Dancing with the Stars bosses are desperate to sign Australian break-dancer Raygun for the upcoming season after her spectacular flop at the 2024 Paris Olympics – with insiders claiming producers are prepared to make a big money offer.
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, was catapulted to international stardom after she scored zero points at the Games, having lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0.
Although her performance, which featured kangaroo hopping and slithering like a snake, didn’t serve her well at the international tournament, she’s certainly caught the attention of Dancing with the Stars bosses who are eager to sign her up for the new series.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, an insider revealed they are keen to offer the 36-year-old sportswoman the opportunity to capitalize on her Olympics disaster and overhaul her image to no longer be the ‘laughingstock.’
They added that they believe Rachael is a ‘good fit’ and that they ‘would love to talk’ with her.
Dancing with the Stars bosses are desperate to sign Australian breakdancer Raygun for the upcoming season
The 36-year-old breakdancer failed to score a single point at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
‘Dancing with the Stars has had its fair share of amazing dancers, awful dancers and just pop culture for years and Raygun is now one of their targets for the upcoming season.
‘They are always on the lookout for people up until the last minute and always want to be on the pulse of what people are talking about.
‘That’s why they always go after Housewives, Bachelor franchise people, political names and this year Olympians and the Hawk Tuah girl.
‘If they think someone could provide the ratings then they’ll consider it.’
The source added: ‘People extend their fifteen minutes on Dancing with the Stars, and when it comes to Raygun, producers would love to talk to her and see if she would be a good fit for the upcoming season.
‘Dancing with the Stars loves being the show where people redeem themselves and this could be the perfect avenue for Rachael to not be a laughingstock anymore.
‘Dancing is going to make an offer.’
The exciting Dancing with the Stars development comes after a marketing expert predicted that Raygun is poised to earn millions from her newfound fame.
Dancing with the Stars bosses are eager for Rachael to join the new series
An insider told DailyMail.com that producers would ‘love to talk to her and see if she would be a good fit for the upcoming season’
Marketing and public relations expert Max Markson said although she remains a contentious figure on her home soil, some of the world’s biggest international companies will be eager to capitalize on her high profile.
‘She has an enormous brand,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I don’t think everyone else in other countries is conscious of how Australians feel about her.
‘I think Australian marketers will be avoiding her for that reason, but there will be somebody in this country who will go for it.
‘She will get international offers from sports shoe brands, like Adidas or Puma, food companies like McDonald’s or KFC, electric cars like BYD, and she will get a phone company like Telstra or Optus or Vodafone.
‘There will be other international companies that want her as well.’
And the offers have already started rolling in for Raygun, with Australia’s women’s cricket team cheekily offering her a place in their squad on Tuesday.
Reposting a satirical article from Instagram account Double Bay Today with the headline, ‘Olympic breakdancing hero Raygun gets surprise call up to Australia’s one day cricket team’, the official cricket account posted a crown emoji and wrote: ‘Welcome anytime, Raygun.’
Since competing on the world’s’ stage, critics have questioned whether Raygun’s selection for the Olympics deprived other more talented Australian breakdancers from competing.
Others – including a young Australian woman went viral with her furious takedown – have speculated over whether the performance was a deliberate prank.
British pop star Adele even weighed in, pausing during her concert in Munich to urge fans to watch the clips of her performance, which she described as the ‘funniest thing ever’.
The news comes after Rachael was offered a surprise new job after her Olympic Games disaster
However, she has also won a legion of fans who have praised her courage and confidence for competing against women more than half her age, with her Instagram following skyrocketing from 4,000 to more than 84,000 over the past four days.
While she is yet to publicly address her performance, Raygun has since shared a post online saying ‘don’t be afraid to be different’ and was seen dancing in front of a cheering crowd ahead of the Paris closing ceremony.
The barrage of abuse prompted officials to put in measures to monitor her mental health.
Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars will premiere on Tuesday, September 17 on ABC and Disney+ at 8 pm ET.
The network has confirmed that Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will be returning as judges, while Julianna Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro will also return as co-hosts.
The list of celebrities has not been revealed as of yet.