For the first time this season, each couple will be dancing twice tonight. This is also the last week together for the original couples- starting next week, they’ll randomly draw partners each week.
 
Ellenore and Ryan open the show with a lindy hop. Ryan is much, much more animated than Ellenore is. But having said that, we’re not crazy about this choreography and this is definitely not the best we’ve seen from this couple. Our rating: 7/10
 
Next are Kathryn and Legacy with a jazz routine. We hate, hate, HATE Kathryn’s outfit, and the music is terrible, and those things combined are so distracting that we end up pretty much hating the entire performance. The timing is good, but it seems to be lacking energy somehow. Legacy is more believable than Kathryn, but overall we’re just not that impressed. Our rating: 6/10
 
Karen and Victor’s tango is the first performance tonight that we find to be believable. It’s too bad this is their first week dancing together, because they seem to make a really good couple. We’re surprised at how well Victor handles this style. Our rating: 8/10
 
We groan when we hear that Mollee and Nathan will be dancing hip hop. This is going to come across like a couple of five-year-olds trying to be “street,” right? Yeah, pretty much. But having said that, it sort of works for this particular choreography. It’s not what we’d call “real” hip hop, but it’s entertaining and much better than we expected it to be. Our rating: 8/10
 
Up next are Noelle and Russell with a samba. This style just does not seem to sit well with the contestants this year. These two handle it better than Mollee and Nathan did a couple of weeks ago, but that’s not saying a whole lot. It still seems very awkward. The ending is really good, but besides that, not so much. Our rating: 7/10
 
Ashleigh and Jakob end the first round with a beautiful lyrical jazz piece. It’s really calming and pretty, and we can’t find a single thing to dislike about it. This is easily the best thing we’ve seen so far tonight. Our rating: 10/10
 
Ellenore and Ryan’s Broadway performance is much better than the first one tonight. They play their respective characters very well, and the whole thing is really entertaining and fun to watch. We find ourselves not wanting it to end. Our rating: 10/10
 
Kathryn and Legacy are back. This too is better than their first performance tonight. They have a good connection and their chemistry is obvious. The judges are a bit harsh on Legacy, but we disagree. This was a great performance from both dancers. Our rating: 9/10
 
Karen and Victor’s jazz piece is… not so good. They’re not as together as we’d like, and the choreography just seems lacking. There’s a lot more running around than actual dancing. We’re not impressed. Our rating: 6/10
 
Mollee and Nathan are introducing us to a new type of dance for the show- the cancan. We’re not excited. This is cheesetastic. We feel like we’re watching some really bad Vaudeville show. Apparently the judges do not share our opinion, but that does nothing to change our minds. Our rating: 5/10
 
Noelle and Russell’s contemporary piece is really pretty and makes us want to keep watching. The only bad thing is, we could do without the paint smeared everywhere- but since it goes with the theme of the piece, we can forgive that. Our rating: 9/10
 
Ashleigh and Jakob close the show with a cha cha. Not surprisingly since she’s a ballroom dancer, Ashleigh steals the show. That’s not to say Jakob doesn’t do a good job, but it’s difficult to watch him at all because Ashleigh is absolutely killing it from start to finish. This is a good way to end the show. Our rating: 9/10
 
Tomorrow night, Shakira performs and we find out who’s in the top 10 and on the tour.