Dancing with the Stars couple Artem Chigvintsev and Kaitlyn Bristowe need to win the Season 29 mirrorball trophy or else the competition is "rigged," according to Artem's fiance Nikki Bella.

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"A part of the Dancing with the Stars show that I think people get really attached to someone is when they see their growth," Nikki, 36, told her twin sister Brie Bella on a recent episode of their "The Bellas Podcast," according to Us Weekly.

"I truly believe [judge Carrie Ann Inaba] was hard on [Kaitlyn] because she knew there was more and we [finally] saw that."

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Nikki recalled how Kaitlyn and Artem received a perfect score of 30 points from Dancing with the Stars judges Carrie Ann, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough after performing an Argentine tango on the November 10 episode.

"That Argentine tango, you were like I didn't even think she could do that and she did that. And so for me, that's how I see things. Like Carrie Ann pushed her in a way that made her even better. Honestly if Kaitlyn and Artem don't win, I'm calling, it's rigged."

And as fans saw on last week's Dancing with the Stars episode, Kaitlyn and Artem topped the judges' leaderboard with a night of perfect scores -- 60 out of 60 possible points -- for their "Redemption Dance" and emotional contemporary routine.

However, Kaitlyn and Artem had tied for first place with Catfish creator and host Nev Schulman and partner Jenna Johnson on the November 17 DWTS episode.

Brie reportedly pointed out that Nev and Jenna have been "doing really good" too.

"He started off good just like Kaitlyn but now Kaitlyn has shown how much she's grown even more and for me that means something. That to me is deserving of the mirrorball trophy," Nikki explained.

Kaitlyn has improved week to week in light of receiving constructive -- and arguably harsh -- criticism from Carrie Ann.

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Artem previously told Entertainment Tonight it seemed Carrie's Ann's critiques were getting "a little personal" and "discouraging" before the couple received their perfect scores, and Kaitlyn had admitted to crying in the corner and getting her soul "crushed."

At one point in the season, Carrie Ann told Kaitlyn that her "spirit dropped" and it looked like she almost "gave up" during a dance, which Kaitlyn deemed unhelpful when preparing for future performances.

While some fans have accused Carrie Ann of essentially picking on Kaitlyn and Artem, Nikki told Us that the judge was just "doing her job."

"I think because Brie and I have been athletes our whole life, I have been raised in such a way, like, don't cry about injuries. Suck it up. So, Artem and I actually got in this discussion. I think he was so shocked because I was like, 'Why are you taking it so personal?'... [I said], 'She pushes you, you guys did better, and look at the outcome,'" Nikki shared.

Nikki admitted she and Artem "kind of bumped heads" on the issue.

"I really got in on him, and I felt bad. I was like, 'You made it so personal that she's getting bullied! You need to go make a video on [Instagram].' And so pour Artem does this video and he goes, 'Should I post it?' And I was like, 'No, don't post it," Nikki recalled with a laugh.

"We both felt like, 'Okay, maybe that's too much,' right when it all happened. Artem has the biggest heart and he was feeling bad for Carrie Ann with all the bad comments she was getting on her Instagram cause at the end of the day, no one wants to be dragged."

Nikki and Artem met when they were dance partners on Dancing with the Stars' 25th season in 2017 and they had major chemistry onstage.

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Nikki and Artem began dating in January 2019 following her split from a long six-year relationship with John Cena, who previously served as the host of American Grit.

Nikki gave birth to the couple's first child, a baby boy named Matteo, in July.

Kaitlyn and Nev will also be facing off against rapper Nelly and actress Justina Machado for the Dancing with the Stars mirrorball trophy on Monday night's Season 29 finale on ABC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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