"I think it was literally the day after the team finals" - Stephen Nedoroscik on being offered a Dancing With the Stars spot during the Paris Olympics

By Ketaki Pansare

Modified Nov 21, 2024 17:24 GMT

Stephen Nedoroscik has revealed how he joined the Dancing with the Stars cast just after winning a medal at the 2024 Olympics, describing the overwhelming feeling of handling too much at once.

The 26-year-old played a significant part in Team USA winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic, the nation's first medal in men's gymnastics in 16 years. He scored 14.866 on the pommel horse during the event.

In November 2024, on The Squeeze podcast, Nedoroscik revealed that he was invited to join Dancing with the Stars on the same night he won his Olympic medal.

The interviewers asked:

"When they reached out to you to do the show, were you hesitant, were you like, I have to do this what were your thoughts?" (at 37:49)

"So they essentially offered it to me I think it was literally the after team finals when we got that team medal, and I was still training because I had an individual competition coming up. And I was like, a lot is happening right now they want me to answer this that night before Pommel Horse finals, and I was like, holy crap, I have to think about it," Stephen Nedoroscik responded (38:03).

"I'm not a dancer like it's one of the things that like I'm embarrassed to do straight up, and uh, all my buddies were like dude, 'like you can't dance like what are you going to do' and I was like, 'guys this is like a once in a lifetime opportunity' and I decided like my decision to like to join the show." (38:28)

His motivation to join the show was set up as wanting to be 'the guy' who could commit four hours a day to dancing for a couple of months.

On the 500th episode of DWTS on November 13, 2024, the Olympic bronze medalist scored 29 out of 30 points.

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Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold advance to the DWTS Finale

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold in Los Angeles - September 20, 2024 - Photo: Getty

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold have advanced to the Dancing with the Stars finale. On November 19, 2024, the duo performed on Cha Cha to 'Bailar' by Deorro ft. Elvis Crespo in the first round.

The judges voted down the duo's performance because of Nedoroscik's unsteady footwork.

In the second round, they performed a tango, "Sweet Disposition" by the Temper Trap. Arnold appreciated her partner's performance, saying:

"Stephen has an advantage with the tango over the cha cha because he has insane upper body strength, and that is so good for frame in dancing." (telegram.com)

Nedoroscik earned a total score of 53/60, with 25/30 for the Cha Cha and 28/30 for the second round. He finished in last place for the night but still qualified for the finale.