Plus, other celebrities rumored to be joining the competition show

DANCING with the Stars always manages to get 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’ve figured out at least one recent celebrity joining the show’s upcoming season.

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Dancing with the Stars first premiered in 2005, and will be airing its 33rd season in September 2024Credit: Alamy

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Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough currently host Dancing with the Stars, and are slated to return for the show’s 33rd seasonCredit: Getty

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Rugby union player Ilona Maher is rumored to be joining the competition series after recently following DWTS on InstagramCredit: Getty

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Ilona Maher attends the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute To Women In Sports at Cipriani Wall Street on October 12, 2023, in New York CityCredit: Getty

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Olympian and viral social media sensation Ilona Maher poses on the Today Show set on July 31, 2024, in Paris, France, showing off her bronze medalCredit: Getty
This year’s Summer Olympics have featured the world’s best athletes, and some of them are also making a name for themselves outside of the sports world.

It comes as no surprise, then, for Dancing with the Stars to swoop in and feature at least one Olympian in their upcoming season.

On Monday, Reddit user @teddivan96 revealed some major news about one of the stars rumored to be joining the reality competition series.

Just days after winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, rugby union player Ilona Maher reportedly followed the official DWTS Instagram account.

Jason Kelce wears daring shirt inspired by TikTok Olympics star Ilona Maher

Her casting isn’t confirmed, and while neither ABC nor Ilona have commented on the follow, fans of both the show and the Olympian are buzzing with excitement at the rumor.

“Yes yes yes yes yes,” one Reddit user commented, alongside a raised hands emoji.

“I love her! She is awesome!” another user added.

“If this ends up happening and they give her a partner that doesn’t suck…PREPARE TO BE SICK OF ME,” another user joked.

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“YESSSS NO WAY I LOVE HER I HOPE SHES ON THIS SEASON,” another fan exclaimed.

“She would be so fun!! Such a bad a** woman,” another user added.

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“The way I would be voting for her so fast,” one fan shared.

Some fans, eager as ever, even began to narrow down which professional dancer Ilona would be paired with.

“Wikipedia says she’s 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 dance champion, choreographer, and professional dancer.

Star Struck

He’s appeared in several seasons of DWTS, and has previously partnered up with Lisa Rinna, Priscilla Presley, Niecy Nash, and Paula Deen, among other celebrities.

“So of the current male pros, I THINK only Gleb or Alan would be able to partner her height wise?” the user questioned.

“Someone also mentioned Maks (though he wouldn’t be my first pick that’s for sure). How about Tony!!” they added.

Gleb Savchenko, Alan Bersten, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Tony Dovolani have all been featured on DWTS as professional dancers throughout the show’s nearly two decades on air.

“The show has large height differences all the time…” one user speculated, adding, “So it’s not completely beyond the realm of possibility” that Ilona would be paired with a short(er) king.

Still, not everyone was convinced Ilona would be featured on the show.

“I mean I do hope they give her an offer but I’m not sure if this means definite recent follow,” one user wrote.

“If it is a recent follow I wonder if she was trying to get their attention,” another user quipped.

“It’s cool that she follows them though, hopefully she’d be interested in being on!” another fan commented.

It’s still too soon to tell if Ilona will be eyeing a different type 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 she’s more than just a viral social media sensation – she’s a bonafide celebrity sports star.

Fun DWTS Moments With Alfonso & Julianne

The hosts had some fun times backstage while hosting Season 32 of the ABC series

Julianne bumps and grinds in wild dance with Alfonso outside DWTS studio
Julianne wraps her legs around Alfonso in cozy BTS clip
The hosts share funny onstage video while rehearsing DWTS group number
Julianne jokes ‘don’t talk to us’ as she gets ready for live show with Alfonso
Julianne twerks with Alfonso for wild dance in middle of the street before DWTS

Ilona isn’t the only big name rumored to be joining DWTS either.

Hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro will be returning for the upcoming season, along with judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli.

Some celebrities rumored to be joining 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.

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An official cast will likely be announced within the next few weeks, as the show is slated to air next month.

Dancing With The Stars’ 33rd season will premiere on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, on ABC and Disney+.

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Rugby athlete Ilona Maher poses for a portrait during the 2024 Team USA Media Summit at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on April 15, 2024 in New York CityCredit: Getty

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Ilona Maher attends TIME Women of the Year 2024 on March 5, 2024, in West Hollywood, CaliforniaCredit: Getty

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Ilona Maher runs with the ball during the Women’s Rugby Sevens Quarter Final match between Great Britain and the US during the Olympic Games on July 29, 2024, in ParisCredit: Getty