The FINANCIAL -- LONDON, Scottish singer Susan Boyle's unexpected defeat in the finals of "Britain's Got Talent" reality show Saturday has helped U.K. bookmakers make a fortune, British TV channel Sky News reported on May 31.

Boyle, a 48-year-old unemployed church volunteer, was considered as a favorite in this year's reality show but was unexpectedly beaten by street dance group Diversity from southeast England.

The street dancers, who come from Essex and include three sets of brothers, were the bookmakers' only sixth favourite on the list of 10 finalists while Boyle had attracted the lion's share of the bets to win, Sky News said.

"We are in shock and have made a six figure sum in what has been the biggest surprise in reality TV history.

Susan was a certainty," Sky News quoted William Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams as saying.

According to William Hill's estimate, a sum of over 3 million British pounds ($4.86 million) was bt on the show in the final hour.

The street dancers have won 100,000 British pounds ($162,000) and will now perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen.

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