You may just get a kick out of this fun fact.
ICYMI, Ilona Maher cha cha’d her way onto the ballroom floor with her partner Alan Bersten on the Sept. 17 premiere episode of Dancing with the Stars—and proved that she’s got the moves off the rugby field.
But before the Olympian, 28, made her debut on the dance floor, her sister Olivia Maher had a message for potential DWTS voters and with that, came the reminder to make sure you pronounce her sister’s name correctly.
“Ya’ll better lock in for Ilona,” Olivia captioned the TikTok shared on Sept. 17 ahead of the show’s premiere. “It’s Dancing With the Stars premiere day. Ilona and Alan have been working tirelessly for weeks now and so what you can do to pay them back, is tonight one, tune in. Two, vote. Okay?”
Ilona’s sister hasn’t been shy about making sure that the world knows her sister’s name and made it clear during the Olympics when she released a series of videos with the athlete coaching the world on the both the correct spelling and pronunciation.
“Cheeky PSA, and I know she’s said this before but let’s say it again,” Oliva said in a TikTok video posted on Sept. 8. “It’s pronounced I-lone-a, or I-lone-na, or E-lone-a, just get that ona in there and you’re grand. It’s right there. It’s I-l-o-n-a. So not, Ilana, nothing along those lines, Ok team?”
During the DWTS premiere night, Ilona made a name for herself as she and Alan did their first dance on her quest for the iconic Mirror Ball trophy.
Ilona rocked a pink fringe bodysuit as she arrived on the dance floor with Alan, to the tune of Shania Twain’s “I Feel Like a Woman.” After their dance, the pair earned a score of 18 from the judges, keeping them in the competition for another week.
Following their big night, Ilona told E! News that while being in the competition is fun, she knows it’s going to be a bit of a challenge.
“I think it went well, honestly,” she said. “I feel I got the lay of the land a little bit, and I think I’ll continue to improve."
She continued, “It’s very hard, I mean we’re in the studio 4 hours a day, I think I had one off day this week. It’s hard because it’s something unnatural for me. I want to be very powerful, and I want to almost lead him sometimes and he’s like ‘Please let me lead you.’”
Dancing With the Stars season 33 also kicked off with dances from the other star-studded contestants including Beverly Hills 90210 star, Tori Spelling, Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik, Bachelor Nation’s Jenn Tran and Joey Graziadei, Bravolebrity, Phadrea Parks, the infamous convicted con artist, Anna Delvey and more.
Keep reading for more on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars.
Anna Delvey
The inspriation behind Inventing Anna traded her ankle bracelet for dancing shoes alongside partner Ezra Sosa. However, the fake heiress was eliminated during the season's Sept. 24 episode, with her saying that she learned "nothing" in her now-infamous, one-word farewell speech.
Ilona Maher
The Olympic rugby player was ready to ruck up the dance floor with pro Alan Bersten, finishing as the runner-up.
Chandler Kinney
The Disney Channel star tried to dance her way to the top with partner Brandon Armstrong and ultimately placed third.
Brooks Nader
The model and her partner Gleb Savchenko were ready to strut along the ballroom, but took their final bow on Oct. 15.
Reginald VelJohnson
All that mattered for the Family Matters alum and partner Emma Slater was taking home the Mirrorball Trophy. However, their journey was cut short during the second week of competition on Oct. 8.
Eric Roberts
The Dark Knight star was partnered with Britt Stewart. They were eliminated in the second week alongside Reginald and Emma.
Joey Graziadei
The Bachelor alum has found his rose between thorns in partner Jenna Johnson, winning season 33.
Tori Spelling
The alum of Beverly Hills, 90210 was oh so ready to dance alongside Pasha Pashkov. Unfortunately, the two last only one week and was cut from competition in a double elimination alongside Anna and Ezra.
Danny Amendola
The NFL pro and partner Witney Carson sure scored a touchdown on the dance floor, placing fifth in the finale.
Dwight Howard
The NBA star hoped to stand head and shoulders above the competition with partner Daniella Karagach, but was eliminated from the competition on Nov. 12.
Stephen Nedoroscik
The Olympian had his sights set on another medal—or should we say, Mirrorball Trophy—with partner Rylee Arnold, placing fourth in the Nov. 26 finale.
Phaedra Parks
The Traitors alum was sure to weed out the competition with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, but ended up getting cut from the lineup Oct. 22.
Jenn Tran
Though Bachelorette star and partner Sasha Farber were full bloom in the ballroom, they were eliminated from the competition on Oct. 29.