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Earlier this week, one of the season 6 So You Think You Can Dance early favorites, Billy Bell, was sadly forced to quit the competition due to an unforeseen illness. This was a serious setback for the show, since Billy is a fantastic dancer (according to judge Nigel Lythgoe, one of the most talented contestants in SYTYCD history). But the silver lining for Brandon Dumlao, a dancer who just narrowly missed making the top 20, was that this provided him with a rare second chance.

Yes, with only a couple days' notice, Brandon was invited back to the competitive round of the show to take Billy's spot. He had only a day and half to rehearse with his new partner, Pauline Mata, and as a hip-hop/contemporary dancer, the smooth waltz he was assigned was very out of his element. But despite these obstacles, he and Pauline rose to the challenge. Brandon certainly took full advantage of his rare opportunity.

But when it came down to the eliminations at the end of episode--decided by the judges, not the public, this week, because this week's results show was pre-empted by baseball on Fox--Brandon and Pauline were placed in the bottom four.

Also in the bottom was phenomenally talented krumper Russell Ferguson, a controversial judgment that seemed equally unjust. Russell's partner, Noelle Marsh, was forced to sit this week out due to a knee injury (is this SYTYCD season cursed or what?), so Russell had to dance his foxtrot number with the dance's choreographer, Melanie Lapatin, standing in. The foxtrot couldn't have been more polar-opposite from krumping, and Russell had the same disadvantage as Brandon in that he was dancing with an unfamiliar partner...but he was impressive and elegant, and all the judges praised his routine and (Mary Murphy's words) "it factor."

But Russell also ended up in the bottom four. Noelle was oddly spared--not that her being on the chopping block would have fair, exactly, since it wasn't her fault she busted her knee, but at least Russell actually danced and showed the judges his potential this week. Noelle automatically advanced to the top 18 without having to execute a single step tonight (she watched her partner dance without her, while she sat in the audience with her leg propped up), and that just didn't seem right when so many other girls tonight killed it.

Rounding out the bottom four was Ariana DeBose, who with partner Peter Sabastino had performed in one of the night's coolest routines, a Tabitha & Napoleon robots-in-love hip-hop number. This too made little sense. The judges offered little explanation for any of their decisions, other than saying their decisions were based on everything they'd witnessed up until this point, not just on tonight's show.

I have a hunch if America had been allowed to vote this week, this is NOT what the bottom four would have looked like. America adores underdogs, and Brandon's second-chance story surely would have resonated with viewers; plus, his partner Pauline was strong too, especially under the unusual circumstances. And there is no way Russell wouldn't have been a top vote-getter of the night; he's been immensely popular with fans since his first blazing-hot audition. (The studio audience practically rioted when Russell was put in the bottom four tonight.) As for Ariana, hip-hop routines are pretty popular with the voting audience, so I don't feel she would have been at risk just yet if fans had been able to cast their votes for her and Peter tonight.

In the end, the judges unsurprisingly elected to keep Pauline and Russell. The latter decision was especially anti-climactic: There was no way the judges were going to save the also-ran that they never even wanted in the top 20 in the first place over one of the season's golden boys. (The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if they put Russell in the bottom four just so viewers could get all hyped up watching his stunning dance-for-his-life solo.) So poor Brandon's run on the show was over before it even began, and while it's nice that he got to participate at all--and that judge Nigel Lythgoe made some vague promise that Brandon might get to return for season 7--I can't help but feel that the SYTYCD producers toyed with him a little bit.

And while I am sympathetic to Noelle's plight, it didn't seem fair that she stayed and Ariana got cut. But if Noelle doesn't get that cast off her leg soon, I have a feeling she too will have to bow out of the show (following not only Billy Bell, but also Paula Van Oppen, who turned down a spot in the top 20 to take a movie role)--which would presumably allow Ariana to return. And if that happens, I'm sure Ariana will be hoping that her second chance lasts a lot longer than Brandon's.

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