PHOTO: Brenton Mitchell of Halifax shows his winning form in the DWTS dance championship. (Courtesy of Holland America Line)
During the Dec. 6 Champions Cruise aboard the Westerdam, Holland America Line crowned guest Brenton Mitchell of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the line's second "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" champion.
Mitchell, who represented the Neiuw Amsterdam, triumphed over 14 other guest competitors to take home the mirrorball trophy.
A self-described amateur ballroom dancing hobbyist, Mitchell danced in the ship's main show lounge in three elimination performances before making it to the finals. Then, he danced a waltz and tango with shipboard partner Whitney Szabo in front of a judging panel that included "DWTS" professional dancers Kym Johnson, Artem Chigvintsev and Sharna Burgess and actress Sabrina Bryan. Television personality Carson Kressley, who was a contestant on the show, also was part of the championship festivities.
The other two finalists were Ian Alldritt of Nepean, Ontario, Canada, representing the Zuiderdam, and Matthew McGloin of New York City, representing Eurodam.
The 15 Champions Cruise competitors represented each of the ships in the Holland America Line fleet and are from their respective ship's dance competitions held onboard every cruise throughout the past year.
Additional events included a fashion show featuring the glamorous costumes worn on the TV show, a chance to meet the dance pros and celebrities, and a question-and-answer session.
Holland America Line's partnership with ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" features the shipboard program through the 2015-16 season, culminating with another champions cruise on the Jan. 10, 2016, Western Caribbean sailing of Nieuw Amsterdam.
The 2015 schedule also will continue to feature "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" programming on every cruise throughout the year, in addition to six special theme cruises with the show's professional dancers and celebrities. Celebrities and professional dancers for 2015-16 will be announced in the coming weeks.
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