The much-hyped season finale of So You Think You Can Dance Canada paid off for CTV as 1.7 million Canucks tuned in for the two-hour spectacle on Sunday at 9 p.m.

The homegrown reality peaked at 2.3 million when Lethbridge, AB. native Tara-Jean Popowich was named the winner of the $100,000 cash prize and car. The numbers are slightly up over last year’s finale, which nabbed 1.6 million viewers. (All numbers 2+).

Dance Canada eclipsed time-slot competitors including Global’s Brothers and Sisters with nearly 800,000 viewers at 10 p.m., preceded by comedies Family Guy (617,000) and American Dad (347,000). The show benefited from a strong lead-in as The Amazing Race averaged 2.6 million viewers at 8 p.m., while Desperate Housewives clung to 1.3 million at 7 p.m. on CTV.

The net has already greenlit a third season of Dance Canada, with auditions set to begin Nov. 14 in Toronto, followed by Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

Over on Global, the second season premiere of The Guard stumbled out of the gate Friday, managing only 346,000 viewers at 8 p.m. The numbers are down significantly from last year’s debut when the coast guard series netted 813,000 viewers – though it aired in the more prominent Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot.

The numbers are also behind fellow domestic action drama The Border, which nabbed 497,000 for its recent debut on CBC.