"I'm the luckiest to have Stephen Nedoroscik on this journey with me”- Rylee Arnold pens emotional note for the gymnast as they make it to DWTS finale

By Riddhi Acharya

Modified Nov 21, 2024 00:38 GMT

The Dancing With The Stars duo of Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold has made it to the finals of the reality TV show, and they couldn't be more excited. After they were announced as finalists, Arnold penned an emotional note about their success, thanking the gymnast for his role in the journey.

Nedoroscik rose to fame after his exploits as a pommel horse specialist at the Paris Olympics, helping Team USA to a bronze medal while clinching as individual bronze himself. After the Games, the American has made the most of his popularity, appearing on Dancing With The Stars to further the future of men's gymnastics.

On Wednesday night, the gymnast, alongside his dance partner Rylee Arnold put on a spectacular performance in the semifinal of the show. They scored 25 out of 30 for their first dance, the Cha Cha and followed this up with a 28 out of 30 for their Tango. Post this it was announced that no pair in the semifinals had been eliminated, giving the duo an entry into the finals.

After this announcement, Arnold took to her Instagram to express her emotions. She recounted her childhood dream of making it to the show and thanked Stephen Nedoroscik while calling him a lifelong friend. Arnold wrote,

“Made it to the finale of DWTS!!! I don't know how to put into words the way I felt when I knew we had made it to the finale cause it was truly so special! Dancing with the stars was always my goal growing up, I had always imagined becoming a pro, getting to dance a freestyle, or even winning the show and the fact that in a week I'll be competing in the finals on my second season of dancing with the stars is truly something that I will ALWAYS remember and hold so close to my heart!!! I just know for a fact that little Rylee is looking at where we are now with the biggest smile on her face and it's so surreal getting to accomplish my biggest dream!!!”

“I'm the luckiest to have Stephen Nedoroscik on this journey with me and I know for a fact we were paired together for a reason cause I truly have made a lifelong friend out of him and it has been the most happy, fulfilling and most amazing season I could ever ask for So Steve THANK YOU!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!! Now let's go kill the finale!!!!”

Stephen Nedoroscik reacts to Rylee Arnold's emotional note

Stephen Nedoroscik reacts to Arnold's note (Image Source: Getty)

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold have formed a close bond during their time on Dancing With The Stars, and the duo often spend time together even outside of their commitments to the show.

Reacting to Arnold's heartfelt note as they made it to the finals, Nedoroscik wrote in the comments section of the original post,

“You have made this journey unforgettable. I'm so blessed to have you by my side. Let's enjoy every last moment we have and give it our all this week.”

After his Paris Olympics heroics, Stephen Nedoroscik has been using his newfound fame to thrust men's gymnastics into the spotlight. While plenty of gymnasts have previously competed on Dancing With The Stars, the pommel horse specialist is the first male gymnast to achieve this feat and used his ‘dedication night’ performance to honor men's gymnastics.

Before Nedoroscik, a handful of gymnasts have reached the DWTS finals, but only two have lifted the trophy - Laurie Hernandez and Shawn Johnson.

On Tuesday, November 26, the pommel horse specialist, alongside Rylee Arnold, will face off against TV star Chandler Kinney and partner Brandon Armstrong, “The Bachelor” Season 28 lead Joey Graziadei and partner Jenna Johnson, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and partner Alan Bersten, as well as Super Bowl Champion Danny Amendola and partner Witney Carson, to become the third gymnasts to win DWTS.