So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) season 2

The second season of So You Think You Can Dance premiered on May 25, 2006, with new host Cat Deeley.
On August 16, Benji Schwimmer was announced as the winner of season 2 and received the grand prize of $100,000, a new hybrid SUV, and a one-year contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New Day.... Schwimmer almost did not make the show's top 20 — he was officially first runner-up contestant in case any of the male contestant ran into unforeseen difficulties prior to the start of filming. As it happened, for the second year in a row, Hokuto Konishi was unable to get his visa cleared to work in the U.S. in time for the first taping, and he was cut. Schwimmer took his spot in the Top 20 and fared well from the start, garnering consistent praise from the judges and votes from viewers. Schwimmer and fellow grand finalist Donyelle Jones, who were paired as a couple from the first performance episode, became the fourth contestants in the show's run never to face elimination from being among the bottom six or bottom four contestants, became the second contestants to be in the grand finale, and became the first pair in the show's run never to face elimination from being among the bottom six or bottom four contestants in the grand finale.

Auditions

Auditions were held in New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Charleston, South Carolina.

Vegas week

One hundred and sixteen contestants were invited for a week of training to the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. This training included hip-hop choreography taught by Shane Sparks, samba choreography taught by Mary Murphy with assistance from season 1 contestant Artem Chigvinsev, a contemporary routine taught by Mia Michaels, and training from Brian Friedman, who described his choreography as a fusion of jazz and hip-hop. The original group of contestants was eventually whittled down to 41, from which the judges chose their top 20.

Contestant	Thing/style	Music	Choreographer
All	Hip-hop	"Run It!"—Chris Brown"	Shane Sparks
All	Samba	"Magalenha"—Sérgio Mendes	Mary Murphy with Artem Chigvinsev
All	Contemporary	N/A	Mia Michaels
All	Jazz-fusion	"So Sexy"—Shanice	Brian Friedman
All	Solo	Individual songs chosen by contestant	The contestant

Finals

Elimination chart

The song played after each female contestant's elimination was "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall, whilst that played after each male contestant's elimination was "It's the End of the Road" by Matt Goss.

Female

Male

Bottom 3 couples

Bottom 4 contestants

Performance nights

Week 1 (June 14, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty

Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Hip-Hop	"2 Much Booty "—Soundmaster T	Shane Sparks	Safe
Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev	Salsa	"El Temblor"—La Palabra	Alex Da Silva	Bottom 3
Aleksandra Wojda Jason Williams	Contemporary	"Unwritten"—Natasha Bedingfield	Tyce Diorio	Safe
Jessica Fernandez Jaymz Tuaileva	70s Disco	"Disco Inferno"—The Trammps	Doriana Sanchez	Bottom 3
Erin Ellis Stanislav Savich	Paso Doble	"Malaguena"—Manhattan Pops Orchestra	Ron Montez	Both eliminated
Joy Spears Dmitry Chaplin	Hip-Hop	"Hit the Floor"—Twista	Shane Sparks	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz Ryan Rankine	Viennese Waltz	"Caribbean Blue"—Enya	Ron Montez	Safe
Ashlee Nino Ben Susak	80s Disco	"Flashdance... What a Feeling"—Irene Cara	Doriana Sanchez	Safe
Martha Nichols Travis Wall	Broadway	"Steam Heat"—The Pointer Sisters	Tyce Diorio	Safe
Natalie Fotopoulos Musa Cooper	Mambo	"Nina"—Joe Cuba Sextet	Alex Da Silva	Safe

Week 2 (June 21, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Shane Sparks and Mia Michaels

Guest dancer: SickStep Crew : "Canned Heat"—Jamiroquai
Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Martha Nichols Travis Wall	Krump	"Clap Back"—Ja Rule	Lil' C	Safe
Jaymz Tuaileva	Foxtrot	"Why Don't You Do Right?"—Sinéad O'Connor	Mary Murphy	Safe
Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev	Hip-Hop	"Touch It"—Busta Rhymes		Safe
Joy Spears Dmitry Chaplin	Samba		Mark Weiss	Joy Spears eliminated
Natalie Fotopoulos Musa Cooper	Contemporary	"Closer"—Goapele	Tovaris Wilson	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz Ryan Rankine	Pop	"Walk Away"—Kelly Clarkson	Tovaris Wilson	Bottom 3
Ashlee Nino Ben Susak	American Jive	"Great Balls of Fire"—Jerry Lee Lewis	Mary Murphy	Safe
Aleksandra Wojda Jason Williams	Hip-Hop	"Wrath of Kane"—Big Daddy Kane
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Cha-cha	"Cuchi-Cuchi"—Los Amigos Invisibles	Mark Weiss	Safe

