As Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars begins to dwindle down, and we approach the finale, many are placing their bets on who will be taking home the coveted mirrorball trophy. There’s been a lot of discourse surrounding the season, especially after the Halloween episode, which saw the shock elimination of Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber, with many believing that it should have been Dwight Howard or Ilona Maher sent home instead. Granted, Jenn and Sasha were one of the stronger couples this season, so it's likely that fan voting played against them, and it is a shame to see them go, but I disagree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that Ilona should have gone home instead. I’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars since I was a child. I’ve grown up tuning into the ballroom every season, and in my opinion, Ilona Maher represents exactly what the show is about.
Ilona Maher Deserves To Be In the Competition
The biggest gripe viewers have with Ilona still being in the competition is that she isn’t the strongest dancer, yet she is being saved every week despite lower scores. But what makes Ilona stick out as a pivotal contestant to me is that very point. She isn’t the most skilled dancer in the competition, but she is the most improved, and really, that’s what Dancing with the Stars is about. The show intends to make a dancer out of someone with little to no dance experience. That is Ilona. Her fellow contestants such as Danny Amendola, Joey Graziadei, and Chandler Kinney are all incredible dancers, but they’ve been scoring high since week 1. They haven’t had any noticeable improvement because they don’t think they need to. They have the skill, they have the natural rhythm, it comes easily to them. That’s not a bad thing at all, in fact it’s really impressive. But it just makes Ilona’s improvement feel all the more impressive when you look back on week 1 to now.
Even with her improvement, some have complained that she could be the Bobby Bones of this season. Which, if you’re not familiar, is referencing the time radio personality Bobby Bones competed on the show and won despite being the weakest and least improved dancer. While it’s easy to say this when comparing her to her competition, I think the two are in completely separate leagues. Ilona has proven that she is dedicated to the process of the show, and has taken every piece of criticism and critique she has received with finesse and worked on it for the following week. She has fought tooth and nail to get where she is, and while fan voting has obviously played a part, as it has with everyone still in the competition, she deserves to be there.
Ilona Maher Represents What ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Is About
Ilona has never been a bad dancer, but it’s taken her a bit to get truly comfortable in the ballroom. We’re now seeing her break through that self-consciousness and really blossom into a spectacular dancer. That’s always one of my favorite parts about Dancing with the Stars, is seeing the contestants find power in themselves and a newfound confidence. It’s hard getting up in front of the world every week and doing something you don’t usually do, but Ilona does it with such poise, and holds her head high even when it gets discouraging. She’s the contestant the show needed this season, and she’s the exact contestant that best represents what Dancing with the Stars has always been about. Yes, it’s a competition, but it’s also about finding your own strength and confidence.
There is a good chance Ilona could make it to the finals, and perhaps she could even win the mirrorball trophy with her partner Alan Bersten, and though some may disagree with me on this, I don’t think it’s far-fetched at all. If Ilona continues to keep going up every week until the finale, as she has been, and if she and Alan listen to the judge's advice and add what they want to see, then there is a good chance she has a shot at the mirrorball – and it would be a worthy win. Anything can happen on Dancing with the Stars, so it’s hard to say who exactly is the frontrunner. But Ilona has consistently shown that while she isn’t a dancer, and she doesn’t have any dance experience, she has the discipline and talent to learn and be a beautiful performer. That’s what Dancing with the Stars is about. She’s worked her butt off to get where she is, and I truly believe she has earned her place. Now let’s take home the mirrorball, Maher!
Dancing With The Stars is available to stream on Disney+ in the US.
