Alexandra Rose "Aly" Raisman (born May 25, 1994) is an American gymnast and two-time Olympian. She was a member and captain of both the 2012 "Fierce Five" and 2016 "Final Five" U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics which won their respective team competitions. At the 2012 Olympics in London, she won gold medals in the team and floor competitions, as well as the bronze medal on the balance beam, making her the most decorated American gymnast at the Games. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won a gold medal in the team event, making her and teammate Gabby Douglas the only Americans with back-to-back team golds. Raisman also won silver medals in the individual all-around and for floor exercise. Raisman was also a member of the gold-winning American teams at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships.Raisman was born on May 25, 1994, in Needham, Massachusetts, to Lynn (née Faber), a former high school gymnast, and Rick Raisman. She has three younger siblings: Brett, Chloe, and Madison. Raisman began gymnastics when she was two years old. She attributes her initial love for the sport to the "Magnificent Seven", the gold-medal-winning U.S. women's team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, whose performances she watched on VHS. She trained at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing through Level 8, when she moved to Brestyan's American Gymnastics Club under coaches Mihai and Silvia Brestyan. There, she trained alongside Alicia Sacramone, of whom she said, "She's kind of like my older sister. I can ask her about anything because I know that she's been through it all." Raisman graduated from Needham High School in 2012, after completing her senior year via online classes while training for the Olympics.
Dancing with the Stars is an American dance competition television series that premiered on June 1, 2005, on ABC. It is the US version of the UK series Strictly Come Dancing. The show is hosted by Tom Bergeron, alongside Erin Andrews, who became co-host in season 18. Lisa Canning was co-host in season 1, Samantha Harris co-hosted seasons 2 through 9 and Brooke Burke-Charvet in seasons 10 through 17. The series has been renewed through its twenty sixth season on May 12, 2017. The 24th season premiered on March 20, 2017. The format of the show consists of a celebrity paired with a professional dancer. Each couple performs predetermined dances and competes against the others for judges' points and audience votes. The couple receiving the lowest combined total of judges' points and audience votes is eliminated each week until only the champion dance pair remains.