Week 3 (June 28, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Olisa Thompson and Cicely Bradley

Guest dancer: Hop, Swing and a Jump: "Traffic Jam"—Bill Elliott
Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Ashlee Nino Ben Susak	Hip-Hop	"Caught Up"—Usher	Todd Sams	Ben Susak eliminated
Heidi Groskreutz Ryan Rankine	Cuban Rumba	"Rumba del Solar"—Angelo Rodriguez	Alex Da Silva	Safe
Aleksandra Wojda Dmitry Chaplin	Waltz	"If I Were a Painting"—Kenny Rogers	Heather Smith	Aleksandra Wojda eliminated
Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev	Argentine Tango	"Libertango"—bond	Alex Da Silva	Safe
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Pop-Jazz	"Put the Needle on It"—Dannii Minogue	Brian Friedman	Safe
Natalie Fotopoulos Musa Cooper	Quickstep	"Zoot Suit Riot"—Cherry Poppin' Daddies	Heather Smith	Safe
Jessica Fernandez Jaymz Tuaileva	Contemporary	"Let Go"—Frou Frou	Brian Friedman	Bottom 3
Martha Nichols Travis Wall	Hip-Hop	"Just Fine"—Chris Brown	Todd Sams	Safe

Week 4 (July 5, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty

Guest dancer: Lil' C and the Neph Squad: "Spaz Meter"—The J-Squad
Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Heidi Groskreutz Ryan Rankine	Hip-Hop	"Give It All You Got"—Afro-Rican	Shane Sparks	Bottom 3
Martha Nichols Travis Wall	Salsa	"Tanga"—Machito and His Afro-Cubans	Ron Montez	Safe
Ashlee Nino Dmitry Chaplin	Contemporary	"Dance, Dance"—Fall Out Boy	Brian Friedman	Safe
Musa Cooper	Disco	"Hot Stuff"—Donna Summer		Safe
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Viennese Waltz		Toni Redpath Michael Mead	Safe
Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev		"Don't Happen No More"—Pat Benatar	Ron Montez	Bottom 3
Jaymz Tuaileva	Hip-Hop	"I Can Make You Dance"—Zapp	Shane Sparks

Week 5 (July 12, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Brian Friedman

Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Musa Cooper Natalie Fotopoulos	Hip-Hop	"Promiscuous"—Nelly Furtado	Dan Karaty	Musa Cooper eliminated
Ryan Rankine Heidi Groskreutz	Cha-cha	"Sex Bomb"—Tom Jones	Jean-Marc Généreux	Safe
Ivan Koumaev Allison Holker	Contemporary	"Why"—Annie Lennox	Tyce Diorio	Safe
Dmitry Chaplin Ashlee Nino	Pop	"Let Me"—Rihanna	Dan Karaty	Ashlee Nino eliminated
Travis Wall Martha Nichols	Foxtrot	"Witchcraft"—Steve Tyrell	Jean-Marc Généreux	Bottom 3
Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones	Broadway	"You Can't Stop The Beat" from Hairspray	Tyce Diorio	Safe

Week 6 (July 19, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Olisa Thompson, Cicely Bradley and Jean-Marc Généreux

Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
	Hip-Hop	"Me & U"—Cassie	Shane Sparks
	Smooth Waltz	"Sandy's Song"—Dolly Parton	Toni Redpath Michael Mead
	Paso Doble		Mary Murphy	Safe
	Contemporary	"Calling You"—Celine Dion	Mia Michaels	Safe
Allison Holker Ryan Rankine	Contemporary	"Ethna"—Klement Bonelli	Mia Michaels	Ryan Rankine in bottom 4
Allison Holker Ryan Rankine	Broadway	"Bye Bye Blackbird"—Liza Minnelli	Tyce Diorio	Ryan Rankine in bottom 4
Donyelle Jones Dmitry Chaplin	Lindy Hop	"Sing, Sing, Sing"-Benny Goodman	Nick Williams Kristen Sorci	Dmitry Chaplin eliminated
Donyelle Jones Dmitry Chaplin	Samba	"Hey Mama"—The Black Eyed Peas	Mary Murphy	Dmitry Chaplin eliminated
	Jazz		Tyce Diorio
	Hip-Hop	"She's Freaky"—Pitbull	Shane Sparks

