It’s already been about four months since Dancing With the Stars crowned the next recipients of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, with Jenna Johnson and Joey Graziadei taking it all. While the series won’t be returning on the 2025 TV schedule until later this year, the cast and some of the Season 33 celebrity contestants have remained busy with the DWTS Live Tour. Now, partners Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten are teaming up again and fans should certainly be pumped.
The Olympic rugby player and DWTS pro were runners-up for Season 33, and their sibling energy was one of the best parts of the season. After reuniting on the DWTS tour, the two are reuniting yet again for a special reason. Maher has started a podcast with her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna, appropriately titled House of Maher. Bersten will indeed be a guest on a future episode, and in a sneak peek via Page Six, he revealed how excited he was to have Maher as his partner:
I was very excited you were my partner. We walked in, we started dancing, and then I was like, ‘OK, yeah. This is gonna be fun.’
Partners on Dancing With the Stars can be a hit or a miss, as well as the celebrity contestant. But somehow, Bersten and Maher matched each other’s energy perfectly and became underrated fan-favorites throughout the season. Their partnership brought some great moments, including Bersten as a horrifying donkey from Encanto. He also praised Maher on the podcast for her work ethic and her dedication throughout the season, and it just makes me wish to go back to Season 33:
I didn’t know what to expect. We’ve never had a rugby player on the show. I never realized how athletic you could be, which is such a blessing, especially on the show. I think the best part about you was the hard work ethic. You know? You never gave up, you always tried really hard. And then you ended up getting it. I feel like what was harder was more mentally as opposed to physically. By the end of it, you were amazing. You surpassed not only my expectations but probably your own and everyone else’s.
Even though there were some fun pairings on DWTS Season 33, no one could have compared to Bersten and Maher. They were always such a joy to watch both on-screen and off, and even though this reunion will be brief, it will be fun to relive their time on Dancing With the Stars. They grew a big following during the season for their viral fails, a fantastic Dirty Dancing lift, and their fun energy and it’s nice to know that they are still close and very much still like brother and sister. I just hope that after this, fans won’t have to wait long to see them together again.
Since Maher and Bersten are still so close, perhaps they can return to the ballroom in the future. Fans have been itching for another all-star season, and after some Season 33 favorites fell short, it would be fun to see them and others come back to redeem themselves. In any case, it will be hard to see Bersten have another partner on Dancing With the Stars after Maher.
Meanwhile, Dancing With the Stars Season 34 won’t be here until the fall, and the next group of celebrity contestants probably won’t be announced until later in the summer at the earliest. It should be interesting to see who will be entering the ballroom next, but Season 33 is streaming with a Disney+ subscription so fans can look back at their favorite Maher and Bersten moments.
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