'SYTYCD' final four (from left): Twitch Boss, Katee Shean, Courtney Galiano and Joshua Allen. (Fox photo)

LOS ANGELES - Despite furious voting by Katee Taira Shean's fans in the Bay Area, Orange County and beyond, the San Jose native placed third on Aug. 7 in the final episode of the Fox reality show "So You Think You Can Dance."

Shean, 20, a student at Chapman University in Orange, was one of four finalists who performed solo and in pairs. The results were a combination of the judges' rankings and votes from viewers who phoned in. There was no limit on the number of times an individual could vote.

Led by her parents, Dennis and Gayle Shean, supporters have been passing out T-shirts, posters and buttons urging everyone to vote. Several people wore buttons at Palo Alto Buddhist Temple's Obon Festival last weekend, and flyers were posted at Nijiya Market in San Francisco's Japantown.

The title of "Americaﾕs Favorite Dancer" went to Joshua Allen, a hip-hop dancer from Texas, who received a $250,000 prize. Stephen "Twitch" Boss, a hip-hop dancer from Santa Ana, was in second place, and Courtney Galiano of New York was fourth. Shean and Boss, who both have ties to Orange County, tried out for the show last year but didn't get past the preliminary rounds.

The show's format required dancers to perform different styles, regardless of what they were trained in, and with different partners. For the finale, Shean did a lyrical piece with Allen, a fox trot with Boss, and a Broadway number with Galiano.

Shean received a standing ovation as she addressed the audience, which included her whole family.

"This has been the most amazing thing of my life," she said. "It's opened me up to all the different styles and what kind of dancer I want to be. I can't thank everyone enough."

Shean was pleasantly surprised to receive a $50,000 award for being the top female contestant.

The judges also had encouraging words for her.

Judge and producer Nigel Lythgoe, while admitting that Boss was his favorite, said, "Katee is a shining spirit to me. She has a gentleness, and yet when she's asked to bring out something a little rougher, she does it."

Choreographer Debbie Allen, who preferred Shean, said, "She could end up anywhere. She could be in a company, she could be on Broadway, she could be in the movies."

After recuperating from the grueling pace of the show, Shean will go on a nationwide tour with the other top-10 finalists.

(From reports by the Mercury News and Orange County Register)