Rylee Arnold (born June 5, 2005) is an American Latin and ballroom dancer. She first gained recognition for her appearances on the children's television series Dancing with the Stars: Juniors (2018), where she finished as a runner-up with actor Miles Brown. After the program was cancelled, Arnold joined the main competition series in 2023.
Early life Rylee Arnold was born on June 5, 2005, in Provo, Utah. She is the youngest daughter of Melinda "Mindy" Arnold (), a physical therapist, and Joshua Arnold, a physician assistant and former defensive back for the BYU Cougars. She was raised Mormon with her three older sisters: Lindsay, Jensen, and Brynley.
Arnold was inspired to follow in the footsteps of her eldest sister, Lindsay, after watching her perform on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars. She graduated from Timpview High School in May 2023.
Career Arnold began training and competing in ballroom dance competitions at a young age. When she was nine, she placed third at the 2014 World DanceSport Championships in Paris. She ranked fifth at the 2019 WDC World Championships in Dublin.
Dancing with the Stars: Juniors On August 1, 2018, Arnold was announced as a professional dancer for the children's competition series Dancing with the Stars: Juniors; a spin-off of the main celebrity talent show franchise. She was paired with actor Miles Brown under the mentorship of her sister, Lindsay Arnold. The couple made it to the finals and finished as one of three runners-up; tying with Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine (with mentor Brandon Armstrong) and Mackenzie Ziegler and Sage Rosen (with mentor Gleb Savchenko).
Week Dance Music Judges' scores Total score Result 1 Salsa "Who Let the Dogs Out" — Baha Men 7 8 7 22 Safe 2 Argentine tango "I Don't Want to Be" — Gavin DeGraw 8 8 8 24 Safe 3 Charleston "One Jump Ahead" (from Aladdin) 9 9 9 27 Safe 4 Samba "I Want Candy" — The Strangeloves 9 9 9 27 Safe 5 Jazz "Space Jam" — Quad City DJ's 9 9 9 27 Safe 6 Foxtrot "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" — Marvin Gaye 9 9 8 26 Safe 7 Jive "Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His Comets 9 9 10 28 Safe 8(Semifinals) Cha-cha-cha "Shake Señora" — Pitbull feat. T-Pain & Sean Paul 9 10 9 28 Safe Jazz & Samba(Team fusion) "Party in the U.S.A." — Miley Cyrus 10 10 10 309(Finals) Salsa "Who Let the Dogs Out" — Baha Men 10 9 9 28 Runners-up Freestyle "Sleigh Ride" — District 78 10 10 10 30 Notes
Dancing with the Stars Arnold was the first pro from Dancing with the Stars: Juniors to be cast in the main competition series following its cancellation. She was announced as a professional dancer for season 32 and was partnered with media personality Harry Jowsey. Despite consistently earning low scores and criticism from the judges, audience voters allowed the couple to stay in the competition until they were eliminated during the quarterfinals on November 21, 2023, finishing in sixth place.
For season 33, Arnold was paired with Olympic artistic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik. They reached the finals and finished in fourth place on November 26, 2024, making Arnold the first Dancing with the Stars pro born in the 21st century to advance to the finale. Arnold and Nedoroscik's contemporary-based freestyle routine to Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" was acclaimed by critics and viewers. Rebecca Iannucci from TVLine named it the best dance number of the year.
For season 34, Arnold was paired with Scott Hoying of the a cappella group Pentatonix. They were eliminated during the sixth week of competition on October 21, 2025, finishing in tenth place; Arnold's lowest placement to date. For season 35, she is paired with stand-up comedian and podcaster Connor Wood.
