Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik entered the ballroom on Tuesday with fellow Olympic athlete Ilona Maher for the premiere of the 32nd season of Dancing With the Stars.
The 25-year-old won a bronze medal for his performance on the pommel horse in Paris, making him only the fourth American since World War II to win a medal in this discipline.
He also won a bronze medal in the team event and gained notoriety after being observed wearing glasses and closing his eyes before competition. Some called him the “Clark Kent” of the US team because he competed without glasses.
Nedoroscik was the first star to be introduced at the full cast reveal; he was seen on the show with dance pro Rylee Arnold.
The popular “pommel horse guy” made his ballroom dancing debut on Tuesday and achieved one of the highest scores of the evening with Arnold.
Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik hit the dance floor with fellow Olympian Ilona Maher on Tuesday for the premiere of Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars.
Nedoroscik was the first star to be announced during the full cast introduction. He was paired with dance pro Rylee Arnold on the show.
Nedoroscik and Arnold were the penultimate artists of the evening after the controversial Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa.
The Worcester, Massachusetts-born gymnast made history as the first male gymnast to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy and revealed he “hopes to make a lasting impression.”
After meeting Arnold for the first time, she admitted, “I’m obsessed with you,” before admitting to being a “complete nerd” as he has a degree in electrical engineering and his hobbies include Rubik’s Cube, chess, and gaming.
He added that his record for solving a Rubik’s Cube is 8.6 seconds and that he hopes to rely on his mathematical skills to memorize the dance steps.
Arnold admitted, “Stephen doesn’t have much dance experience, so we’re starting from the bottom, so to speak.”
He admitted: “It reminds me of when I first learned the Rubik’s Cube. It was super tricky at first. But then I mastered it. Hopefully I can master this dance too.”
Nedoroscik and Arnold danced the jive with Arnold and even played on his nickname “Clark Kent” by taking off his glasses just before the dance.
Nedoroscik and Arnold danced to the Queen hit “Don’t Stop Me Now” and impressed both the audience and the jury with their dynamic and fast-paced routine.
Nedoroscik and Arnold were the penultimate performers of the evening, behind the controversial Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa
The Worcester, Massachusetts-born gymnast made history as the first male gymnast to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy and revealed he “hopes to make a lasting impression.”
He added that his record for solving a Rubik’s Cube is 8.6 seconds and he hopes to rely on his math skills to remember the dance steps.
Carrie Ann Inaba began by saying, “That was so much fun! You are so entertaining and so light on your feet. See, I mean, I felt like you could be agile and incredible.”
However, there was one aspect of the performance that bothered her, as she revealed: “You, sir, must point your toes!”
“Please, if you want to be that good, you have to point your toes because it’s so distracting. It almost made me think, ‘Rawr!’ But when someone is really good and something like that stands out, it stands out more,” she said.
Derek Hough added: “This jive was like a Rubik’s cube, it had lots of twists and turns and colorful surprises. I loved that you used your athleticism to give the audience a great time. There was definitely some technique involved, you rushed the beginning, the adrenaline was pumping. “Slow down, slow down.”
Bruno Tonioli said: “It was an unstoppable explosion of energy! You were jumping off the walls. Nobody could catch you! I mean, come on! I mean, but I love this energy. I love the input. Now work on the details.”
They all gave Stephen and Rylee a 7 each, giving them a total score of 21 out of 30 for the first round.
Nedoroscik also gained notoriety when he repeated his eyes-closed Olympia pose at the Emmys just before presenting an award, captured by actress Katie Aselton.
