So You Think You Can Dance?
Home: Redlands, Calif.
Specialty: West Coast swing
Benji wins $100,000, a new SUV, a contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, and the title of America's Favorite Dancer.
Travis Wall
Home: Virginia Beach, Va.
Specialty: lyrical and jazz
Eliminated: August 16, 2006
Praised by the judges for his strong technique, Travis was the runner-up in the competition.
Donyelle Jones
Home: Studio City, Calif.
Specialty: jazz and hip-hop
Eliminated: August 16, 2006
Donyelle was one of the final four contestants left in the competition.
Heidi Groskreutz
Home: Cliffside Park, NJ
Specialty: Latin, ballroom and swing
Eliminated: August 16, 2006
Heidi was one of the final four in the competition. She lost to her cousin Benji.
Natalie Fotopoulos
Home: Tampa, Fla.
Specialty: lyrical and jazz
Eliminated: August 3, 2006 (Week 8)
Natalie was praised for her beauty, technique and strength. The judges suggested she work on her emotional expression.
Ivan Koumaev
Home: Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Specialty: hip-hop
Eliminated: August 3, 2006 (Week 8)
The judges applauded Ivan for doing so well in the competition without formal dance training.
Ryan Rankine
Home: Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: contemporary
Eliminated: July 27, 2006 (Week 7)
Though not as versatile as some of the other finalists, Ryan is a brilliant technician in his specialty, contemporary dance.
Allison Holker
Home: Orem, Ut.
Specialty: modern lyrical
Eliminated: July 27, 2006 (Week 7)
An extremely versatile dancer who adapted easily to unfamiliar styles, most notably Argentine tango.
Martha Nichols
Home: Raleigh, NC
Specialty: contemporary, hip-hop
Eliminated: July 20, 2006 (Week 6)
Martha was the first girl of the final ten to be eliminated. Nigel said that producers are planning a tour featuring the ten finalists, so Martha may get a chance to dance with her friends from the show again soon.
Dmitry Chaplin
Home: Brooklyn, NY
Specialty: ballroom and Latin
Eliminated: July 20, 2006 (Week 6)
Dmitry's fans will be disappointed not to see him rip open his shirt and display those washboard abs again.
Ashlee Nino
Home: Dallas, Tex.
Specialty: popping
Eliminated: July 13, 2006 (Week 5)
Ashlee was wonderful at her specialty, but was unfamiliar with some of the styles she was given in the competition. The judges told her that she has a great career ahead of her.
Musa Cooper
Home: Camden, N.J.
Specialty: hip-hop/street performer
Eliminated: July 13, 2006 (Week 5)
Nigel told Musa that eliminating him was the "toughest decision of all time. ... if we were to base this show just purely on your talent you could probably win it."
Jessica Fernandez
Home: Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Specialty: ballet and multiple styles
Eliminated: July 6, 2006 (Week 4)
Jessica was the first dancer in the competition to do her solo on pointe, but the judges sent her home saying she didn't display enough personality.
Jaymz Tuaileva
Home: Orem, Ut.
Specialty: jazz, hip-hop, ballroom
Eliminated: July 6, 2006 (Week 4)
Although the judges said Jaymz was a good all-around dancer, his choice of paso doble for his solo robbed him of a chance to show his best dancing.
Aleksandra Wojda
Home: Willow Springs, Ill.
Specialty: contemporary, lyrical and jazz
Eliminated: June 29 (Week 3)
Aleksandra's stiffness in her Week 3 waltz caused Nigel to say her performance reminded him of "The Corpse Bride."
Ben Susak
Home: Phoenix, Ariz.
Specialty: contemporary dance
Eliminated: June 29 (Week 3)
Although Ben has excellent technique as a contemporary dancer he had difficulty grasping other styles.
Joy Spears
Home: Killeen, Ala.
Specialty: jazz, lyrical, hip-hop
Eliminated: June 22, 2006 (Week 2)
Joy's samba sagged in week 2 and Nigel pointed out that she was good at several kinds of dancing, but not great at any one of them.
Jason Williams
Home: North Hollywood, Calif.
Specialty: lyrical, hip-hop, jazz funk
Eliminated: June 22, 2006 (Week 2)
Jason's partner Aleksandra was out of her element in their old-school hip-hop routine in the second week, and they landed in the bottom three. His solo lacked "personality" according to Nigel, and he was sent home.
Erin Ellis
Home: Nashville, Tenn.
Specialty: jazz and lyrical
Eliminated: June 15, 2006 (Week 1)
Erin was paired with Stanislav June 14, but had a rough time keeping her balance in the paso doble.
Stanislav Savich
Specialty: ballroom
Home: Brooklyn, NY
Eliminated: June 15, 2006 (Week 1)
Stanislav danced his end of the paso doble beautifully, but Erin dragged him down in the bottom three.