After a week’s break because of the Vice Presidential debate, “Dancing with the Stars,” and most importantly Penn State alum Stephen Nedoroscik, was back on our TVs. Last week, Nedoroscik and his partner totaled 22 points in “Oscars Night” to stay in third place.

This week featured two episodes on Monday and Tuesday. There were no eliminations on Monday night but a double elimination on Tuesday.

Monday was “Soul Train Night,” and Nedoroscik and partner Rylee Arnold’s performance was certainly worthy of being featured on the iconic “Soul Train” show. They performed a quickstep to “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, while Nedoroscik said he used to have superstitions before not making the 2021 Olympics team.

“For quite some time, I did have superstitions,” Nedoroscik said. “I used to not listen to certain songs. I used to wear the same pair of underwear. But back in 2021 when I didn’t make that Olympic team, I decided we’re just gonna crush every superstition. I won World Championships, and I realized superstitions are a little silly.”

Arnold shared that as a gymnast, Nedoroscik tends to lead with his shoulder, but dancers need to lead with their chests. The duo’s main fix before hitting the stage was to make sure he could hold his frame and resist performing at full speed.

“It’s hard for me to convince my body to slow down because if I do that in gymnastics, it’s game over. If tonight doesn’t go well, I might have to go look for that old pair of underwear,” Nedoroscik said.

The pair hit the stage in cream 1970s-inspired outfits while disco-dancing down a staircase onto the floor. They leaped around before throwing out some sidekicks. Nedoroscik spun Arnold before they rejoined, sprinting out and leaping forward, hitting a split, and moving into a kip up. They jumped, ran around each other, and joined hands once more to kick out and spin Arnold back into Nedoroscik’s arms.

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Guest judge Rosie Perez, from the “Soul Train” show in the 1980s, began the commentary, sharing that Nedoroscik kept the timing a little stiff but emphasizing how cute she finds him four times in a row.

Judge Derek Hough shared the joy he gets from their dances, although the gymnast led with his shoulder a bit more than his chest.

“Watching you guys dance is like watching you dance in a field of daisies. It’s just like breezy, light, and just so wonderful to watch,” Hough said.

Bruno Tonioli also said the pair should slow down and work to the timing of the music. Carrie Ann Inaba echoed the thoughts, sharing that the gymnast gets too excited, and it’s almost like a “lift-off” as he gets away from the music.

Before receiving their scores, host Julianne Hough asked Nedoroscik what he was enjoying the most about being in “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I’m enjoying the process,” he said. “This isn’t stuff that I do. I’m a gymnast and I am stiff. And I do have trouble with the rhythm and really honing in on the technicality of things, but the process of learning is just something that I think is so fun. So everything the judges just said to me, I’m going to go throughout this week and just try to perfect everything.”

The pair earned eights from Inaba and Perez, and sevens from Hough and Tonioli. At the end of Monday’s “Soul Train Night,” Nedoroscik and Arnold finished tied for fourth in the standings with 30 points.

Arnold-Pommel returned the next night for “Hair Metal Night” on Tuesday. This time, the pair danced a foxtrot to Whitesnake.

Arnold shared the biggest issue going into the foxtrot is that it has very clear timing, so if Nedoroscik is off at all, it will be evident.

“We don’t do gymnastics to music, so it’s really difficult for me to ease into a step… After putting in the work, musicality is definitely starting to click for me. Tonight, I’m gonna unleash my rockstar alter-ego and ace every step,” Nedoroscik said.

Nedoroscik and Arnold started on the stage with a car in tow. While Arnold sat on the hood, Nedoroscik walked over to grab her and start the dance, lifting her into the air before she dipped, while he air-guitared as she went down.

He spun her around before they started to trot down the stage, constantly turning as they went. Nedoroscik separated and knee-slid onto the floor before breaking out some signature pommel horse moves. He reconnected with Arnold who spun a few more times before they struck a pose to end the song. The pair overall had a composed dance, contrasting the loud music and outfits.

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Nedoroscik had taken the judge’s advice from last week, and they all said how happy and proud they were of him.

Tonioli started the conversation on Tuesday, calling Nedoroscik his great student.

Inaba said she appreciated all Nedoroscik did but wanted him to work on his storytelling through gestures. Derek Hough echoed those thoughts as his only note for Nedoroscik was to work on his long strides.

Guest judge Gene Simmons finished the feedback as he exclaimed his shock at what Nedoroscik was doing on the floor and how flexible, the superhero Penn State gymnast is while comparing him to Superman.

“I just want to say this, if they gave out awards, I’d give you a gold award. But I want to tell you something really important, you got so much personality in that body of yours. Glasses? Don’t worry, Superman wears glasses,” Simmons said.

Julianne Hough also emphasized all of Nedoroscik’s changes from last week, asking if he feels he improved.

“100%,” Nedoroscik said. “I put the hours in. I tried my absolute hardest to fix that frame, figure out what works for me, and Rylee’s just a great coach.”

Arnold-Pommel received an eight from all four judges, putting them at 32 for the night and 62 total for the week.

All competitor’s judge scores from Monday and Tuesday were combined alongside fan votes. Arnold-Pommel finished third for the week, tied with former Bachelorette Jenn Tran, for 62 points.

At the end of the episode, the hosts read off partners who were safe, in random order, before reaching the two partners who will be leaving the show. Nedoroscik and Arnold survived the week, as fan favorites Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts departed the show.

Check back again next week to see how Nedoroscik and Arnold fare in week four’s theme “Dedication Night,” folks.