She may not have any dance experience, but Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher — and her professional dance partner, Alan Bersten — are already stealing the hearts of Dancing With the Stars fans all across America, even before the show begins.
How is this happening, you may ask? With their top-notch personalities, of course:
For those who are unfamiliar with Ilona, she is a member of United States women’s rugby team, winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this summer. Aside from being a beast on the field, she is an advocate for body positivity and a TikTok sensation, garnering a whopping 2.4 million followers on the platform. Now, Dancing With the Stars is just another thing she is adding to her already impressive resume.
Naturally, Ilona has been documenting her Dancing With the Stars journey via TikTok, weaving her superb sense of humor into each and every video. Alan has been a great sport about it as well, joining his celebrity dance partner in this endeavor:
Since being announced as a member of the Dancing With the Stars season 33 cast, Ilona has shared 11 videos to TikTok, with many of them amassing over a million views. Fans of both Ilona Maher and Dancing With the Stars took to the comment sections of said videos, expressing just how excited they are to see her on the show, as well as how much they are loving the content thus far:
“Haven’t watched DWTS in years… ONLY watching this season for Ilona”
“These multiple updates a day are giving me life. Please never stop making us laugh”
“Gonna watch DWTS for the first time in yearssss just cause of you lol 😭”
“You’re actually like one of the funniest people on this app”
“Can’t wait to see you guys dance!!! 👏”
It is safe to say that based on their strong social media presence, Ilona and Alan have already captivated individuals all across the country, laying a great foundation for their journey on the show. After all, a great deal of success on Dancing With the Stars is based on a public vote!
Because of this, will Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten manage to take home the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy at the end of Dancing With the Stars season 33? With 12 other couples competing as well — including early frontrunners Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold — it is safe to say that they have already been given a run for their money…
Dancing With the Stars season 33 cast
With Ilona and Alan aside, the other 12 couples who will be competing on Dancing With the Stars season 33 are as follows:
- Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
- Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa
- Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
- Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach
- Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
- Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko
- Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
- Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy
- Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart
- Tori Spelling and Pasha Pashkov
- Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber
- Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater
Tune into Dancing With the Stars season 33 to see where Ilona and Alan fall on the leaderboard, beginning September 17 at 8pm ET/PT via ABC and Disney Plus. Already making Dancing With the Stars history, it is certain to be a season to remember!