For the first time this season we finally get to vote for the dancers. It's only November. No worries Fox, I'm not bitter that the judges sent home four dancers without my consent. Really. It's cool. I hardly know any of the dancers, which I suspect is why most of them got very little audience reaction (with the possible exception of Russell and Ryan) during the show's opening tonight.

Thankfully, Nigel gave up the Paula Abdul schtick this week. In place of it, he plugged the Dizzy Feet Foundation and an upcoming performance they're hosting. A bunch of S5 alums were in the house tonight, which was nice to see, because they'll all be performing at that benefit performance. Dominic from S3 was also in the audience with a tragically bad hairdo (half bleach-blond, half black and messed up like he just rolled out of bed). What a shame. He was kind of a cutie back in the day.

Karen and Kevin were up first with a hustle to "Come to Me" by France Joli. During the pre-dance video interview, Karen revealed that shortly after her husband was cut during Vegas week, the two decided to get a divorce. Ouch. That's probably the last thing she wants to be dealing with during this competition. Kevin said he's performed in London, Italy, and China. The actual dance started off quite slow with a couple lifts that Kevin noticeably struggled with. He upped his game when the tempo got faster, especially during his split jeté leap and during an assisted cartwheel flip with Karen, but the whole routine was relatively lackluster for me. It never really picked up steam and was far less energetic that I would have liked. Adam thought they made it work and that Kevin really shined. Mary though Karen was amazing (she fared alright), but she told them to pay more attention to their footwork. Both stayed on the Hot Tamale Train.

Ashleigh and Jakob got a Mandy Moore jazz routine to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Ashleigh admitted to being a book nerd and apparently Jakob is really good friends with last season's winner, Jeanine. The routine started off with the two of them in silhouette. Lots of great extensions from Jakob and sharp movements from the both of them. They worked well with the cane prop, but I was a bit unsure of what it was supposed to signify, or if they were fighting over it or what. But they were totally in-sync throughout, great chemistry and full of energy. Jakob definitely outshined Ashleigh though - especially with his leaps (holy height, Batman!). The judges loved it. Nigel said it even came up to the level of the table dance with Neil and Sabra in S3 (I think it was strong, but not that good). They should have no trouble making it through to next week.

Next up were Pauline and Peter, who pulled the dreaded quickstep by new choreographers JT & Tomas. The story was that Pauline was a hula girl that soldier Peter fell for. They were pretty light on their feet throughout, but their carriage and upper bodies were a mess. At times they looked totally disjointed - like they were trying to hold themselves as far away from each other as possible. It felt a bit awkward at times. They did look like they were having lots of fun with it and gave it loads of personality, and I have to say I really enjoyed the performance. The judges were pretty easy on them. Mary called them out for bad carriage and top line, but said it wasn't a total train wreck (and with this style, that's a pretty great compliment). Nigel said he didn't care that their technique was awful and that America probably won't either. I hope so. Hold it down for the tappers, Peter!

Kathryn and Legacy got a Broadway routine with new choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler to "I Wanna Be Like You" from "Jungle Book." Thank God they found someone other than Tyce to do B'way! I thought for sure Legacy would struggle with this, big time. His b-boy stuff is great, but I've never been overly impressed with him. Until now. The routine was chock-full of great flips and tricks - at one point Kathryn flipped over Legacy's back, and then let him flip over her back. Legacy brought loads of personality to the routine and a surprising amount of technique. Kathryn was almost invisible for me. She had a few cutesy moments, but nothing great. The judges praised Legacy and left Kathryn in the dust. I'd have to agree.

New couple Channing and Victor took on a Stacey Tookey contemporary routine that focused on a really toxic relationship. The two had to develop chemistry fast - and they did. Channing looked absolutely stunning in a pale pink silk dress and her dancing was equally as beautiful. The routine was fluid and graceful with moments of spastic, harsh movements, but what really got me was the rise and fall of the piece. I actually got chills. Easily one of my favorites of the night, and possibly of the season so far. The judges' reactions were lukewarm for the most part; Nigel slammed the couple for not being exceptional in their own style. I guess that's a fair critique, but I still think the routine was stellar and they should stick around for another week.

Ellenore and Ryan were up next with hip-hop routine by Lil C. In the pre-dance video interview, Ryan's big secret was that he was an extreme sports junkie. Thanks, meathead. I had noooooo idea. The routine seemed to be about a robbery gone wrong. The first 30-40 seconds consisted of bad sound effects and Ellenore and Ryan tossing a money bag back and forth. Boooring! Throughout the rest of the routine, Ellenore lacked a lot of energy and the pair of them were usually out of sync. There were a few moments of decent popping, especially from Ryan, but overall, the routine wasn't memorable at all (at least not for the right reasons). Adam and Mary said it was good not great (way to sugar-coat it, guys), but Nigel slammed the duo. He said it wasn't hard hitting, it wasn't down and dirty, and they failed miserably.

Mollee and Nathan got a salsa with new choreographer Gustavo Vargas. The whole thing was a total DISASTER. Nathan had his hair slicked back and looked like a total skeezball, and Mollee's bright yellow-orange dress looked like it had been ripped to shreds . The dancing wasn't any better than the costuming: Nathan was completely flat-footed and lacked his usual grace, Mollee was very off-center and looked dazed throughout, and both had zero chemistry with each other and completely botched the routine's numerous lifts. Adam broke his nice streak and told them they were in trouble. Mary echoed Adam's remarks, saying the routine was sloppy and lacking in sex appeal. Nigel said it was one of the worst routines of the night.

Noelle and Russell closed the show with a super-fast Afro-jazz routine. Think a mixture of jazz and African dance - without the jazz hands. The routine basically followed the story of the princess and the frog, but in a much funkier way. The number had a great African-vibe and lots of fun leaps and partner work. The pair even did a move where they grabbed each other at the waist and flipped over one another several times in a row. Mary heard the train and made Russell the first King of the train. Well deserved, he's been kicking major ass this season. Nigel even called him a star and said Noelle held her own.

Bottom 3 predictions: Ellenore and Ryan, Karen and Kevin, and possibly Pauline and Peter. Mollee and Nathan deserve to be there too, but I suspect their strong fan-base will pull them through. At this point, Ellenore and Pauline are the most disposable. Ryan's nice eye candy and I love Peter, so I'd like to see Kevin go home, but I suspect Peter could be in trouble too. Hopefully people remember to vote this week ...