Did Stephen Nedoroscik hear what Rylee Arnold had said about him two days ago? Well, in an Instagram post, his dance partner put her emotions into words by stating, “I am so, so, so, so proud of you. You have shown me every single week how hard you work and how inspiring you are.” The gymnast may have taken his flowers through those beautiful words. But before moving to the grand finale of the Dancing with the Stars, he also had a few things to confess regarding the dancing pro. 

On November 26, the Instagram handle of DWTS shared a snippet focusing on Stephen Nedoroscik’s confession to Rylee Arnold. There, the 26-year-old put no hold on revealing his expressions for Rylee. In the minute-long snippet, he said, “I owe all my success to Riley. She’s just held my hand through this entire process and I couldn’t have asked for a better dance partner and coach.” Surely, the transformation had been the most revealing in the last two months. With each episode passing, Nedoroscik continued to invent himself, toppling the barriers. 

In the meantime, his dance partner stood behind him just like a rock. Not just by sharing the inputs with him in the rehearsal but also in the critical moments, Rylee Arnold remained the mainstay for Stephen. How? Remember the DWTS episode aired on October 22? 

In the episode, the gymnast failed to impress the fans and the judges with his performances. The issue had been with the timing of his steps. The judges went after him in unison, pointing fingers at the same issue. Meanwhile, the problem put a stop to the scores, and the duo found themselves on the brink of elimination. However, they saved their heads by an inch. But the red button had already been pressed. They had to rectify so many things in just a few days. The crisis even made the Olympian cry out, “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.” He had nothing to win but a lot of things to lose. In the meantime, Rylee Arnold entered the scene with her magic wand. 

In the following weeks, the duo not only shed the dust from their dancing legs but also claimed their first full marks in the season. It was Rylee’s first ten-on-ten since she joined the senior league of DWTS in 2023. That’s how they rolled and made a place in the top 5, reaching the final. For Stephen, it had always been an uncharted territory. 

Sharing a close bond with gymnastics from his early years, the Worcester native has always been focused on making his place in the sport. However, DWTS’s offer made him enter the dance reality show with a deeming hope of making it to the higher rounds. In the snippet, he confessed, “When I started this Dancing the Stars journey, I thought I was going home like week three. This show has been so much more difficult than I ever could have anticipated because dance is really hard. I had no idea just how much was involved with dancing.” But it was Rylee Arnold all along to change the perspective for him. At the same time, he had a few roles in Arnold’s journey.

Stephen Nedoroscik’s story inspires Rylee Arnold to go over her problems

In the DWTS ballroom, Stephen Nedoroscik took his time to explore one or two things about dancing. He had his moments to watch Rylee give everything in her performance. Furthermore, he also witnessed other contestants go overboard in their performances. Those visual experiences made him chalk out a few things. In the snippet, while mentioning those few things, he said, “You pretty much have to focus on five things at once throughout a dance. It feels like every week it’s like a triumphant victory when I go out there and perform this dance that felt impossible a week earlier.” However, in the middle of this, he had to fight with his physical limitations. 

Because of his irreparable eye complications, Stephen Nedoroscik had to put some blocks on his dance steps. He knew that without his glasses, he would face problems. That’s why he didn’t ditch his glasses while performing on stage. But a few times, he had to push himself beyond his limitations. Remember his performance on the pommel horse in the Dedication Night? Stephen needed to do that without his glasses. He gambled, but luck was on his side. That was a lesson for Rylee. Like Stephen, she also has her limitations in the shape of having type 1 diabetes. 

Yet, the Utah native decided to carry on her role on the dance floor. She had a few pieces of motivation from her dance partner. And she also had a confession to make, stating, “Thank you for being the light in my life. Bringing so much positivity and kindness and you truly have healed me in so many ways and I am so grateful that you are my partner this season.” Ultimately, this mutual respect made the duo climb the steep steps in DWTS.