TRAVERSE CITY -- Bill Marsh Jr. and partner Jennifer Howard got the top score, but it was Mike Anton and Liz Reincke who received the most audience votes to come from behind as the surprise winners in the SwingShift and the Stars Dance-Off for Charity.
Anton and Reincke earned a total of 628 points in the competition, edging Marsh and Howard by 11 points to take the crystal trophy in Wednesday's finale event at the Leelanau Sands Casino. The five-month competition raised $39,702 for area charities.
"Originally, I thought if we got to $25,000 we'd be thrilled, and we got to $40,000," said entertainer Judy Harrison, the event's creator. "For some of the smaller charities, the impact is huge."
Anton and Reincke's surprise win highlighted the New Year's Eve event that included a group swing dance number by all 12 contestants and the competition's two hosts. Judges' votes accounted for 75 percent of the total score while audience votes accounted for 25 percent.
"I think we had a bigger contingent of friends showing up," said Anton, an accountant and commercial real estate investor whose nearly bald dome was covered by a shoulder-length wig for the couple's last rumba. "I don't have any delusions about being the best dancer."
Still, Anton said the competition gave him new confidence in his dance skills and that he'll probably go out dancing with his wife more as a result.
"I won't have to wait for the dance floor to be packed before I go out there, which has been my historical pattern," he said.
Philanthropist and special events planner Brenda Biederman and partner Tom Morrell earned the most for their charity with $11,676 for the Traverse Health Clinic and Coalition. Marsh and Howard's House of Hope wound up second with $8,843. The auto dealer and his partner also earned a near-perfect score for their final dance and the top judges score overall.
"We really didn't have a whole lot of control over the (popular vote) so we felt good we had the top judges' scores and that we got two 10s and a nine on Wednesday," Marsh said. "It was just a really neat experience. It was a lot of work, there was a lot of anxiety at times, but I think everybody felt good."
