Top 10 Best Samba Dances on Dancing with the Stars

This Olympic gold medalist was pretty consistent throughout her time on the show. However, her dance during Janet Jackson week brought out a whole new side of the gymnast. The Samba is notoriously tricky, but she tackles it with so much confidence, energy, and rhythm that you’d never know. The judges commended her on her performance, technique, and the liveliness she brought to the floor. We knew Lee had an inner dancer hidden inside; all it took was the right routine and a little bit of Miss Jackson to help her burst out. It was sensational and dynamic, and we hoped the new fierce Suni Lee was here to stay!

Samba has many intricate rhythms so being able to hear the music is practically vital to nailing the routine. That’s what makes this number all that more impressive. DiMarco, who’s deaf, isn’t thrown off by the pace or immense amount of detailed choreography Peta’s thrown in there. He impresses with his footwork and flow, but what elevates this dance is its performance value and the pure joy they radiate. It also helped that the costume made sure those, erm, hips were on full display. All we’re saying is if a Samba like this trashed our campsite, we probably wouldn’t even notice. If anything, we’d be compelled to join in; it looks like a lot of fun.

Earlier in the season, this duo performed a Samba to Beyoncé’s “Love On Top,” which was wonderful and earned them a respectable 26. But for us, their second Samba, during the finals, made a greater impact. Zendaya was no stranger to tearing up a dance floor. But she showed that she’d internalized everything she’d learned over the previous weeks and channeled it into a fun, vibrant, and unforgettable routine. Everything, from the music to the choreography to her chemistry with Val, comes together so perfectly here. We can practically feel the heat through our screens as they sail across the floor. The routine displays Zendaya’s impressive skill set, and earned the pair a much-deserved perfect score.

SB And this iconic “Dancing with the Stars” partnership performed a Samba that reminds us why we loved to watch it, watch it. Julianne Hough didn’t hold back from crafting a full-on, high-energy routine filled to the brim with complex choreography. Ohno takes the challenge in stride, dancing as though he’d been doing so professionally his whole life. The pair’s chemistry also shines throughout, making us feel like we’re watching two friends letting loose at a dance party. Many still believe this is one of the best Sambas the show’s had to offer, and you only need to watch it to see why.

Season 20 gave us several memorable Sambas, including Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough’s sensational performance to “Chillando Goma.” There was also Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s unique spin on a Disney classic. However, arguably the stand-out Samba of the season was Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s routine to this Jason Derulo bop. Their dance is a sensuous, sizzling spectacular that incorporates all the energized fun we’d expect from the star. Despite the difficulty level, he breezes through the performance with so much confidence that you'd hardly know they'd had such little time to practice. It’s full of life, so smooth and utterly hypnotic. There’s “nothing we wouldn’t do” to watch it again.

The singer and her dance partner took us back to the ‘70s with this groovy Samba. Dmitry took full advantage of Mýa’s talents to craft one of the most creative and entertaining routines we’ve ever seen. It’s so good that we’re able to fully immerse ourselves in it. Plus, we must commend Chaplin for the inventive ways he incorporates the theme into the choreography. With every Volta and Botafogo, we were sure that we were witnessing something pretty close to perfection. Indeed, the perfect score they received confirmed we were right. Mýa entranced previously skeptical viewers, and there was no going back.

The “Pretty Little Liars” actress and her partner Val brought their fiery dynamic to an impassioned Samba in week six. This dance feels like it could have come straight out of the world-famous Carnaval. It has rhythm, flow, and plenty of bounce. Paired with the perfect song and red-hot moves, it’s quite simply fire. And if you couldn’t tear your eyes off them that time, they turned it up several notches when they reprised the routine in the finals. We knew Parrish could dance, but her Samba took things to the next level and proved that her hips certainly don’t lie. Talk about bringing the heat!

No, no, you haven’t magically tuned into the smokin’ dance clubs of Rio De Janeiro. But we can certainly imagine why one might think otherwise. The actor burns up the dance floor with this fierce routine that’s so hot we practically get sunburned just from watching it so intently. Every move is strong and striking; he has flawless musicality and performs like a true showman. We’d also be remiss not to briefly spotlight the fluidity of his hip action ⁠— even judge Len Goodman admitted to being practically hypnotized by the star’s derriere. This is easily one of the best and hottest Sambas we’ve ever seen on the show.

Yes, he’s a triple threat, but the “DWTS” world is a whole other ball(room) game. Still, Fisher showed that no dance style is seemingly beyond his capabilities with this fast and furious Samba in honor of Latin Night. It’s strong, confident, vibrant, and totally magnetic. Pro Lindsay Arnold leaned into her partner’s strengths, giving their routine a more commercial feel, and you have to applaud them for how seamlessly they perform. They gel together so perfectly, giving us one of the best Sambas, if not dances, in the competition series’ history. If we had one criticism, it would be that the whole thing is way too short. But hey, that’s what the replay button is for.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Meryl Davis & Maksim Chmerkovskiy, “I Wan'na Be like You (The Monkey Song)” from “The Jungle Book”
We Wan’na Samba Like This Talented Duo

James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd, “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee
Their Routine Gets Our Motors Running

James Van Der Beek & Emma Slater, “Light It Up” by Major Lazer feat. Nyla & Fuse ODG
Talk about Lighting up the Dance Floor

Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke, “El Matador” by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
They Take This Samba by the Horns

Alfonso Ribeiro & Witney Carson, “Gettin' Jiggy wit It” by Will Smith
The Only Thing That Could Make This Number More Iconic Is a Mini “Fresh Prince” Reunion

This actor signified his most memorable year with a show-stopping Samba. He chose 1999, the year he left Argentina and “decided to chase this impossible dream of being an entertainer.” Well, judging by this dance alone, that dream wasn’t so impossible after all. Their performance has all the makings of a perfect Samba; it’s fun, fast, fluid, and gives us real party vibes. We challenge you to show it to any “DWTS” novice and have them correctly identify the professional. We have no doubt they’ll be stumped; it really is that extraordinary. The actor/singer might’ve been honoring his most memorable year, but he gave us a routine we’d never forget.