Dmitry Chaplin was born on July 14, 1982 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. He is currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brooklyn College and was a national finalist in the US National Amateur Dancesport Championship in Provo, Utah. He specializes in ballroom Latin style dancing and aspires to become a well respected dancer teacher in the future. Dmitry auditioned with his dance partner Heidi Groskreutz and the both of them became top 20 finalists on Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance. His performance in the show made him popular with the viewers, with a lot of it contributed to his sex appeal. Three of his partners, Joy Spears, Aleksandra Wojda and Ashlee Nino, were eliminated when paired with him, so he was labeled as being cursed. He was eliminated during Week 6 with Martha Nichols.