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The Top 16 dancers on "So You Think You Can Dance" were set to show America what they could do -- and for the first time in Season 6 the decision would fall to the viewers as to who should stay and who should go.

Host Cat Deeley introduced the regular panel of judges, including Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe, who proceeded to endlessly plug a Dizzy Feet Foundation performance that will happen at the Kodak Theater on Nov. 29. It will include the finalists from Season 5, some pros from "Dancing with the Stars," crews from "America's Best Dance Crew" and stars of the "Step Up" movies. Mary will also be performing with "SYTYCD" alum and "DWTS" pro Dmitry Chaplin.

Each dancer on Tuesday would get to tell America something the audience should know about them.

Karen & Kevin: Karen revealed that she and her husband, with whom she auditioned, got a divorce shortly after the audition. She said they'd been having problems and had "grown apart" before deciding to split. Kevin said he's performed in London, Italy and at the Great Wall of China. Choreographer Maria Torres put together a Hustle for the couple. Adam said he "just saw" Kevin for the first time in the competition and that they showed an incredible partnership. He said Karen performed "with such beautiful restraint." Mary said Karen was amazing and called her a "Hustle Queen." She said she was also surprised with how much attitude and performance Kevin gave (in a good way). She said they were both still on The Train. Nigel said Kevin's friends back home must be "absolutely shocked" by what Kevin's doing, but Nigel was "absolutely delighted." He told Kevin to not be so nervous doing the death spirals with Karen. Nigel reiterated what he's said in the past about Karen being primed to go a long way in the competition.

Ashleigh & Jakob: Ashleigh said she is a "really big nerd" -- apparently because she went to college and had an internship with a Congressman in Washington, D.C. Jakob revealed that one of his best friends growing up was on the show last year. "She did pretty well," he said. "She won." It was Jeanine. Ashleigh & Jakob got a jazz routine by Mandy Moore, who gave them a cane to use as a prop. Adam said Ashleigh definitely belonged in the show. He said they did well in overcoming a slight malfunction with the cane. He also praised Jakob's strength and jumps. Mary said they were phenomenal and complimented Ashleigh on developing every week. She also said Jakob did a fabulous job. Nigel told Mandy that this routine lived up to the standard of her famous "table" routine from Season 2. Nigel said Ashleigh was representing ballroom dancers brilliantly. He also called Jakob an "absolutely stunning" dancer.

Pauline & Peter: Peter shared that he volunteers teaching dance with an organization that helps special needs people in Philadelphia. Pauline said she eats a lot. New choreographers JT & Tomas gave them a quickstep -- also known as on this show as "the dance of death." Adam said it was smart to give a lot of story and characters, which overshadowed some of the technical missteps. Mary said she always expects a trainwreck with the quickstep, but said they pulled it off even though it "wasn't great." Nigel said it was "absolutely not" technically perfect. But did he care? "Absolutely not." He said it was a fabulous performance and "America votes for performances." He was pretty sure they weren't going anywhere. He also thanked JT & Tomas for giving the quickstep a story.

Kathryn & Legacy: Kathryn shared that she feels most alive when she's helping people and talked about her mission trips abroad. Legacy said he was supposed to be a professional soccer player. Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler put together a Broadway routine for the couple. Adam said he wasn't sure what Kathryn's character was supposed to be and wanted her to portray a more aggressive character. He called it another huge step for Legacy. Mary said it had the character and choreography, but was missing just a bit of chemistry. She said Kathryn might have been a bit overshadowed by Legacy, who she thinks is headed for the Top 10. Nigel said he was also disappointed with Kathryn and called her performance "a little childish." He said Legacy was an inspiration for his choreographers.

Channing & Victor: Victor shared (complete with pictures) that he used to be a hardcore goth rocker. Channing said she used to race lawn mowers and she won a competition that got her a trip to Disney World and her picture in the paper. Choreographer Stacey Tookey gave them a contemporary routine about a toxic relationship. The new couple faced two levels of pressure: It was their first dance together and they're both contemporary dancers. Adam said the new partnership was going to reinvigorate both of them. Mary agreed that it was "a great new partnership" and they did a tremendous job. She said it didn't quite take her to the level where it touched her soul, but it was very good. Nigel said they had to be good. He said he wasn't emotionally carried away by either of them, but he was technically impressed.

Ellenore & Ryan: Ellenore shared that she's six different ethnicities, calling herself a "big American mutt." Ryan said he's an extreme sports junkie and secretly wants to be an action superhero. Lil C gave them a hip hop routine that was about swagger and timing. Adam called Ryan "the most transformed dancer of the night." Mary said "it wasn't great, but it was good." She said it was a little sluggish and not quite synchronized at times. She said she wanted to scream for both of them, but couldn't based on that performance. Nigel said it really wasn't good at all. He said Ellenore was too sweet for the style and said there was "an awful lot missing" from it.

Mollee & Nathan: Mollee said she was deaf in her left ear, a condition she's had since she was a baby. She got rid of a hearing aid because it messed up her balance. Nathan gave us all tremendous insight into his jet-skiing exploits. New choreographer Gustavo Vargas gave them a sexy salsa. Could the youngest couple in the competition handle the sensuality? Adam told the crowd to get ready to boo him and said they had bad luck drawing the salsa. He said the dance exposed all of their weaknesses. Mary said it wasn't sexified, it was "French fried." She said there were a lot of technical problems and neither of the dancers seemed comfortable. Nigel said it was a sobering night for many dancers on Tuesday and it didn't work for them. He said their chemistry, for the first time, was missing.

Noelle & Russell: Noelle shared that she had a pretty big family (three sisters and a brother). She said her brother was an inspiration after overcoming a stroke. Russell said he was an artist and always wanted to be an artist and dancer. They got an Afro-jazz routine by Sean Cheesman. The high-energy routine brought the crowd to its feet. Adam joked that Noelle was the first person he'd think of when he thought "African princess." He said he had a fantastic time watching it. Mary paused for dramatic effect before saying, "That was crazy." Then she clarified it was "crazy good." She said they weren't just doing steps, she felt the whole thing. Then she put Russell on the Hot Tamale Train. Nigel said there is no question that Russell is the star of this season.

At the end of the night, Nigel said Ryan and Ellenore are probably in the most danger. Mary said Nathan and Mollee were also in trouble, and Adam agreed.