Hi Michael,
That is pretty much it. When you use the ReUpload feature from the My Photos section to upload an improved version of the photo, or the same photo, both the rejected photo and the new photo are moved to the Elevated Queue. The Elevated Queue is a separate queue for rejection appeals and any photos which the screeners feel require a discussion, clarification of data, etc. Once in the Elevated Queue the photo cannot be accepted or rejected until it receives the right number of votes for either scenario. That's why photos in the Elevated Queue can sometimes take a long time to get screened. Sometimes it's hard to make a decision either way, and we have to wait for the votes to come in.

In this case, the photo got the required votes rather quickly and was moved out in what may seem a very short amount of time. Rest assured, we did discuss it and vote on it. Unfortunately, we could not accept it. Perhaps, some more explanation from the screener would have been more helpful.

Yes, I know you like to push the boundaries Michael, but this one simply would not have appealed to the whole audience. Sorry, I know it's not easy to get a photo rejected, and we don't like to reject either, but we have to keep in mind all the other photographers, previously rejected photos, the site audience as a whole, and where we draw the line. Thanks for asking and your support over the years Michael.