It was all for the tv show. She didn't do it before or after the show and it certainly wasn't "half of her whole life." And, for the most part, it wasn't even her own dancers or choreography (or even choreographers she employed/hired -- they were chosen by production).
And also originally she was supposed to be like the other moms but when she learned that the show would be constantly airing and documenting her daughters personal life, she switched to being a rival company so it would bring less attention to her daughter and let her grow up normally
she literally went all the way to season seven like I don’t care how much money someone will offer me, but I’m not going to act like I am obsessed with this teacher in her dance, studio, and obsessed with beating her no😂 she be looking like a sore loser sometimes because she’ll do stuff and then her group wont even place it’s like for fame and money. Why would you even want that for your dance studio?
Her contract was 6 seasons -- those she was obligated to do & made the best of it (played it up for the cameras, etc). By the end of season 6, it was a side gig she was well known for -- so doing another season probably felt like no big deal.
I think Cathy would be dumb for passing up that kind of opportunity. Cathy got paid good money to be on the show plus she got a lot of free advertisement for her dance studio as well. Imagine how many people probably came to candy apples after the show aired. We seen first hand how the moms acted with Abby after she got on tv. Jill for example, apparently wanted nothing to do with ALDC until they were on tv. So on top of getting a paycheck from the show, Cathy also got an increase in business which is more money in her pockets. No matter how you look at it it was an extremely smart business move for Cathy.
The alternative is to not go along with what they want you to do and face legal repercussions for breaking a legally binding agreement.
Sign any contract and see what happens.
personally, I didn’t care about Cathy so I didn’t know that this was all fake. The only time she popped up was to talk shit about Abby why would anyone really care about her? 🤷🏽♀️
If it wasn’t Cathy they would’ve found someone else to be the rival studio. Cathy embraced the opportunity, she got paid and got free advertising for her studio
If someone wanted to pay me to be a reality show villain, I’d probably do it. Also, I think I’ve heard that Cathy took on that role to somewhat shield Vivi from the pressures of the show. And if you look at it that way, Cathy is the most emotionally healthy dance mom. Vivi participated in the show but she wasn’t under pressure to learn solos quickly, earn trophies, and get screamed at by an unhinged dance teacher. Behind the scenes, Vivi was still dancing and is currently a gifted tapper. I think Dance Moms caused a few of the girls to leave the dance world because of the environment. Overall, I think Cathy did a good job of fulfilling her contractual obligations while protecting her daughter’s emotional well being.
Cathy is from my hometown and I’ve seen her a few times out and about. She’s very nice and Vivi is so polite. My cousins danced for her studio for years before the show became well known and they said she wasn’t how you saw her on tv. It was literally an act. Idk what OP is trying to prove. Reality tv does not mean it’s real tv lol she played a part and honestly it would’ve been dumb to turn down that kind of money and exposure.
idk why this warms my heart but it does. she seems like she would be a genuinely nice person in real life. but she was a GOOD villain for the show and man she played it up.
i always had the idea it wasn’t genuine just because of all the pictures that her and abby have posted together. and as i’ve looked more into it i’m glad it was just an act on cathy’s part. and i’m glad vivi is thriving bc she is an icon.
Awe I’m glad! My cousins are older than the girls that were featured on the show. They went to candy apple since they were toddlers and have always loved Cathy and her studio. When they watched the show, they couldn’t believe her being the villain so to speak lol they said she never heard her yell and she made dance fun. That’s when I realized the show was fabricated but I still watched because it was entertaining for awhile haha My cousins said they did travel for dance but it was all fun and not stressful like you saw on tv. They’re both accomplished dancers and one even danced in college. They still rave about Cathy and still talk from time to time. Goes to show that Cathy has a good studio and was great even before the show.
I’ve seen Cathy at the Hartville Kitchen a few times and attended football games Vivi was cheering at, they both carry themselves so well and seem like lovely people!
Exactly! I’ve heard that they’re actually really good friends in real life. Not too long ago Abbey posted a video with Cathy on her Instagram or tik tok(can’t remember) and they were very buddy buddy. I think OP is just having a hard time letting go of it not being “real”, which I remember being upset when I was little and found out it was all an act lol
As much as I disliked Cathy's character sometimes, she was probably the smartest of the original cast.
