'Dancing With the Stars' eliminates another all-star

Another Tuesday, another Dancing With the Stars celeb casualty.

Once again, we had to wonder: Would this be the week Bristol Palin goes home? She ranked above Kirstie Alley, who was at the bottom of the leaderboard. Maybe it would be time for Kirstie and Maks to pack it up? Or would pro Karina Smirnoff's fall during her hip-hop routine with Apolo Anton Ohno cost the star the competition?

Here's how the results trickled out:

Right off the bat, we found out that Shawn Johnson was safe. Of course. Next, Sabrina Bryan and Kelly Monaco were told they were safe.

Bristol Palin and USA TODAY blogger Mark Ballas were said to be in jeopardy. Noted host Tom Bergeron, "This could be your last night here in the ballroom."

During the "Macy's Stars of Dance Performance," the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), with Jessica Keller as lead ballerina, performed while Christina Grimmie, 18, sang Titanium.

Next celebs deemed safe: Gilles Marini and Emmitt Smith.

Apolo and Karina were told they'd be joining Bristol and Mark in the jeopardy category. "This may be your last night in the ballroom," Bergeron told Apolo. The crowd booed.

Providing another break from the suspense, pro dancer Cheryl Burke, along with four outside dancers, performed while Tito Puente Jr. showcased a medley of his classics.

Then Melissa Rycroft and her pro partner Tony Dovolani were told they were safe. Kirstie and pro partner Maks Chmerkovskiy were told they were in jeopardy.

Before we got to the big elimination news, Season 9 champ Donny Osmond returned to the ballroom with none other than Susan Boyle. They sang a duet of This Is the Moment, from SueBo's new album, Standing Ovation, out Nov. 13. They were accompanied by dancers Kym Johnson, Tristan McManus, Anna Trebunskya and Henry Byalikov. Donny at times held SueBo's hand while she sang. And gave her a hug when it was over. Susan seemed timid. Donny kept his arm around her protectively. Sweet.

The stars were divided into teams for next week's freestyle.

And then, hurrying to finish before the presidential debate, Tom Bergeron said Apolo and Karina were safe, meaning Bristol or Kirstie would be getting the boot.

Leaving: Bristol Palin!

"Well, we did it," said Bristol, matter-of-factly. "We made it to Week 4 and I'm happy with that, and I had an awesome time and awesome partner. Tthese are just great people and I wish everyone the best of luck."