Ilona Maher Dancing with the stars the debut was a success, despite a minor wardrobe malfunction.
On Tuesday, September 17, the Olympic bronze medalist appeared alongside her partner Alan Bersten on the season 33 premiere. The duo danced the Cha Cha to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”, earning an 18 out of 30.
Maher, 28, took the stage in a pink halter dress with a plunging front and fringe. During the broadcast, fans could not help but notice that the tips of the rugby player’s hands were stained with pink spots.
One viewer posted their confusion on TikTok. Over a clip from the show showing Maher’s hands, they wrote, “girl what happened to your hands??? is that from your costume???”
Ilona Maher says Dance with DWTS Partner Alan Bersten ‘makes me feel very feminine’: ‘Good to see girls’ (Exclusive)
Others joined the conversation in the comments section. “I wondered that too,” wrote one user.
“Not to get caught pink,” joked another.
To the surprise of TikTok users, Maher responded to the video, commenting: “My costume. I kept fiddling with it and it was colored.”
Ilona Maher and Alan Berstein.
Disney/Eric McCandless
On the season 33 premiere, Maher told PEOPLE that Bersten, 30, facilitated an environment where he felt “very feminine, feminine” on the ballroom floor.
“I think it will be good for the girls to see a muscular, strong woman out there, like dancing femininely with a beautiful man like Alan here,” she added.
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Before their performance, Maher told Bersten that she wanted to serve as a role model for young girls.
“I’m a big, muscular woman, but I also feel so beautiful and feminine,” she said. “I mean, you know, I grew up not very comfortable, but now I want to make it easier for young girls to love your body.”
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Ilona Maher at the 2024 Emmy Awards.
Disney/Stewart Cook; Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Two days before her DWTS debut, Maher appeared at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, where she not only interviewed stars on the red carpet, but pulled off three outfits.
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After helping Team USA take home bronze at the Paris Olympics, Maher was featured as the digital cover star for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. At the time, she told the newspaper that that moment was significant for her because “she is always called masculine.”
“But I never felt that way,” explained the athlete SI. “But I don’t think you’re going to bully a girl who could probably beat you up in a rage. I like that [rugby] he showed me what I could do. It showed me how capable my body is and that it’s not just a tool to be looked at and objectified.”
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Source: HIS Education