Ilona Maher Reveals Heartwarming Mentality Ahead of ‘DWTS’ Finale

The professional rugby player is just grateful to have been paired with Alan Bersten.

Ilona Maher / Disney/Getty Images

Season 33 of long-standing reality TV show Dancing With the Stars has been filled with exciting plot lines. Since the first episode in September, we here at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit have been completely invested. Of course, we owe a significant portion of our dedication to the weekly episodes to Ilona Maher and Brooks Nader, the two SI Swimsuit models who were contestants this season.

For the professional rugby player, the season is not quite over yet. While Nader was eliminated on Dedication Night, Maher has managed to hang on through some lows—and ride the highs—all the way to the finale episode, which will air tomorrow, Nov. 26.

The last Tuesday night installment of the season will feature two different dances: a redemption round and a freestyle round. For the former, Maher and Alan Bersten intend to dance a jive to the sound of “Shake a Tail Feather” by Ray Charles and The Blues Brothers. For the latter, they will freestyle to “Femininomenon” by District 78 featuring Mona Rue.

Knowing Maher—who has proven herself to be a dedicated and competitive professional athlete over the years—we’re certain that she’s eyeing the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Over the course of the season, she has steadily improved her skills on the dance floor, proving week after week that hard work pays off. Her dedication has been rewarded with 10s from the judges on the last two episodes of the show.

But while she’s determined, she’s also approaching the final episode with her characteristic good attitude. Her goal is to win, but if she doesn’t, she’ll simply be happy to have had the opportunity. In a clip from the practice studio that the 28-year-old shared to her Instagram over the weekend, she said as much. “No matter what happens... Forever grateful to have been partnered with you,” she wrote alongside the video of her hugging Bersten after practice.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

“Wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” she expressed in the caption.

If her followers have anything to say about it, Maher and Bersten will be crowned champions at the end of the episode on Tuesday. As it stands, spectator votes do play a role in determining the Dancing With the Stars winners. So perhaps the enthusiasm of her followers is a promising sign regarding the outcome. Regardless, Maher will be grateful to have had the experience alongside Bersten.