Season Partner Place 32 Harry Jowsey 6th 33 Stephen Nedoroscik 4th 34 Scott Hoying 10th35Connor WoodTBD
Season 32 Celebrity partner: Harry Jowsey
Week Dance Music Judges' scores Total score Result 1 Cha-cha-cha "Rock Your Body" — Justin Timberlake 4 4 4 12 Safe 2 Salsa "Arranca" — Becky G, feat. Omega 5 5 5 15 Safe 3 Foxtrot "Easy" — Commodores 6 5 6 24 Safe 4 Quickstep "You've Got a Friend in Me"(from Toy Story) 7 7 7 21 Safe 5 Contemporary "Keep Your Head Up" — Andy Grammer 6 6 6 18 Safe 6 Argentine tango "Blinding Lights" — District 78 7 7 7 28 Safe Hustle & CharlestonMarathon "Stayin' Alive" — Bee Gees &"Grim Grinning Ghosts" — Kris Bowers colspan="3" 1 7 Jazz "It's Gonna Be Me" — NSYNC 6 6 6 64 Safe Freestyle(Team Young'n Style) "Gangnam Style" — Psy 10 10 10 8 Viennese waltz "I Have Nothing" — Whitney Houston 7 7 7 28 Safe Rumba(Dance-off) "One Moment in Time" — Whitney Houston colspan="3" 0 9(Quarterfinals) Rumba "August" — Taylor Swift 8 7 7 30 Eliminated Jive(Dance relay) "Shake It Off" — Taylor Swift colspan="3" 0 Notes
Season 33 Celebrity partner: Stephen Nedoroscik
Week Dance Music Judges' scores Total score Result 1 Jive "Don't Stop Me Now" — Queen 7 7 7 21 Safe 2 Paso doble "Superman — Main Theme"(from Superman) 8 7 7 22 Safe 3 Quickstep "Superstition" — Stevie Wonder 8 7 7 30 Safe Foxtrot "Here I Go Again" — Whitesnake 8 8 8 32 4 Argentine tango "Seven Nation Army" — The White Stripes 8 9 8 33 Safe 5 Charleston "A Star Is Born" (from Hercules) 8 8 8 48 Safe Freestyle(Team Roar) "I Just Can't Wait to Be King"(from The Lion King) 8 8 8 6 Contemporary "I Ran (So Far Away)" — Hidden Citizens 10 9 9 28 Safe Salsa(Dance-off) "Jump in the Line" — Harry Belafonte colspan="3" 0 7(Quarterfinals) Viennese waltz "Glimpse of Us" — Joji 10 10 9 54 Safe Jive(Instant Dance) "Love Is Embarrassing" — Olivia Rodrigo 9 8 8 8(Semifinals) Cha-cha-cha "Bailar" — Deorro feat. Elvis Crespo 8 8 9 53 Safe Tango "Sweet Disposition" — The Temper Trap 10 9 9 9(Finals) Quickstep(Redemption Dance) "I'll Be There for You" (from Friends) 10 9 10 59 Fourth place Freestyle "Viva la Vida" — Coldplay 10 10 10 Notes
Season 34 Celebrity partner: Scott Hoying
Week Dance Music Judges' scores Total score Result 1 Tango "Abracadaba" — Lady Gaga 5 5 10 Safe 2 Cha-cha-cha "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" — Eiffel 65 6 6 6 18 Safe 3 Jazz "Like Jennie" — Jennie 8 7 7 22 Safe 4 Salsa "Bop to the Top"(from High School Musical) 7 7 7 21 Safe 5 Foxtrot "Parallel" — Scott Hoying 7 8 8 30 Safe 6 Contemporary "The Wizard and I" — Cynthia Erivo feat. Michelle Yeoh 7 7 7 28 Eliminated Notes
Season 35 Celebrity partner: Connor Wood
Week Dance Music Judges' scores Total score Result 1 Cha-cha-cha "I Like It, I Love It" — Tim McGraw 6 5 5 16 Safe 2 Tango "12 to 12" — Sombr 5 5 5 15 Safe 3 Foxtrot “Everywhere” — Fleetwood Mac 7 6 7 20 Safe 4 colspan="7" Notes
Reception Arnold has been credited with "revitalizing" Dancing with the Stars by utilizing social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to generate audience engagement. Conrad Green, its showrunner, noted that Arnold's ability to draw her own audience, especially among Generation Z, has turned her into a social media consultant to other celebrities and pros.
Personal life Arnold is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In order to compete on Dancing with the Stars, she splits her time between Utah and Los Angeles. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 15 years of age, after nearly falling into a diabetic coma. Arnold began dating tight end Walker Lyons on October 20, 2024.
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