‘I would be sat every week’: A ‘DWTS’ fan favorite pitches herself as next ‘Bachelorette’ lead and Bachelor Nation is all ears

Despite having rumored relationships with Dancing With the Stars pro Alan Bersten, as well as fellow Dancing With the Stars contestant Danny Amendola, it is safe to say that Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher is still looking for love, even beyond the beloved competition series.

Believe it or not, The Bachelorette might just be calling her name! For those who are unfamiliar, Ilona has been killing it on Dancing With the Stars season 33, coasting her way to the top six despite some not-so impressive scores in comparison to her fellow contestants. If you need a refresher, said scores are as follows:

DWTS Premiere — Cha Cha to “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain (18/30)
“Oscars Night” — Salsa to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing (21/30)
“Soul Train Night” — Foxtrot to “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle (30/40)
“Hair Metal Night” — Jive to “Cum On Feel the Noize” by Quiet Riot (26/40)
“Dedications Night” — Rumba to “My Way” by Yseult (32/40)
“Disney Night” — Jazz to “Surface Pressure” from Encanto (25/30)
“Halloween Nightmares Night” — Tango to “Psycho Killer” by Miley Cyrus (24/30)

With her dancing skills (or lack thereof) aside, Ilona has been having a blast throughout the competition thus far, recently thanking viewers for voting and keeping her around for another week despite falling to the bottom of the leaderboard during “Halloween Nightmares Night” on Tuesday (Oct. 29). It’s the public vote that has kept Ilona and her professional dance partner, Alan, in the competition, and we are definitely not complaining!

“I think it was just very disappointing to be so low and to have to rely on, you know, fan votes and all, but I’m so happy that the fans really came through, because I do want to be in this competition,” she told Good Morning America shortly after the show.

“I think Alan and I don’t want to cut our time short, like we want to go as far as we can. We’re having so much fun… The relationship we’re building, how much fun we’re having on the dance floor is truly something, [and] I think we had a fear in our hearts that it would end.”

Following this statement, Dancing With the Stars fans immediately jumped to conclusions, assuming that there may be a romance brewing between Ilona and Alan. Sorry to burst your bubble, but in the same interview with Good Morning America, the duo discussed the Olympic bronze medalist becoming the next Bachelorette instead. Here’s what she had to say about the situation:

When the idea was proposed by the interviewer, Ilona exclaimed, “That’s what we were thinking!” Before we rush to excitement, Ilona did reveal that she “[doesn’t] know if I can do” the reality show, since dating 30 men would be quite difficult.

After Alan argued that Ilona could take on the challenge as easy as pie, she quickly changed her tone, replying with an ear-to-ear smile, “I’ll take that on. I will do that for America. I will date 30 men for America, if that’s what you want to see.”

Naturally fans were on board with this idea, taking to the comment section to share their true thoughts:

“I haven’t watched The Bachelorette in years, but I would be sat every week for Ilona 🫡”

“THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE”

“Wait!!! I’ve never watched Bachelorette, but I would for her 1000000%”

“Ilona for Bachelorette YES! 🙌🏻”

“Ilona for Bachelorette. Ilona for president. Ilona for everything!”

Given the fact that The Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars both air on ABC — and the fact that former Bachelor and Bachelorette Joey Graziadei and Jenn Tran were both a part of season 33 with Ilona — we wouldn’t count out the idea entirely.

Ilona then transitioned to talking to Good Morning America about what she would be looking for in a future fiancé, should Ilona becoming the Bachelorette actually come to fruition:

“Somebody who is very proud of me, who’s kind, who understands my humor, who is ready to eat,” Ilona replied when asked what qualities she is looking for in a life partner.

When Alan pitched himself as Ilona’s dream man — stating that all of the above qualities describe him to a tee — she swiftly replied, “please stop talking.” It looks like we can shut down any relationship rumors between Ilona and Alan, because that response is a #yikes…

Nevertheless, while we will just have to wait and see whether or not Ilona becomes the next Bachelorette. To see where she and Alan end up on Dancing With the Stars, tune into brand-new episodes every Tuesday via ABC or Disney Plus — with the exception of Nov. 5 (AKA Election Day) — with next-day streaming via Hulu as well.

With the 500th episode of Dancing With the Stars on the horizon, big things are coming!