Is The ‘Dance Moms’ Original Cast Being Replaced For Abby Lee Miller?

The original “Dance Moms” cast, or what’s left of Abby Lee Miller’s now defunct troupe, might be dancing their last performance on the hit Lifetime show this week. Over the weekend, cast member Christi Lukasiak told her social media followers she and her co-stars were being replaced for possible upcoming episodes.

Christi broke the news to fan during an Instagram live session. “Everyone’s asking about next season of ‘Dance Moms.’ It’s not gonna be us,” Christi said. “They’re replacing all of us.”

“You’ll get to have Abby and some new people,” Christi added, teasing the return of the currently incarcerated coach.

When one fan wrote that they show won’t be the same without its original stars, Christi agreed. “Who’s going to watch that?” she said. “You guys watch for these guys,” she added, referring to her daughter Chloe Lukasiak and her teammates.

As of Monday morning, Lifetime had not responded to International Business Times’ request for comment.

While the network has yet to speak out about the replacement rumors, “Dance Moms” executive producer Bryan Stinson was pictured with a different dance studio coach over the summer after wrapping filming with the current “Dance Moms” cast in April. A photo from his account posted in July shows him posting with Tria Montgomery of OnStage Dance Academy of Cleveland, Tennessee, at what appears to be a dance competition.

Another photo posted by Stinson later that same month showed a production crew filming and included the caption, “Something big is happening.” The post also had the hashtags #dancemoms and #sosharp, Stintson’s other Lifetime reality series. At the time, Christi responded to the post, writing, “They are NOT dance moms,” which resulted in a flurry of fan comments.

“Why are they even bothering trying to recreate something that can’t be recreated,” reads one comment. “If this is the direction you all are going I hope you have done and filmed or will do a proper farewell for the girls and moms we have come to know and love the same way you did for Maddie and Mackenzie [Ziegler],” reads another post.

“You can’t make another season of Dance Moms without the cast,” said another fan. “Even though the show is not the same, that doesn’t give you any reason to add a new cast.”

Viewers have since taken to the Instagram post to request a spinoff starring Chloe and fellow dancers Kendall Vertes, Nia Sioux and Kalani Hilliker.

While the future remains unclear for the original “Dance Moms” cast, fans still have new episodes to anticipate. Tuesday will see the release of four Season 7 installments. “Under Cheryl’s Spell” and “The Best is Yet To Come,” a two-part finale, will follow The Irreplaceables as they compete at nationals. Oct. 24 will also see Lifetime release two specials, “Abby’s Last Dance,” which “celebrates” the coach’s seven years onscreen, and “Chloe & Christi’s Encore.”

Fans can also see the “Dance Moms” stars up close and personal on their tour which kicks off on Nov. 28 in Tempe, Arizona, and ends on Dec. 22 in Cleveland, Ohio. The event will see Nia, Kendall, Kalani and Chloe host dance workshops and fan meet and greets with tickets starting at $35. Christi has also teased more dates may be coming soon.

The two-part season finale of “Dance Moms” kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.