“Dance Moms: A New Era” has come under fire for a solo dance routine inspired by JonBenét Ramsey, a six-year-old beauty pageant contestant whose unsolved kidnapping and murder in 1996 continues to spark speculation in the tabloid press.

The unscripted reality TV series is a reinterpretation of “Dance Moms,” which ran on Lifetime from 2011 to 2019 and not only caused controversy itself, but also launched the careers of stars like Jojo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler.

In episode 8 of “Dance Moms: A New Era,” dance teacher Gloria “Glo” Hampton teaches a student a Ramsey-inspired dance solo. The segment sparked a strong reaction from the audience, who called it “disrespectful.”

This is not the first time that the “Dance Moms” series has featured crime-inspired choreography. Brynn Rumfallo played Elizabeth Short, the murder victim nicknamed “Black Dahlia,” in a dance routine; Maddie Ziegler sang a number as murderer Lizzie Borden. Both dance routines were met with criticism.

Hulu and Hampton did not respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on the controversy.

Here’s what you need to know about the routine.

How will JonBenét Ramsey be integrated into “Dance Moms: A New Era”?

In the episode “Glo Don’t Give with Both Hands,” Hampton assigns two dancers to perform solos for an upcoming competition. Hampton tells her 11-year-old student, Ashlan Scheide, that she will be portraying Ramsey in a routine called “Glitz.”

“I want you to research JonBenét,” Hampton instructs Ashlan in the episode. “I want you to know everything about her, everything about her family and about her tragic end, OK?”

Hampton describes Ashlan as a “born actress,” which apparently plays a role in her role.

“Remember, it’s a really sad, tragic story. So you’re playing this little kid who’s been paraded around all these pageants, and your parents want this fame and celebrity for you… your parents couldn’t protect her from what happened. I really have to step into the role and be there and tell that story, OK?” she says in the episode.

Later, Ashlan and her mother Lisa Scheide research Ramsey together.

“You become a glamorous beauty pageant girl. That was JonBenét, but then she was kidnapped and murdered,” says Scheide.

When she learns more about Ramsey, Ashlan is shocked

“Someone strangled her?” asks Ashlan.

“A six-year-old,” explains Scheide. “They took her while she was sleeping.”

“Oh my God, this is really not for me, but I would do anything to win,” Ashlan adds.

This episode focuses on the creation of the routine. Ashlan prepares for a practice performance by applying bright blue eye shadow and red lip liner.

“I think I’m going to go for Kylie Jenner’s lips because she has big, juicy lips,” she tells the camera as she grins and applies the costume makeup.

When she later enters the studio for rehearsal, Hampton bursts into laughter.

“It looks like JonBenét after she was murdered,” says Hampton. The studio moms also have to laugh.

During rehearsals, Hampton uses choreography that seems to reference Ramsey’s kidnapping. “Someone takes your leg when it’s up here, catches it, and pulls it in this direction,” she says.

At the end of the episode, Ashlan performs the dance in front of an audience in a white, sparkly dress. A song with the lyrics “Be careful what you wish for” plays in the background.

Ashlan appears to strangle himself at the end of the number. A 1997 autopsy found that Ramsey was strangled.

What did viewers say about the episode?

The segment was met with backlash and discussion.

“This has to be the most disgusting example of child exploitation on primetime television,” wrote one X user about the episode. “We have become a disgusting society that uses the actual murder of a child for entertainment. Shame on everyone involved in this.”

In a Reddit thread about the episode, fans called it “tasteless.”

“This seems extremely disrespectful to the poor little girl,” the original author wrote.

“I think a dance about JonBenét could never be performed in real taste. Simply because there is no happy ending, only the emphasis on a gruesome child murder,” wrote one commenter.

Another called it “pure exploitation to shock” and “without any respect.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.