Introduction
Denys Samson (Russian: Денис Самсон; born 21 August 1989) is a Ukrainian ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer.
Career
Samson is a former two-time Ukrainian Ten Dance Champion and a two-time World Ten Dance Champion.
Dancing with the Stars
Ukraine
In September 2021, Samson joined the cast of the ninth season of the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars, Tantsi z zirkamy, as a professional dancer. He was originally partnered with comedian, Anastasia Orudzhova. However, in preparation for their first dance, Orudzhova suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw from the competition following her first performance. Orudzhova was replaced by her colleague and fellow-comedian, Oleksandra Mashlyatina and Samson partnered her instead. They were the second couple to be eliminated from the competition.
| Series | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Anastasia Orudzhova | 15th |
| Oleksandra Mashlyatina | 13th |
Ireland
On 22 December 2021, Samson was announced as one of the new professionals to join the fifth season of the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars. He reached the final with singer and songwriter, Erica-Cody, finishing as joint runners-up to Nina Carberry & Pasquale La Rocca.
Samson returned for the sixth series in 2023, where he was partnered with drag queen, Panti Bliss. This made them the first same-sex pairing in the history of the show. They were the sixth couple to be eliminated from the show, after losing their dance-off to Brooke Scullion and Robert Rowiński.
| Series | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Erica-Cody | 2nd |
| 6 | Panti Bliss | 6th |
Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance
| Dance | Partner | Highest | Partner | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | Panti Bliss | 27 | Erica-Cody | 25 |
| Cha-cha-cha | Erica-Cody | 30 | Panti Bliss | 23 |
| Charleston | Erica-Cody | 30 | Panti Bliss | 27 |
| Contemporary Ballroom | Erica-Cody | 29 | ||
| Foxtrot | Erica-Cody | 23 | ||
| Jive | Erica-Cody | 26 | Panti Bliss | 22 |
| Paso Doble | Panti Bliss | 29 | ||
| Quickstep | Panti Bliss | 21 | ||
| Rumba | Erica-Cody | 26 | ||
| Salsa | Erica-Cody | 27 | Panti Bliss | 22 |
| Samba | Erica-Cody | 24 | ||
| Showdance | Erica-Cody | 28 | ||
| Tango | Panti Bliss | 25 | Erica-Cody | 20 |
| Viennese Waltz | ||||
| Waltz | Panti Bliss | 19 |
- Series 5 – with celebrity partner Erica-Cody
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Gourounlian | ||||
| 1 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | No elimination |
| 2 | Samba / "Kiss My (Uh Oh)" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | |
| 3 | Foxtrot / "My Girl" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "When We're Human" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 28 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba / "Girl on Fire" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 26 | Safe |
| 6 | Tango / "Body II Body" | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 | No elimination |
| 7 | Salsa / "Don't Go Yet" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | Bottom two |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Too Darn Hot" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 | Safe |
| 9* | Contemporary Ballroom / "Rise Up" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 | Safe |
| 10 | Cha-cha-cha / "Mambo Italiano" Team Dance / "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" |
10 9 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
30 29 |
Safe |
| 11 | Jive / "Let's Go Crazy" Bust-a-Move Marathon / "I'm So Excited" |
8 Awarded |
9 3 |
9 points |
26 29 |
Bottom two |
| 12 | Charleston / "When We're Human" Showdance / "Glitterball" |
10 9 |
10 9 |
10 10 |
30 28 |
Runners-up |
- In week 9, Samson tested positive for COVID-19, so his partner, Erica-Cody danced with Ervinas Merfeldas.
- Series 6 – with celebrity partner Panti Bliss
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Gourounlian | ||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | No elimination |
| 2 | Waltz / "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Karma Chameleon" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 4 | Jive / "The Witches Are Back" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | Safe |
| 5 | Charleston / "Puttin' On the Ritz" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "It's a Sin" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 | No elimination |
| 7 | Salsa / "Stupid Love" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | Safe |
| 8 | Tango / "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 | Bottom two |
| 9 | American Smooth / "It's Oh So Quiet" Team Freestyle / "HandClap" |
9 9 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
27 27 |
Eliminated |