So You Think You Can Dance (American 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 dancer in case any of the male dancers 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 first contestants in the show's run never to face elimination from being among the bottom six or bottom four dancers.
Auditions
Auditions were held in New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Charleston, South Carolina.Vegas week
One hundred and sixteen dancers 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 dancers was eventually whittled down to 41, from which the judges chose their top 20.| Dancer | 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 dancer |
Top 20 Finalists
Male Contestants
Female Contestants
Finals
Elimination chart
The song played after each female elimination was "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall, whilst that played after each male elimination was "It's the End of the Road" by Matt Goss.Performance nights
Week 1 (14 June 2006)
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty- Couple dances:
| Couple | Style | Music | Choreographer | Result |
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | Hip-Hop | "2 Much Booty "—Soundmaster T | Shane Sparks | Safe |
| Ivan Koumaev Allison Holker | Salsa | "El Temblor"—La Palabra | Alex Da Silva | Bottom 3 |
| Jason Williams Aleksandra Wojda | Contemporary | "Unwritten"—Natasha Bedingfield | Tyce Diorio | Safe |
| Jaymz Tuaileva Jessica Fernandez | 70s Disco | "Disco Inferno"—The Trammps | Doriana Sanchez | Bottom 3 |
| Stanislav Savich Erin Ellis | Paso Doble | "Malaguena"—Manhattan Pops Orchestra | Ron Montez | Both eliminated |
| Dmitry Chaplin Joy Spears | Hip-Hop | "Hit the Floor"—Twista | Shane Sparks | Safe |
| Ryan Rankine Heidi Groskreutz | Viennese Waltz | "Caribbean Blue"—Enya | Ron Montez | Safe |
| Ben Susak Ashlee Nino | 80s Disco | "Flashdance... What a Feeling"—Irene Cara | Doriana Sanchez | Safe |
| Travis Wall Martha Nichols | Broadway | "Steam Heat"—The Pointer Sisters | Tyce Diorio | Safe |
| Musa Cooper Natalie Fotopoulos | Mambo | "Nina"—Joe Cuba Sextet | Alex Da Silva | Safe |
Week 2 (21 June 2006)
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Shane Sparks and Mia Michaels- Guest dancer: SickStep Crew : "Canned Heat"—Jamiroquai
- Couple dances:
| Couple | Style | Music | Choreographer | Result |
| Travis Wall Martha Nichols | Krump | "Clap Back"—Ja Rule | Lil' C | Safe |
| Jaymz Tuaileva | Foxtrot | "Why Don't You Do Right?"—Sinéad O'Connor | Mary Murphy | Safe |
| Ivan Koumaev Allison Holker | Hip-Hop | "Touch It"—Busta Rhymes | Safe | |
| Dmitry Chaplin Joy Spears | Samba | Mark Weiss | Joy Spears eliminated | |
| Musa Cooper Natalie Fotopoulos | Contemporary | "Closer"—Goapele | Tovaris Wilson | Safe |
| Ryan Rankine Heidi Groskreutz | Pop | "Walk Away"—Kelly Clarkson | Tovaris Wilson | Bottom 3 |
| Ben Susak Ashlee Nino | American Jive | "Great Balls of Fire"—Jerry Lee Lewis | Mary Murphy | Safe |
| Jason Williams Aleksandra Wojda | Hip-Hop | "Wrath of Kane"—Big Daddy Kane | ||
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | Cha-cha | "Cuchi-Cuchi"—Los Amigos Invisibles | Mark Weiss | Safe |
Week 3 (28 June 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 |
| Ben Susak Ashlee Nino | Hip-Hop | "Caught Up"—Usher | Todd Sams | Ben Susak eliminated |
| Ryan Rankine Heidi Groskreutz | Cuban Rumba | "Rumba del Solar"—Angelo Rodriguez | Alex Da Silva | Safe |
| Dmitry Chaplin Aleksandra Wojda | Waltz | "If I Were a Painting"—Kenny Rogers | Heather Smith | Aleksandra Wojda eliminated |
| Ivan Koumaev Allison Holker | Argentine Tango | "Libertango"—bond | Alex Da Silva | Safe |
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | Pop-Jazz | "Put the Needle on It"—Dannii Minogue | Brian Friedman | Safe |
| Musa Cooper Natalie Fotopoulos | Quickstep | "Zoot Suit Riot"—Cherry Poppin' Daddies | Heather Smith | Safe |
| Jaymz Tuaileva Jessica Fernandez | Contemporary | "Let Go"—Frou Frou | Brian Friedman | Bottom 3 |
| Travis Wall Martha Nichols | Hip-Hop | "Just Fine"—Chris Brown | Todd Sams | Safe |
Week 4 (5 July 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 |
| Ryan Rankine Heidi Groskreutz | Hip-Hop | "Give It All You Got"—Afro-Rican | Shane Sparks | Bottom 3 |
| Travis Wall Martha Nichols | Salsa | "Tanga"—Machito and His Afro-Cubans | Ron Montez | Safe |
| Dmitry Chaplin Ashlee Nino | Contemporary | "Dance, Dance"—Fall Out Boy | Brian Friedman | Safe |
