‘Dance Moms’: Cheryl Burke, Abby Lee Miller’s Replacement, Reveals the Truth About the Moms

Though Abby Lee Miller is pretty much synonymous with Dance Moms, there were other teachers who briefly joined the cast as well. The most notable was Cheryl Burke who replaced Miller for several episodes of Season 7 after she walked off the show. Burke worked closely with the Irreplaceables team which consisted of Nia Sioux, Chloé Lukasiak, Kendall Vertes, Kalani Hilliker, and Camryn Bridge. Of course, their mothers were also ever-present figures. But what was it really like to work with the moms who were known for their over-the-top antics?

While many fans of Dance Moms often question if the show was fake, Burke’s recent YouTube video, which reflects on her time on the show, proves that at least some aspects of the show were quite real. One thing that was is certainly true was that there was fighting between the cast. Mostly it was between the moms, but Burke admitted that she too fought with them on occasion.

Cheryl Burke reflects on her time in the ‘Dance Moms’ cast

“I definitely fought with the moms,” Burke revealed of the Dance Moms cast. The choreographer continued on to share that the main issue that she had with the moms was that they were too overbearing. She felt that the dancers had reached the age where they were old enough to advocate for themselves. However, she was constantly being bombarded with the mom’s opinions about who deserved a solo or a duet.

Of course, Burke got along with some of the moms way more than others. Fans of Dance Moms will find it surprising that Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier was pretty unproblematic. “Holly I remember was the most normal one out of all the moms,” Burke revealed. “Like she is very smart and she tried to just stay out of everything.” the Dancing with the Stars alum revealed, also citing that Hatcher-Frazier often showed up to rehearsal with a book.

Burke gets candid about each of the moms

On the other hand, Burke was not a fan of Kira Girard for most of her time on the show. She claimed that Girard was on her “sh*t list” for most of her time on Dance Moms. Furthermore, she added that Girard had “resting b*tch face” and always looked like she was giving a dirty look even when she wasn’t. Eventually, however, the pair were able to see eye to eye.

One person that didn’t seem to get under Girard’s skin was the newest mom of the Dance Moms cast, Camille Bridges. According to Burke, “Camille was the sweetest.” Contrastingly, Burke named Jill Vertes as the drama queen of the show and cited that she was the reason why a show like Dance Moms existed. The choreographer continued on to add that Christi Lukasiak also brought the drama and even shared that she and Jill could do a spinoff show. She added that she wanted to rip out Christi’s wig during week one, but eventually, they got along and Burke found her hysterical.

Some parts of ‘Dance Moms’ were completely genuine

Despite the ups and downs and fights with the moms, Burke admitted that she enjoyed her time as a part of the Dance Moms cast. She shared that she truly enjoyed mentoring the dancers and admitted that the moms loved their girls and would do anything for them. While some parts of the show were clearly heightened, it seems as if the moms’ love of their daughters was anything but that.