Dance Moms: A New Era is perhaps the most sadistic show on television.

It’s bad enough that the eternally disappointed Miss Glo systematically – and gleefully – destroys the self-esteem of a group of 10-year-olds. And the eponymous dance mothers, who, with sad eyes, demand from their children what is left of their own dreams of fame.

But when one of those children is forced to learn the tragic story of JonBenét Ramsey as part of a dance routine based on her murder—and she only comes fourth—we’ve entered the darkest of timelines.

In episode 8 of A new era“Glo Don’t Give with Both Hands,” Studio Bleu is working on national screenings, and 11-year-old Ashlan and her mother Lisa want to make sure she gets a spot in the big end-of-season show. Glo directs Ashlan to dance to JonBenét Ramsey, telling the impressionable child only that Ramsey is “a beauty queen.”

Glo leaves Lisa and Ashlan to research “everything” about Ramsey, a child beauty queen who was murdered at just 6 years old. The case continues to fascinate and confound the public to this day. Lisa follows Glo’s instructions on how to do it, even giving Ashlan the timestamps of Ramsey’s murder investigation. Ashlan clearly imprints this memory in her mind to recount it to a series of therapists later in life.

Meanwhile, Ashlan, the voice of reason, notes that “they should have just locked the doors” to prevent Ramsey’s kidnapping and eventual murder. Despite the traumatic story, Ashlan is fully convinced by the play.

“Oh my God, this is really not for me, but I’ll do anything to win,” she says, embodying so much of what’s wrong with this show and, really, with all of America. Cut to rehearsals, and Ashlan is slapping her face like Margot Robbie’s Tonya Harding preparing to lose to Nancy Kerrigan.

Now you are probably wondering, Why a JonBenét routine? Good question. And there is no right answer. Glo simply explains that Ashlan’s lack of technique is compensated by her power, so she needs a Performance piece to get them to the state championships. And again, why exactly a 28-year-old unsolved case about the death of a child? Much like who killed JonBenét, we may never know.

But Glo wants Ashlan to grow into the role, giving her a motivation that’s far too complex for an 11-year-old, but one that she can still relate to: “Remember, it’s a really sad, tragic story. So you’re playing this little kid who’s been put on display in all these beauty pageants, and your parents want that fame and celebrity for you. But is that what they really want?”

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While Ashlan rehearses, the dance moms talk shit about her and her blatant lack of technique. “Why are we wasting all this time? We know what’s going to happen. Ashlan is going to have a nervous breakdown. She’s going to screw it up on stage,” one mom remarks.

As the show begins, Ashlan does her best to sell a performance that, as viewers noticed, had literally nothing to do with JonBenét Ramsey.

“How was the audience supposed to know it was about JonBenet Ramsey? That was weird,” commented one Reddit user.

“It was extremely disturbing,” wrote another. “They easily could have done a beauty pageant routine without using Jonbenet’s murder.”

“The dance did not remotely tell JBR’s story. Not in the slightest!!!” added another.

For her efforts, Ashlan received fourth place and a lifetime of emotional scars, meaning she will have to work even harder to convince Glo to let her perform at state championships. After being relegated to fifth place by Glo for her flawed performance, Ashlan tells her mother, “I kind of know how JonBenét felt. I’m never good enough.”

Whatever the opposite of Peak TV is, we have achieved it.