Stephen Nedoroscik’s dance partner, Rylee Arnold, was never short of talent. She had been on Dancing With the Stars Junior before and, in fact, was the only junior pro from the 2018 telecast who got cast for the main series five years later, debuting in season 32. However, she could only go as far as the sixth elimination, leaving her dream deferred until the next time. Hence, come 2024, it was probably this unfinished business that kept her on the burner all summer for the DWTS casting call.

Appearing on the Lightweights podcast with Joe Vulpis, Rylee confessed that the uncertainty around her selection for season 33 kept her in a state of flux. She confessed, “So I got the call about probably like 3 weeks before I moved down. So I knew a little bit longer than I did last year but it was still very last minute and I was sitting around all summer just scared for my life.” 

Hung in the middle, she was absolutely clueless about what was going to happen, amidst which she had opportunities coming her way. But the dilemma of “Do I accept these, am I gonna be on Dancing with the Stars?” left her in no position to take anything up. To an extent, she was in the dark about whether she would be in Utah or LA in the coming weeks, which left her feeling like, “I don’t know what I am doing.” But internally, she knew exactly that she ought to hope for the best.

Until one phone call changed her life. While she was attending her sister’s event, she saw the name Dina Catz flash on her mobile screen, the casting director of the show. Rylee knew, “Usually when she calls, that means business.” But after she picked up, the conversation progressed from How are you/how’s life to “I am offering a spot for u as a pro on the show again,” just like she’d imagined. To the extent that Stephen Nedoroscik’s dance guru exhaled, “Thank goodness” on the Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis and confessed her eyes had welled up.

While Dina had not revealed that Stephen Nedoroscik would be Rylee’s partner back then (probably because things were still in the pipeline), it’s notable how much the pair has progressed on the show. In just 4 weeks, they have shown a steady progression and recently recorded their highest score so far.

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold have turned DWTS into a success party

Week 1 on Dancing With The Stars started with Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold performing a jive routine on Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now,’ which was a massive change out of the gymnast’s comfort zone. Used to his usual twists and turns on the pommel horse, Team USA 2x Olympic medalist still managed to put up a decent score with 21 on the board. Week 2 was only a slight improvement, with 22 on the board after the paso doble that they performed on “Superman- Main Theme.”

Come week 3, there was an astronomical jump in their scores to 30 after they shook their legs to Superstition by Stevie Wonder and put up a quickstep routine. It just kept getting better, as Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee scored 32, showing a steady upward rise in their graph. On the beats of ‘Here I Go Again’, the duo tried their hands at Foxtrot, which was an incredible attempt.

However, their week 4 performance topped them all. It was a bit extra special for it was ‘Dedication Night’ and Nedoroscik’s performance was an ode to his Team USA Olympic squad and the whole sport of men’s gymnastics. Performing Argentine tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, he brought in the pommel horse for a brief bit, leading the couple to bag their highest score so far with 33 on the board.

And a little birdie tells us that next up is the famous Disney Night. And here’s what Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee would be performing with a tinge of storytelling.