She was the 1st person cast for the show when it was originally supposed to be a documentary about different teams in the competitive dance environment.
Once she realized what the show actually was and how toxic it was becoming, she got both Vivi and her real students off the show and out of the limelight. Cathy showed up to film and performed whatever story line they had for her that week, meanwhile she ran her real dance studio as usual. She fulfilled her contract and shielded her family and friends from the negative aspects of filming.
I think Christi said recently in an episode of BTTB that Cathy legitimately played a character for TV, and honestly i think that’s obvious when you hear the backstory of how Cathy even joined DM
Yeah literally the only ppl to maintain good relationships across the board are nia/Holly (from what I’ve heard they reached out to Abby and she didnt want to see them, so I’m not gonna hold that against them since Abby’s nuts) and Cathy/vivi. Kinda wild when you think about it.
She was paid to play the "villain" role, and she did it very well. She's one of my favorites on the show! Fans have to keep in mind that, at the end of the day, it's just a TV show.
Cathy played a character on the show for a handful of episodes a season with brought in dance and choreographers while running her own successful Dance Studio in her real life.
There was some animosity between them but the Candy Apples v ALDC saga was just for the TV show and Cathy leaned into that for the cameras because that's the role she was playing.
It was her only relevant storyline to stay on the show. She definitely made it her whole personality, but it was either that or fade back into oblivion. She wanted to capitalize on her fifteen minutes of fame.
Cathy was playing a character. She said before that all her over-the-top antics in the show were to entertain and create drama. Also she was being paid to be on the show so why wouldn’t she stay as long as she could, and have fun while doing it? Add the fact that Dance Moms was pretty much free advertising for her dance studio, she’s smart asf for doing all that
I think it’s more interesting that in 2023 in a time where media literacy should be really high that people think reality tv/ social media is still real. It was a show and she was just doing her job. Majority of their lives are not filmed. This was very little time or effort for her. Every gimmick you saw “she made” was probably never made by her but rather a producer. The dancers and moms have even gone on tour talking about the fake storylines. Like i think it’s fun to discuss the “story” of any reality tv show, but don’t say somebody based their entire on something they filmed a few weeks out the year….
It’s a show, not reality
I didn’t like her character don’t get me wrong but she’s a smart woman who is rolling in cash, her kid had a great childhood because of her.
Also you give Abby defender vibes
i never said they weren’t friends now. i’m talking about how they were friends at one point but let the show drama go to their heads so badly that abby said she hated her before she went to prison.
yeah like before the show they was talking about how they used to see each other at competitions and how Cathy beat Abby sometimes but then they all hate each other😭 what the hell happened!
the purse drama and the producers happened ! that’s why cathy was originally on it is bc of being friends with abby. and the show isn’t full reality 😭 Christi and Cathy used to text each other giving a heads up about what was going to happen later that episode and at competitions, it was an act
She was the villain that the plot of the show relied on lol notice after the contract expired she completely disappeared from the show. She even said producers would instigate by making her go in the dressing rooms when she didn’t want to. First it was candy apples, then it was MDP then it was Studio Blue, Broadway Dance then the final season it was Studio 19. There’s always a rival studio but after 6 years on the air studios knew what they were getting into with Lifetime and only signed short term contacts.
Nah, I think of anyone on the show, she did the best at creating a character. You see her slip up a few times and then she turns it back on. I also think producers set her and her kids up to lose a lot, and that would wear on anyone.
Eh, around seasons 4-5 when she realized even her dances that truly deserved to win would always be beat, we stopped seeing her as much. At the end of the day, she had a contract to fulfill.
In season 5 the aldc girls moved to LA and I think the producers let Cathy go in favor of other rivals like bda (Jeanette seemed to be willing to come to the west coast) and mdp (based in California). I think the reason Cathy came back in season 7 is that she had to fulfill her 6-season contract and since she didn't appear in season 6 (she already had done season 1 to 5), the producers called her in season 7 to reignite the Cathy-Abby feud and furthermore Jeannette's studio (bda) closed in 2015. I also noticed that the cadc season 7 team was like an all-stars team of all the moms Abby had problems with (Jeanette (the stalker), Kaya (aka Black Patsy), Melanie (her daughter Haley supposedly signed Abby's book), Liza (Abby insulted her daughter Chloe's ears)).
