Rylee Arnold
American dancer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
- Dancer
- choreographer
- media personality
Rylee Arnold | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 2005 Provo, Utah, U.S. |
| Education | Timpview High School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Television | |
| Relatives | Lindsay Arnold (sister) |
| Instagram information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 1.4 million (Jan 10, 2025) |
| TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 1.8 million (June 5, 2026) |
Early life
Rylee Arnold was born on June 5, 2005, in Provo, Utah.[1][2] She is the youngest daughter of Melinda "Mindy" Arnold (née Peay), a physical therapist,[3][4] and Joshua Arnold, a physician assistant and former defensive back for the BYU Cougars.[5] She was raised Mormon with her three older sisters: Lindsay, Jensen, and Brynley.[6][7]
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.[8] She graduated from Timpview High School in May 2023.[1]
Career
Arnold began training and competing in ballroom dance competitions at a young age.[9] When she was nine, she placed third at the 2014 World DanceSport Championships in Paris.[10] She ranked fifth at the 2019 WDC World Championships in Dublin.[9]
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.[11][12] She was paired with actor Miles Brown under the mentorship of her sister, Lindsay Arnold.[13] 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).[14][15]
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores[a] | 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 | 30 | ||
| 9 (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
- Individual judges' scores are listed in the following order: Mandy Moore, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Adam Rippon.
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.[16] She was announced as a professional dancer for season 32 and was partnered with media personality Harry Jowsey.[17] Despite consistently earning low scores and criticism from the judges,[18] 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.[19]
For season 33, Arnold was paired with Olympic artistic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik.[20][21] 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.[22][23] Arnold and Nedoroscik's contemporary-based freestyle routine to Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" was acclaimed by critics and viewers.[24] Rebecca Iannucci from TVLine named it the best dance number of the year.[25]
For season 34, Arnold was paired with Scott Hoying of the a cappella group Pentatonix.[26] They were eliminated during the sixth week of competition on October 21, 2025, finishing in tenth place; Arnold's lowest placement to date.[27] For season 35, she is paired with stand-up comedian and podcaster Connor Wood.[28]
| Season | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Harry Jowsey | 6th |
| 33 | Stephen Nedoroscik | 4th |
| 34 | Scott Hoying | 10th |
| 35 | Connor Wood | TBD |
Season 32
Celebrity partner: Harry Jowsey
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores[a] | 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[b] | 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[c] | Safe |
| Hustle & Charleston Marathon |
"Stayin' Alive" — Bee Gees & "Grim Grinning Ghosts" — Kris Bowers |
N/a | 1[d] | ||||
| 7 | Jazz | "It's Gonna Be Me" — NSYNC | 6 | 6[e] | 6 | 64 | Safe |
| Freestyle (Team Young'n Style) |
"Gangnam Style" — Psy | 10 | 10[f] | 10 | |||
| 8 | Viennese waltz | "I Have Nothing" — Whitney Houston | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28[g] | Safe |
| Rumba (Dance-off) |
"One Moment in Time" — Whitney Houston | Loser | 0[h] | ||||
| 9 (Quarterfinals) |
Rumba | "August" — Taylor Swift | 8 | 7 | 7 | 30[i] | Eliminated |
| Jive (Dance relay) |
"Shake It Off" — Taylor Swift | Loser | 0[j] | ||||
- Notes
- Individual judges' scores are listed in the following order: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
- Harry and Rylee also received a score of 7 from guest judge Michael Strahan.
- Harry and Rylee also received a score of 7 from guest judge Niecy Nash-Betts.
- Harry and Rylee received one bonus point in this dance marathon.
- Harry and Rylee also received a score of 6 from guest judge Paula Abdul.
- This team also received a score of 10 from guest judge Paula Abdul.
- Harry and Rylee also received a score of 7 from guest judge Billy Porter.
- Harry and Rylee received zero bonus points for losing this dance-off.
- Harry and Rylee also received a score of 8 from guest judge Mandy Moore.
- Harry and Rylee received zero bonus points for losing this dance relay.
Season 33
Celebrity partner: Stephen Nedoroscik
- Notes
- Individual judges' scores are listed in the following order: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
- Stephen and Rylee also received a score of 8 from guest judge Rosie Perez.
- Stephen and Rylee also received a score of 8 from guest judge Gene Simmons.
- Stephen and Rylee also received a score of 8 from guest judge Mark Ballas.
- Stephen and Rylee received zero bonus points for losing this dance-off.
Season 34
Celebrity partner: Scott Hoying
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores[a] | Total score | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tango | "Abracadaba" — Lady Gaga | N/a | 5 | 5 | 10[b] | 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[c] | Safe |
| 6 | Contemporary | "The Wizard and I" — Cynthia Erivo feat. Michelle Yeoh | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28[d] | Eliminated |
- Notes
- Individual judges' scores are listed in the following order: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
- Scott and Rylee only received two judges's scores, as Carrie Ann Inaba was absent.
- Scott and Rylee also received a score of 7 from guest judge Kym Johnson.
- Scott and Rylee also received a score of 7 from guest judge Jon M. Chu.
Season 35
Celebrity partner: Connor Wood
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores[a] | 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 | TBA | ||||||
- Notes
- Individual judges' scores are listed in the following order: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
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.[29] 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.[30]
Personal life
Arnold is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[7] In order to compete on Dancing with the Stars, she splits her time between Utah and Los Angeles.[1] She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 15 years of age, after nearly falling into a diabetic coma.[31][32] Arnold began dating tight end Walker Lyons on October 20, 2024.[33][34]