Top 10 contestant's solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Donyelle Jones	Hip-Hop	"Git It"—Bun B feat. Ying Yang Twins	Safe
Dmitry Chaplin	Samba	"Pump It"—Black Eyed Peas	Eliminated
Martha Nichols	Jazz	"What You Waiting For?"—Gwen Stefani	Eliminated
Ivan Koumaev	Hip-Hop	"This Luv"—Donell Jones	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz	Samba	"Dum Diddly"—Black Eyed Peas	Safe
Travis Wall	Contemporary	"Belief"—Gavin DeGraw	Safe
Natalie Fotopoulos	Contemporary	"Lamentation"—Leah Andreone	Bottom 4
Benji Schwimmer	West Coast Swing	"Land of a Thousand Dances"—Wilson Pickett	Safe
Allison Holker	Contemporary	"We Belong"—Pat Benatar	Safe
Ryan Rankine	Jazz	"Canned Heat"—Jamiroquai	Bottom 4

Week 7 (July 26, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty

Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Donyelle Jones Travis Wall	Hip-Hop	"London Bridge"—Fergie	Shane Sparks	Travis Wall in bottom 4
Donyelle Jones Travis Wall	Quickstep	"Dancin' Fool"—Barry Manilow	Glenn Weiss	Travis Wall in bottom 4
Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev	Argentine Tango	"La Cumparsita"—Orquestra Escuela de Tango	Alex Da Silva	Allison Holker eliminated
Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev	Hip-Hop	"Sexy Love"—Ne-Yo	Shane Sparks	Allison Holker eliminated
Natalie Fotopoulos Ryan Rankine	Disco	"Turn the Beat Around"—Vicki Sue Robinson	Doriana Sanchez	Natalie Fotopoulos in bottom 4 Ryan Rankine eliminated
Natalie Fotopoulos Ryan Rankine	Contemporary	"I Will Get There"—Boyz II Men	Tyce Diorio	Natalie Fotopoulos in bottom 4 Ryan Rankine eliminated
Heidi Groskreutz Benji Schwimmer	Broadway	"Fake Your Way to the Top" from Dreamgirls	Tyce Diorio	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz Benji Schwimmer	Mambo	"Black Mambo"—Angel and the Mambokats	Alex Da Silva	Safe

Week 8 (August 2, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels

Couple dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer	Result
Natalie Fotopoulos Ivan Koumaev	Jive	"Route 66"—John Mayer	Ron Montez	Both eliminated
Natalie Fotopoulos Ivan Koumaev	Contemporary		Tyce Diorio	Both eliminated
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Broadway	"Le Jazz Hot"—Julie Andrews	Tyce Diorio	Safe
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Hip-Hop	"Hotline"—Ciara	Shane Sparks	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz Travis Wall	Smooth Waltz	"Flying"—Cait Agus Sean	Ron Montez	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz Travis Wall	Afro-Pop	"W'Happy Mama"—Zap Mama	Wade Robson	Safe

Top 6 contestant's solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Travis Wall	Contemporary	"You and Me"—Lifehouse	Safe
Natalie Fotopoulos	Jazz	"Ooh La La"—Goldfrapp	Eliminated
Ivan Koumaev	Hip-Hop	"It Was All In Your Mind"—Wade Robson	Eliminated
Heidi Groskreutz	Cha-cha	"I Like It"—The Blackout Allstars	Safe
Benji Schwimmer	West Coast Swing	"Reet Petite"—Jackie Wilson	Safe
Donyelle Jones	Broadway	"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls	Safe

Week 9 (August 9, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Brian Friedman

Group dance: Top 4: "SexyBack"—Justin Timberlake
Duo dances:

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer
Heidi Groskreutz Travis Wall	Disco	"Shake Your Groove Thing"—Peaches & Herb	Doriana Sanchez
Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer	Viennese Waltz	"I'll Be"—Edwin McCain	Jean-Marc Généreux
Travis Wall Benji Schwimmer	Hip-Hop	"Gyrate"—Da Muzicianz feat. Mr. Collipark	Shane Sparks
Donyelle Jones Heidi Groskreutz	Broadway	"Big Spender" from Sweet Charity	Tyce Diorio Lauren Gottlieb assisting
Donyelle Jones Travis Wall	Contemporary	"Georgia on My Mind"—Ray Charles	Mia Michaels
Heidi Groskreutz Benji Schwimmer	Salsa	"La Comay"—Sonora Carruseles	Alex Da Silva

