Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars was ground-breaking. For the first-time a same-sex couple competed for the mirror ball trophy. Pop singer JoJo Siwa danced with pro Jenna Johnson, and they finished in second place for the season. Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach clinched the mirror ball trophy in a surprising upset. Their free style was epic.
Artem Chigvintsev, who took home the trophy in Season 29 of DWTS, danced with actress Melora Hardin last season. They were eliminated just before the finals, along with pro Sasha Farber and Olympian Suni Lee.
Melora truly deserved to be there, and both Artem and Melora voiced their disappointment. “The one thing that I felt really sad [about] … I don’t think there’s been, for the past I don’t know how many seasons, a person of [her] age make it this far,” Artem commented. “I don’t understand why people don’t get behind this.” I totally agree!
Melora felt that the judges’ scoring was a bit off. She remarked, “They said all these incredible things [about our dances], but then the scores didn’t match … which was a bit disappointing and upsetting.”
Now fans are dealing with more bad news. Page Six reported that Artem dropped out of the DWTS tour because of “unexpected health issues.”
Artem posted a statement to his Instagram detailing the news. “Hi DWTS family – My time on tour so far has been wonderful – unfortunately I am having to step away from tour for a while, due to some unexpected health issues,” Artem wrote. He did not clarify what type of medical issue he is dealing with.
The dance pro continued, “My goal is to recover as quickly as possible so I can rejoin my cast and crew on this incredible tour. Thank you for your patience and understanding. See you soon, Artem.”
A representative for the tour told Page Six “The DWTS: Live! Tour is continuing as planned with our cast of amazing pros — we wish Artem a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back in the show in the very near future.”
Artem’s fellow cast members flooded the comments section of his Instagram post with supportive messages. Gleb Savchenko wrote, “Please feel better, we all miss you so much and wishing you a speedy recovery.”
“Get well soon brother,” Keo Motsepe said. Sharna Burgess commented, “Love you Artem, feel better soon.”
“Wishing you a fast recovery,” Daniella wrote. “Rest up and get better soon man,” Pasha Pashkov posted. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba commented, “I hope you feel better soon Artem…”
RELATED: Artem Chigvintsev Is “Sad” Dancing With The Stars Fans Aren’t Supporting Someone Melora Hardin’s Age
Others who sent their good wishes included Sasha, Alan Bersten, Amanda Kloots, and Lindsay Arnold.
Artem’s fiancée, Nikki Bella, posted a simple heart emoji in the comments. Total Bellas star Nikki and Artem met on DWTS in 2017 when Nikki was engaged to John Cena. In 2019, Artem and Nikki went Instagram official. Artem popped the question a few months later, and in July of 2020 the couple welcomed a son.
In December of 2021, Nikki explained that the duo had to push back their wedding plans because of travel restrictions caused by Covid-19. “The one promise I made [Artem] before we can plan is that his parents can attend,” Nikki shared. “And with where the world’s at right now and trying to get two Russian parents into the country, it’s almost impossible.”
Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery, Artem!
RELATED: Nikki Bella Explains Why She & Artem Chigvintsev Keep Postponing Their Wedding
TELL US- WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE A POSITIVE COMMENT FOR ARTEM? DO YOU WANT TO SEE HIM ON DWTS IF/WHEN IT RETURNS?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Maarten de Boer]
