The night when height seemed to be a concern for everyone

Starting this week on So You Think You Can Dance, votes alone force two people to be sent home. The judges no longer have any input and it is only their opinions that matter. Also this week, now that we have made it to the top 10, the couples were rearranged, forming new partnerships. This meant that each dancer, who has gotten to know their original partner well, was forced to change and pick up chemistry with a dancer they have never danced with before.

At this point we are no longer voting and cheering on couples; each individual dancer is now on their own. So with the help of guest judge Debbie Allen, who might I add was a bit too nice for a judge, we watched each dancer dance a solo, partner routine and group number last night. We then voted and tonight a boy and a girl will be sent home. Here is a rundown of the dances performed last night.

1) The top five girls danced a group Bollywood routine choreographed by Nakul
This was a very high energy piece. It was so fast yet the girls were together throughout. It had great performance value and I enjoyed it. As the judges pointed out, from that routine no girl stands out as the underdog.
2) Kayla and Evan (the tallest girl and shortest boy) danced a Viennese waltz choreographed by Tony and Melanie
This was a very classy dance. They are both so beautiful to look at that they could have completely messed up and I wouldn't have really noticed. I thought the performance had good rise and fall and I was especially impressed by the lifts Evan completed. The height difference is obvious but they put Evan in heeled shoes and Kayla was barefoot so we didn't even really notice. I enjoyed it but the judges said they did not think it was brought to the next level.
3) Brandon's solo was not all that great. There was too much arm movement and not a lot of substance for me. This is the first time we have seen his solo and I think he is a better dancer than that performance.
4) Janette and Ade danced a hip hop routine choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon
For this routine the couple was asked to be funky and they followed through, though there were moments where it didn't flow as it should have. I think Ade was obviously better than Janette in this genre and Janette was almost visually trying too hard, but the number was fun.
5) Throughout Randi's solo it looked like she wasn't really steady on her feet. I expected more from her.
6) Kupono's dance was really weird but in a good way. It was interesting choreography.
7) Janine and Jason danced a contemporary routine choreographed by past contestant Travis Wall
This was the best dance of the night, by far, and it was performed by who I would call the underdogs. In this performance there were a lot of lifts and it was very physical, but at the same time they had great chemistry. The choreography was sexy and steamy, but the dancing brought it to the next level. They were mesmerizing. It was a great story and it was performed well. They both proved themselves as great dancers with this routine.
8) Melissa's solo was a little too ballet focused for me tonight. I was not too impressed.
9) Evan's solo reminded me why I root for him. He is so entertaining and smooth. This was a great solo.
10) Kayla's solo proved, once again, that she has great technique. But we already know this. She needs help learning to choreograph interesting solos.
11) Randi and Kupono danced a paso doble choreographed by Tony and Melanie
From the very beginning this performance looked forced. It just did not flow. Randi even fell at the end. Neither looked comfortable and they had no chemistry. This was a pretty awful routine.
12) During Ade's solo he was moving too frantically for the song he was performing to. But dancing with no shirt totally bought him votes.
13) Janine's solo showed off her technique and caught my attention, which is exactly what a solo should do.
14) Jason was cool and quirky in his solo. I kind of liked it.
15) Melissa and Brandon danced a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce
This was, for lack of a better word, a groovy routine. They were obviously having fun. The dance especially showed off Brandon's strengths, which was good. At times I did think the routine seemed a bit hectic and the smoke at the end was stupid, but I give this a thumbs up overall. I think it was good, but not great.
16) Janette attacked her solo. She was very sexy. This is about as good as it gets for a solo salsa routine.
17) The top five guys danced an African routine choreographed by Jeffrey Page
The last 30 seconds on this routine were GREAT, but the rest was only OK for me. They obviously had a harder time than the girls and they did struggle a bit, but it was very high energy and fun. They must have been exhausted by the end. And, as a side note, I feel back that both Mary and Nigel singled out Evan during their comments. I think they all did just fine.

After last night's performances, I have no idea who America will decide to send home. Based on just these performances, Randi and Kupono stand out as the worst two, but it really all depends on who has the most fans. We'll have to wait until tonight to find out.