2024 Olympic double bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik and his professional dance partner Rylee Arnold foxtrotted to their highest scores of the season on Tuesday’s episode of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Accompanied by metal guitar and performing to “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake on Hair Metal Night, Nedoroscik and Arnold unanimously appealed to the four-judge panel, each member of which awarded them 8 points out of 10.
“I love a good student,” gushed judge Bruno Tonioli. “If you put the work in, everything is going to happen and go your way. Work hard, and you get there. You gave me beautiful lines and you even went for the heel leads. What more do you want?”
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba echoed Tonioli’s admiration for the improvements Nedoroscik has made per their previous feedback, and encouraged him to grow in expressiveness.
“I really appreciate that you took the notes and you followed through,” she said. “I really want to see a little more understanding the movement…That’s going to make a huge difference for you – storytelling. It’s going to be amazing.”
Like his judging cohorts, Derek Hough raved about Nedoroscik’s diligence in bettering his skills thus far in the season. He also urged Nedoroscik to cover more ground during his dances.
“We said work on the frame, you worked on the frame,” Hough said. “We said work on your timing, you worked on the timing. Going slow is really hard. It’s like riding a bike slow. It’s harder. That was so impressive. One thing I want you to work on is a little more of the stride, to move a little bit more across the floor. Keep on improving. I love you. Well done.”
Guest judge Gene Simmons of the legendary rock group Kiss praised the character that Nedoroscik expressed through his dance.
“If they gave out awards I’d give you a gold award,” Simmons said. “You’ve got so much personality in that body of yours.”
The contestants also performed on Monday in the episode dubbed Soul Train Night, on which Nedoroscik and Arnold’s quickstep to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” earned 30 points from the four judges.
Two pairs were eliminated at the end of Tuesday’s episode: actor Eric Roberts and partner Britt Stewart, and actor Reginald VelJohnson and partner Emma Slater.
Nedoroscik, a Worcester, Massachusetts, native who will turn 26 on October 28, won the 2021 world title and four consecutive U.S. national titles on pommel horse from 2012-24. In 2020 he earned a degree electrical engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, where he won the NCAA pommel horse title in 2017 and 2018.
