We watched the top 12 in their current couples for the last time. They had two performances to impress the audience, but next week those left will pick their dance style and partner out of a hat. Here's hoping Mollee and Nathan, should they survive, pick somebody else.

Ellenore and Ryan:

Dance 1: Lindy Hop

Ryan in a swing number Is a good thing. He strongly exhibited his ability to control the flow and lead. As a former swing aficionado, the lifts, twists and difficult partner work looked decent. - not perfect. But in this style the performance is incredibly important. Ellenore's spunk sold the routine. As a couple their transitions were not perfectly synched. But it was enjoyable and a crowd-pleaser.

Dance 2: Broadway

Ellenore, I finally figured it out. I know your sometimes have to deal with styles and choreography that make you look foolish, and sometimes you just screw up. But you have the un-teachable spark that makes people stop what they're doing and watch you. Keep up the fantastic performances because you have the power to make me, me, enjoy a Broadway piece. Ryan, way to not obviously screw it up - and you make a nice maniacal evil Broadway dancer. If it were up to me, they'd stay until next week.

Kathryn and Legacy:

Dance 1: Jazz (by Sonya Tayeh)

Sonya's routines have extremely unique and detailed stories motivating the motion. This routine is no exception. It's a piece about a man whose attraction overcomes him. Legacy had his shirt off. Win. Win win win. The synch was tight and did I mention it was Legacy with his shirt off? He incorporated his breaking with Kathryn's crazy extensions. Bravo - and bravo to the costume designer.

Dance 2: Viennese Waltz

I held my breath throughout the first portion of the waltz. Something that has been a technical disaster, something that the judges have nitpicked in the past and something a b-boy is challenged to dance are a recipe for me turning blue. About halfway through the number I started breathing. It looked pretty. It had flow. Kathryn performed the dickens out of it, and Legacy was taking a cue from Russell and gave a stellar effort. A bit high on his toes from what I saw (Mary said he "hopped"), but the performance the two put forward was more than I expected.

Karen and Victor:

Dance 1: Tango

This couple only gets this single week to dance together. I've been over Karen for weeks, but a tango piece is a much better draw for her ballroom style. I wanted Victor to command a bit more. It looked feminine from his end. The musicality of the dance didn't add fiery passion to the piece. It was more like a love-hate masochistic relationship put to music. Meh, it fell flat for me. They won't go home since Victor's excellent and Karen's a fan favorite (despite my constant eye-rolling and disappointment).

Dance 2: Hip-hop

I may be wrong. Karen and Victor might be on their way out. This second routine wasn't very together. Victor was committing more to the dance than Karen, but it wasn't cohesive. I don't want Victor to go but this routine didn't convince me that they both needed to stay. Was it the choreographer not giving them enough to work with? Did the dancers perform it with the wrong motivation? It was confusing and out of synch, and my least favorite dance of the entire night. The judges agreed as well, but the voters are the only ones who matter.

Mollee and Nathan

Dance 1: Hip-hop

Ok, your motivation: a hip-hop routine based on Alexander Bell inventing the telephone. An abstract but precise idea to convey, right? These two did their best with a specific story and non-technical style. This couple kills me whenever they disappoint me. This time, I died a bit yet again. Adam called Mollee out on her struggle to pull off hip-hop but my problem is with their chemistry. These two will benefit the most from splitting up next week - if they make it there. Nigel echoed my sentiments almost verbatim.

Dance 2: Can can

SYTYCD has never experienced a can can. I had an odd feeling they would succeed in this style. The less attitude and more whimsy a routine calls for, the better these two perform. The horrendously cheesy and spastic choreography couldn't have gone to a better couple. Mollee was made for this technically challenging but overwhelmingly cheeky routine. Oh, by the way, Nathan did a show-stopping set of fouettes à la second. Translation: he whooped ass.


Noelle and Russell:

Dance 1: Samba

Russell has developed lines, a schmaltzy dancer's smile and for this number, a magnetic focus on Noelle's hips. Holy hell, even I couldn't not look at them. She was challenging Shakira with her movements. It was an unexpected routine that entertained and wasn't obviously heinous. The schmaltzy "niceness" apparently wasn't appropriate for the naughtier samba style according to the judges.

Dance 2: Contemporary

Russell has already won the "Most Improved Dancer" award and continued to prove why he deserves it in this piece. The choreography didn't explicitly use his krumping skills, thankfully, but all the other skills he's crafted over the past few weeks. Noelle's legs were constantly lengthened, in motion, and stretching into the next pose. It was a softer, simpler routine that cleanly put these two into the top ten for sure.

Ashleigh and Jakob:

Dance 1: Lyrical Jazz (with Sonya)

Sonya toned down her explosive creativity and choreographed a simple piece about "total contentment." To quote another avid viewer, Ashleigh "just kinda walked around." She exhibited strong control when lifted and manipulated by her partner. It's not her fault she wasn't choreographed to do more, but she had little to show in this routine. Jakob on the other hand was exquisite. The extensions and flexibility are so off the chart for him. He could have performed this routine and only this routine anytime in the show thus far and would still be the best dancer. It's too damn bad Billy Bell can't compete against him this season.

Dance 2: Cha-cha

Ashleigh, I don't want you to go home anymore. This is the type of routine where she didn't work hard to get noticed, she just shined. Jakob, I almost am convinced in this routine you could possibly be interested in Ashleigh. I hated the song, but my god, they rocked it. Jakob performed it like he's been dancing cha-cha forever. They're not going home and I'm very excited to see what will happen to them with new partners next week. They've had the opposite effect on each other that Nathan and Mollee have had - Ashleigh and Jakob have benefitted from the other's energy and style.

This episode saw many different styles and challenged the couples with two routines in one week. Every dancer pushed and performed to the best of their abilities. No piece was a mistake, and even the ones that lacked a spark (Karen and Victor) were technically satisfactory. This was the best show overall, and the voters have a difficult task ahead of them. I would love to send Karen home, but I'm undecided on which guy needs to leave.

Grade: A+

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Story by Kate Kostal

Starpulse contributing writer