*Trigger Warning: The following story contains mentions of death/murder.
Viewers of Dance Moms: A New Era were left “appalled” and “extremely disturbed” after Episode 8 of the series featured an 11-year-old dancer performing a routine based on the life and murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
In the episode, Glo Hampton–- the dance instructor of the Dance Moms reboot, which began streaming earlier this month on Hulu–- assigned dancer Ashlan Scheide a routine based on JonBenét, whom she described to Ashlan as “a glitz pageant queen,” according to Entertainment Weekly. Glo left it to Ashlan’s mom, Lisa Scheide, to explain to her child that JonBenét was a “glitz pageant queen” who was also murdered in 1990 at the age of 6 in a case that remains unsolved to this day.
Instead of refusing to allow her young daughter to participate in the disturbing dance, Lisa jumped right in, proceeding to not only explain to her daughter what happened to JonBenét, but give her timestamps of the six-year-old’s murder investigation.
Despite 11-year-old Ashlan being visibly disturbed by the details of the traumatic story, she committed to performing the dance, claiming that she’d “do anything for the win.”
While rehearsing the questionable performance with Glo, Ashlan was instructed to get into the “character” of JonBenét and, seemingly, find a way to relate to the child pageant queen.
“Remember, it’s a really sad, tragic story,” Glo tells Ashlan. “So you’re playing this young child who was put on display at all these pageants and your parents want this fame and stardom for you, but is that what they really want?”
As promised, Ashlan later takes to the competition stage dressed in a getup eerily reminiscent of one of the infamous JonBenét pageant photos that have circulated in the media over the last 24 years. In the end, Ashlan’s true-crime inspired performance earned her fourth place.
However, the routine also earned a mass of criticism from fans of the show, Glo and Ashlan’s mother, with many fans dubbing the dance “extremely disturbing.”
“I feel with cases like [JonBenét] and Gypsy Rose [Blanchard] where the cases are incredibly public, several documentaries and movies made about them…people start to blur the lines and forget these are actual real life children,” a fan of the show expressed on Reddit. “I think a dance about JonBenét could never truly be done in taste. Simply because there is no happy ending, it’s just emphasizing a horrific murder of a child. They could’ve easily done a beauty pageant routine without exploiting JonBenét’s murder.”
“I was disturbed. Had I been in the audience and not known it was going to happen I’d have sat there with a huge WTF look on my face,” one viewer noted, with another pointing out some of the inappropriate comments made by Glo in the episode.
“Me and my family audibly gasped when Glo told [Ashlan] her makeup when she was messing around looked how JonBenét probably looked after being killed. That was beyond disgusting and disturbing to me.”
Many viewers were also disturbed by the way in which Lisa chose to share JonBenét’s story with Ashlan, as well the undeniable resemblance between the two girls.
“The worst part to me was Ashlan’s mom sharing the entire story with her,” one comment read. “It clearly upset her. I couldn’t believe how much Ashlan looked like JonBenét.”
While viewers were clearly troubled by Ashlan’s performance– more specifically, the content of said performance– Ashlan revealed during the episode that she wasn’t pleased with it either, though for a very different reason.
“I kinda know how JonBenét felt,” Ashlan told her mom after landing in fourth place. “I’m never good enough.”
Watch Ashlan’s performance below.
(Photos: Hulu; Instagram; Reddit; YouTube)
18 Responses
Every single person involved in this entire scenario is completely unhinged. The only person who gets even the tiniest bit of a pass is Ashlan, because she’s 11, and despite clearly knowing how inappropriate this entire thing was, she was simply doing what the adults around her (especially her mother) told her to do. I can fully understand why a child who wants to please the adults around them would (it’s reasonable, while still being very disturbing that she did it).
The adults, including the production company, and literally every single adult involved in this entire shitshow all need some serious mental health well-checks. Not a single one of them is remotely mentally well, and I find it even more disturbing that not a single person stepped in to say “nope, too far”. How horrible of a person do you have to be to sit and watch this all play out, without saying a word about it? It’s not just her mother, or the director, it’s literally ALL of them. even those just standing around watching.
