Ilona Maher Receives Her First ‘DWTS’ 10 on 500th Episode After Amazing Quickstep Performance

Fans had the sweetest reactions to the SI Swimsuit model and Olympic rugby star’s dance last night.

Ilona Maher / Gilbert Flores/Getty Images

Last night, Dancing With the Stars celebrated its 500th episode, and Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher brought her contagious smile and radiant energy to the stage, celebrating a milestone of her own. The SI Swimsuit model, who posed for the cover of the September digital issue, along with her partner, pro dancer and choreographer Alan Bersten, delivered a powerful Quickstep performance that wowed both fans and judges. They danced to “Chuck Berry” by Pharrell Williams and put their own spin on the same dance done by Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold on their season 25.

“To live up to this dance is a tough task to take on, but it’s the perfect task to redeem ourselves,” the 28-year-old athlete said in the video package before her performance. “I’m going to show the judges, we’re done being in the bottom. Everyone’s gotten a 10 this season, so it’s about time I got one too.”

The duo earned their first perfect 10 from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who complimented how clean and succinct the dance was, while Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each awarded them a 9, bringing their total to 28 for the first portion of the night.

The pair then stepped into their first Instant Dance Challenge, a timed segment where couples are given music at the last minute and must improvise a performance. Maher and Bersten took on the salsa, dancing to “Da’ Dip” by Freak Nasty and earning a solid 24 points from the judges.

“Ilona and Alan let us see their big energy! 🤩 What did you think of their #DWTS500th Quickstep? 🎉#DWTS,” the show wrote on Instagram.

“We might be biased but obsessed 👑,” Team USA commented.

“I can’t stop smiling! The joy was RADIATING off of them,” one fan wrote.

“Ilona and Alan have been putting in the work!!!! THAT WAS SO GOOD,” another stated.

“HELLO?? Dare I say her best—my jaw was dropped the whole dance,” someone else admitted.

“Her best dance!!!!!! So so proud of our girl!!!!!!! 🩷,” one viewer exclaimed.

“SLAYYY!!! 🔥 That was so good! Totally proved all the haters wrong. I freaking love it,” another fan declared.

“What a fierce comeback!! The energy, the footwork, she did so much DANCING. I’m happy she didn’t go home, this was a MASSIVE improvement,” a viewer gushed.

“She is so inspiring!!!! As a teenage girl, she is so inspirational. I’ve seen her amazing impact within my peers! 🥹,” one person chimed.

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten / Disney/Eric McCandless/Getty Images

Maher has been stealing the nation’s hearts, with a recent People cover story calling her “America’s Sweetheart.” Through her inspiring, uplifting body positive content on social media and her phenomenal, lighthearted sense of humor, the Vermont native has created a strong community of fans which led her to become a popular contestant on the show, making it to the semi-finals next Tuesday. y