Sam Champion and Cheryl Burke ready to hit the 'Dancing With The Stars' floor

'Dancing With The Stars' premieres Monday night at 8 p.m. on Disney+

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, September 19, 2022

Sam Champion and Cheryl Burke ready to hit the 'Dancing With The Stars' floor

'Dancing With The Stars' premieres Monday night on Disney+, and this season we'll be voting for one of our own - Sam Champion! Sandy Kenyon has the story.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- 'Dancing With The Stars' premieres Monday night on Disney+, and this season we'll be voting for one of our own - Sam Champion!

Sam keeps in great shape, but he's not sure that's going to help him much.

"The workout I love, but the mobility and the ability to keep a dance move I'm not sure about," he said.

Disney+ Day 2022: 1 month for $1.99

Celebrate and save on a month of streaming. Limited time offer of one month for $1.99 and then $7.99/month. Sign-up and start streaming today with Disney+.

Learn More

He does have some dance experience.

"I used to love to dance at the high school dances, and there's in my senior yearbook there's a picture that says 'best boogier,'" he said.

Sam will be dancing with one of the most experienced professionals: Cheryl Burke.

MORE: Tyra Banks returns as host of 'Dancing with the Stars' on Disney+ with new co-host Alfonso Ribeiro

During a recent interview, Sam asked Cheryl what it takes mentally and physically to win the coveted Mirror Ball.

"To not think about bringing home the trophy, because the journey is the most important thing," she said. "It's not the ending result. It's about how you get there."

Eyewitness News Weather Anchor Sam Champion will be among the cast of celebrities competing in season 31 of "Dancing With the Stars."

After his appearance on "Good Morning America," where we learned he would be dancing, Sam shared his first reaction to learning he would be on the show.

"Fear," he told Sandy Kenyon. "It really was, because you make a quick assessment of yourself and you're like, 'Can I do this? Is it physically possible for me to do this?'"

MORE: Check out the full list of celebrities competing on "DWTS" season 31 and see the partner photos

"Dancing With The Stars" season 31 premieres at 8 p.m. Monday on Disney+.

Voting opens Monday at 8ET/5PT and closes after the final dance, so make sure to stream -- and yes, there will be an elimination the first night.