Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) contestants Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold are very popular this season not only as dance partners but also in regards to romance. Arnold, a new DWTS pro, has already made a remarkable impression in her DWTS career at just 18 years old. As reported by ABC News (ABCNews.go.com), Arnold grew up in a small town in Utah and followed in the footsteps of her sister Lindsay, a former DWTS pro and Mirrorball champion. It was her older sister who inspired Arnold to compete in the competition. Experiencing the show behind the scenes at an early age, she was able to get a glimpse into some of the challenges that come with the competition. Arnold even competed on Dancing With the Stars: Juniors with Miles Brown, where they placed second. Her current partner, 26-year-old Too Hot to Handle season one star Harry Jowsey, is new to dancing.
The duo competed alongside How I Met Your Mother actress Alyson Hannigan, singer Jason Mraz, The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson, model Tyson Beckford, former NFL player Adrian Peterson, singer and social media star Lele Pons, actress Xochitl Gomez, and more, according to People magazine. Junior Emily Franklin expressed, “I think this season has some really talented dancers. My favorite dancer is Xochitl. She is so bubbly and animated while also being an amazing dancer.” Freshman Shannon Bludoy added, “Harry and Rylee are my favorite dancers. I feel like they added lots of different styles, and they made the show more fun. This season was one of my favorites because the dancers utilized modern pop music.” On the show, the two received a total score of 28/40 and were eliminated at the end of week 9, in which they culminated their Taylor Swift Night performance to the song “August” with a kiss.
On top of their fond relationship as dance partners, Jowsey and Arnold also have chemistry off the dance floor. After their elimination, the two have continued to be seen together, which has sparked dating rumors. Franklin incited, “I definitely felt there was chemistry between Harry and Rylee during the season, and I 100% think they’re going to end up together. I have seen them on social media together after their elimination, so the rumors are most likely true.” Jowsey even went as far as buying Arnold an almost-$15,000 gold bracelet after their elimination from the competition amid months of romance speculation, as reported by Caroline Blair on Page Six magazine (PageSix.com). Jowsey posted on Snapchat, documenting Arnold in the passenger seat of his car as he gifted her the gold-and-diamond Van Cleef and Arpels vintage Alhambra bracelet, worth a whopping $14,600. Arnold was shocked to receive such a gift, exclaiming, “Oh my gosh, I’m gonna cry. It’s stunning![…] I think it is literally the most beautiful bracelet I’ve ever seen. I’m just the luckiest girl ever,” as reported by Entertainment Tonight (ETOnline.com). On top of this, Jowsey even spent Thanksgiving with Arnold and her family at their house on the beach.
Junior Alexa Levine expressed, “I don’t think they are dating because of their age difference; I think they just became very close. It was weird that he went on her family Thanksgiving vacation, though.” The two have also been spotted on red carpets such as at the movie premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, as reported in Us Weekly (UsMagazine.com). In social media posts, they constantly express their gratitude for each other. Arnold posted a selfie at the movie of her and Jowsey wearing matching friendship bracelets. In addition, Jowsey declared, “We just enjoy hanging out and we love each other, so it’s been great,” as quoted by Entertainment Tonight (ETOnline.com). Bludoy related, “I would be ecstatic if they are actually dating because they are perfect together, and they look so happy when they dance. Their Instagram posts look like they are dating.”
Shocking to some, Jowler and Arnold’s relationship is one of great controversy due to their age gap. Junior Catherine Jennings explained, “I do not like the rumors of them dating because Arnold is fresh out of high school, and Jowsey has a reputation she doesn’t need.” Despite their affection and friendship, their eight-year age gap is bothersome to many. Fans also argued that this season was a popularity contest. Franklin expressed, “While I love Harry and loved watching him on Too Hot to Handle, his popularity made the show extremely unfair. He stayed in the competition when couples obviously better than him got eliminated. He was trying his hardest, but his dances just weren’t good compared to others. The fact that he stayed in the competition instead of Lele [Pons] was so disappointing to me.” Jennings added, “I am honestly happy they got eliminated because I have been watching this show forever and this season has really been about popularity. Harry is just not great. Although he did improve, he should not have made it to the quarterfinals. A 70-year-old man outscored Harry three weeks in a row, and he made it to the quarterfinals. It was honestly crazy.” Levine agreed: “They were fun to watch at first, and then they needed to go home because they were not as good as everyone else. I’m so mad that Lele went home instead of them.”
The two recently met up on February 20 in Clearwater, Florida. According to People magazine, “The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other as they celebrated their long-awaited reunion.” Arnold and Jowsey were even seen making TikToks to the “Twin, Where Have You Been?” audio. At the moment, Arnold is continuing to dance and has joined forces with Jowsey again alongside Alan Bersten, Gleb Savchenko and Pasha Pashkov on a DWTS tour that runs until March 27. Fans look forward to seeing more moments with them again in the future.