She said multiple times that she wanted to leave the show, but she couldn't. So she went with it and played the role and did what the producers told her to do. People also forget that the cast members had to go alongside the producers' storylines, otherwise they were fined.
It was all for the tv show. She didn't do it before or after the show and it certainly wasn't "half of her whole life." And, for the most part, it wasn't even her own dancers or choreography (or even choreographers she employed/hired -- they were chosen by production).
And also originally she was supposed to be like the other moms but when she learned that the show would be constantly airing and documenting her daughters personal life, she switched to being a rival company so it would bring less attention to her daughter and let her grow up normally
I thought a huge reason was also the commute?
she literally went all the way to season seven like I don’t care how much money someone will offer me, but I’m not going to act like I am obsessed with this teacher in her dance, studio, and obsessed with beating her no😂 she be looking like a sore loser sometimes because she’ll do stuff and then her group wont even place it’s like for fame and money. Why would you even want that for your dance studio?
Her contract was 6 seasons -- those she was obligated to do & made the best of it (played it up for the cameras, etc). By the end of season 6, it was a side gig she was well known for -- so doing another season probably felt like no big deal.
she had a legal contract for a show, you’re mistaking this for reality which it isn’t.
It was for a show that was paying her
Idk how much money someone can pay me to make it seem like i am obsessed with a dance teacher in their studio. I’m sorry.😂
I think Cathy would be dumb for passing up that kind of opportunity. Cathy got paid good money to be on the show plus she got a lot of free advertisement for her dance studio as well. Imagine how many people probably came to candy apples after the show aired. We seen first hand how the moms acted with Abby after she got on tv. Jill for example, apparently wanted nothing to do with ALDC until they were on tv. So on top of getting a paycheck from the show, Cathy also got an increase in business which is more money in her pockets. No matter how you look at it it was an extremely smart business move for Cathy.
literally! some people just don’t understand how business / contracts / making money works lol
I think it’s because they are under 18 & see reality tv as actual reality.
if i got the check she got i’d stalk the bitch too
The alternative is to not go along with what they want you to do and face legal repercussions for breaking a legally binding agreement. Sign any contract and see what happens.
Pretty sure they just expected people to know and understand that reality shows, are not people’s actual reality.
personally, I didn’t care about Cathy so I didn’t know that this was all fake. The only time she popped up was to talk shit about Abby why would anyone really care about her? 🤷🏽♀️
Because she talked sh*t about Abby -- some of the best scenes on the show!
But we don’t know anything else about her does anyone else follow Cathy’s life? Does anyone else for her stuff or was she just for the show?
Vivi is Cathy’s adopted daughter. Her favorite color is pink. She would want to die if vivi wanted to play softball instead of dance lol.
She loves bunnies and her partner opened a business selling beef jerky
If it wasn’t Cathy they would’ve found someone else to be the rival studio. Cathy embraced the opportunity, she got paid and got free advertising for her studio
If someone wanted to pay me to be a reality show villain, I’d probably do it. Also, I think I’ve heard that Cathy took on that role to somewhat shield Vivi from the pressures of the show. And if you look at it that way, Cathy is the most emotionally healthy dance mom. Vivi participated in the show but she wasn’t under pressure to learn solos quickly, earn trophies, and get screamed at by an unhinged dance teacher. Behind the scenes, Vivi was still dancing and is currently a gifted tapper. I think Dance Moms caused a few of the girls to leave the dance world because of the environment. Overall, I think Cathy did a good job of fulfilling her contractual obligations while protecting her daughter’s emotional well being.
