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"Rivalry" is the 29th episode in Season 4 of The Next Step and the 123rd episode overall. It aired on December 9, 2016.
Synopsis[]
"James and Alfie represent The Next Step at the final qualifier. Skylar has to step in to help when the situation is at a crossroads."[1]
Plot[]
Alfie and James rehearse their duet for the qualifier.
Alfie discusses the qualifier duet choreography with James, who has decided to stay after flipping his coin. Riley and Emily watch the two rehearse from Riley's office and note that it is going surprisingly well.
At the qualifier venue, Riley, Emily, and Skylar watch Dance Inc.[Note 1] perform their duet from the audience. Riley is very antsy and feels that, as studio head, she should be doing something. Riley suggests that she speak to the boys, but Skylar assures her that she has already done so. Emily makes Riley promise to leave the boys alone. Dance Inc. finishes their performance and scores 85 points, which isn't enough for them to qualify for Regionals. Riley decides to leave the audience to get a drink, although Emily knows that she is going to speak to the boys. Surely enough, Riley finds the boys and wishes them good luck. Irritated at Riley's presence, James leaves. Alfie tells Riley that he could use a good luck kiss; just as their lips touch, James returns to retrieve his mountain spring water and witnesses the ordeal. Riley realizes that she just made things ten times worse.
Piper, Amy, Noah and Sloane enter, to find Henry lying on the floor.
Piper, Amy, Sloane, and Noah race into Studio A upon seeing Henry lying on the floor. Henry reveals there is negative energy in the air and fears that it may affect how the team does at the qualifier. Noah realizes that Phoebe is the only person who can help them and calls her. Phoebe picks up almost instantly, surprising Noah as she is currently in the Galapagos Islands, but Phoebe reveals that after installing WiFi solar panels onto the backs of tortoises, the island has 4G. After Noah has explained their problem, Phoebe suggests that the dancers share their most inspirational dance stories, though she warns them that good stories and bad vibes often to do not mix, that they should not mention the qualifier, and they must dispose of all electronic devices.
Emily and Skylar cringe at Riley.
Oberhauser Dance Academy perform their duet, and Emily deems them to be the best competitors of the day. Riley returns to her seat and Emily, knowing that she spoke to the boys, asks how it went. Riley explains the experience which leaves both Emily and Skylar cringing. Trying to look on the bright side, Emily admits that James was bound to see Riley and Alfie kiss eventually and that he will now be able to move on. Emily confesses that they have to hope they are not completely doomed. Oberhauser finishes their duet and scores 96 points, moving them to first place. The Next Step Dance Studio is called to the stage.
Noah collects Sloane, Henry, Amy, and Piper's phones in a pillow case and sets them aside. The dancers sit in a circle to tell their positive stories. Henry goes first and tells the story of him performing with the wrong crew after thinking they were his, thus getting both teams disqualified. Next, Sloane recounts a time when she forgot her costume and had to dance uncomfortably on-stage in tight jeans. Amy then reminisces about being cut from a team because she could not master a double-back-handspring-back-layout, even after practicing the move all summer. Slowly, the dancers realize that the bad vibes are preventing them from telling positive stories.
James yells at Alfie.
In the wings of the stage, Alfie apologizes to James about kissing Riley earlier that day. James angrily reminds Alfie that they don't like each other, and declares that he doesn't want to see his face until they are on-stage, and that when they're done with the duet, he never wants to see him again. James and Alfie enter the stage and perform their duet, which is fueled by their hatred for each other. The two are awarded 96 points for their performance, thus tying them with Oberhauser. The announcer declares that the two studios have five minutes to prepare a solo as a tiebreaker, and Riley realizes that she'll have to choose between James and Alfie.
Noah realizes that he and his peers need to dance to solve their problem, and all of them frantically begin to dance. Although they are unsure whether or not they have eliminated the studio's bad vibes, they all feel decidedly better.
The female dancer from Oberhauser's duet performs her solo. In the wings, Alfie and James urge Riley to make a decision, but she realizes that she cannot. Consequently, James and Alfie begin arguing with each other about who should perform the solo. Skylar is in disbelief about how quickly the team's chances at Regionals are slipping away.
Skylar takes the stage.
Being unable to take James and Alfie's arguing and Riley's indecisiveness, Skylar retreats behind the curtain and creates a makeshift costume out of her scarf. When the soloist for The Next Step is called, Skylar takes the stage, much to Emily, Riley, James and Alfie's disbelief. Skylar performs an exceptional solo and finishes to a standing ovation. James and Alfie accompany Skylar on-stage, and their opponents also make their way on-stage. The Next Step is announced as the winner of the qualifier; everyone is ecstatic except for James. Henry, Sloane, Piper, Amy, and Noah receive a text which reveals that the team is moving on, much to their elation. Amidst the celebration, Riley thanks Emily for her help, and who urges her to go celebrate. Riley runs onto the stage and Alfie hugs her, even though it appears as though she was originally running towards James, causing James to retreat to the wings where he hugs and thanks Emily. James hesitantly reveals that he has a plane to catch, though Emily assures him that he should have faith that things will work out with Riley. James leaves the venue, confessing that he doesn't have much faith left. Riley suddenly turns around and is surprised to find that James is gone. Riley confesses that she is happy that they won, but that it feels weird to celebrate without James.
