The episode begins with Stephanie sitting at the studio – without Emily. She reveals that Emily made it into Elite’s dance troupe and she didn’t, and now she’s back to audition again for A troupe. Michelle ultimately decides to let her back onto the team. Phew! That was a close one.
Later, Riley is practicing alone in the studio. James comes in unexpected and surprises her; he got a B+ on his math exam! That means he’s free to be back on the team AND go on a date with Riley…she’s excited and already pretty nervous!
Then it’s group practice time, and James’ first day back at the studio. Everyone’s excited to see him, and it finally seems like things are getting back on track. Kate announces the newest member of A troupe – and it’s Giselle! She’s back up from B troupe at last and more excited than ever to get to Regionals. Then Stephanie drops a bit of a bombshell: she thinks they should develop a brand new routine for the competition since Emily might share it with her new team at Elite; looks like it’s the first sign of an all-new rivalry.
Michelle suggests doing a duet with Eldon, which means a lot of alone time practicing together. She still has a pretty massive crush on him, so what does she have up her sleeve? Emily’s not there to defend their relationship now! They begin their first practice, and the two seem to hit it off. They both fully trust each other out on the dance floor, and things are heating up. Emily just hopes Eldon will notice her feelings for him before it’s too late.
Daniel is practicing alone in studio B; ever since Kate noticed he was trying less (she still doesn’t know about his ankle injury) he’s been practicing nonstop and hoping his ankle holds up. He’s still terrified that someone will find out and cut him from the team before Regionals, so he’s doing his best at keeping it a secret.
Then it’s time for Riley and James’s first date! He meets her in the studio, which she isn’t initially excited about as she’s there every day practicing. But he has a few surprises up his sleeve that make the date absolutely perfect…like a tour of food and drink from around the world, all within the privacy and familiarity of their own studio! Riley is impressed with his efforts and the date ends on a great note. They do make a pretty cute couple!
So, dance fans, will Michelle make a move on Eldon? Will Daniel be able to keep up with the rest of the team even with an injured ankle? Tune in toTHE NEXT STEPon Family Channel on Friday at 7 p.m. ET to find out what happens next!