Benji Swings to "Dance" Victory
Benji Schwimmer doesn't just think--he knows he can dance.
The 22-year-old swing dancer from Redlands, California, was crowned the winner of the second season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance on Wednesday.
"Thank you so much, America! I love you guys," a tearful Schwimmer said after learning of his victory in the final seconds of the show.
More than 16 million viewer votes were cast to determine the somewhat surprising outcome of the live two-hour finale.
Runner-up Travis Hill had been favored by fans and judges alike to win after his performance won glowing praise during last week's episode, but in the end, viewers grooved to Schwimmer's moves.
The finale began with four dancers in the running. Donyelle Jones and Schwimmer's cousin, Heidi Groskreutz, were eliminated early on, leaving Hill and Travis to put their best feet forward.
The show also featured group dance numbers from the top 20 dancers, as well as feature performances by Fergie and Ciara.
As the victor, Schwimmer took home $100,000 in cash, a new car and a one-year contract to appear as a dancer in Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New Day, at Caesar's Palace.
"I am delighted to be the first one to congratulate Benji on becoming America's favorite dancer," Dion said in a pre-taped message.
Fox's fleet-footed reality competition has been a ratings powerhouse of late. For the week ending Sunday, Aug. 13, So You Think finished in third place, with 10.1 million viewers, edging out that other reality competition, NBC's America's Got Talent, which finished fifth, with 8.5 million viewers.
The network was pleased enough with the series' proven ability to dance its way to the top to order up a third edition last month.
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