Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher accidentally made a raunchy hand gesture to cameras filming her in the audience of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), and her reaction left fans in stitches. The professional rugby union player, who is currently inactive, sat in the front row for Yacht Rock Night as she supported the celebrities and their professional partners.
An awkward moment caught on camera
The Olympic medallist appeared on the show herself in 2024, finishing in second place with her partner Alan Bersten thanks to their performances and friendship. But when roles were reversed and she was watching rather than performing, she inadvertently made a rude gesture at the camera.
As crews swept across to capture Maher with her group, who were promoting the upcoming episode of the DWTS Official Podcast, she began making enthusiastic gestures, including positioning one hand on top of the other beneath her face. The sporting icon instantly realised what the pose resembled and stopped, pulling a comical expression and laughing at herself.
Fans react to the viral clip
When the camera returned to host Alfonso Ribeiro, Maher could be seen in the background mouthing to the camera, "it was a microphone." She accompanied the moment with a post on her Instagram story, which read: "Guys, I was trying to mimic taking into a microphone. Not to self: that does not translate with hand gestures."
Fans were left in stitches after viewing the video, which is now circulating on TikTok. One fan commented: "I busted out laughing so hard lmfaoooo it would be Ilona to do something like that." Another viewer remarked: "She went through the 7 stages of grief in less than 10 seconds before our eyes." A third said: "I totally missed this while watching and now I can't stop laughing! I almost died from laughing so hard!"
Elimination on Yacht Rock Night
Singer Taylor Hanson and his dance partner, Britt Stewart, were shown the exit on Tuesday night's episode of Dancing With The Stars after their Foxtrot to "What a Fool Believes" scored them an 18/30. That week saw the remaining competitors take to the floor with "smooth grooves, soft-rock classics and iconic hits that defined the yacht rock era." Prior to the elimination, co-hosts Julianne Hough and Ribeiro announced that Guillermo Rodriguez and Jackson Olson were also at risk of being sent home.
Harry Shum Jr. and his partner Jenna Johnson bagged a 24/30 for their Jive to "You Make My Dreams (Come True)", tying for first place with Amber Glenn and her partner Pasha Pashkov's Foxtrot to "Hold the Line."
