After a touchdown, there’s got to be a celebration dance.
And for Dancing with the Stars’ Rylee Arnold, her relationship with USC football player Walker Lyons is such a win that she had to share it with the world.
“I honestly just feel good about it, so we wanted to share it,” she exclusively explained to E! News Francesca Amiker following the show’s Oct. 29 Halloween episode. “And I love sharing my journey with everybody that’s supports me. Because I know people care so much about all the things I do, so it was really, really special.”
And while hard launching a relationship with a public persona such as Rylee can be an intimidating prospect, Rylee shared Walker is happy to run with it.
“I’m like, ‘Walker I’m sorry,’” the 19-year-old joked of the excitement their debut created online. “‘It’s scary I know.’ But he’s been the best sport about it—he’s just the best.”
Rylee also shared some insight into how she and Walker first came together—and what makes their partnership the perfect play.
“There were so many crazy coincidences that actually brought us together,” she explained. “But we have a lot of mutual friends so that’s kind of how we started talking in the beginning. But honestly, he’s just such a great guy, I really found a good one who makes me feel so special. And we have so much fun together.”
And, if her and Walker’s steps ever falter, Rylee has someone she can turn to for relationship advice: Her DWTS partner Stephen Nedoroscik, who has been with his own girlfriend Tess McCracken for more than eight years.
As the Olympian told Rylee—and E! News—of his relationship go-to’s, “Just be honest. I think that if you hold anything inside and you don’t vocalize it, it’s a bad thing for relationships. So just be upfront and just be vulnerable.”
To which Rylee responded, “I’ll definitely take your advice because you and Tess are solid.”
In fact, Stephen says his relationship with the fellow gymnast—whom he met while they were both on Penn State’s gymnastics team—has never been anything short of a perfect ten.
“With Tess, she’s just overwhelmingly supportive of everything I do,” he explained to E!. “She’s just such a positive person, and I really love her.”
And with the support of their partners and each other, Rylee and Stephen were able to score their first ten in the Dancing with the Stars ballroom for their contemporary, Halloween-inspired performance.
“I had a blast,” Stephen gushed of their routine. “Being able to do that dance as well as I did—I think it was my best run of that dance—you can see it in my celebration afterwards, it felt like I just nailed the pommel horse routine at the Olympics.”
In addition to it being her first ten with Stephen, it was also Rylee’s first ten as a professional on the series across her two seasons.
“I felt so good about it,” she added. “Truly this felt like Steve’s breakthrough moment, so I’m so glad it got the recognition it deserved.”
To see Rylee and Stephen’s spooky looks—as well as those of the other remaining Dancing with the Stars couples—keep reading.
Derek Hough
As a vampire.
Carrie Ann Inaba
As a cheetah.
Bruno Tonioli
In a bedazzled dragon blazer.
Joey Graziadei & Jenna Johnson
As a ventriloquist and puppet.
Stephen Nedoroscik & Rylee Arnold
As interpretations of darkness and light.
Jenn Tran & Sasha Farber
As vampires.
Ilona Maher
As a psycho killer.
Chandler Kinney & Brandon Armstrong
As fractured dolls.
Danny Amendola & Witney Carson
As snakes.
Dwight Howard & Daniella Karagach
As the bogeyman and his victim.
Alfonso Ribeiro & Julianne Hough
The cohosts kept it formal with a spooky touch.