Watching this week's "So You Think You Can Dance," we were tempted to feel cheated. What? Nothing happened? At the end of the week, the judges decided not to decide. Instead, they'll oust two people next week.

Nothing happened -- other than making an impression on viewers and judges for the next weeks. Still, this is kind of understandable; the judges had no solution; their only options were to dump:

On "So You Think You Can Dance," choreographers can give and take away. They can serve up one piece that makes a dancer seem dynamic ... and another that makes him seem blank.

Sonya Tayek did both tonight. The loser was Jose Ruiz, who was given a piece that was set entirely on the edge of the stage. "I find it very difficult to criticize your dancing," one judge (Adam Shankman) told him afterward. That may be because Jose never really got to dance; it was a stylish piece, but this high-energy guy was rarely given a chance to move.

Hey, this is turning into a dance demolition derby.

For the second straight week, the "So You Think You Can Dance" ouster wasn't because of viewers' votes or judges' views. It was because someone was injured and couldn't continue.

Last week, it was the brilliant Alex Wong; tonight, it was the appealing Ashley Galvan. This is sort of like a gladiator tournament, except that the loser isn't (to my knowledge) slain afterward.

This time, it was telegraphed from the start, because:

-- We didn't really see Ashley until the end; and

Chances are, you already knew that life isn't fair. (That's something already known to people in the Gulf Coast and in Cleveland.) For further proof, there's Alex Wong and "So You Think You Can Dance."

OK, that wasn't exactly a night of mad suspense.

After Wednesday's "So You Think You Can Dance," I predicted (see previous blog) that Melinda Sullivan, Billy Bell and Robert Roldan would be in the bottom three, with Melinda being sent home. That's exactly what happened.

It really had to. Melinda was also in the bottom three the first two weeks, but survived. On Wednesday, two judges said they'd made a mistake by not ousting her last week.

It's good that "So You Think You Can Dance" is requiring everyone to do a solo on Wednesdays. For a while, it seemed like we'd never see some of them.

The show was only requiring solos (on Thursdays) for people in the bottom three. That meant no Alex Wong or Jose Ruiz or Billy Bell or such; it meant seeing a Melinda Sullivan solo every week.

Tonight, everyone had to do one. And we saw that those people -- plus Ashley Galvan, Adechike Torbert and Kent Boyd -- are rather magnificent soloists.

Here's a tip to remember when you become a contestant on "American Idol" or "So You Think You Can Dance": Make sure you do something that involves Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah."

One year on "Idol," that song propelled Jason Castro from also-run to contender. Another year, it nudged Lee DeWyze toward the championship. And now it has brought a "Dance" triumph.

So you think you've had some busy weeks? Imagine what it's been like for Brandon Dumlao.

After failing to make the top 20 in "So You Think You Can Dance," he suddenly got a call: Billy Bell was ill and off the show; Brandon had made it, after all. A day and a half later, Brandon (a hip-hop dancer) was on stage, waltzing with Pauline Mata (a jazz dancer). Then the judges voted him out and sent him home again.

TV may not always be great, but it's definitely big and broad. Let me drop in a few extra comments, followed by a brief profile of Monica, whose show debuts tonight (Tuesday, Oct. 27):

1) "So You Think You Can Dance" (8-10 p.m., Fox). On Monday, we got one final showcase of the 20 finalists. They could dance in their own styles before tonight -- when the show starts its random styles, judging and elimination.