Maura Higgins’ Birkin bag upstaged the ballroom on her “Dancing With the Stars” debut.
The “Love Island” alum, 34, took the floor Wednesday during the second night of Season 35’s two-night premiere, and the burgundy Hermès purse — a gift from “The Traitors” co-star Rob Rausch — became an unlikely scene-stealer. Higgins and pro partner Mark Ballas, 39, performed a Foxtrot set to Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet,” and the bag was woven into the choreography from the opening beats.
Ballas emerged from a coffin to launch the “Traitors”-themed routine, the pricey purse clutched in his hand before he flung it toward the audience. The accessory quickly resurfaced on camera, this time in Rausch’s grip as he sat beside Lisa Rinna, 61, in the crowd. A voting reminder — “text maura to 21523” — had been pinned directly to the leather.
“THE BIRKIN HAS MADE ITS FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE BALLROOM #DWTS,” one viewer erupted on social media in all-caps. Another reacted, “Maura dancing with the birkin HELP 😭🤣 #DWTS.”
The bag’s journey from prop to audience souvenir capped a running gag between Higgins and Rausch that began during their time on Peacock’s “The Traitors.” Rausch, 25, notoriously backstabbed Higgins — his fellow “Love Island” veteran — to clinch the $204,500 prize in the Emmy-winning fourth season that filmed earlier this year. He later made amends by fulfilling a promise to secure her the coveted Hermès bag, enlisting Rinna’s help to make it happen.
“Mark Ballas getting out of the coffin with the Birkin in hand during Maura’s dance how can you not say iconic 🤣👏🏽 #DWTS,” a fan posted, while another admitted, “rob with text maura to 21523 on the birkin actually brought tears to my eyes i can’t lie #dwts.”
Beyond the bag’s star turn, Higgins and Ballas delivered a performance that topped the leaderboard. The judges awarded their Foxtrot 21 out of 30 points, the highest score of the women’s premiere night. Wednesday’s episode featured the female celebrities and their pro partners dancing to No. 1 hits from their birth years, following Tuesday’s opener that saw the male contestants perform chart-toppers from their own birth years and sent “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Conner Leavitt home.
The elimination rounds continued Wednesday with “Love Thy Nader” star Sarah Jane Nader and pro Hailey Bills cut from the competition.
Higgins, Rausch, Ballas and Rinna all shared the castle during “The Traitors” Season 4, the Peacock competition that groups contestants as “Faithfuls” and hidden “Traitors” in a murder-mystery format. Rausch’s eventual victory came at Higgins’ expense, a betrayal that played out on screens months before the Birkin became their shared punchline.
The Birkin’s ballroom cameo now extends the pair’s public reconciliation into Higgins’ latest reality venture. The Irish model and presenter has parlayed her “Love Island” 2019 appearance into a string of hosting gigs and competition shows on both sides of the Atlantic, with “Dancing With the Stars” marking her highest-profile American television role to date.
New episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
