This week on "So You Think You Can Dance," Ryan and Alexander went home, and really, this was the right call by America and the judges. It seemed like their time to go. But that didn't make their elimination any less bittersweet, especially since Ryan was so obviously distraught, onstage and off. In fact, backstage she was seen being consoled by sweet guest judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson, looking positively crushed.

After Ryan composed herself, she and Alexander talked to reporters on Thursday night. The pair tried to be optimistic, speaking of their gratitude for the "SYTYCD" opportunity and giving shoutouts to their respective partners, Ricky and Sasha, who made it into the top 10 and will continue on the show. But their sadness was still palpable. Sigh. I wish them both well.

Watch Ryan and Alexander's post-results show interview, to get their perspective on their "SYTYCD" journeys.

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Alex Wong was the early breakout star of "So You Think You Can Dance" last year; his "Outta Your Mind" hip-hop routine with allstar Twitch (which just earned an Emmy nomination) and "Hallelujah" contemporary with allstar Allison Holker are still considered to be two of the best numbers in the series' history. Many "SYTYCD" fans, myself included, hypothesized that Alex, who gave up a post at the prestigious Miami City Ballet to appear on "SYTYCD," could have won the entire competition, if he hadn't had to tragically bow out due to a lacerated Achilles tendon injury that took a full year to heal. Alex was set to return to the show this season as an allstar...but it turns out he will now have to sit out yet another year of "SYTYCD," because, horrifically, he just snapped the Achilles tendon in his other leg.

The injury, which Nigel Lythgoe first announced on Fox's "Good Day L.A." Thursday morning, occurred at the Step Up 4 auditions this past weekend, one year and three days after Alex's

With only one week before "So You Think You Can Dance's" top 10 stage--when the all-important allstars come in, the dancers start competing as individuals instead of duos, and the lineup for the "SYTYCD" live tour is determined--this was undoubtedly the most crucial week of Season 8 yet. And Wednesday's show was a bittersweet episode in many ways, as it marked the last time "SYTYCD" fans would see made-in-dance-heaven power couples like Melanie and Marko, Jordan and Tadd, and Clarice and Jess perform together. So luckily, we all got to watch the remaining couples perform two routines apiece this week.

As sad as those forthcoming breakups will be, on the plus side, I've long theorized that some dancers on this show are sadly dragging their partners down (namely Ryan hurting Ricky's chances, and Alexander hurting Sasha's), so it was nice to know that after this week, the remaining contestants (Ricky and Sasha hopefully among them) will be judged on their own merits. No couples, oddly,

Do not attempt to adjust your TV dial. Your television set has not magically transformed into a time machine and transported you back to 2009, when Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul's bad cop/kooky cop showmance still dominated "American Idol." If watching Fox on Tuesday night confused you, as you witnessed Simon and Paula sitting together on a judging panel again, it's because Simon's new show "The X Factor USA" aired its first breathlessly awaited premiere that evening. And if this promo is anything to go by, Simon plans to return Fox to the illustrious bastion of dream-crushing and vile-spewing it once was, before kinder, gentler Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez joined Randy Jackson over at "Idol" and started declaring every single singer "beautiful" and "in it to win it."

The preview was only two minutes and 31 seconds, but that was enough to know that Simon is back to doing what he does best: telling wannabe pop stars that they are "absolute rubbish" and, of course, bickering like a