Dancing with the Stars pro dancer, Artem Chigvintsev was included in the list of nine dancers announced as part of season 21’s pro cast during Good Morning America’s reveal on August 19. But when the full list of pros and celebrities were announced on September 2, Artem was nowhere to be found.
It’s still unclear exactly what happened, but Artem has checked in via Instagram to clear up a few questions. The good news is that he’s NOT injured, unlike his fellow dancer, Peta Murgatroyd, who was forced to drop out. Instead, Artem attributes his sudden removal from competition to a “last minute cast change.” Whatever that means.
It’s not unusual for negotiations with some celebrities to go right up to the last minute. Maybe Artem was paired up with a star whose talks fell through right before the announcement. Hopefully, the full story comes out at some point.
In any case, as Artem wrote, he will be dancing with the pros during the season. And you never know–if a male pro is injured, he could hop in to take their place.
Read more: Dancing with the Stars Cast Reveal Live Blog
