When Dancing With the Stars announced that Stephen Nedoroscik would partner with Rylee Arnold, fans knew they were in for a treat. And that’s what they’ve gotten right from Week 1. But…

Chemistry is the secret sauce in any dance. It’s what turns a set of steps into a story, making the performance flow like a conversation without words. So, are Nedoroscik and Arnold missing that spark? Well, leading up to the Week 5 performances on Dedication Night, DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli watched Nedoroscik during rehearsals, pointing out the gymnast’s form.

“One of the biggest problems is the dances almost look the same because he does steps, not dancing,” Tonioli said. Having been a gymnast all his life, Stephen has trained to execute moves that are controlled and precise. To help him channel the dancer in himself, Tonioli suggested Stephen lean into a character while performing. The judge added, “He’s got determination, and he learns quickly. So if he applies everything we worked on, he’ll go far.”

Up until Week 5, Arnold-Pommel had survived four eliminations, with the competition down to just 9 couples. But after their Argentine Tango for Dedication Night (which Stephen started with a routine on the pommel horse!), set to ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes, Nedoroscik received praise from the judges, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and guest judge Mark Ballas giving him eights, while Derek Hough awarded him a nine (33 of 40 points; 62 points in total, courtesy of a two-week episode).

After all, “Bruno’s advice helped me so much,” the gymnast revealed. Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Palmer ended the night placed third, right behind Danny Amendola and Joey Graziadei. Interestingly, though, Joey Graziadei and his partner, Jenna Johnson, had some criticism for Arnold-Pommel. A Reddit user shared a video of them on the gymnastics subreddit, where they discussed the Arnold-Pommel duo’s performance.

“They need more chemistry; they need more—almost like less brother-sister and a little bit more,” Johnson said. “I don’t wanna say that because they’re young, and that’s fine, but the end nearly wobbled and fell over.” She was referring to their Argentine Tango for Dedication Night (which Stephen started with a routine on the pommel horse!). Toward the end, the gymnast lifted Arnold into the air and spun around a few times. While Arnold stuck the landing gracefully, their final pose was what Johnson wasn’t too impressed with.

It was clear that Stephen Nedoroscik was close to losing his balance as he ended with a lunge on one knee, with Arnold leaning into him. But considering their entire choreography’s difficulty, there was nothing too glaring about the almost- faux pas. But for Jenna Johnson, that translated into a lack of chemistry. “I’m a fan of his; I just want them to connect more. It looks like they’re struggling when they’re dancing together; they’re not comfortable.”

While acknowledging their progress, Johnson noted the need for a deeper connection, saying, “Yeah, a great—again, great—wow moment, which they have always had. Rylee’s putting in the tricks; she’s putting in the stuff that he’s very capable of doing and using what he does best, and that’s great. But I just want more of a connection.” Looking at Joey Graziadei, she asked, “Don’t you?” Graziadei couldn’t help but agree with a “Yes!” 

Despite what they said, chemistry can be of any kind, and if Stephen and Rylee have the “brother-sister” kind that Jenna mentioned, so be it. And seeing as Stephen ended the night placed third, it’s evident that the judges and fans liked what they saw. After all, it gave Nederoscik the chance to express himself in the best way he knew. “Men’s gymnastics made me the man that I am today,” highlighting his motivation to represent the sport well.

Having survived five elimination rounds now, Nedoroscik and Arnold progressed to Disney Night for Week 6. While Arnold-Pommel fans couldn’t be happier about this, some of them couldn’t get past Jenna Johnson and Joey Graziadei’s criticism.

Fans weigh in on Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold’s chemistry challenges

A fan commented, “This is a weird week to say this for me because to me, this week they made a lot of steps forward in terms of their connection. I will say Stephen would have this issue with ANY pro, I think. He’s just not a guy that oozes se*ual chemistry, and I think he feels uncomfortable because of his girlfriend.”

Defending the gymnast, a fan added, “I think Rylee and Stephen don’t want to make Stephen’s girlfriend uncomfortable, and I feel like Rylee, having rumors spread last year like crazy, maybe having a hard time in fear of the media saying she’s trying to steal Stephen from his gf.” In Season 32 of DWTS, Rylee Arnold was paired with Harry Jowsey, and the pair were the subject of numerous dating rumors, especially after they seemed to have shared an on-screen kiss during the finals.

However, Arnold dispelled these speculations and the ones about her partnership with Nedoroscik, even telling PEOPLE, “I love being single.” The fan also gave the pair some sound advice: “If they want to keep advancing, they need to block the haters and fear of whatever his girlfriend may do or say or feel and do their jobs! It must be so difficult, though!”

Stephen Nedoroscik has a long-term girlfriend, Tess McCracken, and he isn’t shy about sharing that fact. A few weeks back, he appeared on the Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis, addressing rumors surrounding his relationship with partner Rylee Arnold. “Me and Rylee, we’re not just like coach and student,” he stated, emphasizing their friendship instead.

Stephen explained that Rylee often hangs out with him and Tess, playing games like Face 10 and Codenames. “So, literally after we shoot this, we’re both just going to go tan, go to the pool, and just kick it for a little bit before rehearsal.” Another fan commented, “It doesn’t need to be se*ual chemistry. I always use Charli and Mark as an example. They did not have se*ual chemistry… he is so much older than her. But they still had amazing chemistry while dancing.” The user referred to Charli D’Amelio (20) and Mark Ballas (38) in Season 31 of DWTS, where they were crowned champions.

A fan wrote, “Ultimately, there’s not much Rylee and Stephen can do about this. Gymnasts are trained their whole life to be stone-cold and emotionless in their skill set. They’ve also trained their whole life to be extremely powerful in their movements, which is why I think Stephen often looks a bit wobbly and disjointed; he’s hitting his mark so intensely.”

The 25-year-old has dedicated his life to gymnastics, so what this user said made a lot of sense. Gymnasts train to be super precise and controlled, making it tough for them to express themselves in dance. For someone like Stephen Nedoroscik, breaking those habits isn’t easy, and adjusting to a more fluid style takes time.

Considering he didn’t know how to dance a couple of months ago and seeing how far he’s come thanks to Rylee’s coaching, the fan added, “I think he and Rylee have done a solid job.”