Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars has concluded, and the finale was full of twists, turns, critiques, and surprises.
One of the high points of the night was a triumphant ending for Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and her partner Alan Bersten.
The duo had a tumultuous season. It started with a timid yet promising Cha Cha and as her confidence grew, so did her fan support. From viral moments like her iconic dance to “Surface Pressure” from Encanto to her “Been Better Carrie Ann” after her disappointing jive during hair metal night, Ilona and Alan made their mark on season 33.
Despite their ups and downs, fan support carried them through their highest and lowest highs. After a surprise no-elimination semi-final, Ilona and Alan had the opportunity to bring it to the finale.
And brought it they did. The duo kicked off the night with a redemption jive that more than made up for their letdown on hair metal night. They danced to “Shake a Tail Feather” and earned nines across the board—a major improvement from their 26/40 on Hair Metal night.
The real feather in their cap, however, was a 30 out of 30 for their freestyle dance to Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon” which made homage to her rugby teammates, Alan and Ilona’s partnership, and her mission to promote strength and femininity all season long.
The culmination of her time on Dancing with the Stars resonated with the crowd, the judges, and certainly with the fans. When it came time to announce the winner, the mirror ball trophy came down to two couples: Joey and Jenna and Ilona and Alan.
But this wouldn’t have been Alan Bersten’s first win. On his eight seasons as a pro on Dancing with the Stars, this was his fourth time making it to the finale. Two of those finales ended in a fourth-place ranking, but in season 28 he and his partner Bachelorette Hannah Brown took the mirror ball home.
Hannah and Alan beat out actor Kel Mitchell, singer Ally Brooke, and singer Lauren Alaina to dance their way to a first-place spot.
Technically, his win with the Bachelorette was his second mirror ball trophy. In 2018, Dancing with the Stars aired a spin-off show called Dancing with the Stars: Juniors. He acted as an adviser to junior professional dancer JT Church and his partner professional skateboarder Sky Brown.
Team Alan pulled through to win the first and only mirror ball trophy awarded on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.
For now, those will be Alan’s only Mirrorball trophies. On Tuesday night’s finale, the Len Goodman Mirror Ball trophy was awarded to former Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and his professional partner Jenna Johnson.
Ilona and Alan ended up with a respectable second place and are walking away with a partnership that will live on in the minds and hearts of everyone who voted for them all season long.
Plus, Ilona will be joining the Dancing with the Stars Tour for one stop only on April 5 in Los Angeles, CA. Ilona and Alan lovers can look forward to seeing their favorite duo reunite then.