Stephen Nedoroscik’s ‘Secret Weapon’ Could Help Him Win the Mirrorball

Season 33 “Dancing With the Stars” competitor Stephen Nedoroscik may have a “secret weapon” on his side during the competition.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, longtime DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba talked about the one thing that could give Nedoroscik an edge. She was asked about Nedoroscik’s glasses and how dancing without them may affect his performance.

“I also wear glasses at home but wear contacts when I work and can see perfectly with them in, but without them, the world is a beautiful blur,” Inaba responded.

“I suspect he can see the shapes and outlines, and since these dances are partner dances, he’s got Rylee [Arnold] to guide him. But thinking about this question makes me think…I’m guessing because his vision is a bit blurred, that he turns on his other senses when he performs and tunes in to his partner, the music and the moment with other senses. This could actually be a secret weapon in this competition. Dance is a soulful expression of the now, where you tune in to the moment with all aspects of your self,” she added.

Thus far, Nedoroscik and Arnold are doing quite well — and they made it through the first elimination.

Stephen Nedoroscik Doesn’t Wear Glasses When He Competes on the Pommel Horse

Nedoroscik may need glasses to improve his vision, but he’s used to performing without them. In fact, while he competed in the 2024 Olympic Games, he took his glasses off.

“It’s not necessarily clear, but the thing about pommel horse is if I keep them on, they’re gonna fly somewhere,” Nedoroscik told Today in an article published in July 2024.

“When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment. I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands — I can feel everything,” the gymnast added.

Nedoroscik has been diagnosed with strabismus, the medical term for crossed eyes, and coloboma. The latter was a condition that he was born with — some of the tissue that should be in his eye is missing. This makes him light sensitive. He’s talked about his eye conditions on TikTok.

Fans Are Loving Stephen Nedoroscik on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Nedoroscik was the first official cast members announced for season 33. He’s also the first male gymnast to compete for a Mirrorball Trophy.

Following their week one jive, Nedoroscik and Arnold found themselves toward the top of the leaderboard with a score of 21 out of 30. Nedoroscik did not wear his glasses for the performance.

Shortly thereafter, the official DWTS Instagram account shared some photos of the duo — and fans reacted.

“These are my DWTS winners right here, just saying,” one person wrote.

“They were so good! I’m so glad for Rylee, this season will give her a lot of room for creativity in her choreos, and Stephen is so likeable,” someone else added.

“Superman in the ballroom!! Such a fun pairing,” a third comment read.

“Wow! You did great. Amazing! Typically poor judging though. You deserved all 8s,” a fourth Instagram user said.

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Effie Orfanides has more than two decades of experience in entertainment journalism. She has been a contributor with Heavy since 2017 covering entertainment news. Effie is based in Tampa, Florida. More about Effie Orfanides