In episode 10, Auti’s overbearing nature is spotlighted. She and Eric mix words while recording tracks for their new CD, and the Colours ‘n Motion dance crew butt heads after Chelsie and Mia get sick of doing the same old routine. Tiphany also takes Chelsie mini-golfing!
SPOILERS AHEAD ****
This episode begins with Chelsie getting dropped off at Tiphany & Angela’s house. Chelsie is staying at the house because she’s in town for an upcoming performance with the Colors n’ Motion dance crew. The dance team is scheduled to perform at an “abilities event” at a nearby aquarium that weekend. Tiphany shows off her luggage pushing method with her footrests. Man that girl has some upper body strength.
Tiphany shares how much she values her relationship with Chelsie, hoping she can be a good mentor to her since Chelsie was injured only two years ago and is just 19. After Chelsie arrives, the show goes into the close relationship Tiphany and Chelsie have created since they’re so alike in personalities.
“She’s like my older sister that I never had,” says Chelsie. “You are so tan,” Tiphany says as she looks over Chelsie once they get into the house. “And you’re so hot. Why are you so hot?” she asks with a smile, and they laugh. A fashion side note, Tiphany sure loves the snow bunny look (she’s wearing a striped knit ski hat, jeans and a red thermal top in this scene). It’s funny to see this in LA. ha
“Chelsie is like a little baby Tiphany,” says Angela. “Completely,” as they show Tiphany and Chelsie having a food fight with a leftover fancy cake from the kitchen (oh how I covet Angela’s sexy long grey galley marble kitchen btw. I hope those girls cook a lot in there. I’d love to see Angela make some stir-fry. Quad chefs unite!).
The next morning, the girls pump up their tires with air (Chelsie gives gets a lesson on how to do this from Tiphany. “Lock your brakes, dude!” Tiphany warns her before using the pump). And then Chelsie talks about how she felt helpless after injury and thought she’d have to be depended on her parents the rest for life, but it all changed. “When I met the girls is when I really started pushing myself to do things on my own,” she says. “Now she’s gained control back,” says Tiphany. “And she’s realizing she could do the stuff on our own.”
They show the Chel and Tiph hopping into Tiphany’s convertible, with her teaching Chelsie to how to do the “just swing in your torso” transfer. “And we didn’t even bang my car that much,” jokes Tiphany. Chelsie makes it in the car OK, and they’re off to play mini-golf, a little surprise Tiphany concocted for Chelsie.
This part of the episode was really interesting because I’ve always wanted to play mini-golf again and wondered if it be possible. Obviously, you need to bring a manual chair so you can get up and down all the little lips, but since Tiphany’s so buff she’s able to get herself up and down on her
own, and shows Chelsie how to do it too. They purposely didn’t bring an able-bodied person with, although Chelsie confesses she usually would. “I liked the fact that I didn’t need an able-bodied person to help me, and Tiphany could help me,” says Chelsie.
After a pretty good round of mini-golf, they go have a soda break. Chelsie begins to cry when they talk about how she used to play mini-golf when she was able-bodied. “Aw Chels,” Tiphany’s to says trying to comfort her. “It’s weird talking about how I used to walk,” she says. “I can’t believe it’s been two years already.”
They talk about how when you’re first injured when you meet people who’ve been injured for a long time, and don’t want to be “like them.” “It’s scary,” says Chel. And then Tiphany tells the camera how it’s hard to console Chelsie. “What do you say? It’s not like some fucking award that you want to have, you know? It sucks.”
And then they swap from stories about how they had to go to prom in a wheelchair. “Not what I expected,” says Tiphany. They should be glad they even went. No one asked me after I broke my neck and went back to school. Chelsie talks about how she was prom queen. “But I think I won because they only felt bad for me,” she says sadly. The girls hug, “It’ll get easier. I promise,” says Tiphany.
