Current:Home > FinanceTori Spelling, Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher, Anna Delvey on 'Dancing With the Stars'-InfoLens
Tori Spelling, Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher, Anna Delvey on 'Dancing With the Stars'
View Date:2024-12-23 11:44:30
"Beverly Hills, 90210" alum Tori Spelling and Olympic rugby sensation Ilona Maher, the viral star who helped propel the U.S. women's team to a historic bronze medal in the Paris Summer Olympics, have joined Season 33 of "Dancing With the Stars."
Spelling, 51, and Maher, 28, will compete in the reality ballroom dance competition against a cast of celebrities that includes "Bachelor" star Joey Graziadei, shocked "Bachelorette" star Jenn Tran, former NBA star Dwight Howard, two-time Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Danny Amendola, Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts (brother of Julia, and father of Emma) and "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Phaedra Creonta Parks.
ABC also confirmed that convicted Manhattan con artist Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin, the real-life subject of the Netflix series "Inventing Anna," will also participate. Olympic gymnast Steve "The Pommel Horse Guy" Nedoroscik had already been announced to compete in the "DWTS" season kicking off Sept. 17 (8 EDT/PDT).
'Pommel horse guy' Stephen NedoroscikJoins 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 33
US Olympic rugby star and TikTok sensation Ilona Maher aims to medal with 'DWTS'
What a month it has been for Maher, who has shot into superstardom during the Paris games playing with Team USA women's rugby squad and documenting her life in viral TikTok videos (2.3 million followers). It's a life that now includes posing as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model for the magazine's September digital issue, and joining "DWTS."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"It's almost like this is a cool rite of passage," Maher tells USA TODAY. "So many of my Olympic idols, from Simone Biles to Suni Lee, did 'Dancing.' And it's a new skill that gets me out of my comfort zone."
The athlete, paired with pro dancer Alan Bersten, admits that ballroom dancing on a national stage is daunting. Even thinking about the hours of training and live performances in front of an audience can be "overwhelming," she says. Maher has no formal dance training, and few required skills carry over from hard-hitting rugby.
"A lot of rugby is just going full force and throwing your body at (your opponent). So we'll see how I can move my body here," says Maher. "And my dance skills, I don't think, are really up to par. My dance-with-my-friends vibe skills are OK, my ballroom is zero. Hopefully, having fun-with-my-friends vibes can translate into this ballroom."
Accustomed to wearing sweat-and-dirt-stained uniforms on the rugby battlefield, Maher is especially thrilled about the extravagant "DWTS" outfits.
"The glitz and glam is such a big part of this, and I love getting dressed up," Maher says. "It'll be really fun to wear more sparkles and more sequins."
For Tori Spelling, it's been a 'crazy journey' to 'DWTS'
Spelling said no to an offer to appear on the first season of "DWTS" in 2005 and has followed that up with an annual rejection for each season since.
"It's been a crazy journey because for 32 seasons, they've made the call, and I've said no," says Spelling.
Her reasoning had always been an overwhelming fear of dancing on national TV, made all the worse sitting in the studio audience rooting for fellow "90210" alums Ian Ziering (Season 4) and Jennie Garth (Season 5). "Both those experiences terrified me even more, and just seeing how rigorous it all was," says Spelling.
But after enduring public health struggles, money problems and estrangement from her husband Dean McDermott, the mother of five says she is starting fresh after turning 50 (she filed for divorce from McDermott in March).
"They say after 50 is a second chapter for a new you. And my life in the past year definitely is a new me," says Spelling. "Timing is everything. So this year, when the call came, it was gut-check time. It terrifies me, still. But I need to let go of this fear."
Throughout her TV career, Spelling has had no formal dance training but often posts exuberant performances on TikTok. Another "DWTS" impediment might be a long-time avoidance of any physical training.
"I don't work out; I come to this with zero physicality," says Spelling. "I'm the girl driving around the Target parking lot looking for the space closest to the store. And still, I was out of breath doing back-to-school shopping."
Spelling confided her fears and "DWTS" casting secret to two friends, "90210" alum Brian Austin Green, who appeared on "DWTS" Season 30 with his life partner, pro dancer Sharna Burgess.
"I explained to them my limitations," says Spelling. "And they gave me some really good advice."
It was helpful talk, but not enough to make Spelling confident about taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy after two rehearsals with her pro partner, Pasha Pashkov.
"I just want to get past the first week, honestly," says Spelling. "But I'm finding through this process that I am really strong and really competitive, mostly with myself. I'm not a quitter. I'm a fighter. I push through everything, and I keep going."
Meet the cast of 2024 'DWTS' season
◾ Convicted con artist Anna Delvey with new pro dancer Ezra Sosa
◾ Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooks Nader with pro dancer Gleb Savchenko
◾ "Z-O-M-B-I-E" actress Chandler Kinney with pro dancer Brandon Armstrong
◾ Former NFL player Danny Amendola and pro dancer Witney Carson
◾ Former NBA star Dwight Howard and pro dancer Daniella Karagach
◾ Actor Eric Roberts with pro dancer Britt Stewart
◾ Olympics rugby star Ilona Maher with pro dancer Alan Bersten
◾ "The Bachelor" Joey Graziadel and pro dancer Jenna Johnson
◾ "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Phaedra Parks with pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy
◾ Actor Reginald VelJohnson with pro dancer Emma Slater
◾ Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik with pro dancer Rylee Arnold
◾ Actress Tori Spelling with pro dancer Pasha Pashkov
◾ “The Bachelorette” Jenn Tran with pro partner Sasha Farber
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough will return as the "DWTS" judges, while Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will serve as hosts.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney dies in car accident
- Man accused of threatening shooting at New Hampshire school changes plea to guilty
- Russia launches its largest drone attack on Ukraine since start of invasion
- Iran adds sophisticated warship to Caspian fleet
- Stock market today: Asian stocks decline as China stimulus plan disappoints markets
- Anthropologie’s Cyber Monday Sale Is Here: This Is Everything You Need to Shop Right Now
- Horoscopes Today, November 25, 2023
- 2 men exonerated for 1990s NYC murders after reinvestigations find unreliable witness testimony
- At age 44, Rich Hill's baseball odyssey continues - now with Team USA
- Paris Hilton Details “Beautiful” New Chapter After Welcoming Baby No. 2 With Carter Reum
Ranking
- Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
- Hiam Abbass’ Palestinian family documentary ‘Bye Bye Tiberias’ applauded at Marrakech Film Festival
- Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy Slams Rumors He’s Dating VPR Alum Raquel Leviss
- EU border agency helping search for missing crew after cargo ship sinks off Greece
- Taylor Swift gifts 7-year-old '22' hat after promising to meet her when she was a baby
- Carolina Panthers fire coach Frank Reich after just 11 games
- Georgia Senate Republicans propose map with 2 new Black-majority districts
- 2024 NFL draft first-round order: New England Patriots in contention for top pick
Recommendation
-
Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe save Alabama football season, as LSU's Brian Kelly goes splat
-
Walmart Cyber Monday Sale 2023: Get a $550 Tablet for $140, $70 Bed Sheets for $16 & More
-
Russian FM says he plans to attend OSCE meeting in North Macedonia
-
Live updates | Israel and Hamas prepare for fourth swap as mediators seek to extend cease-fire
-
Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
-
Kenya raises alarm as flooding death toll rises to 76, with thousands marooned by worsening rains
-
U.S. airlines lose 2 million suitcases a year. Where do they end up?
-
US closes border crossing to vehicles and limits traffic at another in response to illegal entries