‘Dancing With the Stars’ Earns Big Emmy Nominations, Including for Derek Hough and Artem Chigvintsev

Dancing With the Stars may find celebrities dancing it out on the stage in a chance to win the coveted Mirrorball trophy, but the ABC dancing competition now has the chance to walk away with a few trophies of its own. After airing its 29th season this past fall, Dancing With the Stars earned five Emmy nominations. While the show has earned Emmy nods in the past, these nominations mark the first since Tyra Banks took over hosting duties from Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews.

The first of the show’s nominations offered nods to the Dancing With the Stars crew. The competition show, which first premiered back in 2005, earned a nomination in the Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program, where it is nominated for the finale episode. It is competing in the category against Legendary (HBO Max), RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1), Saturday Night Live (NBC), and The Voice (NBC). The series also scored a nod for the Season 29 finale in the Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series. In that category, it is up against America’s Got Talent (NBC), The Masked Singer (Fox), Saturday Night Live (NBC), and The Voice (NBC). The show’s makeup artists, who get the celebrities and their professional dancing partners glitzed and glammed for their weekly dance performances, were also shown some love, earning an Emmy nom for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program for the “Top 11” episode alongside Legendary (HBO Max), Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+), RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1), and Saturday Night Live (NBC).

Of course, Dancing With the Stars wouldn’t be complete without its dancers. When the 2021 Emmy Award nominees were unveiled on Tuesday, both Derek Hough and Artem Chigvintsev scored choreography nominations in the Outstanding Choreography For Variety or Reality Programming category. They are nominated against the Christmas In Rockefeller Center routine “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”/”Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, The Disney Holiday Singalong “Jinglebells” routine, also choreographed by Hough, Savage X Fenty Show Vol 2 Garden State routine, and the World of Dance‘s “Come Thru,” “Superbad, Superslick,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” routine.

Reacting to his nomination for “Paso Doble – Uccen/Tap Dance – “Let’s Fall In Love For the Night,” Hough said it is “absolute honor to be nominated” adding that his goal last year “was to try and bring a little bit of joy, entertainment and creativity to everyone.” Chigvintsev, who could score his first Emmy trophy after winning the Mirroball trophy last fall, said he was “speechless what an honor to be nominated for an Emmy.” Chigvintsev is nominated for his and celeb partner Kaitlyn Bristowe’s Argentine tango to Britney Spears’ “Toxic” on “Icons Night” and their freestyle dance to “Sparkling Diamonds” from “Moulin Rouge” during the finale episode.

While Dancing With the Stars crowned its Season 29 winners in November, the show is set to return to ABC on Monday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The 73rd Emmy Awards will air on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.