DANCING with the Stars always gets some notable names to pair up with the show’s professional dancers.
While no official casting announcement has been made, eagle-eyed fans believe they have discovered at least one recent celebrity joining the show’s next season.
This year’s Summer Olympics featured the world’s best athletes, and some of them are making a name for themselves outside of the world of sports, too.
It’s no surprise, then, that Dancing with the Stars would show up and feature at least one Olympian in its upcoming season.
On Monday, Reddit user @teddivan96 revealed some important news about one of the stars who was supposedly joining the reality show.
Just days after winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, rugby union player Ilona Maher reportedly followed the official DWTS Instagram account.
Her casting has not been confirmed, and while neither ABC nor Ilona have commented on what follows, fans of the show and the Olympian are excited about the rumor.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes,” commented one Reddit user, alongside a raised hands emoji.
“I love her! She’s amazing!” another user added.
“If this ends up happening and they give her a partner who doesn’t suck… PREPARE TO GET SICK OF ME,” joked another user.
“YEAH I DON’T LOVE HER I HOPE SHE STAYS OUT THIS SEASON,” another fan exclaimed.
“She would be so fun!! Such a bad woman,” another user added.
“The way I would vote for her so fast,” one fan shared.
Some fans, anxious as always, even started to decide which professional dancer Ilona would pair up with.
“Wikipedia says she is 5’10. I remember Louis van Amstel said on his podcast that the heels are about 3 inches or so?” one user wrote.
Louis van Amstel is a Dutch-American ballroom dancing champion, choreographer and professional dancer.
Star hit
The last 10 winners of Dancing with the Stars and their partners are:
Season 22: Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd
Season 23: Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy
Season 24: Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater
Season 25: Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold
Season 26: Adam Rippon and Jenna Johnson
Season 27: Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess
Season 28: Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten
Season 29: Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev
Season 30: Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach
Season 31: Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas
Season 32: Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy
He has appeared on several seasons of DWTS and has partnered with Lisa Rinna, Priscilla Presley, Niecy Nash and Paula Deen, among other celebrities.
“So, of the current male professionals, I THINK only Gleb or Alan would be able to partner with your height?” the user questioned.
“Someone also mentioned Maks (although he’s not my first choice, that’s for sure). How about Tony!!” they added.
Gleb Savchenko, Alan Bersten, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Tony Dovolani have been featured on DWTS as professional dancers throughout the show’s nearly two decades on the air.
“The show has huge height differences all the time…” one user speculated, adding, “So it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility” that Ilona would be paired with a (shorter) king.
Still, not everyone was convinced that Ilona would appear on the show.
“I mean, I hope they make her an offer, but I’m not sure if that means a definite recent follow,” one user wrote.
“If this is a recent follow, I wonder if she was trying to get their attention,” joked another user.
“It’s cool that she follows them, I hope she’s interested in participating!” another fan commented.
It’s still too early to tell whether Ilona will have her eye on a different kind of “medal” this fall, the coveted DWTS Mirror Ball trophy.
However, with over 3.2 million followers on Instagram and 2.2 million followers on TikTok, she’s already proven that she’s more than just a viral social media sensation – she’s a bona fide sports star.
Fun DWTS moments with Alfonso and Julianne
The hosts had fun behind the scenes while presenting the 32nd season of the ABC series
Ilona isn’t the only big name rumored to be joining DWTS either.
Presenters Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro will return for the next season, along with judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Celebrities rumored to be on the show include The Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Sutton Stracke, and The Traitors fan favorite Survivor alum Parvati Shallow.
Other rumored names include women’s basketball sensation Caitlin Clark, The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei, former Good Morning America hosts Amy Robach and TJ Holmes and recently retired NFL star Jason Kelce.
An official cast will likely be announced in the coming weeks, as the show is set to air next month.
Season 33 of Dancing With The Stars will premiere on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, on ABC and Disney+.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story