Picture this: an Olympian who owns the gym floor but feels like a nervous wreck when the dance floor lights hit him. That’s Stephen Nedoroscik for you. On the Mythical Kitchen show with Josh Scherer, he admitted, “I’m a very cowardly and scared dancer.” Despite his killer confidence on the pommel horse, dancing has been a totally different challenge for him. He even admitted that when he’s out at the club, he’s usually “in the corner,” far away from the spotlight. So, when Dancing with the Stars came calling, he never thought he’d end up in that spotlight—dancing for millions of viewers.

But here he is, proving that even the most confident athletes have their vulnerabilities. Stephen’s secret? He says, “As long as you go a hundred percent, like you won’t ever really look stupid.” It’s a mindset he’s trying to stick to, even though it feels completely outside his comfort zone. While he still calls himself a “cowardly and scared dancer,” you might be wondering what’s got this pommel horse champ on DWTS. Well, wonder no more—Stephen’s finally opened up about it!

In a recent Boston Globe interview, Stephen Nedoroscik opened up about the wild journey from Olympic pommel horse specialist to Dancing with the Stars competitor, “about as not-a-dancer as it gets.” Before joining the show, dancing wasn’t even on his radar; he didn’t hit the dance floor, even on nights out with friends. While his gymnastics background helped with endurance during four-hour rehearsals, he quickly discovered the challenges were different. While dancing is all about the lower body, Stephen is an upper-body guy so now wonder how out of comfort zone he felt. Yet, he took it as a thrill, saying, “I was like, you know, this is intimidating… but I love that.”

As intimidating as it was, Stephen Nedoroscik didn’t shy away from the challenge. “ There’s something about being intimidated by something. It’s cool to go head on at it, and just try your hardest, and I think that with that mind-set, more than anything, I’ve been able to achieve what I have in dance. Having that elite athlete background definitely has helped.,” he said, admitting he felt a strange pull to tackle the unknown. So for him, the process of training like an elite athlete translated into dance.

By the end of his first week, he even managed to surprise himself and those closest to him. His Olympic teammates, in town for other events, stopped by the studio to see him practice. He taught them a few jive moves from his week-one routine, and they couldn’t believe what they saw. “Bro, I did not expect you to be able to do that that well,” they told him, clearly shocked by his newfound skills. Well, who knew the pommel horse king had some serious moves up his sleeve?

In week one of DWTS, Stephen Nedoroscik, alongside his partner Rylee Arnold, truly brought the house down with his unstoppable energy and charisma. They danced to Adam Lambert’s stirring version of Queen’s hit “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and right from the start, Stephen brought drama—ditching his spectacles and throwing a wink at the camera, a nod to his memorable Olympic “Clark Kent” moment.

His athletic flair and vigor blew away the judges, each scoring them a solid 7, landing them 21 points and the fourth-highest spot among the 13 pairs. Now, as the show moves into its next thrilling week, one can’t help but wonder—what surprises does Stephen have up his sleeve?

Stephen Nedoroscik moves another week closer to the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy

After a two-week break, DWTS is finally waltzing back onto screens on November 12, and this episode is one for the history books—it’s the show’s 500th! To mark this milestone, DWTS is amping things up with a new twist that’s bound to keep both dancers and fans on their toes. Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold, fresh off week 7, even hopped on Instagram Live to tease fans with what’s coming next. Not long after, a Reddit user spilled the beans: they’ll be tackling four dance styles for a segment called the Instant Dance Challenge.

For the big 500th bash, DWTS is bringing in what they’re calling “the ultimate test.” Here’s the kicker: the couples won’t know which dance style or song they’re performing until five minutes before round two begins! Talk about high stakes! The styles in the mix? Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, Argentine Tango, and Contemporary—each as intense and technical as the next. According to an ABC press release, it’s going to be a wild, whirlwind night that really separates the dancers from the dreamers.

And that’s not all! Rylee Arnold dropped an extra bit of news during her appearance on the Scrubbing In with Becca Tilley & Tanya Rad podcast. For week 8, she and Stephen are set to recreate a fan-favorite dance from DWTS’s past. They’ll be taking on the Viennese Waltz made famous by Charlie and Mark in season 31. Rylee did mention that while they might not match the magic of the original couple, they’re ready to pour their hearts into making it something truly memorable.