8/9/2009

Matthew Doyle

18 year old wins "So You Think You Can Dance"

Jeanine Mason, the 18-year-old darling of "So You Think You Can Dance," has won 1st place and a hefty $250,000 prize for the hit Fox TV show.  
  
An astounding 21.6 million votes were cast for the season finale, reported TVWatch.com. This makes it the biggest finale ever for the American dance reality show, which pits a variety of dance contestants against each other to obtain a money, glory, and fame.  
  
There were 3,000 fans present for the Thursday finale. For Mason, who is a survivor of the rare joint disease Pigmented Villondular Synovitis, the victory was all the more sweet.  
  
Jeanine told People magazine, "When \[host Cat Deeley\] said 'Jeanine,' it was the slowest pronunciation of my name I had ever heard." Mason said that she "was still numb from head to toe" but exclaimed, "I am so beyond happy and I am ready to party right now!"  
  
Pigmented Villondular Synovitis is a debilitating disease which attacks the linings in the joint. It often takes place in the knees, but for Jeanine her first symptoms were in her left elbow, which she found increasingly difficult to straighten. In treatment, Mason has had not only radiation treatment but two surgeries in a span of over a year and a half. Mason has purposefully kept quite on the matter during the show, so as not to use her misfortunate as a way to garner support.  
  
For Jeanine, the victory was near fairytale. Not only did it showcase a triumph over a disease that for other people might have made them give up, but Jeanine was close to ending her dreams of professional dancing for good. Had she not made the audition in Miami, she has stated that she would likely try to make a foray into the world of acting.  
  
"I will never ever regret that decision because it has brought me to a place I never thought I could be," Mason said. "I will never think about leaving \[dancing\] again."  
  
Mason will be attending UCLA in the fall.