‘Dancing With the Stars’: Artem Chigvintsev Says He Was Almost Paired With Kaitlyn Bristowe in Previous Season

Artem Chigvintsev could be getting a second chance at pairing with Kaitlyn Bristowe in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom when it returns for Season 29 on Monday, Sept. 14. After news of his return to the ABC dance competition broke Monday, Chigvintsev opened up about it an interview with Entertainment Tonight, revealing that he and the former Bachelorette were almost paired as partners back in Season 21.

While at the time, Chigvintsev announced on Instagram he wouldn’t be competing with a celebrity partner due to “last-minute casting changes,” he revealed to ET that it was Bristowe who was originally supposed to compete with him. “I know Kaitlyn’s been announced as one of the contestants on the show and there’s a funny story behind it,” he said, adding, “She was supposed to be on one of the seasons before, and she was supposed to be my partner. So, we need to correct the course of history … fingers crossed, we’ll see what happens.”

After Bristowe went on the pro’s fiancée Nikki Bella’s podcast and recounted the story, Chigvintsev teased, “There’s been some conversation between them two and I’m just gonna say, hey, bring it on. If anybody would ask me who I would wanna be partnered with, I would say Kaitlyn.”

Coming back to Dancing With the Stars after not being asked back last season has been a dream come true for the new dad, who welcomed a son with Bella on July 31. “This year has been so amazing to me,” he gushed. “First of all, I have a beautiful fiancée. Now I have a newborn baby that we just adore and love. And this is like the cherry on the cake. Getting my dream job back, you know? There is really no other job in the world like Dancing With the Stars. So it’s just a perfect situation.”

“I think I’m the happiest person in the world, I swear to you,” he continued. “I’m like continuously catching my mind, like, ‘Wow, like, everything is perfect in my life, there’s nothing wrong.’ I’m just so scared to even admit it because I want nothing to go wrong. I’m holding to this moment as long as I can.”

Chigvintsev said getting the call from DWTS executive producers was “very emotional, but in the most happiest way,” explaining that he originally had reached out to them saying he was “open” to returning to the show. “When they said the line, ‘We want to have you back,’ I teared up,” he confessed. “I was speechless for a second, and then all I wanted to do was be done with the phone call, go downstairs, tell Nicole and just squeeze my whole little family, and be like, ‘Oh my god, the most amazing thing happened.’ So, I’m dedicating this season to my baby boy.”