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 (now Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino) 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 Chigvintsev, 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(s)Thing/styleMusicChoreographer(s)AllHip-hop"Run It!"—Chris Brown"Shane SparksAllSamba"Magalenha"—Sérgio MendesMary Murphy with Artem ChigvintsevAllContemporaryN/AMia MichaelsAllJazz-fusion"So Sexy"—ShaniceBrian FriedmanAll (individual)SoloIndividual songs chosen by contestantThe contestant
Top 20 Contestants
Female Contestants ContestantAgeHome TownDance StyleElimination datePlacement Donyelle Jones† 26 Los Angeles, California Hip Hop/Jazz August 16, 2006 3rd Place Heidi Groskreutz 24 Newport Beach, California Latin/Swing August 16, 2006 4th Place Natalie Fotopoulos 22 Tampa, Florida Jazz August 3, 2006 Top 6 Allison Holker 18 Orem, Utah Contemporary July 27, 2006 Top 8 Martha Nichols 19 Brooklyn, New York Contemporary July 20, 2006 Top 10 Ashlee Nino 21 Fort Worth, Texas Hip Hop July 13, 2006 Top 12 Jessica Fernandez 19 Miami, Florida Ballet July 6, 2006 Top 14 Aleksandra Wojda 23 Pretoria, South Africa Contemporary June 29, 2006 Top 16 Joy Spears 19 Killen, Alabama Contemporary June 22, 2006 Top 18 Erin Ellis 19 Nashville, Tennessee Jazz June 15, 2006 Top 20
Male Contestants ContestantAgeHome TownDance StyleElimination datePlacement Benji Schwimmer 22 San Diego, California Swing August 16, 2006 Winner Travis Wall 18 Quantico, Virginia Contemporary August 16, 2006 Runner Up Ivan Koumaev 18 Seattle, Washington (originally from Russia) Hip Hop August 3, 2006 Top 6 Ryan Rankine 20 Brooklyn, New York Ballet July 27, 2006 Top 8 Dmitry Chaplin 23 Rostov-on-Don, Russia Latin Ballroom July 20, 2006 Top 10 Musa Cooper 28 Camden, New Jersey Hip Hop July 13, 2006 Top 12 Jaymz Tuaileva 20 Orem, Utah Jazz July 6, 2006 Top 14 Benjamin “Ben” Susak 19 Phoenix, Arizona Contemporary June 29, 2006 Top 16 Jason Williams 20 Wilmington, North Carolina Hip Hop June 22, 2006 Top 18 Stanislav Savich 22 Brooklyn, New York Ballroom June 15, 2006 Top 20
Studio Shows
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.
+ Legend Female Male Bottom 3 couples Bottom 4 contestants
Week: 6/15 6/22 6/29 7/6 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/3 8/17 Contestant Result Benji Schwimmer
Winner Travis Wall
Btm 3 Btm 4 Runner-Up Donyelle Jones
3rd Place Heidi Groskreutz Btm 3 Btm 3
4th Place Ivan Koumaev Btm 3 Btm 3
Elim Natalie Fotopoulos
Btm 3 Btm 4 Btm 4
Ryan Rankine Btm 3
Btm 3 Btm 4 Elim
Allison Holker Btm 3
Btm 3
Dmitry Chaplin Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 3 Elim
Martha Nichols
Btm 3
Musa Cooper Elim
Ashlee Nino
Btm 3 Jaymz Tuaileva Btm 3 Btm 3 Elim
Jessica Fernandez Btm 3
Btm 3 Ben Susak Elim
Aleksandra Wodja
Btm 3 Jason Williams Elim
Joy Spears
Stanislav Savich Elim
Erin Ellis
Performance nights
Week 1 (June 14, 2006)
