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Dancing with the Stars earns first Emmy nomination in a decade
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
ABC's long-running competition series Dancing with the Stars has secured its first Emmy nomination in ten years, earning a place in the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category at the 2026 Emmys. The recognition, revealed on NBC's Today, marks a notable comeback for the US remake of Strictly Come Dancing, which had previously enjoyed 11 consecutive nominations from its 2006 debut before dropping off the awards circuit, and follows a period of strong ratings for the show.
The nomination is for Season 34, which ran from September to December and was won by Robert Irwin, with a cast that included Corey Feldman, Hilaria Baldwin, Danielle Fishel, Jordan Chiles and Alix Earle. Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough with judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, the show will compete against Survivor, Top Chef, RuPaul's Drag Race and reigning two-time winner The Traitors, which is considered the favourite. The category has historically been dominated by familiar names, with The Amazing Race holding 22 nominations since 2003 and Top Chef 20, while NBC's The Voice missed out for a second successive year.
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In short
- Dancing with the Stars earns first Emmy nomination in ten years.
- Season 34, won by Robert Irwin, secured the reality competition nod.
- It faces favourite The Traitors, Survivor, Top Chef and Drag Race.
How this story developed
- 4 months ago Fresh coverage reframed the milestone around the field of rivals, confirming the ABC show's return after ten years away will pit Season 34 u2014 hosted by Ribeiro and Hough and topped by Robert Irwin u2014 against defending champion The Traitors alongside Survivor, Top Chef and RuPaul's Drag Race, among the category's most reliable nominees since its 2003 launch.
- 4 months ago Dancing with the Stars landed its first Emmy nomination in a decade, unveiled during an early-morning announcement on NBC's Today, earning the ABC series a slot in the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category for Season 34, which was hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, won by Robert Irwin, and will now compete against Survivor, Top Chef, The Traitors and RuPaul's Drag Race, with the twice-crowned The Traitors the favourite.
Explained simply
Dancing with the Stars is the American version of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, pairing celebrities with professional dancers who compete in weekly routines judged by a panel. It has run on ABC since 2006 and became a fixture at the Emmy Awards early on, picking up eleven nominations in a row before falling out of favour with voters for the past decade.
The show's most recent run, Season 34, was won by wildlife presenter Robert Irwin and featured a cast including Corey Feldman, Hilaria Baldwin, Danielle Fishel, Jordan Chiles and Alix Earle, with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough hosting and Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli judging. It is now nominated in the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category at the 2026 Emmys.
That category is one of US television's most competitive, regularly featuring long-running hits such as The Amazing Race and Top Chef alongside newer favourites like The Traitors, which has won the award for the past two years running. A nomination there is seen as a mark of industry recognition, since the field is dominated by a small number of established shows.
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Originally published by Deadline as “‘Dancing With The Stars’ Lands First Reality Emmy Nomination In Ten Years”.