Audrey and Her Mom, Tammi, Stir up Plenty of Drama in 'Dance Moms: A New Era'

When Coach Gloria "Glo" Hampton opened the series premiere of Dance Moms: A New Era, she promised the Hulu reboot of Lifetime's hit reality show would be different from what fans of the franchise were used to. However, even with her best intentions, the new moms leading the show to support their child's dancing skills seem oddly familiar. During its time on Lifetime, the moms often competed to be Abby Lee Miller's favorite. And, in the New Era, not much has changed.

In Season 1, Ep. 2 of the Hulu series, the moms at Studio Bleu clearly know who Glo's favorite dancer is—13-year-old Audrey. Audrey and her mom, Tammi Brudner, will stop at nothing to ensure she's the top one to beat. But their determination quickly gets on one mom's bad side, causing Glo to step in and tell the women to grow up.

Glo never said outright that Audrey is her favorite dancer. But many of the moms in the studio said on the show they've always known she had a softer spot for her. Audrey has been one of Glo's students since she was 5, and Tammi shared that she and Glo are best friends. However, the dance instructor seemingly managed to keep her personal feelings for Audrey and Tammi aside, though the moms don't think she does a good job at it.

The other six moms on the show expressed how they felt Glo treats Audrey better than the other girls. In the second episode, Glo asked the girls to give a special performance to honor her son, who died due to a stillbirth. She rewarded Audrey with a "special part" of playing the central role as a Medium. It's important to note the dance was called "Medium," so it was a big deal.

After hearing the assignments, one of the moms, Corrine, voiced her opinion about Audrey being picked over her daughter, Lily, and the other dancers.

"I was hoping Lilly would have a special part this week, but nope, it's Audrey again," Corrine said in a confessional. "It's so obvious that Audrey is Glo's favorite."

Corrine's resentment towards Audrey soon led to drama between her and Tammi. Tammi was offended after Corrine called her "crazy" and explained she has dealt with mental health issues in the past. Then, the moms went at it again while preparing for the dance recital after Tammi said Audrey told her Corrine wanted Lily to stop being her friend.

During their fight, Glo inserted herself and solely blamed Corrine for her and Tammi's beef, telling the moms, "Corrine has said some awful things this week" and scolded her for being a "grown woman" complaining about a child's accomplishments. After seeing her daughter's coach take her side, Corrine became emotional and considered leaving the studio, stating, "I can't expose my daughter to this toxic environment."

While Corrine and Lily ultimately stayed for the performance, she and Tammi's issues are far from over. As unfortunate as that is, Tammi didn't come to Studio Bleu or Dance Moms: A New Era to make friends. The former teacher told Entertainment Weekly ahead of the season that she "traded" her day job to be a full-time dance mom and homeschool teacher to "my favorite student, my daughter Audrey."

The sacrifice paid off, as Audrey starred on Broadway in 2022 for the revival of The Music Man, dancing alongside Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. Tammi boasted her daughter is also a Rising Star Recipient at the Universal Ballet Competition and holds multiple regional and national titles with the Star Dance Alliance.

Stream Dance Moms: A New Era on Hulu.