| Musa Cooper | Disco | "Hot Stuff"—Donna Summer | Safe | |
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | Viennese Waltz | Toni Redpath Michael Mead | Safe | |
| Ivan Koumaev Allison Holker | "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 (12 July 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 (19 July 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 |
| Ryan Rankine Allison Holker | Contemporary | "Ethna"—Klement Bonelli | Mia Michaels | Ryan Rankine in bottom 4 |
| Ryan Rankine Allison Holker | Broadway | "Bye Bye Blackbird"—Liza Minnelli | Tyce Diorio | Ryan Rankine in bottom 4 |
| Dmitry Chaplin Donyelle Jones | Lindy Hop | "Sing, Sing, Sing"-Benny Goodman | Nick Williams Kristen Sorci | Dmitry Chaplin eliminated |
| Dmitry Chaplin Donyelle Jones | Samba | "Hey Mama"—The Black Eyed Peas | Mary Murphy | Dmitry Chaplin eliminated |
| | Jazz | Tyce Diorio | ||
| | Hip-Hop | "She's Freaky"—Pitbull | Shane Sparks |
- Solos:
| Dancer | 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 (26 July 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"—Boys II Men | Tyce Diorio | Natalie Fotopoulos in bottom 4 Ryan Rankine eliminated |
| Benji Schwimmer Heidi Groskreutz | Broadway | "Fake Your Way to the Top" from Dreamgirls | Tyce Diorio | Safe |
| Benji Schwimmer Heidi Groskreutz | Mambo | "Black Mambo"—Angel and the Mambokats | Alex Da Silva | Safe |
Week 8 (2 August 2006)
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels- Couple dances:
| Couple | Style | Music | Choreographer | Result |
| Ivan Koumaev Natalie Fotopoulos | Jive | "Route 66"—John Mayer | Ron Montez | Both eliminated |
| Ivan Koumaev Natalie Fotopoulos | Contemporary | Tyce Diorio | Both eliminated | |
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | Broadway | "Le Jazz Hot"—Julie Andrews | Tyce Diorio | Safe |
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | Hip-Hop | "Hotline"—Ciara | Shane Sparks | Safe |
| Travis Wall Heidi Groskreutz | Smooth Waltz | "Flying"—Cait Agus Sean | Ron Montez | Safe |
| Travis Wall Heidi Groskreutz | Afro-Pop | "W'Happy Mama"—Zap Mama | Wade Robson | Safe |
- Solos:
| Dancer | 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 (9 August 2006)
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Brian Friedman- Group dance: Top 4: "SexyBack"—Justin Timberlake
- Duo dances:
| Couple | Style | Music | Choreographer |
| Travis Wall Heidi Groskreutz | Disco | "Shake Your Groove Thing"—Peaches & Herb | Doriana Sanchez |
| Benji Schwimmer Donyelle Jones | 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 |
| Benji Schwimmer Heidi Groskreutz | Salsa | "La Comay"—Sonora Carruseles | Alex Da Silva |
Solos:
| Dancer | 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 couples' solos:
| Dancer | 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 partners:
- *None
Week 2 (June 22, 2006)
- Group dance: Top 18: "Get Up Offa That Thing"—James Brown
- Musical guest: "SOS"—Rihanna
- Bottom 3 couples' solos:
| Dancer | 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 partners:
- *Dmitry Chaplin and Aleksandra Wojda
Week 3 (June 29, 2006)
- Group dance: Top 16: "Poison"—Bell Biv DeVoe
- Musical guest: "Single"—Natasha Bedingfield
- Bottom 3 couples' solos:
| Dancer | 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 partners:
- *Dmitry Chaplin and Ashlee Nino
Week 4 (July 6, 2006)
- Group dance: Top 14: "Footloose" from Footloose
- Musical guest: "Sexy Love"—Ne-Yo
- Bottom 3 couples' solos:
| Dancer | 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 | Lyrical Hip-Hop | "Let Me Love You"—Mario | Safe |
- Eliminated:
- *Jessica Fernandez
- *Jaymz Tuaileva
- New partners:
- *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:
| Dancer | 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 Partners:
- *None : now that it was down to the top 10, partners were randomly picked and viewers got to vote on individual dancers.
Week 6 (July 20, 2006)
- Note: This week, the dancers performed the same solo twice
- Group dance: Top 10: "Ramalama "—Róisín Murphy
- Musical guest: "Gimme That"—Chris Brown
- Bottom 4 dancers:
- *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 guest: A medley of "Touch It", "I Love My Chick", and "In the Ghetto"—Busta Rhymes
- Bottom 4 dancers' solos:
| Dancer | 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
- 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
- Dancers' 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