Jordan Chiles has long been known for her charisma on the floor, but the Olympic gymnast may now be preparing to bring those same qualities to a different kind of stage. After hinting last year that she would welcome the chance to join Dancing with the Stars, the Paris 2024 gold medalist has suddenly found her name at the center of a new development.

A recent TikTok announcement revealed the cast pairings for the upcoming season. The final entry on the list was none other than Jordan Chiles alongside celebrated choreographer Mark Ballas.

Chiles had already given the idea serious thought before her casting was confirmed. When asked by USA TODAY Sports whether she fancied herself as a good dancer, she admitted, “I mean, a lot of people say I have really good dance moves. I mean, I like dancing, like you know, being involved in like that area.” She went further, explaining, “I told myself, you know, if I wasn’t an athlete, I would definitely be in the dance music area of things.” At the time, it sounded like speculation. But the TikTok post now makes it official.

Ballas, who returns to the program with an impressive resume, has worked with some of the show’s most successful Olympians.

He previously partnered with figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, winning the title in season 6, and again with gymnast Shawn Johnson, who won season 8. His other Olympic partner, Aly Raisman, finished as a finalist in season 16, coming in 4th. And now, by drawing Chiles, Ballas again finds himself paired with a gymnast carrying both medals and personality into the ballroom.

Chiles enters the series in a very different position than Stephen Nedoroscik, who broke ground last season as the first male gymnast to appear on DWTS. Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold reached the finals in season 33, finishing fourth despite receiving a perfect score in the finale. His performances drew attention to men’s gymnastics and carried him onto the Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour in 2025. While his enthusiasm was celebrated, Nedoroscik acknowledged during the season that he had never danced before.

Chiles, by contrast, has years of experience performing to music through gymnastics. Every floor routine requires rhythm and performance, often set to tracks by Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, giving her a natural link to choreography.

It is not only dance that interests the Texas-based gymnast.

After the Paris 2024 bronze medal controversy, Chiles has begun to consider what her career might look like beyond competition. She has expressed a strong interest in real estate and told The New York Post, “If I was on ‘Selling Sunset,’ I literally would cry because those people, I love them so much. I’ve watched every single season, and they definitely have different personalities, but I don’t know. If they want me as a guest, I will be a guest.” That willingness to explore new avenues suggests she views DWTS as one step closer in a broader entertainment journey.

Even so, gymnastics has not been set aside. Following her appearances on the Gold Over America Tour, Jordan Chiles was named the keynote speaker for the YMCA National Gymnastics Championship & Invitational, scheduled for June 2025. Her continued presence in the sport confirms that she has no intention of leaving it behind just yet. For now, however, she will enter a ballroom where other Olympians have already set the stage, joining a professional who knows how to guide champions to the mirrorball trophy. And as it appears, Jordan Chiles is following the footsteps of Simone Biles.

Simone Biles reflected on her Dancing with the Stars journey as a test of expression and vulnerability, contrasting sharply with the precision of her gymnastics career.

Simone Biles revealed how dancing pushed her beyond medals and into vulnerability

Simone Biles entered Dancing with the Stars in 2017 following her Rio Olympic 2016 triumph with the same discipline that had carried her through gymnastics, but she discovered that the ballroom required a very different type of expression.

The competition provided her with a stage where technical ability could not overshadow performance quality, and she acknowledged early in her blog for People that “getting my ‘Dancing with the Stars’ steps down is no problem — it’s being sexy that trips me up.” What began as a test of rhythm and memorization quickly evolved into an exploration of stage presence, vulnerability, and presentation.

Biles had grown accustomed to receiving scores without verbal commentary in gymnastics, and she admitted that feedback from the judges felt daunting. “In gymnastics, we just get a number, but on DWTS, they get to tell you what they think you did wrong.” Her words reflected the challenge of exposing herself to critique in real time, not just through a scoreboard. She carried out each rehearsal with her partner Sasha Farber, who encouraged her to relax and display emotion.

She wrote candidly that “I’m supposed to be sexier in this dance and that’s not something I’ve ever had to do before,” a statement that revealed how foreign this aspect of performance was to her identity as an athlete.

As the weeks unfolded, her determination and athletic precision impressed audiences and judges alike, yet she remained aware of the personal transformation underway. She admitted that the shift toward embodying sensuality on stage was “very different from what people are used to seeing from me.”

For Biles, the experience extended beyond choreography. It was an experiment in self-presentation, one that forced her to reconcile athletic rigor with artistry. That interplay defined her time on the show and offered a rare glimpse into her willingness to step into discomfort while still holding her ground as a competitor.

As Simone Biles came 4th in the competition, what do you think will be Jordan Chiles’ position? Let’s speculate, shall we?