Ilona Maher steals the show in purple as she picks her favorite look after dedicating DWTS performance to women's rugby team

American rugby sevens player Ilona Maher picked her Dedication Night looks as her favorite from the 33rd season of Dancing With the Stars. Her Rumba performance was dedicated to her rugby teammates, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics.

Ilona Maher has etched her name as an advocate for the feminity of women athletes associated with masculine sports. Her stint at the Paris Olympics was inspiring in ways beyond helping the United States women's rugby sevens team to their maiden medal at the sporting event. She used her social media platform to address body image-related issues and took pride in applying make-up before her rugby matches.

Shortly after the Paris Games, Maher graced the 33rd season of Dancing With the Stars, partnering Alan Bersten. On October 15, 2024, she danced Rumba to 'My Way' on Dedication Night, dedicating her performance to her US rugby teammates. Concluding a tear-filled emotional night and amassing eights from all four judges, the 28-year-old took to her Instagram to reveal that her look from the night was her favorite so far.

"Favorite look so far"

In the picture, the two-time Olympian posed in an electric blue flowy fabric layered over a white sequined monkini. Her subtle make-up complimented her dress and her middle-parted hairstyle.

On October 16, 2024, Maher shared her iconic performance on her Instagram handle and wrote:

"Proud of this one."

Her in-video caption read:

"One to remember"

Maher's teammates, who she paid tribute to through her performance, were present in the audience to cheer on her. In an X video, her teammate Samanth Sullivan was seen breaking down after Maher's performance. Moved by the gesture, the latter took to her X handle to write:

"Sam Sullivan’s superpower is her ability to feel deeply and show emotion unfiltered."

The Vermont-born collected 32 points out of 40 at the DWTS this week.

Ilona Maher wished for better scores for her Dedication Night performance

Ilona Maher poses for the paps at the Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - October 07, 2024 - Source: Getty

On October 8, 2024, Ilona Maher received criticism from the judges for her jive performance with Bersten. The rugby player picked herself up and turned heads with her rumba moves on Dedication Night but expected better scores for her improvement.

"I was hoping for higher scores, but I also just wanted to improve from last week and get back on the horse and feel better about it. So, if I felt better about it and got a seven or a six, I would have been like, ‘Oh, that, for me, was good.'" Maher said. (via US Weekly)

Before Paris 2024, Maher also traveled to the Tokyo Olympics as part of Team USA women's rugby sevens team but failed to make the podium finish.