The 33rd season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ kicked off with a bang on Tuesday night, and this season is bringing in 13 fresh new faces! One of the standout contestants was none other than rugby star Ilona Maher. She’s not just stepping onto the dance floor for the first time, but she’s also bringing some serious Olympic leadership vibes with her, having captained the U.S. Olympic rugby team that won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

All the new contestants hit the stage with their pro partners to introduce themselves and show off their first dance moves, with the theme of the first night being personal anthems. Ilona, along with her partner Alan Bertsen, totally rocked it to Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”

Dancing with the Stars’ official Instagram gave a shoutout to Ilona Maher and her partner Alan Bertsen, posting some stills from their stunning performance. The caption brought all the hype, saying, “That’s how you make some noise! 👏🏼 We think @shaniatwain would be proud of Ilona and Alan’s Premiere Cha Cha. ⭐️ #DWTS”  

Maher’s dance started with a few nerves showing through, and while she clearly had the strength, her flexibility was a bit shaky at first. But as she got into it, she relaxed and started to shine. The judges noticed her progress and gave her a solid score of 18, which had Maher absolutely thrilled and celebrating her performance!

Fans went wild for rugby star Ilona Maher’s debut! Not only did her current followers love it, but she also snagged tons of new fans. One fan gushed, “I don’t even know @ilona_maher personally (although I feel like I do thanks to the  @QuinnipiacU connection), but I am nearly crying watching her talk about why she’s doing @officialdwts. She is such a wonderful role model from women. Way to go, Ilona! #beastbeautybrains.”

Ilona, who graduated with a nursing degree from Quinnipiac University in 2018, has a clear mission for her time on Dancing with the Stars—she’s here to “show what my body type can do, and how beautiful it can be in all sorts of spaces.” Her goal? To celebrate and normalize diverse body types! And guess what? The fans are absolutely loving it and can’t get enough!

Ilona Maher wins hearts with stunning debut

One fan shared, “Normally I am very NOT a dancing with the stars girlie. But I am watching my first episode ever, to watch Ilona Maher and Anna Delvey (don’t come at me, I’m cheering for her!)” And it wasn’t just Ilona Maher who made waves—Anna Delvey made her debut too, dancing the Cha-Cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Delvey dazzled the judges and scored three 6s, making her mark in style. But that’s not all!

 One fan couldn’t help but say, “⁠I’m watching DWTS for the first time in my entire life because of you! You are absolutely amazing, stunning, funny, supportive! All the positive adjectives.” And honestly, who can argue with that? Ilona’s been a social media star since the Summer Games, bringing her humor and charm to every post.

The comments just keep coming in! One user said, “⁠I haven’t watched #DWTS in yeeeears. But the moment I saw @ilona_maher was going to be on the show I knew I had to watch this season. Look at the peoples queen.” And that’s a fact—Ilona’s really made a splash! Since her Olympic success, she’s been riding high on her newfound success and fame, becoming the most followed rugby player on social media. She even made a splash at the Emmys, chatting with celebrities and soaking up all that red carpet glow.

With comments like, “Have never watched DWTS before EVER, but for Ilona, yes! Gave her allllll the votes!” flooding in online, we want to hear from you. What did you think of Ilona Maher’s debut? How does her goal to showcase diverse body types on the dance floor hit home for you?