans’ final questions and the Ziegler sisters will fill fans in on their post Dance Moms plans — including Maddie’s appearance on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation and her feature film debut in The Book of Henry.
You can check out our exclusive interview with Maddie about taking a seat at the SYTYCD judges table here.
Dance Moms: The Final Curtain premieres Tuesday, May 24 at 9/8CT on Lifetime.
So what say you, Dance Moms fans? Are you sad or relieved to see the Ziegler girls fly the ALDC coop? Will you still watch Dance Moms if it goes on without them? Will you watch Maddie on So You Think You Can Dance? What do you hope is next for Big Mac? Share your thoughts and remarks in the comments section below.