Honestly, it's been a decade, and we're still talking about it. When Nyle DiMarco walked onto the ballroom floor for Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars, a lot of people—producers included, probably—thought they were watching a "feel-good" story. You know the type. The "inspirational" contestant who makes it to week four, gets a standing ovation for trying hard, and then exits gracefully.
But Nyle didn't do that. He didn't come to be a symbol. He came to win the whole thing.
And he did. Alongside pro partner Peta Murgatroyd, Nyle took home the Mirrorball Trophy in 2016, but the way he got there is still misunderstood by half the people who watch the YouTube clips today. People think he could "feel the vibrations" through the floor. They think he had some high-tech earpiece.
None of that is true. Basically, Nyle DiMarco was dancing in a world of total silence, and the technical reality of how he pulled it off is actually way more impressive than the "magic" people imagine.
The "Vibration" Myth and the Real Science of the Ballroom
Let’s clear this up immediately. You'll often hear fans say, "Oh, he just feels the bass through the floorboards!"
Kinda, but not really.
In a massive, cavernous TV studio filled with screaming fans, moving cameras, and a live orchestra, "feeling the vibration" is nearly impossible. It's white noise for the feet. Nyle has been open about this: the vibrations are too muddy to actually follow a rhythm. If he had tried to rely on the floor, he would have been off-beat every single time.
So, how did he do it? It was all about visual cues and physical "triggers" developed with Peta.
📖 Related: Al Pacino Angels in America: Why His Roy Cohn Still Terrifies Us
- The Shoulder Tap: During rehearsals, Peta would tap the beat into his shoulder so his body could internalize the tempo.
- The Eye Contact: If you go back and watch their Cha Cha to "Cake by the Ocean," notice Nyle’s eyes. He is rarely looking at his feet. He is laser-focused on Peta’s frame. He wasn't just "watching" her; he was reading the micro-movements of her muscles to know exactly when the next beat was hitting.
- Tactile Signals: They developed a language of squeezes and scratches. A squeeze on the hand meant "speed up." A scratch on the back meant he was drifting behind the count.
It wasn't magic. It was an insane amount of math and muscle memory. While other celebrities were listening to the music to find their place, Nyle was essentially running a complex algorithm in his head based on physical touch and sight.
Why the "Sound of Silence" Freestyle Still Hits Different
If there is one moment that defined Dancing with the Stars Nyle DiMarco as a legend rather than just a contestant, it was his freestyle.
They chose "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed. It was a heavy, emotional choice, but the "hook" wasn't the song itself. Midway through the dance, the music cut out.
Complete silence.
For the viewers at home, it was jarring. For the judges, it was a revelation. Nyle and Peta continued to dance in perfect synchronization without a single note playing in the room. This wasn't just a stunt; it was an education. Nyle wanted the hearing world to understand that his "silence" isn't a void—it's a different way of experiencing the world.
He actually wrote a letter to the band Disturbed to get permission for the song. He told them that for the Deaf community, the song’s lyrics about "people hearing without listening" resonated deeply. He wasn't just dancing for a trophy; he was fighting against "audism"—the belief that the ability to hear makes one superior.
The Struggles We Didn't See on Camera
It wasn't all perfect scores and blue-steel stares.
👉 See also: Adam Scott in Step Brothers: Why Derek is Still the Funniest Part of the Movie
Early on, Peta Murgatroyd admitted she was terrified. She had never taught a Deaf student, let alone a celebrity on a live national broadcast. During the first week of rehearsals, they actually had a bit of a "bloodshed" moment. Peta accidentally clocked Nyle in the face during a turn, and he ended up needing four stitches above his eyebrow.
Imagine that. You can't hear the person giving you instructions, you've never danced professionally in your life, and now you're bleeding from the face while trying to learn a Cha Cha. Most people would have called it a day. Nyle just got the stitches and went back to the studio.
There was also the "Blindfold Challenge." In a later week, the judges asked Nyle to dance while blindfolded. This was controversial. For Nyle, sight is his primary sense—it’s how he communicates and how he "hears" the music through Peta. Taking that away was like asking a hearing dancer to wear noise-canceling headphones and earplugs.
He still nailed it. That was the moment Carrie Ann Inaba realized he wasn't just "good for a Deaf guy." He was just... a great dancer. Period.
The Legacy of Season 22
Nyle wasn't the first Deaf contestant on the show—that was Marlee Matlin in Season 6. But Nyle’s victory changed the "rules" of what we expect from performers with disabilities.
He proved that accessibility isn't about "helping" someone get to the finish line; it's about providing the right tools so they can sprint past everyone else. Since his win, we've seen more inclusive casting across the board, not just on DWTS but in Hollywood at large. Nyle went on to executive produce Deaf U and the Oscar-nominated documentary Audible.
His win was a megaphone.
✨ Don't miss: Actor Most Academy Awards: The Record Nobody Is Breaking Anytime Soon
He used the platform to talk about the Nyle DiMarco Foundation, focusing on language access for Deaf children. Did you know that a huge percentage of Deaf children are born to hearing parents who aren't taught sign language? Nyle turned a ballroom dancing show into a primer on civil rights and early childhood education. That’s a lot of heavy lifting for a guy in sequins.
What You Can Learn from Nyle's Approach
Whether you're a dancer or just someone trying to master a new skill, Nyle's run on Dancing with the Stars offers some pretty solid life lessons:
- Adapt the environment, not the person: Nyle didn't try to "hear" the music. He and Peta changed the way they communicated to make the music visible.
- Trust is a technical requirement: Their partnership worked because they had a level of physical trust that other pairs didn't need. They literally couldn't function without it.
- Silence isn't a barrier: It’s just a different frequency.
If you ever feel like you're missing a "key ingredient" to succeed in something, remember Nyle. He was missing the one thing everyone thought was mandatory for dancing—sound—and he still ended up with the gold.
If you want to see the technical breakdown of his most famous routines, you should go back and watch the Season 22 finale. Specifically, look for the moment Peta stops leading and Nyle takes over the frame. It's a masterclass in non-verbal communication.
You can also check out Nyle’s memoir, Deaf Utopia, if you want the full story of his life before and after the ballroom. It goes way deeper into the politics of the Deaf community and his experience on America's Next Top Model.
Seriously, go re-watch that "Sound of Silence" routine. Even if you aren't a fan of ballroom dance, the sheer athleticism and timing required to stay in sync during total silence is something you have to see to believe.
Next time you’re watching the show, look for the cues. You’ll start seeing the "invisible" language they built together. It's still one of the most impressive things to ever happen on reality TV.