Ilona Maher kicked off the 33rd season of “Dancing with the Stars” with a bang on Tuesday night.

During the premiere of the 33rd season of the popular dance competition, 13 new contestants gathered with their coaches to introduce themselves to the audience and perform their first dance.

Ilona Maher didn’t enter 2024 as a household name. But she captained the U.S. Olympic rugby team and became a social media darling during the Summer Games, with her humor at the forefront of her content. Maher cemented her star status with her strong, stiff-armed defense against opponents, helping Team USA win a historic bronze medal.

Since the Olympics, she has capitalized on her newfound fame, including at the Emmy Awards earlier this week, where she interviewed celebrities on the red carpet.

Let’s take a look at how Maher fared in her debut episode of DWTS.

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Ilona Maher’s DWTS performance video

The theme of the premiere episode of “Dancing with the Stars” was personal anthems. Maher danced to “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” an iconic song by country singer Shania Twain — and a fitting choice for Maher, a strong, athletic woman who wants to be an icon for young girls and expand their mindset about what femininity can look like.

Maher’s nerves came through a little during her dance. She is strong enough to compete, but her flexibility came into question.

Maher eventually relaxed and loosened up, and the judges gave her a score of 18, sending her into a frenzy of ecstasy.

THE CHEST I GIGGLING #DWTS photo.twitter.com/ShTTeYNzQL

— lauren 🌻 i miss josh (@justlovebassett) September 18, 2024

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Who is Ilona Maher’s DWTS partner?

Alan Bertsen, Maher’s coach and dance partner, is a professional Latin and ballroom dancer. He is no stranger to televised dance competitions, having appeared on the 10th season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Maher has a successful coach, as Bersten won the 28th season of DTWS with former “Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown. Bertsen started out as a backup dancer on the show in season 20, but became an official coach in season 25 and has been paired with someone every season since.

We did it!!!!!! Our first dance was so much fun! @ilona_maher is so special and we keep working so hard!!! Please vote for us!! Please send ten times “ILONA” to 21523!!!!!

And go to https://t.co/8XBlAbX6rj

— Alan Bersten (@Dance10Alan) September 18, 2024

MORE: Walk-off victory creates historic finish for US rugby at Paris Olympics

How old is Ilona Maher?

Maher was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1996. The 28-year-old grew up in Vermont and lived there until she attended Quinnipiac University, where she studied nursing. Maher also earned her MBA from DeVry University in 2022.

She played rugby for Quinnipiac and has been a member of the US national team since 2018.