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of Phoebe since "How It Ends" and is her last appearance as of Season 8.
- The Next Step Dance Studio has qualified for Regionals.
Continuity[]
- James references mountain spring water, which he gives to Riley in "Rock and a Hard Place" and "How It Ends".
- Noah indirectly refers to when Phoebe, Richelle and Skylar "cleansed" the studio in "Lost at Sea."
- Henry tells the story about when he went onstage with the wrong dance crew, which he first tells in "On the Rocks."
- James calls Alfie a "prince boy," and subsequently reveals that he knows his true status; James finds out that Alfie is a prince in "Runaway."
- Emily tells James to have faith that things will work out with Riley, foreshadowing the events of "Bold As Love" when Riley chooses James and flies to London to reunite with him.
- Riley confesses that it feels weird to celebrate without James, indirectly referencing all the different times they celebrated The Next Step's victories together in "Winner Takes All", "I Don't Know", "Rewind", "Blind" and "How It Ends".
Behind the Scenes[]
- Jessy Lipke, who plays an Oberhauser dancer in this episode, previously played a German dancer who competed against Eldon in the turning competition in "Turn, Turn, Turn" at Internationals in Season 3. It is unknown if she is playing the same character, but given that Alfie competed at Internationals for Switzerland and Thalia started dancing with Wojdan Dance Academy after Internationals, it is possible that Jessy Lipke's character moved from her German studio to Oberhauser Dance Academy.
Errors[]
- Noah only refers to Phoebe using the title "Miss," although no dancer, including Noah, has referred to her this way before.
- Amy, Henry, Piper and Sloane all seem to know who Phoebe is, despite no one actively mentioning her while they are present and never being formally introduced to her. However, it is probable that Piper found out about Phoebe from James off-screen, prior to Season 4, and the other three learned about Phoebe from Riley, James, Michelle, Amanda, Noah or Richelle off-screen.
- Skylar is aware of and seemingly fine with Riley's feelings for Alfie. This is strange for two reasons: firstly, in "On the Rocks," Skylar is irate about Riley's apparent lack of direction for the team, and secondly, Skylar never finds out about Riley and Alfie's relationship on-screen. However, it is possible that this is merely a result of both Skylar's character development and her being made aware of the situation off-screen.
Production Errors[]
- The team that should be Dance Inc. is incorrectly referred to as Dance Extreme; the team's correct name is revealed in the credits of this episode, and the mistake is clear when watching the episodes at Absolute Dance Regionals.
Cultural References[]
- The title refers to a song of the same name by Deshaun Clarke and Joel Anderson, which is featured on Songs from The Next Step: Season 4, Volume 2.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Alexandra Chaves as Piper
- Brittany Raymond as Riley
- Erika Prevost as Sloane
- Giuseppe Bausilio as Alfie
- Isaiah Peck as Henry
- Myles Erlick as Noah
- Shelby Bain as Amy
- Skylar Healey as Skylar
- Trevor Tordjman as James
Recurring[]
- Alexandra Beaton as Emily
- Emma Campbell as the qualifier announcer
- Erin Bagnato as a Dance Inc. dancer
- Jessy Lipke as an Oberhauser dancer
- Jordan Lipke as an Oberhauser dancer
- Natalie Krill as Phoebe
- Tamia Heron Villaroel as a Dance Inc. dancer
Absent[]
- Akiel Julien as LaTroy
- Allie Goodbun as Cassie
- Briar Nolet as Richelle
- Logan Fabbro as Amanda
- Victoria Baldesarra as Michelle
Featured music[]
 "I'll get to you when I get to you!" - The missing information in this section of the article is to be added.
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- "Be Free Tonight"
- "Believe"
- "Feel the Fire"
- "Let's Get Lost"
- "No Problems"
- "Rivalry"
- "Running Out of Time"
- "Secret Love"
- "Unsinkable"
Featured dances[]
(Unnamed dancer)
Transcript[]
- Main article: Rivalry (episode)/Transcript
Quotes[]
- Main article: Rivalry (episode)/Quotes
Aftershow[]
- Main article: Rivalry (episode)/Aftershow
Gallery[]
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"Look at that painting!"
To view the Rivalry (episode) gallery, click here. |
Notes[]
- ↑ Although this team is referred to as "Dance Extreme", it is actually Dance Inc., as confirmed by both the credits of this episode and Dance Extreme's presence at Regionals.
References[]
- ↑ The Next Step Season 4 Episode 29 - Rivalry - Zap2It TV Listings. Zap2It (November 18, 2016). Retrieved on November 18, 2016.