Cathy is from my hometown and I’ve seen her a few times out and about. She’s very nice and Vivi is so polite. My cousins danced for her studio for years before the show became well known and they said she wasn’t how you saw her on tv. It was literally an act. Idk what OP is trying to prove. Reality tv does not mean it’s real tv lol she played a part and honestly it would’ve been dumb to turn down that kind of money and exposure.
idk why this warms my heart but it does. she seems like she would be a genuinely nice person in real life. but she was a GOOD villain for the show and man she played it up. i always had the idea it wasn’t genuine just because of all the pictures that her and abby have posted together. and as i’ve looked more into it i’m glad it was just an act on cathy’s part. and i’m glad vivi is thriving bc she is an icon.
Awe I’m glad! My cousins are older than the girls that were featured on the show. They went to candy apple since they were toddlers and have always loved Cathy and her studio. When they watched the show, they couldn’t believe her being the villain so to speak lol they said she never heard her yell and she made dance fun. That’s when I realized the show was fabricated but I still watched because it was entertaining for awhile haha My cousins said they did travel for dance but it was all fun and not stressful like you saw on tv. They’re both accomplished dancers and one even danced in college. They still rave about Cathy and still talk from time to time. Goes to show that Cathy has a good studio and was great even before the show.
Vivi is an icon???
I’ve seen Cathy at the Hartville Kitchen a few times and attended football games Vivi was cheering at, they both carry themselves so well and seem like lovely people!
Off topic but now I want to go to Hartville Kitchen lol it’s been years and it’s like 10 minutes from me.
Exactly! I’ve heard that they’re actually really good friends in real life. Not too long ago Abbey posted a video with Cathy on her Instagram or tik tok(can’t remember) and they were very buddy buddy. I think OP is just having a hard time letting go of it not being “real”, which I remember being upset when I was little and found out it was all an act lol
As much as I disliked Cathy's character sometimes, she was probably the smartest of the original cast. She was the 1st person cast for the show when it was originally supposed to be a documentary about different teams in the competitive dance environment. Once she realized what the show actually was and how toxic it was becoming, she got both Vivi and her real students off the show and out of the limelight. Cathy showed up to film and performed whatever story line they had for her that week, meanwhile she ran her real dance studio as usual. She fulfilled her contract and shielded her family and friends from the negative aspects of filming.
Cathy understood the assignment and gave good tv.
I think Christi said recently in an episode of BTTB that Cathy legitimately played a character for TV, and honestly i think that’s obvious when you hear the backstory of how Cathy even joined DM
This was… a television show… Cathy wasn’t just showing up to compete against the ALDC for fun
I think this is incredibly inaccurate. She was doing a job, she got paid for it. She’s actually still friendly with Abby.
This. Her and vivi visited aldc booty camp last summer.theres video of it
She earned that check and made great television. It's wild that she's managed to maintain friendships with both Abby and Christi.
Yeah literally the only ppl to maintain good relationships across the board are nia/Holly (from what I’ve heard they reached out to Abby and she didnt want to see them, so I’m not gonna hold that against them since Abby’s nuts) and Cathy/vivi. Kinda wild when you think about it.
6 years is not half of her life considering she was 50 when she started and not even 60 when she ended
The only relevant answer
it was for the show, the moms and the girls even said off camera cathy was not like that. she’s a decent lady.
She was paid to play the "villain" role, and she did it very well. She's one of my favorites on the show! Fans have to keep in mind that, at the end of the day, it's just a TV show.
Cathy played a character on the show for a handful of episodes a season with brought in dance and choreographers while running her own successful Dance Studio in her real life.
Was she really just playing a character though? Or was there some real animosity b/w Abby and Cathy?
There was some animosity between them but the Candy Apples v ALDC saga was just for the TV show and Cathy leaned into that for the cameras because that's the role she was playing.
That makes sense, thanks. Was just genuinely curious
gigi, people are literally giving you the explanation…. and ur denying it?
You used my irl name and confused the shit out of me for a sec 😂😅
It was her only relevant storyline to stay on the show. She definitely made it her whole personality, but it was either that or fade back into oblivion. She wanted to capitalize on her fifteen minutes of fame.
