'The Glee Project' ends with a twist

(Top 3FL-R) Choreographer Zach Woodlee, Nikki Anders and casting director Robert Ulrich (Bottom L-R) Executive Producer Michael Davies and Glee Project Contenders speak during 'The Glee Project' panel during the NBC Universal portion of …
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Posted: 08/22/2011

NEW YORK - If the creators of "Glee" are looking for new faces to bring into the fold then they've found it with "The Glee Project."

Nineteen-year-old Samuel Larsen from Los Angeles and 18-year-old Damian McGinty of Derry City, Ireland, both won the inaugural season of the talent competition show where they each get a seven-episode arc on "Glee."

Larsen, a rocker with dreadlocks, was described as having a "cool, indy, rock spirit" that has been missing from the hit Fox show. The judges believed McGinty, however, was the most likable and most improved.

The show put 12 contestants through a "Glee" bootcamp where they were critiqued on their singing, dancing and acting throughout the 10-week series.

The other finalists, Lindsay Pearce, 20, and Alex Newell, 18, didn't go home losers. The show's co-creator Ryan Murphy was so impressed he decided to write them into two episodes of the show. "Glee" returns for its new season in September.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)