Glasses may slip, but confidence never does! That’s exactly what Stephen Nedoroscik proved during the Dancing with the Stars semifinal on November 20. It all started when Nedoroscik and his pro partner, Rylee Arnold, took the floor for their first dance—a cha-cha. Arnold had encouraged the 26-year-old enough to bring out his “sexy side” for the routine, but he wasn’t feeling it. “You know, feeling sexy isn’t really my thing,” he admitted. The judges weren’t impressed, criticizing his unsteady footwork, and the couple scored 25/30.

But then came the second dance: a tango to Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap. This time, the Olympian had decided to keep his glasses on, even though he typically competes without them due to his eye conditions. “Stephen has an advantage with the tango over the cha-cha because he has insane upper body strength and that is so good for frame in dancing,” Arnold said. Unfortunately, during the tango, his glasses became crooked and eventually fell off his face. But what happened next was truly impressive—Nedoroscik didn’t stop. Instead, he kept dancing, refusing to let the mishap affect his performance.

Carrie Ann Inaba was quick to recognize his determination. “That throws off your depth perception worse than already you’re going through,” she said. “What I’m so impressed with, you didn’t stop, you did something that not many people could do — you continued on.” Despite the glasses issue, Stephen Nedoroscik kept his focus and completed the dance without skipping a beat. His tango scored 28/30, with Carrie Ann giving him a 10 and Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each awarding him a 9.

In the end, Nedoroscik came in last place for the night, but that didn’t stop him from advancing to the finale. With a combined score of 53/60, his gymnastics fans and many others rallied behind him, admiring his ability to push through the challenge.

Stephen Nedoroscik ‘s glasses slip on DWTS left fans speechless

One fan said, “I felt so bad for him when he lost his glasses (H it’s honestly so impressive what he’s doing w his near blindness and light sensitivity!!” This sentiment captured the reaction of many after Stephen Nedoroscik’s glasses mishap. During the tango, his glasses slipped, blocking his vision in one eye and becoming crooked on his face. Despite this, he didn’t miss a step, continuing the performance as if nothing was wrong.

One final fan added, “So impressive without glasses and she got rid of them so smoothly, it didn’t hinder the performance at all. Bravo to them both.”

Rylee Arnold could feel that something was off, noticing his unsteady movements. She quickly realized what had happened when she saw the glasses askew in the middle of his vision. He tried to fix them, but the hairspray had made them stick to his face, so Arnold made the split-second decision to pull them off completely. Interestingly, the timing worked out perfectly as they were at the ideal spot on the dance floor, allowing them to continue their routine without disruption. Arnold later expressed how proud she was of Stephen for staying composed throughout the situation.

One fan pointed out, “Why wasn’t a strap used to keep his glasses on. He’s a favorite.” Honestly, it’s a good question—a strap might’ve kept the glasses from slipping or falling off during the intense moves, letting him focus on the dance instead of worrying about adjusting them. But in a way, the mishap only added to the moment’s power.

Another fan shared, “This was so powerful. Losing the glasses made it even better. Proud of these two. They stole my heart and gave all the emotions. Mirrorball champs!!! Let’s get them there!” And yet another fan said, “The way this gives us chills every time.” Even with the glasses slip, the duo’s performance had so much heart, and it’s clear their fans are completely behind them, cheering them on to the very end.

One fan commented, “held my breath for the rest of the dance when the glasses got tilted, but knew he would continue like a champ, and it was amazing! like the song says “won’t stop til it’s over” and they didn’t!” This athlete has been living with two eye conditions—strabismus and coloboma. Strabismus means his eyes don’t point the same way, which can cause double vision, and coloboma means some tissue in his eye is missing. But he even used to wear goggles while competing in gymnastics back in college but eventually ditched them. This made him win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Honestly, it’s amazing how Stephen Nedoroscik pushed through, especially with his vision challenges, and his dance partner’s quick thinking really saved the moment. Instead of letting the glasses issue derail their routine, they just kept going, and it seems they might win the Mirrorball Trophy.