'HSMTMTS' Recap: Ricky & Lily Split, Nini Head Out Salt Lake City

Updated on July 27, 2022 17:57 PM by Andrew Koschiev

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is shifting gears in season 3 and heading to summer camp. EJ picks up Ashlyn, Kourtney, and Carlos for a road trip to Camp Shallow Lake. EJ is filled to the brim with father jokes for the ride.

It's only going to be EJ, Kourtney, Ashlyn, Carlos, and Gina going to camp. Big Red has to work, Seb has to milk, Nini's with her mothers, and Ricky is with Lily. The primary reason everybody's stoked about camp is that there's a secret celebrity coming to visit. EJ says, "We don't say her name."

Gina joins the camp group and gets a sweet kiss from EJ before they head out. EJ and Gina are going strong. Honestly, a happy Gina is all we want. The crew belts out "What Time Is It" from High School Musical 2 before they arrive at camp, which EJ calls his "second home."

He tells his friends, "You come to Shallow Lake one way, and you just become something else. It happens to everyone."

Nini draws out of Salt Lake City:

One of the camp workers at Shallow Lake, Maddox, has to take everyone's phones upon arrival. Kourtney is not about leaving her beloved phone Sasha for two weeks. Let us see what these children get into when they have to go full Parent Trap for two weeks. Bring on the pranks!

Amid, Ricky is set to go to Jackson Hole with Lily and her family. Ricky admits that he and Lily have been "hanging out a little bit," but you can tell he feels uneasy around Lily.

Nini goes to see Miss Jenn at her house. She's supposed to go on a road trip with her mother to Southern California, where she was born. There's some hesitation on Nini's part. She has been trying to write some new music, but she hasn't been able to complete it just yet.

Nini said, "It just feels like these last years have been leading up to something really good or big, but I can't name it or put my finger on it." She's also missing camp, a considerable part of her life. She's unsure if she made the right decision and feels going to California could be "disruptive" for her.

Miss Jenn told Nini before she hit the road, "If you're looking for a spark, sometimes disruptive isn't such a bad idea."

Ricky Discovers Lily's Betrayal

Gina is beyond thrilled for her "summer of firsts." She's at her first camp, her first boyfriend, and this is the first time she's going out for the lead in a musical. This is the first time we've seen Gina's content, and we love that for her. She's happy with EJ. Let's hope it stays that way.

Kourtney, Ashlyn, and Gina are all rooming together with Maddox. This is the first time Ashlyn's ever been to Camp Shallow Lake. She's spent the last six summers larping in Minnesota. She has to explain live-action role-playing to the rest of the class. Ashlyn is too calm for her good.

As Ricky and Lily are about to leave, the tide turns for these two. Ricky tries to find his keys when he bumps into her closet door. His Beast harness falls onto the floor.

"I can explain that," a calm, cool, and collected Lily says. She honestly thinks they can get past this. All's fair in love and war and musicals. Ricky's honestly not sure if Lily will kiss or kill him, so he bolts. This gives us another great Joshua Bassett solo with "Finally Free."

Carlos isn't thrilled about the camp living quarters, especially when the new kid, Jet, shows up. Simply put, Jet is "actually good without talking." Now that all the arrivals are done, it's time for the secret celebrity reveal. Maddow shows off her incredible vocals to the crowd. She will be a contender during the auditions this season!

Dewey Wood, a.k.a. Jason Earles from Hannah Montana, is the camp director. The secret celebrity will explain that Camp Shallow Lake has been selected for a unique opportunity. The secret star is… drumroll, please… CORBIN BLEU!

Kourtney, Carlos, Ashlyn, and the rest of the crowd lose their minds over Corbin. Corbin announces that Camp Shallow Lake will be the first camp to premiere the Frozen musical! Carlos' reaction to this announcement is priceless. Seriously, give Frankie A. Rodriguez an Emmy. There's also going to be a documentary that will premiere on Disney+. "I don't remember how to breathe," Ashyn admits.

Corbin Bleu Is Breaking Free, For Now

Previously, the group tried guessing the secret celebrity. Greta Gerwig and Oprah were just two of the names thrown into the mix. "It's better than Greta Gerwig," a tearful Carlos says about Corbin's reveal.

Dewey thought Corbin would be directing the show. However, Corbin isn't sticking around. Corbin explains that he's just directing, producing, and hosting the show about the show. The Corbin Bleu does not have time to direct a camp musical.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. EJ is standing nearby after Corbin leaves. Dewey names EJ the new director of Frozen. EJ has to explain the situation to Gina, and he stresses that "nothing is going to ruin our perfect summer together." Gina replies, "Who said anybody would?"

As if he heard them from afar, Ricky comes in between EJ and Gina at this precise moment. Impeccable timing, Ricky. Just great. "Excuse me, do you have room for one more?" he asks. EJ and Gina give each other a look. They were not expecting this.