Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold planned to be the new ‘Dancing With the Stars” showstoppers. Clearly, “Don’t Stop Me Now,” the song they grooved on for a 21/30 in the first round, matched that memo. And so did their vivacious energy in the Paso Double on the beats of the Superman-Main theme. But, not even a month into the competition, their plans have already started appearing in jeopardy.

The dance reality show did push back its episode 3 by a week, but while this means two days of back-to-back action on October 7 and 8, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee’s fan army have reasons to dread these dates. Why so? Well, the 19-year-old powerhouse, Rylee, continues to be troubled by her ankle sprain. “It’s getting better!! And most importantly not getting worse!” her recent update on Snapchat does give hope for fans to latch onto, but it hardly fades all the concerns.

She shared a snap of her instant cooling packs taped to her ankle. And she also briefed her followers about the developments in her injury. “Just still pretty sore and I’m being really careful when I dance and move :),” she confessed, not being in the pink of health yet. And that is not ideal for Stephen Nedoroscik and her, as the episode date is getting closer by the minute.

For those who don’t know how she got mired in this situation, in a 29 September Snapchat video, she voiced words that no one ever wished for. “Hi friends, so I just got done with PT and I have a sprained ankle,” she said. While Stephen Nedoroscik and she were going over their routine, she hopped on her foot, and it rolled out on the outside edge. However, as optimistic as ever, she shared, “Crazy but everything’s going to be just fine. As long as I take time to heal it and be really careful, it should be A-OK.” Well, that doesn’t seem to be the case yet.

Sharing a similar snap on her Instagram story, she added, “Major therapy on my ankle this week.” But, nothing is keeping her away from dancing, as another story updated us, that she’d been to her rehearsals this morning. Truly, nothing gets in the way of her commitment.

Also, if you remember, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee pulled off a 22/30 in their last performance. While Carrie Ann provided a “golden” verdict for this, Derek pointed out a few lacks in the gymnast’s form. But all of them hailed the duo for their energy, which was right where it needed to be. Notably, Bruno’s remarks were along similar lines. He thought the energy was electrifying but suggested refining it a tad.

While the spectacular showcase took their double-night tally to 43, the third highest of all (tied with Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson), it will be questionable to see if they’re able to maintain the same going forward. Rylee now has an injury to a nurse, in addition to her diabetes that often flares up on event days.

Stephen Nedoroscik’s dance partner Rylee battles health concerns

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2021, Rylee Arnold started openly speaking about her health in May this year. She confessed that juggling her diabetes on show days was “tricky,” as her stress and sugar levels went hand in hand. While managing this was possible with a higher shot of insulin, and she says, “I think I’ve figured out my mojo with diabetes on show days,” Rylee now has more reasons to worry.

Not only does the teenage star have to set a brilliant dance routine, but she gets Stephen attuned to it and also takes care of not exerting her ankle a lot. But while she has a lot on her plate, they’re still enjoying every bit of their DWTS journey. As seen on Instagram, the two continue shooting fun reels.

In fact, in one of them, Rylee is seen wearing an ankle brace. But she boasts, “This took us only one try” in the caption, exhibiting that she’s still able to nail her steps. And that the injury hasn’t put a damper on her form. Thus, the chances that she sits out while someone else fills in for her still appear bleak. Do you think they can perform brilliantly this week? Let us know below!