Abby Lee Miller and Cathy Nesbitt-Stein have reunited for a new dance competition series more than a decade after their explosive “Dance Moms” rivalry first captivated viewers.
The duo will serve as co-judges on “Abby vs. Cathy: Hit the 8,” a short-form reality competition premiering Oct. 27 on ShortVydz, where 128 dancers aged 8 to 16 will compete in bracket-style dance battles for a $10,000 grand prize. Episodes will run just two to four minutes each.
Miller, 61, and Nesbitt-Stein, 67, sat down together for a joint interview to discuss the project, which came about after former “Dance Moms” producer Michael Hammond approached both women. Despite their complicated history, neither hesitated to sign on.
“I just liked the idea that I was going into a set that was going to be professional, respectful — that we were welcome,” Miller said.
The pair emphasized that their dynamic, while combative on camera, has always been grounded in genuine history rather than manufactured drama.
“We’re very good, [we] play with each other and we’re iconic in the way that we act towards each other,” Nesbitt-Stein said.
“And it’s real,” Miller chimed in.
“When she says something hokey, I have to roll my eyes,” Miller explained, prompting Nesbitt-Stein to fire back, “I never say anything hokey.”
“And I think that it’s not play and it’s not fake and it is not made up,” Miller continued. “It’s my natural reaction to things that she says or feelings that she has.”
Their connection predates the Lifetime series that made them famous. The two were colleagues in the competitive dance world and had even shared meals together before cameras ever rolled.
“We had been to dinner well before the other show,” Nesbitt-Stein recalled. “So we’re colleague-friends, colleague-frenemies, however you want to say that.”
“Well, we’re colleagues. We always have been,” Miller added when asked how she would describe their relationship today.
Both women addressed the biggest misconception about their “Dance Moms” dynamic: that their hostility was authentic and rooted in genuine hatred.
“That we didn’t know each other previous to the show and that when we started to compete or even when you brought your child that I just hated you,” Miller said, turning to Nesbitt-Stein. “I’m not a hateful person. Like, I don’t hate people. And [the idea] that I hated her, that wasn’t true.”
Miller clarified that her frustration stemmed from producers giving Nesbitt-Stein her own competing dance team on the original series, a move that fundamentally altered their professional relationship.
Nesbitt-Stein expressed regret about how their relationship deteriorated during filming, admitting she had wanted to repair the damage in real time.
“There were many times when I was filming that I would feel this overwhelming emotion to go into her room and say, ‘Abby, please, let’s not be mad at each other another anymore,’ but I never did it,” she said.
When asked what she would change about their past, Miller’s response was characteristically blunt.
“I just wish they wouldn’t have given her her own team,” she quipped.
“Oh my God, here I am, tearing my heart out to her — my love for her as a friend — and she’s worried about my team,” Nesbitt-Stein fired back.
The original “Dance Moms” premiered on Lifetime in 2011 and ran for eight seasons, following Miller’s Pittsburgh-based Abby Lee Dance Company and the often volatile relationships between Miller, her young students, and their mothers. Nesbitt-Stein appeared as a recurring rival, running the Candy Apple’s Dance Center in Ohio and frequently clashing with Miller both in and out of the competition circuit. Their confrontations became some of the show’s most memorable moments, with the two women trading insults across studio parking lots and competition venue lobbies.
For their new collaboration, both judges were impressed by the technical skill of the young competitors.
“The talent was really amazing,” Nesbitt-Stein said.
“Just so consistent. I can’t believe how kids came out there three, four, five times and threw the same acrobatic trick perfectly every time,” Miller added.
They also pushed back against their reputations as harsh critics, insisting the new show provided constructive feedback rather than tearing contestants down.
“So if there’s anybody out there thinking that, ‘Oh, the kids are gonna get torn down or this is just an opportunity to bash dancers’ — it wasn’t like that at all,” Nesbitt-Stein explained.
“We gave constructive criticism that was really good comments to them,” she added.
Miller noted that even eliminated families appreciated the feedback.
“They were grateful and they appreciated all the constructive criticism — all the corrections the kids were given,” she said.
Both women expressed enthusiasm about continuing the partnership.
“Let’s hope we get Season 2, because I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was great,” Miller said.
“Abby vs. Cathy: Hit the 8” premieres Oct. 27 on the ShortVydz app and ShortVydz.com.