from what ive seen and read, i think billy has a good chance of staying around. It sounded like he was sitting out and resting tonight SO he could be back next week. I hope thats true because I hate all these contestants leaving for injuries!

Did anyone notice in the Samba that Lauren fell too far away and/or too soon and it took all of Roberts strength to get her into the swing?

OMFG. NOOOOOOOOOOO

ARE YOU FRICKING KIDDING ME!? I AM GONNA DIE! THERE CAN'T HAVE BEEN ANOTHER INJURY! UGHHHHH! ARE YOU JUST MESSING AROUND!!!???

Alex gets to come back because he doesn't get to tour this year. Ashley gets to tour.

Nigel tweeted that she has the option to tour OR come back to vegas next year so it's up to her what she does if Billy can't stay I'm assuming he'll have the same option

Watch their going to let Billy and Alex come back and their not going to let Ashley come cack that is so unfair if 1 comes back they all should come back

As much as I LOVE Alex, I don't think anyone should be given the option to come back. It's horrible if you get hurt and have to leave, but how fair is it that Alex or anyone be able to come back especially when they only started with 10 contestants. That makes three season of massive exposure and fan base development for Alex...that's not really fair. Further, whats to stop dancers from faking injuries (not that anyone would), but what's to stop people from claiming they are hurt because they realize they don't have a chance of winning that year, and then just come back again the next season? Where do they draw the line? Frankly Asley should not have been given the option because the truth is she probably would have been cut that show anyway, so she actually got a gift. Someone should be CUT every show and once you've been on the show you should not be able to come back. They already announced that the doctors cleared Billy and performing was based on his choice...so it's possible dancers could fake injuries so they have the option to come back and try again. I think it's a bad policy! It may seem compassionate but it opens up too many cans of worms! Where do you draw the line?

Nigel pretty blatantly dislikes Billy; I highly doubt he'll be invited back to Vegas again. He'll probably get the same offer as Ashley of being able to tour

Nigel has stated that Ashley is being given the choice of Tour OR retry out next year. She can do one but not the other.

Yeah, but Ashley would be out of her mind not to take the offer of the tour, he can make that offer without blinking

Hopefully the injury isn't too severe and he'll be good to go for next week. The judges knew before the episodes for Alex and Ashley that they would not be able to continue, but apparently Billy's injury isn't as severe? I'd rather no elimination this week and have a top 4 finale. Why do we need a top 3 finale anyway?

Also, further indication of the dancers being beaten down... A picture Allison tweeted of her legs a few hours ago: http://twitpic.com/27dvof

Thank you for the scoop...as always, you guys are right on it.

no. way.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO BILLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Whaaat?!? Billy, Alex and Ashley are/were my top 3!! I know Billy probably won't last much longer, but that's not the point! Please let him be able to continue in the competition!! And Robert get's jazz again?!

Lets be honest here. Billy has been in the bottom the past 3 straight weeks. Yes, he is a great dancer, but how many voters are really going to be that disappointed to see him go tomorrow, if he has to on Drs orders. Whether he's injured or not, his days on this show are numbered anyways, he's just not getting enough votes to stay in the competition.

Stop it. Billy is the best.

"You're going to catch a cold from the ice inside your soul"

I totally love Billy, but you are right :(

Robert was in the bottom for two weeks in a row and pretty much everyone was ready to write him off. Nothing is set in stone and as a Billy fan, I'd like to stay optimistic, thanks much

HOW DARE YOU

I LOVE BILLY

UN-believable!! I sure hope it's not another week of voting, & it doesn't even matter because an injury is serious enough to make the choice for us. Poor Billy! He is definitely one of my favorites. I'm praying it's not too bad!

No. NO. NOOOOOO!!!!!! WHY does this keep on happening? Week after week there are injuries. We aren't 100% sure what is causing them, but the producers better realize that pushing them too hard = more injured favorites, which = less viewers every week. PLEASE let Billy's injury be minor. PLEASE!!!!!!

Sux! The winner is will be a winner by default.

Jose will be the last one standing cuz his routines are so Simple!

Top 4 - Robert, Kent, Lauren and ....................

PLEASE let this be a temporary injury for Billy!!!!

Nigel stated early on that the finale is going to be a Top 3, not 4.

Really! That is probably a good idea! Looks like it just might be Robert, Kent and Lauren. With Kent the winner. What a weird season!

W.T.F.

This season really is a bust. I can understand one injury, but three season changing injuries really makes me almost not even care anymore, and it really sucks for whoever wins because a lot of the competition was taken out by something that wasn't expected to happen, and really takes a lot of pride and glory out of the win.

i agree! and besides alex, billy, and ashley there have been other injuries like roberts back contusion (which was unmentioned on the show) Allison's ribs and then her legs that she tweeted about today. I think thats way too much for one season!

