In Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, the “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik lit up the ballroom alongside Rylee Arnold, making history as the show’s first-ever male gymnast. His effortless charm and standout performances turned him into a fan favorite, though the duo narrowly missed out on the Mirrorball, finishing fourth. Fast-forward a year, and the DWTS stage called him back, this time for the show’s 20th birthday celebration at the invitation of Ilona Maher. As he stepped onto the floor once again, the moment was nothing short of emotional.

Sharing a screenshot of his conversation with Ilona Maher on Instagram, Pommel Horse Guy revealed that he was invited to the event. With his surgery now done and dusted, and feeling fully recovered, he confirmed that he would be making an appearance at the celebration, a promise he was determined to keep. Taking to his Instagram Stories, the gymnast shared a visual posted by Amy Purdy. In the photo, he sat near the athlete representing Team USA at the 20th celebration of the show, writing, “@TeamUSA came to represent.”

He further added, “@AmyPurdyGurl was so nice being your neighbor.” For Nedoroscik, the moment likely carried extra emotion. Just a year ago, he and partner Rylee Arnold fought their way to the Season 33 finals but narrowly missed the Mirrorball. From competing on DWTS to returning as a co-host, his journey has been nothing short of remarkable. In just 108 days, the gymnast powered through 81 shows across the U.S. and Canada, a whirlwind run from January 7 to April 6.

That is how long the pommel horse guy spent co-hosting the Dancing With the Stars Live Tour. Bidding adieu to the show, Nedoroscik, back in April, said, “Thank you to the entire cast. Whether you were here the whole time, or just a week, you all made this experience something I will cherish forever… And lastly, thank you to all the fans.” A nostalgic vibe might have been his call as he enjoyed the dances this time, but from the seats rather than on the ballroom floor.

He was not the only past participant who made an appearance at the 20th celebration: season 1 winner Kelly Monaco, season 6 champion Kristi Yamaguchi, season 8 victor Shawn Johnson, and season 14 titleholder Donald Driver all made an appearance at the show. In addition to that, season 17 favorite Bill Nye, along with season 32 stars Ariana Madix, Charity Lawson, and Mauricio Umansky, also attended the event.

The night of the celebration ended with the elimination of Andy Richter & Emma Slater, with other teams facing another performance before the finale. Now that the celebration is over for Stephen Nedoroscik, what’s next for him? Maybe a gold at the upcoming Olympics.

Stephen Nedoroscik eyes Olympic medal at upcoming LA 2028

While having a conversation with the media ahead of Xfinity US Championships, the Olympian spoke about his storybook finish of his 2024 season, “I’ve always told myself, ‘I want to be done with the sport when my body is done with the sport,’ and I’m still getting better.” Talking about his performances, the athlete added that quitting would just mean not knowing what more he could achieve in the sport. Even though he didn’t hit the mark at the Championships, the crowd still cheered for him.

After the very first day of his Xfinity US Championships, Nedoroscik expressed, “Being able to hear people cheer and root me on … this is what you do this for.” He further added how special it was for him to perform the horse routine in front of the kids, “Seeing these (kids) look up to me, doing a horse routine for them, and hearing them cheer.” After interacting with his fans, the gymnast expressed that he will be there at LA 2028, “I’m going to continue going. L.A. [2028 Olympics] would be amazing, so I want to shoot for that.”

With his sights now locked on the Olympics, the gymnast is determined to leave no stone unturned. After the heartbreak of missing the World Team, he’s pushing harder than ever to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.