Jackson Olson ‘20 Brings Footwork to “Dancing with the Stars”

Olson, paired with pro Emma Slater, opened the 35^th season of the show with a cha-cha. The theme of the show's first week was nostalgia for songs that were number one the year the stars were born; Olson chose "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.

Olson, a marketing major, came to the attention of the Bananas thanks to one TikTok video he made in 2022. He's played with the wildly popular exhibition team ever since-but has often returned to UHart to support his former team and to coach students on social media skills. He was honored with an Anchor Award, UHart's most prestigious alumni award, in 2023.

Olson was a four-year member of the Hartford Baseball team, appearing in 161 games and starting in 146 of them. As an infielder, he was a part of the historic 2018 team that captured the American East Championship for the first time in program history.

As for Olson's week-one routine, he received 15 points out of 30, with one of the judges saying he needs to work on his movements. His routine was an audience favorite, though-another judge said the crowd went "bananas" for it.