Ilona Maher Shares Comical Reaction to First Week Without ‘DWTS’

A week after the Season 33 finale, the professional rugby player is ready to return to the stage.

Ilona Maher / Amy Sussman/Getty Images

It’s been exactly a week since the Dancing With the Stars Season 33 finale. The final episode of the hit reality television show brought two outstanding performances from each of the five remaining couples. And it culminated in crowning Jenna Johnson and Joey Graziadei the winners of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, the coveted DWTS prize.

After a season worth of hard work and improvement, professional rugby player Ilona Maher and her professional dance partner Alan Bersten took second place in the finale. Though they didn’t walk away with the trophy, the pair counted the finish as a win—and a testament to their fans, who helped propel the couple to second place through voting.

Maher and Bersten spent over two months together, both in the practice studio and on the stage. Now, a week after the season finale, the former is not quite sure what to do with herself. All season long, the Paris Olympian documented their burgeoning friendship with comical videos on Instagram. Now apart, she is continuing the tradition—but without Bersten by her side.

In a video that she shared on her account, the professional rugby player shared her feelings about the end of the season. “When it’s Tuesday and there’s no Dancing With the Stars,” she wrote alongside a comical clip of her sitting alone at a coffee shop. “@alanbersten how are you? How’d you sleep? What did you eat today? (We literally message everyday),” she jokingly wrote in the caption.

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For Maher, it’s just a comical act. We’re sure she really is missing the show and Bersten, of course. But she’s not just sitting around all day thinking about the past few months. On the contrary, the pro athlete is making big moves.

Yesterday, the Bristol Bears, a professional rugby club in England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby, announced that Maher would be joining the squad for the next three months—at least. The athlete herself has already touched down in Bristol, where she will be training and competing through mid-March. Beyond that, Maher isn’t sure of her plans. She could end up extending her stay in England, or she could return to the rugby sevens. She’s no longer tied down (by Dancing With the Stars or otherwise), and she’s leaving her options open.

It’s been a monumental year for the Vermont native, who helped lead Team USA to their first Olympic medal in history. We have no doubt that her future—whatever it may hold—will be bright.