‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Rylee Arnold Details the ‘Pressure’ of Going on 1st Dates

Dancing With the Stars pro Rylee Arnold knows all about the daunting process of dating.

“I haven’t shared this before, but, yeah, I’ve been going on dates and I’m gonna go on one tonight,” Arnold, 19, said on Friday, July 19, via TikTok. “I have shared the fact that I think first dates are really freaking scary, which they are.”

She added, “It’s, like, you’re meeting a person for the first time — or maybe not for the first time — but it’s, like, the pressure of a first date. You wanna make sure they have a good time but also are you having a good time? Because that matters so much. It’s hard to go from talking about big stuff with someone to ‘What’s your favorite color?’”

While Arnold stressed that she doesn’t “hate” going on dates, she just feels that they can be “a little intimidating” at the start. (Trust Us, Rylee, we completely understand.)

“I’m just gonna take a second to be comfortable and that’s OK. It’s part of the process,” Arnold said, noting she was “really excited” about her Friday date since they were meeting at one of her favorite restaurants.

The pro dancer also dished out some dating tips she’s learned through the years.

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“Something that I’ve learned about dating, I used to take things really to heart when stuff wouldn’t work out with a boy. I used to be like, ‘What’s wrong with me? Am I the problem?’” Arnold said. “But in reality, it’s nobody’s problem [and] it’s just the fact that you and that other person didn’t mesh very well and that’s OK.”

She continued, “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to do first dates and I met that person, we’re immediately comfortable with each other and we just start dating. That would be so much easier … or you’re best friends and it slowly turns into ‘I like this person.’ Like, how nice would that be? I will forever believe in friends to lovers.”

Arnold has been single since joining DWTS in 2023. For her debut season, she was partnered with Too Hot to Handle alum Harry Jowsey.

“[Rylee’s] ’s never in a bad mood and she’s always bubbly and brings me up when I’m feeling a little bit flat, or in my head about things, and knows when to sit me down and talk me out of whatever hump I’m in,” Jowsey, 27, exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2023. “I feel like everyone needs that in a person in their life. She’s everything you could ever dream of.”

Their steamy stage chemistry prompted all sorts of romance rumors from fans, which the pair always shot down. Jowsey was dating Perfect Match partner Jess Vestal for several weeks of the season, breaking up in the middle of his DWTS journey.