maddie ziegler
Maddie Ziegler will perform a solo on Tuesday’s installment of “Dance Moms.” Pictured: Maddie at the 2016 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 12. Getty Images

Abby Lee Miller has her eye on Maddie Ziegler’s replacement. Throughout Season 6 of “Dance Moms,” Abby has been toying with the idea that newcomer Brynn Rumfallo might become her next big star. Following Maddie’s announcement she’s quitting the show after Season 6, it appears Abby is ramping up her plans to secure a replacement.

Episode 17 of the Lifetime series, “Mini Madness,” will show Abby giving Brynn “a dance inspired by Maddie’s old routine” to perform directly against Maddie at the weekly competition, according to the synopsis. After butting heads with Brynn’s mother Ashlee in episode 16, several of the moms will be upset when they learn about Brynn’s new routine. But Abby makes it clear to her star student that she needs to begin to plan her exit.

“You need to pass this torch along,” Abby tells Maddie, 13, in the promo as Brynn, 12, looks on.

While the moms voice their dismay, Ashlee makes it clear she wants her daughter to come out on top. “Brynn needs to go in and be better than Maddie,” she says.

Abby’s decision to give Brynn a Maddie-esque routine won’t be the only drama in the April 26 installment. The synopsis also reveals the coach will bring back her mini team. With two group dances to prep before the competition, both teams will “vie for Abby’s attention,” the summary states.

“I have to think about my future,” Abby says as she’s seen posing with her new, younger dancers in the promo.

Competition Results

It’s safe to say the battle between Brynn and Maddie did not go as Abby planned. Both performers failed to win first-place in their divisions at Sheer Talent in Fresno, California, on Feb. 20. One “Dance Moms” spoiler site reports that Brynn took third place in the pre-teen division for her contemporary solo “Broken Dancer.” Maddie is said to have placed fourth overall in the music theater teen category for “The Entertainer.”

The ALDC elite junior team didn’t fare any better. Their contemporary piece “The Alantic” placed third in the teen division. The minis, however, pulled out a big win. They came in first-place in the small wonders division for the hip-hop dance “That’s What My Mama Said.”

Do you think Brynn is the next Maddie? Sound off in the comments section below! “Dance Moms” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.

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