Dancing with the Stars has finally come to an end. After three months of dancing extravaganza, we finally have the winner of the mirror ball. Unfortunately, gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and his partner Rylee Arnold couldn’t get their hands on the coveted prize as Bachelor star Joey Graziadei ended up winning. But the fact that the gymnast came this far without any dance background is a remarkable achievement, too. Plus, his bond with choreographer Rylee Arnold was also great to see throughout the show. As the curtains closed on DWTS, the duo answered some questions for their loyal fanbase.

Talking to Access Hollywood, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold spoke about their three-month journey in Dancing with the Stars. The duo were asked about one thing that the show gave them, for which they were thankful to them. Rylee said that meeting Stephen was the best thing that happened to her this season. According to her, the gymnast really came and changed her perspective on life.

“The way he lives life and how inspiring he is—it’s just how I’m going to take that with me throughout the rest of my life. He really just changed me in a lot of ways,” said the dancer. Stephen also reciprocated the compliment, declaring that he couldn’t have gotten a better choreographer than Rylee for the show. “I mean, I don’t think anyone else could have coached me as well. Dance as well with me. And she’s just such a patient person. I promise I am not the best dancer. She put up with so much when it came to teaching me. And I’m just so appreciative of everything,” said Stephen.

The interviewer then brought up the fact that Rylee used to drive the gymnast to rehearsals as he couldn’t drive because of his eye disease. They were asked what they would miss the most from those car rides. Stephen said, “I think at the end of the day, I’m just going to miss things like our conversations. We just talk about anything and everything. And, you know, it’s just really fun.”

Finally, the interviewer asked them about how they plan to keep their friendship alive after the end of the show. Rylee declared that she would call Stephen Nedoroscik every single day to talk to him despite the end of Dancing with the Stars. She then humorously suggested that he’d have to get used to it. “Sorry, Steve. Got you.”

This shows the fantastic equation between the dancers. Despite not winning the mirror ball, the fact that both Stephen and Rylee share such a beautiful friendship is a victory in itself. Perhaps, it is their friendship that turned a devastating moment into a light hearted affair.

Stephen Nedoroscik’s reaction to his defeat at Dancing With The Stars

Stephen Nedoroscik couldn’t win the mirror ball as he and his partner Rylee Arnold finished fourth in the rankings of the show. While this may have been a disappointing result for him, considering that he came into the show with a clear objective of winning it, the gymnast decided to look at the lighter side of things. He decided to change his X bio.

The new one read, “At least it wasn’t another bronze.” This was a reference to his Paris Olympics team bronze medal, which he won after he performed his famous pommel horse. His performance seemed miraculous at the time, as the routine suddenly gave the US the upper hand in the race for a medal. Unfortunately, no such miracle occurred on Tuesday night.

Despite finally achieving a perfect score of 30/30 dancing to Coldplay’s Viva la Vida, it wasn’t enough to guarantee a victory as the mirror ball was granted based on fan votes. The majority had decided that Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson were the most consistent duo throughout the show and thus earned the trophy. However, Stephen Nedoroscik shouldn’t feel too much remorse, as he put in great effort to win the show despite possibly his dancing inexperience before the show started. A place in the finals in itself is a great thing for him.