The athletes are still in the game on Dancing with the Stars—and yes, we’re talking about Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold. Well, on Tuesday, they hit the stage for “Disney Night” with only eight couples left, performing a Charleston to “A Star Is Born” from Hercules. While Nedoroscik’s energy was undeniable, the judges all agreed on one thing—he needed to work on his timing.

Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli each gave the pair eight points, totaling 24. Inaba applauded his growth but pointed out that he got ahead of the music. Hough praised the athleticism and fun of the performance while also noting the timing issue. Tonioli echoed these thoughts, saying Nedoroscik’s passion was great, but he was “racing ahead.” Despite the feedback, Nedoroscik’s determination is clear, and if he can fine-tune his timing, he could be on track to move up the leaderboard. However, the real scary moment came after that.

According to Access Online, they recently shared a video titled “Stephen Nedoroscik Describes His & Dwight Howard’s Incredible ‘DWTS’ Lift: ‘It Meant A Lot To Nail It’.” In the video, the host asked Stephen about the main feedback he received regarding his timing and how he plans to improve moving forward.

Stephen, with a smile, responded, “Yeah, I mean, it’s a problem I had in the past, and I thought I was able to fix it in the past, so it kind of stinks to hear it creep back up. But you know, I’m just motivated; I’m blessed to have another week to learn to dance and perform, so I’m just gonna take advantage of that and just work my b*** off.”

The host also mentioned how nerve-wracking it was to hear their names called last during eliminations, to which Rylee replied, “I mean, I was really scared, yeah, because you just never know what’s gonna happen. There are always scary eliminations; every elimination is scary. Being one of the last ones to be called—I don’t know, it was scary. But yes, we’re here, and it’s a new week. I’m so excited to put in the work this week and really just nail our dance so that it’s really strong.”

Last week, Nedoroscik and Arnold remained in third place for the fifth week, scoring 33 points for their Argentine Tango to “Seven Nation Army” on Dedication Night. Despite Stephen facing health struggles, the couple seems to be improving with each performance.

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee dancing through the storm

Stephen Nedoroscik’s journey as an athlete has been shaped by some unique vision challenges. He has been open about living with strabismus, a condition where the eyes don’t quite line up, which means one eye might turn in or out. This can mess with depth perception and lead to blurry or double vision. When competing on the pommel horse, Stephen chooses to perform without his glasses. He focuses on feeling the equipment instead of seeing it, saying, “It’s all in the hands.” He has turned what could be seen as a setback into an opportunity to inspire others with similar struggles.

On top of that, Stephen also has coloboma, a genetic condition where some tissue in the eye is missing, which can affect vision and make him light-sensitive. While coloboma doesn’t have a cure, it can be managed with glasses or contacts, and he sometimes wears sports goggles for comfort and a bit of good luck. Despite these challenges, he’s focused on his career, juggling his health concerns while striving to reach his goals as an elite athlete.

Even Rylee Arnold is also facing a health issue as she is battling Type 1 diabetes, a condition that often brings extreme fatigue and poses challenges for someone in a physically demanding field like dance. On the Lightweights podcast, she shared that most of the time, diabetes doesn’t hold her back, and she can dance without a hitch.

However, Rylee also acknowledged the difficulties, stating, “On tour, it was really hard… there’d be times where I’d be dancing and I’d be like, ‘I don’t feel good.’” Despite these struggles, Rylee remains committed to her craft, expressing her determination: “I still tried to put my best foot forward and make the best show for the people watching me.” It’s incredible to see how both Stephen and Rylee tackle their health challenges while chasing their dreams. As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and they both embody that spirit every day.