Move over B-Boys! MTV’s Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew crowned the poppin’ and contemporary We Are Heroes as season four champs on Sunday.
For the first time in the show’s history, the title and $100,000 prize went to an all-female crew. “Oh, dude, I am so excited,” Randy Jackson told PEOPLE after the finale. “So excited. I love these girls. They were so the bomb! We almost had all all-girl crew win last season, so I am really proud of them.”
None could be prouder than the five ladies themselves, including their founder and leader Hiroka “Hero” Mcrae, 25. The group dedicated their win to Mcrae’s ailing grandmother in Japan. “The trophy will sit in her grandmother’s house,” said Riquel Olander, 22. “I had tried to get her here to the U.S. for the finale,” Mcrae added, “but we couldn’t because it was hard — her illness is pretty serious. But I am so happy that everyone’s parents came to share in the moment and I want to bring this one to my grandmother!”
Before they squared off against Latin dancers Afroborike for the title, Ali Iannucci, 25, said the crew prayed together. “We started to cry a little bit and we just said, “I love you, girls!” and we just got our energies together and had the time of our lives,” Iannucci said. In terms of overcoming injury, Nichelle Thrower, 23, who had suffered a concussion during rehearsal a few weeks ago, said, “we are tired but it’s so worth it. We are human and that’s what happens but we overcame it, so we are heroes!”
As for the winnings, the ladies had no plans for them at the outset. “We didn’t even think about the money,” said Mami Kanemitsu, 26. “The most important thing was we wanted to be the grand champion.”
Judge JC Chasez said about We Are Heroes, “It was the teamwork that they showed and week after week, it was hearing the girls talk about their dreams. Between Nichelle, Mami and Hero…those two girls found through injury but Hero fought through a state of mind. She crossed an ocean, came to a place where she barely spoke the language, hard for people to understand her, she takes the time, I don’t know how many hours, to study the language in the studio just to get into a position where she could rehearse with the group, and in those rehearsal rooms she just pushed herself to get better and watching her, I have never seen someone that determined in my life.”
During the finale, host Mario Lopez announced that ABDC would indeed be back for a fifth season in 2010. — Cynthia Wang
Scott Gries/MTV/AP
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). I mean, they’re good bt 4 1, this was the only wack season & 2, they wsnt even the best crew! If judges can never save them, they woulda been gone. I dont wanna sound lika h8r, all that Im tryna say is that jus cuz judges save you & Randy Jackson says your the 1st female winner, the PEOPLE know, that your’e the 2nd >:-(