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer Hip-Hop "2 Much Booty (In Da Pants)"—Soundmaster T Shane SparksSafe 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 (ft. Pitbull) 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(s): SickStep Crew (now Quest Crew): "Canned Heat"—Jamiroquai (Breakdance) Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Martha Nichols Travis Wall Krump "Clap Back"—Ja Rule Lil' C Safe Jaymz Tuaileva Foxtrot "Why Don't You Do Right?"—Sinéad O'Connor (incorrectly listed as "Sinead O'Conner") 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(s): Hop, Swing and a Jump: "Traffic Jam"—Bill Elliott (Lindy Hop) Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) 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(s): Lil' C and the Neph Squad: "Spaz Meter"—The J-Squad (Krump) Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) 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: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Musa Cooper Natalie Fotopoulos Hip-Hop "Promiscuous"—Nelly Furtado (ft. Timbaland) 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: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Hip-Hop "Me & U"—Cassie Shane Sparks Smooth Waltz "Sandy's Song"—Dolly Parton Toni RedpathMichael Mead Paso Doble Mary MurphySafe Contemporary "Calling You"—Celine Dion Mia Michaels Allison Holker Ryan Rankine Contemporary "Ethna"—Klement Bonelli Mia MichaelsRyan Rankine in bottom 4 Broadway "Bye Bye Blackbird"—Liza Minnelli Tyce Diorio Donyelle Jones Dmitry Chaplin Lindy Hop "Sing, Sing, Sing"-Benny Goodman Nick WilliamsKristen SorciDmitry Chaplin eliminated Samba "Hey Mama"—The Black Eyed Peas Mary Murphy Jazz Tyce Diorio Hip-Hop "She's Freaky"—Pitbull Shane Sparks Top 10 contestant's solos: ContestantStyleMusicResultDonyelle JonesHip-Hop"Git It"—Bun B feat. Ying Yang TwinsSafeDmitry ChaplinSamba"Pump It"—Black Eyed PeasEliminatedMartha NicholsJazz"What You Waiting For?"—Gwen StefaniEliminatedIvan KoumaevHip-Hop"This Luv"—Donell JonesSafeHeidi GroskreutzSamba"Dum Diddly"—Black Eyed PeasSafeTravis WallContemporary"Belief"—Gavin DeGrawSafeNatalie FotopoulosContemporary"Lamentation"—Leah AndreoneBottom 4Benji SchwimmerWest Coast Swing"Land of a Thousand Dances"—Wilson PickettSafeAllison HolkerContemporary"We Belong"—Pat BenatarSafeRyan RankineJazz"Canned Heat"—JamiroquaiBottom 4
Week 7 (July 26, 2006)
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Donyelle Jones Travis Wall Hip-Hop "London Bridge"—Fergie Shane Sparks Travis Wall in bottom 4 Quickstep "Dancin' Fool"—Barry Manilow Glenn Weiss Allison Holker Ivan Koumaev Argentine Tango "La Cumparsita"—Orquestra Escuela de Tango Alex Da Silva Allison Holker eliminated Hip-Hop "Sexy Love"—Ne-Yo Shane Sparks Natalie Fotopoulos Ryan Rankine Disco "Turn the Beat Around"—Vicki Sue Robinson Doriana Sanchez Natalie Fotopoulos in bottom 4Ryan Rankine eliminated Contemporary "I Will Get There"—Boyz II Men Tyce Diorio Heidi Groskreutz Benji Schwimmer Broadway "Fake Your Way to the Top" from Dreamgirls Tyce Diorio Safe Mambo "Black Mambo"—Angel and the Mambokats Alex Da Silva
Week 8 (August 2, 2006) Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Natalie Fotopoulos Ivan Koumaev Jive "Route 66"—John Mayer Ron Montez Both eliminated Contemporary Tyce Diorio Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer Broadway "Le Jazz Hot"—Julie Andrews Tyce Diorio Safe Hip-Hop "Hotline"—Ciara Shane Sparks Heidi Groskreutz Travis Wall Smooth Waltz "Flying"—Cait Agus Sean Ron Montez Safe Afro-Pop "W'Happy Mama"—Zap Mama Wade Robson Top 6 contestant's solos: