I’ve never been a dedicated Dancing With The Stars fan, but U.S. Olympian Ilona Maher might be changing that for me, at least when it comes to the season currently airing on the 2024 TV schedule. It would seem I’m not the only one, either, because I’ve seen more viral moments turn into trends than ever before, thanks to TikTok. For example, Danny Amendola and Witney Carson’s floor lift left many making videos trying to recreate it, including Maher. However, the rugby player had a lift of her own that caught the internet's attention, and now she's reflecting on that inspiring instance.
Audiences were shocked in Week 2 by Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten’s Dirty Dancing routine; I know I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Dancing to “Time of My Life,” people were anticipating the viral lift from the movie. What they didn’t expect was Alan to flip Ilona and for her to then turn around and lift him in the same way.
It's rare to see a woman lift a man in a ballroom dance, and fans had wanted it to happen with Maher and Bersten. It ended up being magical, and I totally get why it was a highlight for the rugby player, as she told THR:
It’s interesting that this is one of my favorite moments, but when we did that Dirty Dancing lift, when he [Bersten] lifted me and I think everyone’s like, ‘That’s so cool. Alan lifted Ilona.’ And then when I lifted him, I remember the crowd was so loud that I actually kind of got a little hectic with it because they were so excited to see that. And I really like that because I think it’s so cool that we’re creating dances where though I’m very strong and big, he still makes me feel very feminine.
With every episode, you can see Maher’s confidence in dancing grow. She explained that when she signed on to the show she wasn't worried about the physical challenge, it was the mental game that proved to be harder. That makes sense too, because the movement in rugby couldn't be more different than dance. So, I’m just glad she was given a partner who supports her unconditionally, and helps her redefine stereotypes, all on national television.
Throughout the season, Maher definitely became a role model for young girls with bigger, more muscular bodies, earning fan-favorite status when she danced as Luisa from Encanto for Disney Night. The duo took home one of their highest scores that episode, despite Alan’s slightly terrifying makeup, and the moment went viral as their Dirty Dancing lift did.
The lines blur with Luisa and Ilona, both proving to be beautiful, strong, smart young women who bear a lot of perceptions from others on their backs, not all of which are true. This is something the Olympian holds close to her heart, and it's a point she’s been trying to make ever since she first entered the public eye during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. To that point, she reflected on the message she's trying to send her fans, saying:
I’m always just trying to stress that you’re so much more than the stereotypes that sometimes people put you in. I’ve always just found it as an athlete, as a female athlete, whatever sport I have played or whatnot… I was always told you gotta be this and this and this and I was like, well, I don’t feel that way or I’m not that way, but I still love this sport. I love who I am. I have the title, 'Beast Beauty Brains' because I believe I can be a beast on the field, but I also feel so beautiful when I’m out there, like I wear lipstick and I feel really pretty and I love to get dressed up and show my feminine and beauty while I wear a dress and show off my big shoulders and muscles. And then the brains are just like, I love to be smart. I love to have knowledge and to know and to share with others. So I think that people will try to define you constantly or try to stereotype you constantly, but it’s such a small picture they paint and you’re so much bigger than that.
Ilona’s strength has earned her big points on Dancing With The Stars and on the field this summer, as she led the USA Women’s Rugby Team to their first Olympic medal ever. With dancing, however, she also gets to show off her more feminine side, while proving that she can pretty much do anything.
She is also so unapologetically herself with a sassy sense of humor and I absolutely love it. Honestly, more than a role model for girls, she's an inspiration for anyone who refuses to let society define how they should express gender orientation and what they can and can’t be based on their body type.
I think one of my favorite BTS moments she’s shared was when she revealed on her TikTok that she went to costume design during Week 5 and asked to be “as naked as is allowed on national television” after seeing all the other girls getting to show so much skin. With the body of a Greek goddess and muscles like that, I don’t blame her. And of course, SHE SLAYED.
@ilonamaher ♬ original sound - Ilona Maher
I really hope Ilona and Alan make it to the finals. They deserve it, but I also selfishly never want their TikTok collabs to end. A big challenge lies before them though, with the cha-cha historically being a difficult dance to nail. However, she has the determination to kill it, and the fans will be ready to support her.
To see Ilona Maher keep dancing and inspiring, tune into DWTS on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription. However, regardless of how far they make it, something tells me Ilona and Alan will remain besties and role models long after Season 33 ends.