He’s the one who taught Kathie Lee Gifford how to do the West Coast Swing on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" when he was 10.
Benji Schwimmer is the one who never let the teasing discourage his passion for dancing.On Wednesday night, the Redlands man was the one America wanted to win.Schwimmer, 22, captured the hearts — and votes — of viewers of the nationally televised prime-time reality dance program "So You Think You Can Dance."Schwimmer thought he could dance and dance very well. Viewers agreed. He took the title in the show’s second season, besting thousands of tryouts, 20 finalists and the three other final-four selections.More than 10 million viewers tuned in last week as Schwimmer; Donyelle Jones, 26, of Studio City; Travis Wall, 18, of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Heidi Groskreutz, 26, of Cliffside Park, N.J., performed their final pairs and solo routines. The latter is Schwimmer’s cousin and longtime dancing partner, which helped them survive several weeks of eliminations because the two teamed for the various dancing challenges."I want to throw a parade for the Inland Empire," a shocked Schwimmer said by telephone afterward from a limousine leaving CBS Television City studios.Schwimmer won $100,000 for his efforts, plus a sport utility vehicle and a contract to work with Celine Dion.During a brief interview, he said he was preparing to catch a red-eye flight to perform on "Live With Regis and Kelly" in New York City. It would be the second time Schwimmer would visit talk-show veteran Regis Philbin. In 1994 Schwimmer appeared on what was then "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" and taught Philbin’s co-host how to swing.Dancing is in the Schwimmer bloodline. Both parents are known for dancing and teaching the West Coast Swing at 5678 Dance Studio in Redlands. Buddy Schwimmer’s alias is the King of Swing.Schwimmer’s mother, Laurie, 47, said her son persevered despite years of teasing from those who questioned his masculinity."He got all kinds of teasing about his dancing," Laurie Schwimmer said. "It would have been the easy way out to just stop. He’s been through a lot of trials. Being called gay. It was hard for him growing up to be a straight guy dancing."She said her son set realistic goals when he tried out for the show. First, he wanted to make the final 20, then survive week No. 1 and then make the top 10.Schwimmer is now finding out that some of those earlier hecklers are now his fans."Now, they’re cheering for him," Laurie Schwimmer said. "He told me, ‘These are the same kids that were teasing me in high school.’ "
The Press Enterprise
He sounds so cute!
