Stephen Nedoroscik gave it his all in the season finale of Dancing With the Stars. The pommel horse specialist reserved best for the end as he and his dance partner Rylee Arnold secured their first perfect 30 of the season after a sizzling performance on Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.” But it wasn’t enough to win the competition, as the pair finished fourth. Still, the gymnast can be proud of himself and his girlfriend Tess McCracken summed up her feelings on his journey on DWTS.

Nedoroscik has entertained fans throughout his run on the dancing reality show, recreating his Clark Kent meme from the Paris Olympics and even pulling off a pommel horse routine in one of the performances. He even overcame his fear of darkness, performing in pitch black during Week 7, and earned his first 10 of the season. As the curtains came down on the 33rd season of the show, it was a time of reflection for McCracken.

A day after the Dancing with the Stars finals, Tess McCracken uploaded a post on Instagram that had a carousel of images of her with numerous people from the show, which included Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold. It also carried a note for the gymnast after his fourth-place finish.

“He’s the only trophy I care about,” said Tess at the very beginning of the post. “Stephen, I’m so proud of how far you’ve come. Watching you throw yourself into dance for the last three months has been so inspiring and I’m honored to have been able to witness your journey. Being at your side through the whirlwind has been nothing short of spectacular,” she added.

Tess McCracken has been a constant source of support for her boyfriend, something he acknowledged during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. When asked about the biggest cheerleader in his journey, he answered, “It’s definitely my girlfriend, Tess. She came here, she’s cheering, I’ve heard her. She’s just the best, she keeps me grounded, she keeps my on my feet.”

Nedoroscik’s journey was indeed spectacular and filled with challenges. Though he managed to delight the audience with his dance routines and personality, it wasn’t always easy. He came close to elimination a few times and was left worried.

On October 22, after Arnold and the US gymnast performed a Charleston to “A Star Is Born” from “Hercules,” they scored 24 points. Nedoroscik found himself in the bottom three but survived elimination. This made him even more determined to improve.

“As an elite athlete, being at the bottom of the leaderboard is terrifying. I don’t want to be in that position again, so I’m doing everything in my power to stay on the show,” Nedoroscik said before he and Arnold scored 28 points in the following week. Nedoroscik’s run to the finale was also special for his dance partner Arnold.

Arnold had been part of the DWTS before, but this was the first time she made it to the finale. “Getting Rylee to her first finale means so much to me. We’ve developed such a great relationship and getting her to this point feels amazing,” the gymnast said. He also added, “Me and Rylee’s partnership feels like the underdog story. Dude who’s barely known a year ago, who never danced. Rylee’s 19 years old, second season, and we just made it to the finale.” 

Meanwhile, McCracken also didn’t forget the efforts of Rylee Arnold and had words of praise for her as well.

Stephen Nedoroscik’s girlfriend’s message to Rylee Arnold

Tess McCracken also sent a message to Stephen Nedoroscik’s Dancing with the Stars partner Rylee Arnold after the end of the show in an Instagram story. She acknowledged the fact that Rylee did a tremendous job choreographing Nedoroscik, as he had come into the show completely untrained. But, over the weeks, he looked like a complete performer alongside the dancer.

“This girl is really something special. Thank you for taking such good care of Stephen; you’re such a bright star, and I can’t wait to cheer you on for seasons to come,” Tess wrote for Arnold. Rylee Arnold later replied to the story in one of her own saying, “Tess!!! I love you so much!!! So glad we were brought into each other’s lives. You are so special.”

Despite failing to win the mirror ball, Arnold and Stephen Nedoroscik will be remembered for a lot of iconic performances on the show. The association with DWTS doesn’t end here for Nedoroscik though.

As rumored earlier, Stephen Nedoroscik will be a part of “Dancing with the Stars: Live! 2025” tour and will serve as the co-host when it stops at the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 23, 2025. So for fans of the Clark Kent of gymnastics, his time in the limelight is far from over.