Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten Reveal Their Adorable First Impressions of Each Other

The dancing duo is back, this time sitting down to chat on the SI Swimsuit alum’s podcast, ‘House of Maher.’

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten / Disney/Eric McCandless/Getty Images

To the delight of fans everywhere, Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten have reunited once again!

The Olympic rugby star and SI Swimsuit alum quickly won the internet over back in 2024 during her star-making turn on season 33 of Dancing with the Stars. Fans were exhilarated every time she and Bersten took to the stage, whether it be due to an exceptional dance routine or a sweet, vulnerable-but-viral moment (I still quote Maher’s iconic “Been better, Carrie Ann” line pretty much weekly). They were not the typical celeb/dancer pairing, bringing to the forefront an undeniable, fun chemistry that gave audiences no choice but to root for them, and, while the pair didn’t take home that coveted mirrorball trophy, they did come in 2nd place.

After parting ways for a bit after the show ended, the two reunited and danced all across America as part of the DWTS Live Tour. And now they’ve teamed up once again, this time with Bersten joining Maher and her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna, on the most recent episode of the House of Maher podcast:

“We finally got first, Ilona!” Bersten joked after being introduced as the “first-ever guest” on the podcast. After introductions, the pair opened up about their very first meeting, as well as their initial impressions of one another, with Maher playfully accusing Bersten of “not thinking highly of her dance skills,” to which he jokingly corrected, “That’s not true! I was very excited that you were my partner. We walked in, we started dancing, and then I was like, ‘Okay, yeah. This is gonna be fun! It’s going to be a long season...’”

After raving about Ilona’s incredible work ethic and dedication, Bersten revealed it was less a physical issue when it came to her dance skills, and more of a mental barrier—one she very much overcame, “By the end of it, you were amazing [...] The last three weeks were just unbelievable, and I think you surpassed not only my expectations but probably your own and everyone else’s.”

Bersten also revealed that he didn’t know in advance Maher would be his partner, but—given the rumors around her possible casting on the show—he hoped he’d get paired up with her, saying, “I was hoping it was her [...] I had already seen her in the Olympics, and I was like, ‘She’s got a lot of impact, she’s funny, if I’m going to spend five hours with someone every day, I want to have fun.”

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Maher also shared her first impression of Bersten, discussing how she even went so far as to watch a previous season of the show when she learned she might be paired with him to get a better feel for his vibe, which she described as “animated”—but she wasn’t certain that was his true personality, “I wasn’t sure if that was all a front. I was like, ‘This guy could be really animated and nice on the show, but could totally be not fun, actually.’”

Luckily, both Maher and Bersten couldn’t have meshed better together, and their friendship only grew closer with each passing week! And, of course, fans of the dancing duo couldn’t help but gush about them in the comments under the podcast’s video on YouTube.

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“I love every era of Ilona. But the Ilona and Alan friendship era will always hold a special place in my heart,” one fan wrote.

“The way Alan talks about Ilona is one of my favorite things,” another added.

“Alan and Ilona were truly one of my top FAVORITE duos last season! their joy and energy/determination was unmatched! they are both such amazing human beings, and this was SUCH a good episode! i could hear you guys talk forever!” Another commenter declared.

You can catch new episodes of House of Maher every Tuesday!