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See how these New England celebrities placed on the season finale of Dancing with the Stars
“Whitney is like Gronk, Edelman, and Brady rolled into one,” former Patriots player Danny Amendola said of his pro partner.
They can play football, they can win Olympic medals, and now these three New England-connected celebrities can say they are bona fide ballroom dancers after their season-long stints on Dancing with the Stars.
Two Olympians who competed in Paris this summer — Worcester native and gymnast Stephen Nederosick, and Burlington native and rugby sevens player Ilona Maher — plus former Patriots player Danny Amendola were among the five pairs of finalists who competed for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy on Tuesday night.
The record-breaking season ended with a bang on Tuesday as a combination of judge scores and audience votes declared “The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson the winner.
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To see how the New Englanders placed, read more below.
Former Patriots player Danny Amendola
Just because the wide receiver retired from the NFL in 2022 doesn’t mean he’s done with competing. This time, it was on the dance floor instead of a football field.
For his final appearance on the competition, Amendola and his pro partner Whitney Carson performed a tango to “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen and later channeled Barbie with a freestyle routine to “Pink” by Lizzo and “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling.
“Whitney is like Gronk, Edelman, and Brady rolled into one,” Amendola said of his pro partner.
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For his first dance he scored all nines from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. For his second round on the floor, he scored 29/30.
He placed fifth overall.
Rugby player, Olympic medalist, and influencer Ilona Maher
Burlington native Ilona Maher made a name for herself both as an Olympian and as an influencer on TikTok known for her focus on empowerment and body positivity.
She, along with partner Alan Bersten, performed a jive to “Shake a Tail Feather” by Ray Charles and the Blues Brothers and a freestyle routine to “Feminineominon” by Chappel Roan.
“I’ve gotten to play so many characters and tonight, I get to just play me,” she said.
The judges panel awarded her 27/30 for her jive — a dance she has struggled with previously — and 30/30 for her freestyle.
The bronze medal winner made it to the final two, but placed second in the end.
Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, a.k.a “Pommel horse guy”
You might know Stephen Nedoroscisk, a Worcester native, from his impressive stint on Team USA, where he won two Olympic bronze medals competing on the pommel horse with his trademark glasses this summer.
He treated the ballroom floor as his pommel horse on Friday, performing an emotional routine that highlighted his love of men’s gymnastics. Alongside his partner Rylee Arnold, Nedoroscik performed a freestyle to “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay and a quickstep to “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts.
“When I was at the Olympics, I had a ton of pressure on me, and I handled it perfectly too,” he said of his time in the Dancing with the Stars ballroom.
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Nedoroscik scored a 29/30 for the Quickstep and a 30/30 for the Freestyle — his and Arnold’s first perfect score of the season. He and Arnold placed fourth overall.
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