Dancing with the Stars 2024: ‘Pommel Horse Guy’ Stephen Nedoroscik Joins cast

American Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik will be joining the cast of season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, which will premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, on ABC and Disney+ and on Hulu the next day. The news was announced on Thursday’s episode of ABC’s Good Morning America.

Appearing on GMA, the 25-year-old gymnast did a floor routine that showed off his pommel horse skills. Nedoroscik bagged a bronze medal in the pommel horse event during the Paris Olympics and was also instrumental in securing a bronze medal in the team final. He became viral and the subject of numerous internet memes because of a particular moment where he appeared to be asleep or meditating while waiting for his turn on the apparatus.

On GMA, Nedoroscik explained that that's what he does to calm his nerves before a big event, and he might pull off something similar on Dancing with the Stars. He said, "It's kind of what I do just to calm myself down, so I will probably be bringing that to the dance floor," adding, "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."

There were also some memes about the gymnast being a real-life Clark Kent due to his glasses. When asked if he would be wearing them on DWTS, he said, "I am scared they will fly off is the thing. Maybe we could do a gadget, keep them on. Maybe a new pair of glasses to match the theme."

Stephen Nedoroscik is not the first Olympian to appear on Dancing with the Stars. Previous Olympians who were cast on the show include Suni Lee (season 30), Tonya Harding (All-Athletes season 26), Simone Biles (season 24), Evan Lysacek (season 10), Johnny Weir (season 29), and many more.

Dancing with the Stars is returning for a brand new season with Alfonso Ribiero and Julianne Hough as the hosts, and Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough on the judging panel.

The full cast of DWTS will be revealed at a later date, but in the meantime, you can check out the list of rumored contestants.