In the next scene, Auti and Eric meet up with their French producer at a studio in a warehouse area. Auti confesses the couple is going through a rough patch – trying to get the CD done and get pregnant at the same time isn’t easy. While they’re recording, Eric loses his lyrics on his computer. Auti tells him to freestyle, but he says that he can’t, so she gets mad at him for wasting studio time. And by the way, Eric is so not good at reading scripts written for him for the show (and I love him for it). They leave the studio early, creative juices gone.
Next up is a performance at the Abilities Expo for the Colors ‘n Motion dance team. You see the girls primping, talking about their nerves, and then suddenly Chelsie’s friend Sammy, an able-bodied dance coach arrives. Chelsie invited him to perform a few minute routine before they go out there. She ran it by Mia first, but not Auti, and Auti gets pretty pissed since she is the founder of the dance crew.
You get a bunch of sound bites from Mia and Chelsie talking about how hard it can be hard to confront Auti about any changes when it comes to the dance team. “She is a diva and wants everything done her way,” says Mia. Apparently, Auti is a bit intimidating. Auti tries to shrug it off, and says it’s OK for him to show a few moves, despite talking about how much of a control freak she is (or became rather after her accident).
But as he begins dancing, she takes the mic and begins to freestyle while he dances, which really pisses off Chelsie (she doesn’t show it of course. She scared of Auti, I would be too!). Auti says, “I didn’t want the wheelchair-community to think it was able-bodied dancer day,” since most of the people in the audience were disabled.
After getting to watch Auti and Eric bicker in the car (a Mercedes wagon no less. nice Auti!) and talk more about their failed studio session, Tiphany, Mia and Chelsie go out for dinner at a sexy contemporary restaurant. Mia is boring (she says) and orders a salad (“Veggies yay that’s good,” says Tiphany, a vegetarian). ” I’m usually a carbowhore,” jokes Mia. And then the girls talk about the dance crew and how Chelsie wants to start doing new moves, maybe even working on a new routine. Apparently Auti has been making the dance team do the same routine for the last seven years. It’s not surprising new blood like Chelsie is getting bored already (she also wants to practice more too, but Auti never schedules them).
Chelsie, once again, is scared and doesn’t know how to approach her about this. Mia tells Chelsie she’s right, they need a new routine, and both agree to leave if Auti isn’t up for change. We next see Auti and Eric talk about Chelsie, who hasn’t texted Auti in a few days, making her Auti sad and worried. She’s not dumb….she can smell something is up. So she plans a last minute rehearsal to talk and get ready for their aquarium performance. While they’re practicing, Auti sees a few yawns and can tell the girls aren’t too happy. “Where’s the energy you guys??”
While practicing a spin move, you see a clip of Mia. “To be honest Auti’s a little bit scary. She can come off as someone that can rip you apart if she’s upset.“ And then Auti does a cute move where she compares her body, flexing her guns, to Chelsie’s. “A 42 year old body, vs. a 19 year old. Not doing so bad, right?” During the spin, Chelsie grabs Auti’s arm and she falls out of her chair. “It was almost like she was trying to pull me out of my chair,” says Auti, but she doesn’t say anything.
After she gets up in her chair (on her own) and finds her composure (and a sip of water), Auti decides its time to have a pow-wow session with the girls, knowing something is up. Auti opens the table asking if she did anything that has rubbed Chelsie the wrong way, and chelsie says she wants to do a new routine (Mia adds how proud she is of her for standing up to Auti to the camera). Auti looks a bit shocked, and doesn’t really have the response that Chelsie was looking for, although she did didn’t completely shut her down (“I want to hear your ideas”), and tells her to come up with a new move they can practice for the rest of their rehearsal that night. They begin practicing, but you can tell Chelsie is still not very happy.
The episode ends with their big aquarium performance, Eric mixing on-stage, but with Chelsie telling the camera that simply adding a new move into their routine isn’t enough. “I think this may be my last time dancing if things and go well with Auti,” says Chelsie.
Why o’ why didn’t Chelsie try harder when talking to Auti?? (she was so close). Also, why can’t Sundance show a full dance routine of the group for crying out loud? No more teasing clips ok? Puuuulease?