Top 4 contestant's solos:

Contestant	Style	Music
Heidi Groskreutz	Cha-cha	"Rie y Llora"—Celia Cruz
Donyelle Jones	Contemporary	"Human"—Dionne Farris
Travis Wall	Contemporary	"Konstantine"—Something Corporate
Benji Schwimmer	West Coast Swing	"The House Is Rockin'"—The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Results shows

Week 1 (June 15, 2006)

Group dance: Top 20: "Technologic"—Daft Punk
Musical guest: "Promiscuous"—Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland
Guest dancer: Nick Lazzarini: "Pardon Me"—Incubus
Bottom 3 couple’s solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Erin Ellis	Contemporary	"Gotta Get Thru This"—Daniel Bedingfield	Eliminated
Stanislav Savich	Cha-cha	"Shing A-Tin Tin"—Tito Puente	Eliminated
Allison Holker	Contemporary	"Wild Horses"—Natasha Bedingfield	Safe
Ivan Koumaev	Hip-Hop	"Ready"—Black Rob	Safe
Jessica Fernandez	Ballet	"Dancing"—Elisa	Safe
Jaymz Tuaileva	Jazz	"All That I've Got"—The Used	Safe

Eliminated:
*Erin Ellis
*Stanislav Savich
New Pairs:
*None

Week 2 (June 22, 2006)

Group dance: Top 18: "Get Up Offa That Thing"—James Brown
Musical guest: "SOS"—Rihanna
Bottom 3 couple’s solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Joy Spears	Contemporary	"Look At Me"—Keri Noble	Eliminated
Dmitry Chaplin	Paso Doble	"Plaza of Execution"—James Horner	Safe
Heidi Groskreutz	Cha-cha	"I Like It "—Tito Nieves	Safe
Ryan Rankine	Contemporary	"Ain't No Way"—Chris Brown	Safe
Aleksandra Wojda	Contemporary	"Breathe Me"—Sia	Safe
Jason Williams	Hip-Hop	"So Sexy"—Shanice	Eliminated

Eliminated:
*Joy Spears
*Jason Williams
New Pairs:
*Aleksandra Wojda and Dmitry Chaplin

Week 3 (June 29, 2006)

Group dance: Top 16: "Poison"—Bell Biv DeVoe
Musical guest: "Single"—Natasha Bedingfield
Bottom 3 couple’s solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Ashlee Nino	Popping	"She's a Bad Mama Jama"—Carl Carlton	Safe
Ben Susak	Contemporary	"Everything"—Lifehouse	Eliminated
Jessica Fernandez	Jazz	"Fever"—Michael Bublé	Safe
Jaymz Tuaileva	Jazz	"Only One"—Yellowcard	Safe
Aleksandra Wojda	Contemporary	"Insensible"—Mandalay	Eliminated
Dmitry Chaplin	Samba	"Magalenha"—Sérgio Mendes	Safe

Eliminated:
*Aleksandra Wojda
*Ben Susak
New Pairs:
*Ashlee Nino and Dmitry Chaplin

Week 4 (July 6, 2006)

Group dance: Top 14: "Footloose" from Footloose
Musical guest: "Sexy Love"—Ne-Yo
Bottom 3 couples' solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Jessica Fernandez	Jazz	"Body Language"—Queen	Eliminated
Jaymz Tuaileva	Paso Doble	"The Plaza of Execution"—James Horner	Eliminated
Heidi Groskreutz	Jive	"Proud Mary"—Ike and Tina Turner	Safe
Ryan Rankine	Contemporary	"Love"—Musiq Soulchild	Safe
Allison Holker	Contemporary	"Bitter"—Me'shell Ndegeocello	Safe
Ivan Koumaev	Hip-Hop	"Let Me Love You"—Mario	Safe

Eliminated:
*Jessica Fernandez
*Jaymz Tuaileva
New Pairs:
*None

Week 5 (July 13, 2006)

