'You Can’t Not Smile': DWTS Fans Are All In On Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik, And Nobody Is Wrong Here

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold standing arm in arm and smiling on Dancing with the Stars.
(Image credit: Disney/Eric McCandless)

For the first time in years, I tuned into Dancing with the Stars for its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule. I did it because I wanted to see viral Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik compete, and he did not disappoint! The pommel horse bronze medalist had a great night as he and his partner Rylee Arnold jived their way to tie for the third-highest score of the night, and now DWTS fans are all in on this pair, and so am I.

Coming off his fantastic performance with the men’s gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics, there was already a lot of hype surrounding Nedoroscik joining Dancing with the Stars. And like him rising to the occasion at the Olympics to secure the United States men’s team a medal, he lived up to the hype during the DWTS premiere.

Stephen Nedoroscik’s Premiere Jive – Dancing with the Stars - YouTube Stephen Nedoroscik’s Premiere Jive – Dancing with the Stars - YouTube
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Already, Nedoroscik and Arnold are frontrunners for Dancing with the Stars Season 33, and that was proven both through their score and the online reception of their routine, as fans, like @JacobSeelman77, were tweeting things like:

I couldn’t agree more, it was impossible not to smile throughout their entire performance. From him taking his glasses off and kind of nodding to the Superman comparisons to the giant Rubix cube floating in the air to his literal dance, it was a wonderful routine, as @laurenraab aptly pointed out with a fantastic meme:

Overall, the vibe online was celebratory and enthusiastic surrounding the gymnast and his routine, for example, @AroundTheWayMM posted:

Along with that, many people were sending their applause Stephen’s way as he used his legs instead of his arms and showed that he really is light on his feet:

Many were truly impressed by the Pommel Horse Hero’s moves, and it makes them even more excited for what’s to come, because he can really only get better from here. That point was made by @tapeworthy as they posted:

I love that this is the beginning of Stephen Nedoroscik being a new nerd constant in our lives. #DWTS

Meanwhile, @MissSassbox is already predicting the end, by posting:

I can certainly see Nedoroscik and Arnold taking home the Mirrorball Trophy, and many fans can too. So, it will be fun to see how they advance as the season continues this fall.

Overall, their passion and energy on screen were palpable, and they deserved all the hype they were getting online. Now, to win, that online hype needs to translate into votes, so we’ll officially find out if Stephen Nedoroscik advances next week once those are counted. However, based on the positive energy online, I think he’s probably safe.

To see him keep dancing next week, you can watch new episodes of Dancing with the Stars every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription.

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.