During the Paris Olympics 2024, Stephen Nedoroscik became an overnight celebrity after his performances on the pommel horse. The 25-year-old sat on the sidelines calmly with his glasses on until his turn during the team finals. As he had to step in, he took the glasses off. Nothing extraordinary till this point. But he made that happen once he performed what he was meant to: take care of the Pommel horse department. And how? Scoring a 14.866 to lead the team to bring bronze. In the individual pommel horse finals, he took off his glasses again, and the outcome was no different.

This time it was a solid 15.300 to bring a bronze, the USA’s first men’s individual medal, in eight years. And social media was quick to spot something: take the glasses off and rock! What else can that be called other than a Superman act? Instantly, the moniker of ‘Clark Kent of gymnastics’ went viral. So much so that Actor David Corenswet, who stars as Superman in the upcoming “Superman: Legacy,” went on to congratulate Stephen. Now, it was time to bring in that Superman moment one more stage.

The fan-favorite ‘Clark Kent of Pommel Horse’ did not fail in that as he made his Dancing With the Stars debut on Tuesday, September 17. The 2x Olympic bronze medalist tore up the dance floor with DWTS partner Rylee Arnold on Queen’s smash hit, Don’t Stop Me Now, performing a jive. Moments before starting the performance, Stephen channeled his inner Clark Kent once again, taking off the glasses.

The now iconic move marked the start of high-energy performance. Raylee Arnold, the pro dancer, used Stephen Nedoroscik’s strengths to craft a dance routine for their Season 33 debut. Arnold utilized the gymnastics icon’s athleticism to choreograph a performance that seamlessly integrated flips and tumbles.

However, she also ensured that the routine didn’t become a sequence of difficult moves. After all, the DWTS stage wasn’t the Bercy Arena of Paris. Arnold’s choreography and the debutant’s surprisingly slick execution netted the couple 21 points out of 30. Many fans thought they were underscored and should have got an 8. But the judges had their argument handy.

According to the panel of Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Toniolo, his toes needed to be more pointed during the jive. However, Stephen was excited. He took to social media to write, “MY DANCING DEBUT!!! Never in my life would I have thought I could do a jive. I owe it all to @ryleearnold1she’s been the best coach!! The goal was to get one 7 and we got THREE!! #dwts #arnoldpommel #boogiewoogie.”

The Nedoroscik-Arnold duo found themselves tied for the third spot alongside Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy. Team USA Superman will ride the momentum into episode two. Amid that, he has a piece of advice from none other than Simone Biles who participated in season 24 of DWTS in 2022 with Sasha Farber.

“just have fun,” Simone said for the 2x Olympic medalist. According to her, “It’s [DWTS] hard. Like dancing with the stars was so hard, it’s long hours. I feel like it’s almost harder than the gymnastics that we do. But we’re so out of our element.” Indeed, Stephen was. His move of taking the glasses might look exciting, but that is not an easy one.

Nedoroscik wears glasses because he has strabismus, a condition where one eye is turned in a direction that’s different from the other. More commonly known as crossed eyes, it can lead to double vision. He was asked by Today hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie how he could carry out his pommel horse routine without his glasses. Nedoroscik had admitted he didn’t see. But he has got the moniker for a reason.

“It’s not necessarily clear, but the thing about pommel horse is if I keep [the glasses] on, they’re going to fly somewhere. When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment. I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands. I can feel everything,” Stephen had explained. Truly, a superman!

Although he won over the DWTS stage, the gymnast’s road to the reality show has been an unconventional one. That’s because before signing on to compete in the fan-favorite reality show, the Olympic champion was set to join Simone Biles on a nationwide tour.

Stephen Nedoroscik was spoiled for choice

Shortly after Team USA Gymnastics’ historic success at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Athleta announced Gold Over America. The special tour that showcased champions such as Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, and others in a unique light announced its second edition. However, this time, the men’s gymnastics team would join Biles & Co. on the grand tour.

Fans felt even more excited as Stephen Nedorcoscik’s name was on the website. However, it seems that Mr. Pommel Horse wanted to explore something completely new. Although the G.O.A.T tour will also incorporate music, choreography, and storytelling, the double-bronze medalist ultimately decided against it. Now, two days after his fellow gymnasts embarked on their nationwide tour at Oceanside, California, Nedoroscik debuted on the DWTS stage.

However, he isn’t the only Olympian on the roster. Fellow U.S. Olympics teammate, and bronze medalist Ilona Maher has also joined in. Maher won bronze in the women’s rugby seven finals and also became a viral star on social media thanks to her confidence and message of positivity. The 28-year-old finished episode one with 18 points. We’ll have to wait and see just how far Stephen Nedoroscik makes it on Dancing With the Star.