'So You Think You Can Dance' Crowns Champion

W300

Melanie Moore flew away with the grand prize on "So You Think You Can Dance."

Viewer votes awarded the pixie-haired 19-year-old college student the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" and the $250,000 prize.

Moore bested 23-year-old runner-up Sasha Mallory and 22-year-old third-place finisher Marko Germar on the Fox dancing contest's finale Thursday.

The powerful contemporary dancer was long considered the eighth season's front-runner. Host Cat Deeley said Moore picked up an impressive 47 percent of viewer votes.

She clinched the competition, mostly by mastering artful contemporary routines set to such tunes as Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and Ingrid Michaelson's "Turn to Stone."