Maybe it is the dancer's trying so hard because they are so committed in their hearts that is the main reason for the injuries. That and Murphy's Law! I don't think they are being pushed unreasonably. I think that Alex, Ashley and Billy just have a combination of a great hearts and rotten luck!

WHAT THE F&%K IS GOING ON!!!? All the best dancers of this competition are literally killing themselves. For crying out loud, that means Jose or Adechike will be in the top four!!! NOOOOOOOO! Poor Billy, get mono before last year's season, now in the middle of it, busts his knee. Life is a bitch, and this season is a bust. :(

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN BE HEALTHY (FOX, Wed & Thu, 8/7c & 9/8c):
Cat Deeley hosts the number one show of the summer, as 11 talented young dancers TRY to learn a choreography every week without breaking bones or pulling muscles. You can bet that the choreographers, the producers and the judges will focus all of their endeavors to have these dancers fall, twist and shout (more like twist and scream!). The summer heat and the schedule won't help either and a pool of contestants from seasons past will be there to trip your favorites when they least expect it. In the end, only one will make it to the top and win the grand prize: free health insurance for life and the title America's healthiest dancer. So forget Dexter, tune in on FOX if you wanna see some blood.

I hope Billy wasnt doing a ballroom routine. We have very little ballroom this season and Alex had a Fox Trot and couldnt dance and Ashley had A Rumba and couldnt dance

I think the choreographers are asking too much. It's like they are trying to out do each other this season (more than in seasons past) and by doing that, they are pushing the dancers past what is reasonable. And we have major injuries to prove it. It makes me sad to loose arguably the best dancers in the competition, and it frustrates me that the injuries then give a free pass to dancers who should have been gone weeks ago.

I still miss Alex. :(

I know it's really inappropriate but this is getting almost funny. actually scratch "almost". this is a freakin' CONSPIRACY! So sorry for Billy though, hope he gets well soon.

WHY ARE THERE SOOOOOO MANY INJURIES THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dear Choreographers, Please stop making your routines sooooo intense that you keep injuring your dancers. Thanks. love SYTYCD fan.

WTF are you serious another injury what the hell do they have the choreographers doing man and why is it that all my favorites are getting injured all my favorites are gone except for Billy. Alexie,Cristina,Alex and Ashley are all gone and now we may loose Billy. I hope Jose doesnt ruin another routine

I'll say it again: the schedule for this show is too rigorous for these dancers! Or maybe it's the choreographers asking too much of them because of all the Emmy pressure, I don't know. But there is CLEARLY a message to be learned from this season.

It's not like past season havn't had injuries it's just they've been more serious this season. I think it's because the fates want Kent to win and their systamaticly taking out all his compition.

No way... is this happening. Last season he had to drop out because of illness, and now he's injured? T.T Billy!!! I hope he gets better soon... and I hope that he doesn't get eliminated tomorrow, because he's seriously the best dancer I've ever seen, and he's been improving so much!!!!! Get better soon Billy!!

And that's the THIRD injury this season! WHAT exactly is happening? Is it the choreographers? Is it the dance schedule? WHAT??? This is getting so ridiculous.

Nigel is problably going to toss off Billy the way he did Ashley. He has "talked" to Billy's docs, they say he needs a month or so to heal, sorry we can't risk your health, and Goodbye Billy Boy, don't let that door hit ya on your way out. Nigel is most likely glad he can further rid of the competition since he has stuck in his mind of a Lauren and Kent finale, with a Jose improvement arc bullshit, and Robert oh so finally getting love from the people who didn't care. Spare me! Watch them really throw adechicke under the bus, and tell Billy be ready for the tour, with no mention of actually coming back. What-ever!

Unfortunately, your scenario sounds all too plausible. So sorry to see a once-great show devolve into this.

Ashley actually has a choice: either she does the tour or she gets to come back during Vegas week next year.

Where did you hear that? And does Alex have the same deal?

Yeah, Nigel tweeted about it. And Alex doesn't have the same deal, he just gets to come back for Vegas because he won't be completely healed like Ashley will be in time for the tour.

i think alex has to spend like three months healing so i think touring was out of the question. By the time he could dance again it would be october and he would be out of shape and the tour would already be half way over.

i think he said it on twitter

in a row might i add.

Reeeaalllly?? Like....ughhhh.
What about this tweet (like 2 minutes ago):

Billy Bell: song of the day: "Mount Wroclai" by Beiruit so excited for the show today! Some great stuff!

