After weeks and weeks (upon weeks) of auditions and callbacks, season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance has finally reached the performance (AKA voting) portion of the competition, and my inner krumper is doing a fierce robot as a way of celebrating. EW’s resident SYTYCD expert Kate Ward (read her rankings of the top 20 here) sat down with me to discuss our favorites (Russell, Billy, that chick who sobbed like she was seeing Brokeback Mountain for the first time), our not-so-favorites (hello, Phillip!), the contestant who looks like New Moon’s Taylor Lautner, and those who make us feel like we’re starring in a very unfortunate episode of Dateline’s To Catch a Predator series. Press play below, then share your thoughts on the season 6 top 20 in the comment section below! (Oh, and for all my reality TV ramblings, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak!) UPDATE: Seconds before publishing this blog item, I received an extremely upsetting email from Fox’s publicity department which read as follows: “Top 20 dancer Billy Bell has left So You Think You Can Dance due to illness and will be replaced by Brandon Dumlao, 21, a Hip Hop dancer from Concord, CA. Dumlao will join the Top 20 this week as they compete on the first two-hour performance show Tuesday, Oct. 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.” A moment of silence for the end of Mr. Bell’s hotly anticipated season six run, and best wishes for him to make a swift recovery — and the season 7 top 20.
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Welcome to Realite, Kate! Also; too bad about Billy. That would really be rough to fall ill at *this* particular point in the competition.
They probably asked Billy Bell to pull out and wait for the next summer season because no one is watching this time around.
A lot of people don’t care for Billy Bell, so they’ll be happy not to have to see him get pimped for the next several weeks.
Who are ‘a lot of people’? He was one I watched from the first minute and I am very disappointed I won’t be seeing him this season.
I am one of those people. i know him personally and i agree with Kev, he doesn’t need any bigger of a head than he already has. the kid (19) has a “fan” page on facebook! and that was before this show! when i got the suggestion to become a fan of him, I laughed and hit ignore. He is incredibly talented, but he also knows it. Not to say he doesn’t deserve good things, but perhaps it’s a lil bit of Karma?
He didn’t necessarily start the fan page, though – videos of him from competitions are on youtube and pretty popular, so you can’t just assume that he started his own fanpages.
Donnie, to succeed in show biz on any level requires incredible tenacity and confidence; he will be shot down time after time after time. If he starts with no bravado, he’ll quickly sink.
Forgot to add, I know this sounds really mean, but I literally laughed out loud at his performance that made the judge cry…it was so elastic and crazy, I didn’t “get it.”
Wow, having Billy out of the competition is a shame given this weak group of contenders. How ill could he be that he can’t compete at all?? I understand being out for a week, but just removing him from the season?
you’re whacked! this is the most awesome group of dancers quite a while.
You guys totally don’t know what you are talking about!
omg nooooooooo. no billy?!
still rooting for jakob karr & nathan trasoras, but wow..i’m really upset.
I will miss Mr.Bell as he is a great dancer. Get well young man! I think Juilliard and his real future may have played a part here.
Makes me think that Julliard wouldn’t let him suspend his scholarship so he had to go back and they are using the “sick” ruse to cover it up. What ya think???
And why 1) would Julliard do that after all the excellent publicity that Bell was egnerating, 2) when a semester’s suspension is not uncommon, and 3) why would SYTYCD be interested in lying for no reason. Bell is very likely ill, and SYTYCD cannot blab fedrally protected medical information. Simple.
maybe he has something as simple as mono. you have to limit or prohibit physical activity if you have an enlarged spleen. it would be very common for someone his age, hanging out with lots of other young people, and overworking himself.
Tarc,
Julliard does not need publicity from Billy. SYTYCD would actually tarnish their name. They don’t want someone’s billing to be a distraction to their program. Plus, to take this show over Julliard is stupid, the show does absolutely nothing for you. every dancer who has won is doing the same thing they did before they won. Travis Wall would probably have gotten on that show as a choreographer even without first competing and Sabra is taking class at BDC like all the rest. granted you can ask for more money when teaching but thats about it
So sad about Billy. Rooting for Russell and Bianca!
I wasn’t looking forward to hearing his stupid name all season
Weak season? This season is going to kick last season’s tookas! last season was almost insufferable. There is much more diversity this year which always makes for a better season. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t think this top 20 isn’t looking like the best in awhile. Only time will tell but it’s got great promise.
agree about this season looking better than last.
