“Stephen [Nedoroscik] is going for gold!” Bruno Tonioli exclaimed. The words followed the Olympian’s performance with Rylee Arnold for the last time on the stage of Dancing with the Stars (33rd season).  Meanwhile, Carrie Ann Inaba, another judge, said, “Watching you become a dancer and Rylee, now you’re a gymnast, what’s going on? That was amazing and touched all the perfect points.” They gave him full marks based on his performance. But when the audience voted to choose the winner, Stephen missed the gold. Rylee Arnold and his team Pommel ended the journey, claiming the fourth position on the final night. The race to grab the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy ended in a heartbreak with a duo. Or so did we think.

Nearly 60 days have passed since November 27. The duo has been busy- Stephen Nedoroscik has shifted to his gymnastics schedule and Rylee Arnold is on her way to meet her personal goals. However certain developments have brought them to the same old DWTS road. How? Here comes the plot with some twists. 

Stephen Nedoroscik gets it at last! 

On January 25, Stephen Nedoroscik dropped a surprise on his Instagram story. It was a snapshot of him with none other than Rylee Arnold. So, they met in the new year. That could be a treat for the fans. However, there was a bigger surprise in the picture. It framed Stephen with Rylee holding a miniature form of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. In the snapshot, the Olympic medalist was all smiles, ear to ear, while Rylee posed in a kissing avatar. The achievement may have surely made them overjoyed. A hint of it was present in the caption as well. It read, “We got a mirror ball!!! thank you very much Gracie [emoji]” But the snapshot raised several questions. Where did they get the miniature and what was the occasion? 

Well, a closer look at the snapshot may serve the cause. Notably, the miniature didn’t have the same crystal look in the ball in its head as the original one does. Nor did it have the classy touch of the original one. But it had something unique. What was that? The nameplate on the base read, “Dancing with the Stars 2024. Mirror Ball Trophy. Stephen Nedoroscik.” It further stated, “Your faithful fan Gracie Holtz.” That explained everything. The two-time world championship medalist earned the miniature from his ardent fan. What better way to begin the New Year? In November, they lost the final. But moments like these are evidence of them winning fans’ hearts. Moreover, the duo have immense admiration for each other. This could explain their fan following.

The year started remembering the ‘coach’

Rylee Arnold and Stephen Nedoroscik belong to two completely different worlds. But the platform, DWTS, brought them closer. During their time in the contest, they explored things that might not have been limited to dancing only. Referring to Kylee as “coach“, Stephen spilled a few big words on November 26 last year. Such as? 

In a backroom interaction with DWTS, the Penn State alum said, “I owe all my success to Riley. She’s just held my hand through this entire process and I couldn’t have asked for a better dance partner and coach.” A similar tone echoed on the year-ending day. Stephen shared an Instagram story that night to wish Arnold well. He wrote in it, “Rylee, you’re the best coach [emoji] Happy New Year.” Meanwhile, the Utah native uploaded an Instagram story with a sweet reply, “One of the best parts of my year was being your partner Steve [emoji] thank you for everything!!!!!”. We are a fan of this duo, to be honest! And now, the latest upload brings another occasion to cherish the memories.