Does this mean maybe he's dancing? *crosses fingers*

I don't think so. The past few weeks when Alex and then Ashley were injured, they tweeted something very nondescript on show day as well. They never mentioned their injuries or if they would be dancing.

Said it before, and saying it again. It's because they didn't take Anthony Burrell this season. The man danced through his injury all Vegas week without this nonsense. ^_~

Well, a torn Achilles tendon is not "nonsense." That injury can permanently disable even a non-dancer/athlete for the rest of their life. I suspect that the choreographers are pushing the dancers too much, hoping to add to the appeal of the show and gain some Emmy nominations in the process. A lot of the tricks that are injuring the dancers this year probably wouldn't be as dangerous if they got adequate rest and had more time to warm up and rehearse.

Exactly! Thank you!

I wonder if it's a mind thing- all the contestants are trying NOT to get hurt but have it in the back of their minds that they don't want to be "next," thus causing it to occur even more frequently. I agree that this is not normal, BUT you have to figure that after two injuries everyone on the SYTYCD producers are being extra extra extra extra extra careful.

You know what? I think this is further proof that the new format *does not work*. Pairing these dancers with All-Stars encourages the choreographers to make the routines harder -- you're not trying to bring two dancers to the level of the routine, it's only one dancer. They're being pushed too far too fast and this is what happens. You're seeing fantastic dancers suffering these injuries that could potentially derail their entire careers. Failed experiment, Mr. Lythgoe. FAILED.

im sorry, but i disagree. i think this format "works" and it works very well. i LOVE seeing my old favorites and my new favorites dance together. it makes the show interesting after what an epic fail last season was. they needed to do something new to make it interesting again.

I'm not sure your theory is as airtight as you think. Alex's injury didn't occur with an all-star; he was rehearsing the Bollywood number with Adechike, so the new format had nothing to do with the injury outright. And clearly Alex was doing just fine with the new format, as evidenced by the Hiphop from the previous week. With Ashley, we don't know what routine triggered her rib injury, but it could very well have been the disco with Robert. So, I wouldn't be so quick to lay the blame on the format :)

GET WELL, BILLY!

In seasons past they would only *just* be starting to dance two routines, as opposed to doing so the last two weeks, and before that, dancing a routine and a solo. The schedule is more rigorous this season!

I think this might be the key. In previous seasons, the dancers had weeks and weeks of adjustment - that is, plenty of time to get used to learning a routine with a new partner, new choreographer, and a group number. This season they had, what, 2-3 weeks of that? I think it may be too much, too fast.

Poor Robert has both Tyce Diorio and Lauren Gottlieb on his Birthday! Well, I hope his B-Day Wish when blowing out those 20 Candles is to avoid the Bottom 3!

I think Robert will ROCK this. Lauren is a sweetie and the best qualified to help him learn a routine! I'm feeling much better this week about people finally seeing how really good he is and what a nice guy he is!

Are you serious?!?!?!

Maybe the choreographers should take note that not every routine needs to have dancers doing tricks, excessive jumps and throwing themselves on the ground to be a great routine...

ok, i think that the producers need to realize that they are pushing these dancers WAY TOO HARD. it is NOT normal that everyone is getting injured week after week!!! The best season in all seven seasons is no longer that way because all of the best dancers keep getting injured. this is not fair at all. i really hope billy is better by tomorrow so he can stay =( jose should be gone by now! he would have been if all of these epic dancers didnt keep getting injured.

I can't imagine that the producers push these dancers (probably less so) than any professional dance troupe in the world does. It's just that this group is on TV every week.

I agree. I hope billy's injury is more like noelle or ashliegh's injuries last season as an oppose to alex or ashley's injuries this season.

oh no, tell me this is not happening. not another injury please :'(

Seriously??? Poor Billy, hope its not serious. What a strange season this has been.

ANOTHER INJURY?!?!?!?! This is just crazy!! Does America need to vote any more? If Billy isn't dancing, he'll be in the bottom, and the way this season has been going, he will be out tomorrow.

OMG THIS IS RIDICULOUUUSSS BILLLY NOO!!! 2nd time hes been injured on the show and 3rd time this season :(

NOOOO WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

Are you KIDDING me?!?! Three injuries in a row?? Billy is my all-time favorite too!!

Ugh... I'm like devastated right now... :'(

It's all cumulative, and there's been greater pressure on them than ever before. The push to keep up with an All Star, plus doing 2 routines earlier, plus a group dance, plus the pressure to get those Emmy nods, it all adds up. It really worries me - this is the first season where I've been afraid that some young dancer's future will be ruined because of irreparable injury. When somebody goes to audition, they're not thinking about this.