Nedoroscik's jive 'an unstoppable explosion of energy' in his ...

2024 Olympic double bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik earned enthusiastic critiques from the judges as he and partner Rylee Arnold jived to a third-place tie in his debut performance in ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” on Tuesday.

“It took me 20 years to get good (on) pommel horse, but man, the jive was hard, too,” said Nedoroscik after his and Arnold’s vivacious performance to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen in the premiere of Season 33. “I’m definitely feeling more comfortable than I ever thought I could, and it’s all thanks to this great coach (Arnold) that I have.”

Each of the three judges – Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli – awarded Nedoroscik and Arnold 7 out of 10 points. Their total of 21 points tied them for third place for the evening with “The Bachelor” contestant Joey Graziadei and partner Jenna Johnson.

Actress Chandler Kinney and partner Brandon Armstrong topped the leader board with 23 points, followed by eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard and partner Daniella Karagach, who scored 22 points.

Inaba praised Nedoroscik’s showmanship while offering good-natured criticism of his foot form.

“You are so entertaining and so light on your feet,” Inaba said. “I had a feeling you  might be agile and incredible, but you, sir, have to point those toes. When somebody’s really good and something like that stands out, it stands out more.”

Hough likened the couple’s dance to a Rubik’s cube, which Nedoroscik has solved in under 10 seconds, and suggested that he moderate his pace in order to avoid mistakes.

“That jive was kind of like a Rubik’s cube,” Hough said. “It had a lot of twists and turns and colorful surprises in there. I loved that you used your athleticism to show this audience a great time. There was some technique (issues). You rushed the beginning, the adrenaline was going. Slow down, slow down. But listen – this couple – woo!”

Like his judging cohorts, Tonioli commended Nedoroscik’s fervor while offering constructive criticism.

“That was an unstoppable explosion of energy,” Tonioli said. “You were bouncing off the walls. No one could catch you. All Los Angeles lit up. I loved that energy. Now work on the details. Details, details, details.”

The first elimination of the season will take place next week, based on audience votes and judges’ scores from the September 17 and September 24 episodes.