It is hot in here, or is it just Dancing With the Stars duo Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten?
Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars has had its fair share of showmances — from Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko to Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber — but for those who have been watching closely, Ilona and her professional dance partner, Alan, appear to have quite a bit of chemistry.
Based on some silly content shared to social media, the pair seemingly spends every second with one another both inside and outside of the ballroom, rehearsing their routines by day and attending football games by night. The Olympic rugby player doubled down on just how inseparable she and Alan are shortly after the 500th episode of Dancing With the Stars came to a close, spilling the tea to Good Morning America in an exclusive interview:
“I thrive in relationships. I think relationships are very important… so to have somebody who I can also connect with — I guess I never expected that going on this show. I didn’t know what to expect really, or how I would bond with my coach, my partner — this has meant a lot, because I think [Alan] made this a very memorable thing in my life.”
Although Ilona and Alan often brush their relationship off as platonic, some Dancing With the Stars fans are super sleuths, attending a recent taping of the beloved competition series as a seat filler, but secretly sneaking some videos while there. In said videos, Ilona and Alan can be seen canoodling — with the latter kissing his partner on the cheek — having some interactions that seemingly span beyond just a friendship:
Naturally, Ilona and Alan shippers had a field day, taking to the comment section of the post:
“It’s the swaying hug for me honestly”
“Are you f***ing kidding??? the KISSES”
“THE KISSES???? WHAT IS GOING ON”
“Ahhhhhh I would love all you have of them uncut! I am unhealthily obsessed.”
Another attendee at the 500th episode of Dancing With the Stars took videos of the pair getting too close for comfort, but that wasn’t even the best part. Instead, the best part was Joey Graziadei third-wheeling the alleged couple:
Awkwardly standing nearby while Ilona and Alan share some snuggles, Dancing With the Stars fans could not help but chuckle at the former Bachelor’s antics:
“Joey is me whenever I end one conversation at a gathering, look around, and realize everyone is already in another conversation.”
“I’m so glad I read the comments and re-watched the video and noticed Joey 🧍♂️”
“Joey standing there like 🧍♂️ is sending me so bad 😭😭😭😭”
“Someone go hug Joey 😭”
Nevertheless, earning their first ten of the season and advancing to the semi-final of the show, will Ilona and Alan have what it takes to bring home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy? To see for yourself, tune into brand-new episodes of Dancing With the Stars Tuesdays via ABC or Disney Plus, with next-day streaming via Hulu as well.
Additionally, to see where their relationship goes from here, you can connect with both Ilona and Alan on social media for any further updates. After all, we are on the edge of our seat!