Dancing With the Stars pro Rylee Arnold has a secret weapon in her corner of the ballroom — her sister Lindsay Arnold.
“I honestly think I’ve grown up as a dancer, so those critiques make so much sense to me,” Rylee, 21, exclusively told Us after the judges offered feedback about her choreography during the Tuesday, September 22, live show. “As a dancer, like, I can always just grow from it.”
Rylee also noted that Lindsay, 32, is similarly “always there to give [her] that positive feedback.”
“I mean, Connor [Wood] knows I call her all the time in rehearsals, and I’m like, ‘Do you like this dance move? Is this good?’” she said on Tuesday. “So, she’s a part of this whole process for me, and she’s the best.”
Season 35 marks Rylee’s fourth as a pro on the ballroom dance competition. Lindsay, for her part, appeared on the dance competition for 10 seasons before her 2022 exit to focus on her family. (The former mirrorball champ shares three young children with her husband, Sam Cusick.)
In addition to Lindsay, Rylee has the sweet support of her boyfriend, Walker Lyons, who recently joined the BYU Cougars football team after playing for the USC Trojans.
“He’s been awesome. I feel like we’re both, just, thriving in our lives right now, which is really amazing. He’s doing so good in football, and I’m here,” Rylee gushed to Us. “It’s definitely hard being long distance, but we call all the time. We’re super supportive, and we’re there for each other. So, it’s great.”
While Lyons, 22, is busy as a collegiate athlete, Rylee is focused on Wood, 31, and their mirrorball odds. The pair performed a tango set to Sombr’s “12 to 12” on Tuesday that earned a total score of 15 out of 30.
“Oh, my gosh, like, from week one to now, you have grown so much,” Rylee told Wood of his dance progress. “He is applying himself, and genuinely, like, we started from square one. Like, he has never had experience with anything like this. Even after our dance tonight, when he was like, ‘Oh, like, a couple mishaps,’ I’m like, ‘Honestly, I’m shocked there wasn’t more.’ He has never done this before, and he is going out, and he is being so confident and so amazing, and I’m genuinely so proud of him.”
The judges were particularly critical of Wood’s footwork in the tango, but the comedian took the note in stride.
“I do defer to the judges there, and I like the feedback,” he told Us. “I think the judges’ scores are fair, and I respect them. They know the dance; they may not know our choreography, but if something’s obvious, they have the expertise to chime in on that, so I appreciate the feedback in that way.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