I was sooo rooting for Paula…and then she pulled out. Boo. I’m really not to sure about the rest. I sort of tuned out auditions this time around. But for some reason, I like Pauline (Paulina?). But I could very well change my mind after the first week.
Paula had the chance to do Burlesque – with Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Cher, Stanley Tucci, etc. She went pro. Though I agree the timing sucks (Paula was a fave of mine as well), a sure thing (with union cards, etc.) is better than the possible outcome of SYTYCD.
here is the funny thing about this show. alot of the dancers are already pro. which isn’t fair, in my mind. If you remember Blake Mcgrath from a few seasons ago, he danced for Britney Spears before. Some of the other dancers had been in paying professional companies. I don’t think it’s fair that there are pre-pro dancers competing against pro dancers.
I think that Billy Bell curtain move was totally a Molly Shannon “Mary Katherine Gallagher” homage.
OMG I was totally thinking that, too! Superstar!
I thought that I had read a week or so ago that Billy Bell had tweeted that he broke his hand. Maybe I’m not remembering that right though.
That would be a relief! Hopefully, he’ll be able to perform next summer instead.
Yeah, it’s probably better for him to be sidelined now, before the actual competition part of the show has started because hopefully that will mean he will have the chance to come back.
Billy Bell twittered that he broke his hand last week.
I went back and saw that top 20 pick episode so I’m hoping for good things from Brandon Dimlao.
if it’s just a broken hand, you have to wonder why they didn’t say “injury” instead of “illness”. I hope it is just a broken hand and we can see him next season.
Picture? I have no idea who this is.
The kid with the big zits on his forehead when he was chosen for top 20.
If Billy Bell is out, then why was he on tonight’s showcase? (my apologies if they explained it in the first 1/2 of the show I missed it, since my stupid DVR thought baseball was on.)
He’s the boy who made Adam weep in his final solo
It has to be illness or they would have said injury. Also they would not have him quit if he just had strep throat but I’m wondering if he had H1N1 which is so contagious and they wanted him to pull out to avoid having people sick all season.
Anyone know why Billy was included in the showcase tonight if he had to drop out? If they said anything during the top 1/2 of the show my apologies – My DVR thought baseball was on tonight and I missed the beginning.
So if Billy is out, how come he was included in the showcase tonight? Did they explain at the top of the show? (Apologies if they did. My DVR thought baseball was on tonight)
I don’t know when it was filmed, but we can assume sometime before he got sick/injured/etc. They didn’t mention it during the show (because it hadn’t happened yet).
That makes 4 hip hop dancers!! Even though one is technically a krumper and one a breaker…they are forms of hip hop. That’s awesome!! Billy was fantastic and that’s sad that he won’t be on this season but…..it doesn’t really matter in the end. GO RUSSELL!!!!!
I’m also digging Elenore and her sassy style.
I was looking forward to billy bell but then when we saw a close up of his face tonight I knew he wasn’t going to win. He’s sadly a butherface.
nooooo….!!! billly!!!! you were my favorite!!!…NOT voting for cry-y girl or the b boy who looks like he’s 40…or the married people…or the 12 year old…a nd 3 tappers is too much clicking…which leaves???? uhh…what’s his face
I started crying when I heard the news about Billy. His solo was amazing and he was by far one of the top dancers. He was already my favorite and I was ready to vote for him until the end. I am extremely upset but now it looks like I’m cheering for Nathan and Jakob. I pray that Billy will return next season.
Congrats on your EW.com Video debut, Kate!
I had high hopes for this season and the news of Billy has just ruined it for me. i don’t know that i have ever been so gripped by a dancer on this show as I was by his auditions. Just sad news, I was so looking forward to watching him every week. But why was he on this “season preview” epi? I guess it happened after?
Agree with those who say that this season is going to be awful. Too many dancers that don’t have training in any style but their own, and too many tappers! I think it’s great that they put one in, but THREE? Those are going to be some BORING solos…
I have to agree with this. While I sometimes like tap, watching them tap for solos won’t get any votes from me. And I don’t like Bianca since like 2 seasons ago.
Who are the partnerships this season?! Does anyone know yet?
Saw a letter from Billy’s family on another website – apparently he was sick enough to be in the hospital for a bit, and apparently won’t be going back to school this semester. Must have happened quickly. Too bad – he was going to be fantastic (but this season, so many of them seem fantastic). Hopefully, he’s back next season.