Stephen Nedoroscik and his dance partner Rylee Arnold, as always, are moving from one bold move to another on Dancing With the Stars. The latest? The duo is dedicating their week five routine to men’s gymnastics. As Stephen himself puts it, “Every single Olympic team member was an NCAA gymnast, and the NCAA has been cutting programs basically every other year… We just got our first team medal in 16 years, which is extremely monumental to us.” The dedication comes with a lot of weight and a lot of meaning, and the netizens are caught in a tug-of-war!

The debate begins with the choice of dance itself! “Yeah, definitely seems different for an Argentine tango… but since it is dedicated to men’s gymnastics, maybe they feel like it’s relevant enough? It’ll be interesting to see how it’s incorporated,” wrote one fan on Reddit. The choice of the Argentine tango has left many wondering how Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold will infuse gymnastics elements into it. But on the other hand, if they do pull it off, it will be a performance that will go down in TV history. However, some think the choice is not an original one.

While some fans wrestle and come to terms with the idea of the Argentine Tango, some are drawing parallels from previous seasons. “I like the idea. JoJo and Jenna used two chairs for their AT redemption dance and absolutely killed it. So I could see them using the pommel in a similar way,” said another fan. It sure is a possibility that Stephen and Rylee decide to use the pommel as a prop rather than a detraction from the performance itself.

In 2021, Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson did the Argentine tango too! The two performed the tango during Britney Night. And as the fan rightly pointed out, it was a night to remember that put the duo on everyone’s radar. Fans certainly loved the props in that performance, but can Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold beat it? Or maybe even set a whole new benchmark? If one parallel wasn’t enough, fans are drawing some more!

An eagle-eyed fan went on to write, “This is like Sasha and Suni using a balancing beam for their foxtrot.” Remember the season 30 iconic performance? During week 9, Suni Lee and her dance partner Sahsa decided to incorporate some gymnastic moves into a foxtrot. The duo danced to Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave For You”. Their performance reactions were similar to Stephen’s speculation spirals, uncertain.

Some felt it was a tad too sensual, while others felt the outfit was the first off-putting thing! Stephen has to navigate the waters of dedication and mixing sport with dance carefully. If history is testimony, let’s be honest: the dedication doesn’t seem to have worked great for many. For Stephen, however, this tribute goes beyond performance.

It is a call to action. Stephen Nedoroscik is capitalizing on the viewership of DWTS to raise awareness. A smart idea, certainly. As Stephen himself puts it, “Nowadays, they’re also cutting scholarships. So, it’s very important to me, all my teammates, and the entire men’s gymnastics community in the United States that we continue to keep the NCAA programs alive and thriving. We want to see this sport grow.” While Stephen does have his eyes set on the plea he intends to make, this has also developed a whole new side of the debate.

An ode too early?

While the netizens have made it clear that Argentine tango is perhaps questionable since the intention of putting men’s gymnastics on national TV is to raise awareness, shouldn’t it have perhaps come later? As one fan rightly puts it, “I’m kinda confused why they’re bringing this out so early. I know it’s a routine dedicated to men’s gymnastics, so maybe that’s why, but I thought it would be the perfect thing to bring out for freestyles, as I think they’re likely finalists.”

It is a fair point; the duo has been performing well consistently. From the ballroom moments to the transformation on the Hair Metal Night, the two have time and again shown improvement. Finalists? Very likely, indeed.

Another fan echoing the same emotion but recognizing the idea behind doing it now said, “This is like the only time it would make sense to use it, other than a finale dance.” The fandom is not wrong in assuming it would have made a great finale. Additionally, it would likely have attracted a much higher viewership. But Stephen perhaps doesn’t think that number is too bad now, either!

Stephen Nedoroscik is not wrong in assuming the same as well. But why? The answers lie in stats. The premiere of Season 33 had 4.97 million viewers! And the target population for Stephen exists in the demographic that the views are coming from. The 18-49 year age bracket! Not bad at all, eh? Yet, there’s a growing consensus that it came too early.

One fan, saddened by the decision, wrote, “Oh…..I wish they would’ve saved this for later….” The bold choices come with risks of their own. And perhaps saving the performance might have increased some viewership numbers and kept the two longer in the competition, too. Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold will need to pull off something rarely seen on DWTS. Mixing sport with dance and getting it right!