Guess Who Choreographed Skater Adam Rippon's Jaw-Dropping Olympic Debut?

February 11, 2018

We love, love, LOVE figure skaters who completely embrace the dance aspect of the sport, putting real time and thought into their choreography and music choices (while also, you know, casually pulling off death-defying jumps). This Olympics, a lot of attention has (rightly) been focused on frontrunner Nathan Chen, whose ballet background lends him a beautiful grace and fluidity on the ice. But it was Chen’s teammate Adam Rippon who stole our dance-loving hearts yesterday, making his Olympic debut with a routine choreographed by none other than “So You Think You Can Dance” alum Benji Schwimmer.

Friends: HE. SLAYED. And because Rippon is the first openly gay U.S. man to qualify for any Winter Olympics—ever—the performance marked a major milestone.

Rippon has worked with Schwimmer, a longtime friend of his, for a bit now. But it was incredibly thrilling to see him bring Schwimmer’s choreo to life on such a huge stage. And Rippon’s powerful performance helped the U.S. earn bronze in the team figure skating competition. (In fact, Rippon’s routine was so flawless—like, trending on Twitter flawless—many viewers felt it should have lifted the team even higher on the podium.)

Here’s Schwimmer’s behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the routine:

And in case you missed the broadcast, here’s video of Rippon nailing the same routine (in a different fabulously bedazzled ensemble) last year: