Dancing With the Stars Season 33 has not one Olympic medalist but two. Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, aka “pommel horse guy,” and rugby player Ilona Maher made their own splashes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and now they’re riding that high all the way to the dance floor of the ABC competition series with dance partners Rylee Arnold and Alan Bersten, respectively. TV Insider connected with both athletes on the Dancing With the Stars press line after the September 4 cast announcement on ABC to ask how they feel about competing against each other after their latest award-winning summer games.
Maher is eager for viewers to get to know Nedoroscik better following his quick but memorable appearance in the men’s group gymnastics finals. Nedoroscik came in for just one skill, the pommel horse, and needed to score big in order to help Team USA win a group medal — he did, and the rest is Olympics history. He’s now a two-time Olympic bronze medalist winner, and Maher also snagged her first-ever Olympic medal, bronze, with the women’s USA rugby team. Maher’s social media presence was very active and popular throughout the Paris games, resulting in magazine cover stories and more notoriety.
“It’s so cool because we have such different experiences at the Olympics,” Maher tells TV Insider of competing against a fellow Olympian on DWTS. “I was out there putting out on social media and he’s just such a specialist of what he does. That’s why I’d like to see if [his] personality’s going to come through through this and show him as well. I think people fell in love with this personality in such a quick moment. This would be really a great time for them to get to know him better too.”
Maher says she’s already known for being an open book. “I mean, if you look at my [social media] page, you can really get to know me,” she jokes. Her dance partner, Bersten, says he’s been having the time of his life in their few rehearsals so far. “I’m excited for all of the Dancing With the Stars fans to meet Ilona because she is so fun,” he says. “Honestly, I’ve never had this much fun. It’s only been two days.”
Maher, unsurprisingly for a pro athlete, says she’s “ready to be coached” but doesn’t necessarily think her rugby skills will apply well in dance. If anything, it’s the other way around. “I think dance could translate into rugby. I think it’ll help me work on my step, maybe be lighter on my feet,” she says.
Nedoroscik, like Maher, is looking forward to staying in the public eye post-Olympics through this competition. “Oh, I’m definitely ready to be in the eye again,” he says. “I just want to get back out there and perform in front of a camera. I’m looking forward to it.”
He agrees that Olympians are more prepared than anyone to put in the work during training. He’s also not sure his sport translates well into dance.
“[Gymnastics and dance] are similar more of the women’s side,” Nedoroscik says. “They do dance in their floor routine to musi. Guys don’t do that. For me, what I do in my sport is I try to be as stiff and rigid as possible, which is the opposite of dance. And I’m all upper-bodied, not much lower. So this is all a new world to me, but I’m enjoying every moment of it.”
“The thing that I can bring from gymnastics to dance is the approach,” he notes, “because I’m going into the dance floor, learning a new skill, putting it in a routine, and performing in front of judges, so I can take that same exact approach from gymnastics and use it on the dance floor.”
Arnold says he’s a dream to work with. He’s “so good and so athletic,” she shares. “It was such a breath of fresh air when he came in and wanted to work hard and was just going for it. He’s just agile, he’s athletic.”
Time will tell if these bronze medalists have what it takes to add the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy to their trophy cases!
Dancing With the Stars, Season 33 Premiere, Tuesday, September 17, 8/7c, ABC, Streaming Live on Disney+