We started with 58 dancers remaining in Vegas and by episode's end we were down to our Top 10 dancers. Vegas Week is fine and all, but the real reason I'm tuning in tonight is to watch the judges tell the dancers first-hand whether they made it or not. That's a lot of pressure on the dancers, being surrounded by their friends and family and not knowing their fate. I could feel the tension from the beginning.

But first, the rest of Vegas Week. Even though Ida Saki blew the judges away in her initial audition, she hadn't done well in Vegas and decided to drop out of the competition. She said she had to get back to college, but to me - and the judges -- it seemed like a total cop-out.

Tyce DiOrio choreographed a peppy, sharp Broadway routine for the rest of the dancers. It was the usual Tyce fluff, and many of the dancers excelled. Most of those highlighted seemed new to me. After B'way, 10 more dancers had been eliminated.

Next up was group routines, which are notoriously bad, but entertaining as hell to watch. It's an interesting concept, but a good dancer does not necessarily a good choreographer make. And throw six or so of them together and it's all kinds of bad news.

The first group pulled the short straw in terms of song choice: "I Want to Know What Love Is." They started with a Fosse-style line where everyone peaked out in a wave and even had some great partnering moments. There was also a nice lift with ballroom dancer Giselle Peacock. It was a little cheesy at times, but the judges loved it and even called it "inspiring." Everyone was safe.

Group 2 looked to be having trouble at rehearsals (I could sense a belly-flop of a routine in the future). The group danced to "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck quartet and did some African-inspired moves, but ultimately fizzled. The dancers were rarely in sync and the whole piece felt scattered. The judges put them in a single line and evaluated them one by one. Kadija, an African dancer, one of the main instigators in the group's fights, made it through. Chris, another one of the fighters in the group, also made it through, but by the skin of his teeth. The rest of the group made it through and tapper Melinda even got a special shoutout from Nigel.

The rest of the group routines flashed by rather quickly in a montage - one of them looked to be "Singin' in the Rain"-inspired, complete with umbrellas - and the rest looked reasonably decent.

The last group epitomized what I was saying earlier about good dancers and good choreographers. The group included Billy Bell, Adechike Torbert and a handful of other judge favorites, and yet the routine was one of the most flat, uninspiring performances we've ever seen on this show. I can't even pick out a memorable moment - that disappointing. Adam called it a "disaster of epic proportions." After a pretty harsh tongue lashing from the rest of the judges, the entire group got a second chance.

The next round was contemporary with Travis Wall. He's made quite a career out of his appearance back in Season 2 (of which he was the runner-up). Most of the remaining dancers were contemporary and totally in their element, but the two remaining ballroom girls were struggling. Christina Santana did a pretty nice job with the routine. Her leaps weren't as high as I would have liked, but she got through the round. Giselle was very calm before she performed, but I'm not entirely sure why - her timing was consistently off and her extensions were pretty pitiful. She was cut. Nicole Knudsen, a.k.a. crazy bun girl, got cut too.

Anthony Borelle, Alex Wong and Kent Boyd were in a group together and there was a lot of pressure - each had been highlighted by the judges previously. Alex made it through, as did Anthony, and after some suspense and a commercial break, so did Kent - all three got unanimous ‘yeses' from the judges.

Grover Dale came to talk to the remaining 24 dancers about being a star. Interesting move on the show's part, since personalities have been sorely lacking in the contestants for the past few seasons. Grover has worked with Gene Kelly and Bob Fosse and is quite a legend himself.  Next up was one final round of solos before the judges made their picks.

Lauren Froderman started off the solos and set the bar pretty high. I wasn't impressed with her initial audition (I'm pretty sure she was one of the contemporary girls I counted out this season), but I might have been wrong. She did a beautifully controlled routine to "At Last." It was cute, funny when it needed to be, and sexy as hell. She got a standing ovation from half of the judges. The remaining 23 solos flashed by in montage form-they all looked pretty solid. We seem to have a pretty good mix of styles this year - contemporary, ballroom, b-boys, and even a tapper.

Then we got to see peoples' hopes and dreams either come true or get crushed ... in front of their family members, as in a departure for this show, the judges went to the contestants' homes instead of having them walk the long hallway to final judgment. There were tears for many, but excitement for others. Nigel went on a great search for Wapakoneta, Ohio (where Kent Boyd lives) and even had a brief run-in with the police along the way. I'll spare you a recap of every single moment and get right to the dancers picked for the Top 10:

1. Christina Santana (Ballroom) She has great technique and loads of personality. She fared all right in the contemporary round in Vegas, but it wasn't stellar. Still, as this season's only ballroom girl, here's hoping she does well.
2. Lauren Froderman (Contemporary) I guess I was wrong about this girl. She did surprise me with her final solo. She's definitely got the sexy thing down, but I hope it doesn't overshadow her dancing. So far it seems to have served her well though.
3. Ashley Galvan (Contemporary) I don't think we've ever seen this girl before, which is actually kind of refreshing. Her personality not so much. She reminds me of Mollee from last season (whom I found infinitely annoying).
4. José Ruiz (Hip-Hop/Breaking) José is the only remaining dancer without any formal training. He still managed to get through all the rounds.
5. Melinda Sullivan (Tap) got the news at the home of one of her mentors, tapper Harold Cromer (from the movie "Swing"). As much as I love tappers, I still have reservations about how they work out on this show. Last season we had three hoofers make it to the Top 20, and all three fizzled out quickly (although I still think Bianca got robbed). Hopefully Melinda will fair better. I like her attitude and her quirkiness and she seems to do pretty well with other types of choreography.
6. Alex Wong (Ballet/Contemporary) is a brilliant technical dancer, but as Tyce pointed out, he struggled in Vegas week with bringing out his personality. There's no denying the talent though. If he can make his personality shine in his dancing, he'll be a force to reckon with this season.
7. Adé Chiké Torbert (Contemporary)struggled in Vegas, even having to dance for his life at one point, but his solo was exquisite. He has incredible technique and a kick-ass name. I can't wait to hear Cat try to announce it during the show's opening moments.
8. Alexie Agdeppa (Contemporary)was one of my favorites this year. She's got gorgeous extension and a smile that just beams. When she dances, she just exudes purity and light. I think she's one to watch this season.
9. Kent Boyd (Contemporary)had one of the biggest reactions to the news. His family had party poppers and everything. Adorable. His technique is on point (though not the strongest we've seen), but his confidence has wavered a bit. The down-home country boy personality might work in his favor with the voters.
10. Rob Roldan (Contemporary)I don't think we've ever seen this guy before either. According to Adam's recap, Rob did well in Vegas (especially the ballroom round) until he got to the contemporary routine. Odd. I guess we'll have to see if he can turn it around in the competition.

The surprises weren't over for the episode, as in a last minute decision, the judges opened a spot up for a sixth guy, making our Top 10 dancers a group of 11.

1. Billy Bell (Contemporary)is getting a second chance this year. Adam said he didn't do as well in Vegas as the judges had hoped - until his final solo. There's no denying the kid is supernaturally talented and I'm glad they gave him the final spot.

So there they are everybody, your Top 11 dancers. Guess this season will be a bit longer than expected. All in all, we've got 8 contemporary dancers, 1 ballroom dancer, a b-boy and a tapper. Not a great mix, but the show usually has a slew of contemporary dancers, so I can't say I'm surprised. And with only 10 spots this year, it must have been harder than ever to create diversity.

Tomorrow we get to see the Top 11 highlighted in a special episode and from there on out, they'll be paired with All Stars. I can't wait to see how the two groups get along. Definitely a strong crop of dancers this year.