Rylee Arnold wants nothing more than her older sister Lindsay Arnold to make her triumphant Dancing With the Stars return.
“I think there is probably a future with Dancing With the Stars and Lindsay,” Rylee, 19, told Us Weekly exclusively on Wednesday, September 4, after the show’s season 33 cast was announced. “I think that it will happen one of these days, but it wasn’t this year.”
Rylee went on to say that she tried “so hard” to convince Lindsay, 30, to come back to the show. “It’s sad, but I think it should happen eventually.”
Lindsay announced in August 2023 that she would be taking a step back from DWTS so she can continue being a mother to daughters Sage, 3, and June, 16 months.
“I don’t want to separate our family,” Lindsay, who is married to Sam Cusick, explained in a TikTok video at the time. “I don’t want to put my kids through that right now. I feel like this time of their life is so precious and is moving so fast and I want to cherish every single moment. I don’t want to miss a beat.”
Lindsay made her DWTS debut in 2013 during the show’s 16th season. She competed as a pro on 10 seasons of the show, winning the season 15 mirrorball trophy with Jordan Fisher. Fans hoped that following her year-long break, Lindsay would be making her DWTS return this fall. However, she told fans late last month that she wouldn’t be coming back just yet.
In her absence, Lindsay has been cheering on Rylee, who made her debut during season 32 last year. For the forthcoming competition, Rylee is partnered with Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik.
“He is just so kind, has such a good soul and immediately came into it,” Rylee told Us of her partner on Wednesday. “He was competitive, he wanted to work hard, he wanted to dance and get good at what we were doing. I’m so grateful he’s my partner.”
Nedoroscik, 25, won two bronze medals during the 2024 Paris Olympics after competing as part of the U.S. men’s gymnastics team. He returned Rylee’s sentiments about their partnership.
“I was so excited. She is an amazing dancer,” he shared. “I didn’t know who I was gonna get, and I was looking at all the pros. I was like, ‘I really hope I get Rylee.’ So, I was so excited I got Rylee.”
Dancing With the Stars season 33 premieres on ABC Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
