Stephen Nedoroscik was all business when he dove into the details of his latest dance performance. “This dance was just so different. I had to be serious, I had to be stiff, I had to put my hips out,” he said, sounding more like a dance pro than a double bronze Olympic gymnast. You’d almost forget that just weeks ago, the pommel horse specialist was nervous about stepping onto the dance floor. But his performances so far on the 33rd season of Dancing With the Stars have been nothing short of showstoppers.

Nedoroscik admitted early on that he was leaning heavily on his dance partner, Rylee Arnold, to help him find his groove. And despite the challenge of mastering ballroom instead of balance beams, he’s confident he can snag that Mirrorball Trophy. But then, drama struck. Rylee suffered an injury during practice, and suddenly, their future on the show seemed shaky. As fans started worrying about what this meant for their run, a lifeline appeared just in time!

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold were rescued by a twist just when injury fears hit

According to the updates noted by Entertainment Weekly, CBS won’t be airing Dancing With the Stars this week, but the starry ballroom will light up again on October 7 (Monday) and 8 (Tuesday) with double episodes at the usual time. Monday’s show will be pre-recorded, focusing on Soul Train Night with no eliminations, while Tuesday will feature a live Hair Metal Night complete with an elimination round. The exact number of participants to be cut remains a mystery, but someone’s bound to hit the exit. This schedule change seems to have given Rylee Arnold a breather. But why?

She recently shared on Snapchat that she sprained her ankle during rehearsal, posting, “Suffered a little injury last night in rehearsal, so starting my day by heading to pt.” But she assured fans she’s doing everything she can to heal, saying, “I’m going to do everything I can these next couple weeks to just be really careful to be sure it doesn’t happen again so that it doesn’t get worse.” Thanks to the Vice Presidential debate taking priority on CBS, Arnold now has a few extra days to rest up and recover. As for her partner, Stephen Nedoroscik, he might have to embrace his new title—courtesy of Arnold!

Clark Kent of gymnastics receives a special title from his mentor

In just the last few days, Dancing With the Stars fans have embraced Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold with plenty of buzz. The bond between the Olympian and the professional dancer has seemed to impress the fans, giving a new form of chemistry. The duo has captured the limelight for another reason. They’ve been serving up performances the audience loves.

Case in point: their paso doble set to the Superman theme. Nedoroscik and Arnold brought their A-game to the paso doble, dancing to the Superman theme. Talk about a power move! They totally leaned into the Clark Kent meme that stole the show during the Paris Olympics, and it definitely turned heads! Throughout this time, Penn State did not let his energy go down. And for such a mood, he has earned praise from his dance partner, aka mentor. 

A few days ago, Rylee Arnold shared a snippet of the duo’s gym session. While the ‘Keep Up’ song playing in the background set the tone, Rylee Arnold’s unreal dancing steps added the rest. However, Stephen Nedoroscik played his part in the snippet, being the perfect cheerleader. And what did he receive in return? On social media, Arnold captioned the snippet with the line, “When Steve is your biggest hype man.” Fans will have to hold tight for another week to see them light up the ballroom and Rylee Arnold recover, but it’s clear this duo is a match made in dance heaven!