I long for the day when “reality tv” gives us people, those in front of and behind the camera, willing to say “nope, too far” and step in. It sure would make things more interesting and “real” if you ask me. It doesn’t matter the network, the subject, the show, the cast, etc…they’re all the same. Shitty things happen and no one ever says a word. I know the whole “it makes reality tv so much better when people do unhinged/shitty things”, but, does it really? No. We all like drama, duh, lol, but damn the lines people cross are getting thinner and thinner-it’s scary.
But what about the body bag routine? That was absolutely horrible, and Ashlan had lost her cousin in that manner, and had to cry on stage, poor girl was hysterical, also felt horrible for Min who had to write her daughters name on the body bag, when she had already lost a son a few years prior. A dance competition with young children is not the place to bring up major issues like that.
Because I read too much true crime I have to point this out. @TheAshley, Jonbenet was born in 1990. She was murdered on Christmas 1996. That being said, knowing about this case and what was done to that little girl makes me want to vomit that someone thought this was a good idea for a little girl to do.
Yes thank you for pointing out the dates were incorrect. I remember being a small child and seeing her face on tabloids everywhere but I was born in 1990 so I knew she couldn’t have died then.
Both the coach and the mother are disgusting. If some coach asks me to put my child in a murdered kid’s costume and “perform” I’d laugh to her face and take my child with me. Absolutely disgusting.
Sick fucking world we live in these days.
Also, it was the dad, who was obviously politically connected.
The crime scene DNA did NOT match any family member. It is still an unsolved case.
It wasn’t the Dad!! There was zero evidence or DNA!! The case was unsolved genius!!
I haven’t watched this but this is HIGHLY inappropriate! How did they think people who knew and loved her would feel? The dance instructor never should have went there with a murdered child. But the Mom should have refused to allow her daughter to dance to this. Let’s not forget that an innocent 6 year old was brutally strangled to death. She should not be used for entertainment or to try and win a dance competition.
So, I will say, she is an incredibly talented dancer. She can evoke emotion and has some pretty great technicality when it comes to her moves. However, I think this was in INSANELY poor taste.
That’s what I used to think of Maddie. I was never a regular watcher of the old show but suffered thru the rest of the cast to see her perform for a few episodes. I think she was amazing. Not sure where she is now but hopefully she hasn’t wasted her talent.
“What happened to Maddie from Dance Moms?
In 2014, Maddie hit it big when musician Sia tapped her to appear in the “Chandelier” music video. The two have continued to work closely together, and Maddie starred in Sia’s 2021 movie “Music,” which has been criticized for casting an able-bodied actor to play a disabled character.”
Glo needs to be fired for the beyond disturbing things said, like those aren’t just a little bothersome they’re unhinged imo. I can’t believe this episode made it through production and editing with no one questioning its content. This is why more and more Americans are becoming desensitized to tragedy it’s become so normalized they’re having children perform dance routines about being murdered.. wtf. And telling her to get into the “character” of Jonbonet.. she isn’t a character she was a real child whose last moments on this earth were horrific and the killer is still out there. Not to mention she was 6 have we forgotten how young that is just barely out of toddlerhood. I can’t with these people, the show needs to be cancelled.
I heard that studio Bleu shut down due to financial issues, so don’t think there will be another season, least not with Glo as the teacher
Just saw most if not all of the dancers have moved to The Dance Lab and Glo is the director there.
I’m all for a little true crime but if you have to use the phrase “inspired by (murder victim)” to describe your act, just don’t do it. That would have been a perfectly fine dance in a regular competition costume without the creep factor. All for the ratings though 🙄
I like to give people the benefit out doubt. I’m not a person who goes around looking to be offended. This is terrible though. I have read/seen a lot of things about the murder. I absolutely think they knew what they were doing. Sick!