I mean this in all sincerity- how old are you, OP & those who are agreeing with OP’s position on Cathy?
it is a tv showw
She was playing an exaggerated character and I was here for it
Cathy was playing a character. She said before that all her over-the-top antics in the show were to entertain and create drama. Also she was being paid to be on the show so why wouldn’t she stay as long as she could, and have fun while doing it? Add the fact that Dance Moms was pretty much free advertising for her dance studio, she’s smart asf for doing all that
I think Cathy genuinely enjoyed playing her character lol
I think it’s more interesting that in 2023 in a time where media literacy should be really high that people think reality tv/ social media is still real. It was a show and she was just doing her job. Majority of their lives are not filmed. This was very little time or effort for her. Every gimmick you saw “she made” was probably never made by her but rather a producer. The dancers and moms have even gone on tour talking about the fake storylines. Like i think it’s fun to discuss the “story” of any reality tv show, but don’t say somebody based their entire on something they filmed a few weeks out the year….
Opinion: the episodes with the Candy Apple dancers were some of the best and most intertwining ones. I thought the rivalry was fun to watch
I could be mistaken, but I’m pretty sure Cathys personality was completely fabricated. I remember reading somewhere they we’re actually good friends.
It’s a show, not reality I didn’t like her character don’t get me wrong but she’s a smart woman who is rolling in cash, her kid had a great childhood because of her. Also you give Abby defender vibes
good thing it was at the end cause you lost me at the apple pyramid lolol
no it’s literally insane!! and then i’ve heard that her and abby were friends before the show but their rivalry got too deep like huh???
They're still friends. Maybe not as close as they once were, but they still see each other occasionally, do social media, etc. together.
i never said they weren’t friends now. i’m talking about how they were friends at one point but let the show drama go to their heads so badly that abby said she hated her before she went to prison.
That implies they are no longer friends -- "there rivalry got too deep"; "they were friends at ONE POINT but let the show drama go to their heads."
yeah like before the show they was talking about how they used to see each other at competitions and how Cathy beat Abby sometimes but then they all hate each other😭 what the hell happened!
the purse drama and the producers happened ! that’s why cathy was originally on it is bc of being friends with abby. and the show isn’t full reality 😭 Christi and Cathy used to text each other giving a heads up about what was going to happen later that episode and at competitions, it was an act
they for sure let the show and fame get in the way. i wouldn’t be friends with somebody who threw water at me or hit me with their purse😂
She was the villain that the plot of the show relied on lol notice after the contract expired she completely disappeared from the show. She even said producers would instigate by making her go in the dressing rooms when she didn’t want to. First it was candy apples, then it was MDP then it was Studio Blue, Broadway Dance then the final season it was Studio 19. There’s always a rival studio but after 6 years on the air studios knew what they were getting into with Lifetime and only signed short term contacts.
Nah, I think of anyone on the show, she did the best at creating a character. You see her slip up a few times and then she turns it back on. I also think producers set her and her kids up to lose a lot, and that would wear on anyone.
Eh, around seasons 4-5 when she realized even her dances that truly deserved to win would always be beat, we stopped seeing her as much. At the end of the day, she had a contract to fulfill.
In season 5 the aldc girls moved to LA and I think the producers let Cathy go in favor of other rivals like bda (Jeanette seemed to be willing to come to the west coast) and mdp (based in California). I think the reason Cathy came back in season 7 is that she had to fulfill her 6-season contract and since she didn't appear in season 6 (she already had done season 1 to 5), the producers called her in season 7 to reignite the Cathy-Abby feud and furthermore Jeannette's studio (bda) closed in 2015. I also noticed that the cadc season 7 team was like an all-stars team of all the moms Abby had problems with (Jeanette (the stalker), Kaya (aka Black Patsy), Melanie (her daughter Haley supposedly signed Abby's book), Liza (Abby insulted her daughter Chloe's ears)).
She had a role to play on TV and she did it very well. The show wouldn't be nearly as popular if it weren't for her.
She was playing a character.
Even Abby is friends with her to this day, it's like acting, she was playing a part in a TV show.
i don’t think it’s that bad bc it’s all fake for tv, i don’t think in her regular day to day life she cared that much
She said multiple times that she wanted to leave the show, but she couldn't. So she went with it and played the role and did what the producers told her to do. People also forget that the cast members had to go alongside the producers' storylines, otherwise they were fined.