Stephen Nedoroscik looking to recreate viral meme as he joins cast of 'Dancing With The Stars' - "I will probably be bringing that to the dance floor"

American artistic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik has been announced as one of the contestants on the American dance competition television series Dancing with the Stars. He will feature in the Season 33 of the reality show which is slated to premiere on September 17, 2024, on ABC and Disney+.

The show first premiered on ABC on June 1, 2005. A celebrity and a professional dancer are paired together on the show and compete against other contestants and earn points from the judges. Each week, the couple with the lowest combined score from the judges and audience votes is eliminated and this continues till only the winning pair remains.

Stephen Nedoroscik's participation in the show was announced on ABC's Good Morning America, where he made an appearance alongside hosts Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. On being asked what are some of the moves that he wanted to bring on the show, he responded:

“I'm hoping to bring some of the flares. I want to bring some gymnastics, maybe, a back flip, or a handstand. I want to have fun with it.”

Nedoroscik became a popular name after he played a crucial role in Team USA’s historic bronze-medal triumph in the men’s all-around team event at the Olympics. However, his popularity soared not just for his performance but also for the moment when he had his eyes closed and appeared calm before his turn. This quickly went viral.

He talked about this moment on Good Morning America and said:

“So, as a sort of moment is catching up and you're getting closer to your competition time, your heart rate is just going crazy. So, I'm just trying to stay calm. So, I am really just focusing on my breathing exercises, visualization, and then it's go time.”

The hosts then asked him if they should be expecting the same from him on the stage of Dancing with the Stars. Nedoroscik replied:

“Actually, I do think so. It's kind of what I do just to calm myself down. I will probably be bringing that to the dance floor.”

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A look into Stephen Nedoroscik’s performance at the Paris Olympics

Stephen Nedoroscik at the Paris Olympics 2024 (Photo by Eric W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Stephen Nedoroscik contributed to the USA team’s podium finish in the finals of the men's team all-around event, their first medal in the event since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Nedoroscik delivered a near-flawless routine on the pommel horse, earning an impressive score of 14.866 points to help the USA win the bronze.

He also gained fame as "The Pommel Horse Guy" following his impressive performances at the Paris Olympics. Nedoroscik also won a bronze in the individual pommel horse at the Games.

He scored 15.300 points in the finals of the individual event to win the bronze, behind Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan and Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov who secured 15.533 and 15.433 points to win the gold and silver respectively.