When JoJo Siwa was 9, she joined Season 2 of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, a Lifetime reality show about girls competing for a $100,000 dance scholarship to New York's Joffrey Ballet School. The competition was judged by Abby Lee Miller, Richy Jackson, and Robin Antin.
The show was short-lived, but it paved the way for JoJo's role on Season 5 of Dance Moms, starring Miller. The dancer moved to Los Angeles from Nebraska with her mom, Jessalynn Siwa, for the role, and she quickly adapted to the drama of reality TV. "Abby would say, 'She can't wear a bow tomorrow,' and I'd be like, 'Abby, you can't tell us what to wear,'" Jessalynn told TIME about stirring the spot. "Then I would come home, and I would be like, 'JoJo, Abby doesn't want you to wear a bow tomorrow,' and she'd go, 'That's it. I'm wearing a bigger bow.'"
Despite the drama, Miller liked JoJo immediately. "She has that certain je ne sais quoi, and she's shining bright," she said during a Dance Moms episode about JoJo's introduction to the group. This created tension among the girls, as Mackenzie Ziegler and Kalani Hilliker didn't seem to appreciate her presence. "I think JoJo is crazy and nuts, and she talks a lot," Kalani complained.
JoJo ended up securing a spot on the ALDC dance team but left the show after Season 6 to pursue her career with Nickelodeon. The rest is history.
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