Group dance: Top 12: "Born to be Alive"—Patrick Hernandez
Musical guest: "Buttons"—The Pussycat Dolls
Bottom 3 couples' solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Ashlee Nino	Popping	"We Don't Play"—Lil Rob	Eliminated
Dmitry Chaplin	Jive	"Jailhouse Rock"—Elvis Presley	Safe
Martha Nichols	Contemporary	"Still"—Jodie Manross	Safe
Travis Wall	Contemporary	"The Blower's Daughter"—Damien Rice	Safe
Natalie Fotopoulos	Jazz	"Some Girls"—Rachel Stevens	Safe
Musa Cooper	Breakdance	"Disco Inferno"—The Trammps	Eliminated

Eliminated:
*Ashlee Nino
*Musa Cooper
New Pairs:
*None : now that it was down to the top 10, pairs were randomly picked and viewers got to vote on individual contestants.

Week 6 (July 20, 2006)

Note: This week, the contestants performed the same solo twice
Group dance: Top 10: "Ramalama "—Róisín Murphy
Musical guest: "Gimme That"—Chris Brown
Bottom 4 contestants:
*Dmitry Chaplin
*Natalie Fotopoulos
*Martha Nichols
*Ryan Rankine
Eliminated:
*Martha Nichols
*Dmitry Chaplin

Week 7 (July 27, 2006)

Group dance: Top 8: "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago (musical)
Musical guest: A medley of "Touch It", "I Love My Chick", and "In the Ghetto"—Busta Rhymes
Bottom 4 contestant's solos:

Contestant	Style	Music	Result
Natalie Fotopoulos	Jazz	"Veins"—Charlotte Martin	Safe
Ryan Rankine	Contemporary	"Just Fine"—Chris Brown	Eliminated
Allison Holker	Jazz	"Feeling Good"—Michael Bublé	Eliminated
Travis Wall	Contemporary	"Gotta Get Thru This "—Daniel Bedingfield	Safe

Eliminated:
*Allison Holker
*Ryan Rankine

Week 8 (August 3, 2006)

Group dance: "Hide and Seek"—Imogen Heap
Musical Guest: "Entourage"—Omarion
Top 6 contestant's solos:
*Natalie Fotopoulos: "I Would Die for You"—Jann Arden
*Heidi Groskreutz: "Hey Mama"—The Black Eyed Peas
*Donyelle Jones: "Buttons"—The Pussycat Dolls
*Travis Wall: "Flying Without Wings "—Westlife
*Ivan Koumaev: "I Question Mark"—Wade Robson
*Benji Schwimmer: "Brown Derby Jump"—Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Eliminated:
*Natalie Fotopoulos
*Ivan Koumaev

Week 10 (Finale) (August 16, 2006)

Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Brian Friedman, Shane Sparks, Mia Michaels, Dan Karaty
Musical guests:
*"Get Up"—Ciara
*"London Bridge"—Fergie
Special guest: Celine Dion, who appeared via videotape to congratulate the winner
Group dances:
* Top 20
**"When You Gonna Give It Up To Me"—Sean Paul
**"Ramalama "—Róisín Murphy
* Top 10
**"Cell Block Tango" from Chicago
Grand finalists' choice:
*Benji Schwimmer: Mambo with Heidi Groskreutz
*Heidi Groskreutz: Contemporary with Travis Wall
*Donyelle Jones: Broadway with Benji Schwimmer
*Travis Wall: Paso doble with Heidi Groskreutz
Judges' choice:
*Mary Murphy: Samba with Dmitry Chaplin and Natalie Fotopoulos
*Mia Michaels: Contemporary with Allison Holker and Ivan Koumaev
*Brian Friedman: Broadway with Travis Wall and Martha Nichols
*Dan Karaty: Hip-hop with Travis Wall and Benji Schwimmer
Solos:
*Heidi Groskreutz: "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"—Joan Jett
*Donyelle Jones: "I'm Free"—Amber
*Benji Schwimmer: "Never Knew"—The Rocket Summer
*Travis Wall: "Wonderful"—Annie Lennox
4th Place
*Heidi Groskreutz
3rd Place
*Donyelle Jones
Runner-Up:
*Travis Wall
Winner:
*Benji Schwimmer

Live tour

In 2006, the top 10 contestants went on a performance tour. Tickets went on sale August 12

Awards

2007 Emmy Awards

^† Wade Robson and Mia Michaels were joint-winners along with Rob Marshall and John Deluca from Tony Bennett: An American Classic.