Often losing the timing in the midst of his Dancing With the Stars routines, we were beginning to question whether or not Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and his professional dance partner, Rylee Arnold, were ever going to earn a 10 before being eliminated from the show. Fortunately, “Halloween Nightmares Night” broke the curse…
Yesterday (Oct. 29), Stephen and Rylee put on arguably the best performance of the evening, regardless of whether or not it was accurately reflected by their scores. They earned a 28 out of 30 for their Contemporary to “I Ran (So Far Away)” by Hidden Citizens, earning a 10 from judge Carrie Ann Inaba and a 9 from judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, although DWTS viewers thought it was nothing short of perfection.
“I genuinely thought Stephen was going to get a 30,” one user wrote via X.
As far as the rest of their scores this season go, Stephen and Rylee earned a 21 out of 30 for their Jive to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen during the DWTS premiere, a 22 out of 30 for their Paso Doble to “Superman (Main Theme)” from Superman during “Oscars Night,” a 30 out of 40 for their Quickstep to “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder during “Soul Train Night,” a 32 out of 40 for their Foxtrot to “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake during “Hair Metal Night,” a 33 out of 40 for their Argentine Tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes during “Dedication Night,” and a 24 out of 30 for their Charleston to “A Star Is Born” from Hercules during “Disney Night.”
Now, making another week in the competition — with Bachelorette Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber getting eliminated instead — could there be even more 10s in the future for Stephen and Rylee? We will just have to wait and see…
Nevertheless, receiving their first 10 was a massive moment for the DWTS duo, as it was not only Stephen’s first time seeing a perfect paddle, but Rylee’s as well. They reflected on the monumental moment in a conversation with Good Morning America shortly after the show:
“I think I did a really good job being freaky, and the makeup definitely helped with that, but being able to just nail a dance like I did tonight and get our first 10, it meant everything. I was so excited,” Stephen gushed.
“I’m just so proud of Stephen. He really had his breakthrough moment and did everything that I told him to do, and it was my first 10 as a pro, so honestly, just such a special moment for the both of us, and I’m just so happy,” Rylee added.
Naturally, DWTS viewers were equally as proud of the pair, taking to the comment section of the TikTok video to express their support for Stephen and Rylee:
“Y’ALL DESERVED TENS ALL ACROSS THE BOARD”
“That dance was genuinely unreal. It deserved all 10s.”
“Ahhh they did phenomenal!!”
Slipping into a frontrunner spot, will this DWTS duo have what it takes to bring home the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy come finale night? To see where Stephen and Rylee go from here, catch brand-new episodes of Dancing With the Stars season 33 Tuesdays via ABC or Disney Plus, with next-day streaming via Hulu as well.
With the 500th episode of Dancing With the Stars on the horizon — airing next Tuesday (Nov. 12) — it is safe to say that there are some surprises in store…
