DWTS Season 33 Stars React to Ilona Maher’s ‘Vulnerable’ Moment

Ilona Maher got emotional during Dancing With the Stars “Hair Metal” night on Tuesday, October 8, after feeling like her dance wasn’t up to par.

The 28-year-old Olympian and partner Alan Bersten danced a jive to “Cum On Feel the Noize” by Quiet Riot. They received a score of 26 out of 40 for the performance after Maher had a mishap and forgot some of the steps in the middle of the routine. While receiving the judges’ feedback, the athlete burst into tears.

“This was a really tough dance for me. This whole week’s been really tough. You do it so well in dress rehearsal and then you come out and you mess it up,” Maher said through tears while talking to DWTS host Julianne Hough following her performance. “He knows I can do well, and then I just don’t.”

Bersten, 30, comforted Maher following her comments, giving her a big hug.

Us Weekly exclusively spoke to members of the DWTS season 33 cast following Tuesday’s episode — and they all shared major support for Maher. Keep scrolling to read what they said:

Stephen Nedoroscik

Nedoroscik called his fellow Olympian “a trooper” following her performance. Nedoroscik said that Maher is “gonna carry that energy” into next week’s performance.

“It’s really sad to see people sad. … Sometimes you let the emotions show. And she did tonight,” he told Us. “I was feeling very sympathetic. But she is also a boss.”

Jenn Tran

The former Bachelorette star shared her love and support for Maher.

“She’s got so many layers to her, and I’ve enjoyed getting closer to her over these weeks. It was hard to see her break down like that,” Tran gushed to Us. “That just makes her even more vulnerable and even more real. And I’ve always said this, I love when people show their raw emotion instead of hiding it, and I am so proud of her.”

Chandler Kinney

The actress said it was really hard” watching Maher break down in tears following her routine and was empathetic to the emotions.

“Your heart immediately goes out to where that person’s at,” Kinney explained to Us. “You know what they went through because you see them in rehearsal, you see the hours, you know the work, and it’s day after day, hours on hours, for [a] one minute [performance]. So when that one minute doesn’t go the way that you want it to, it’s really disappointing.”

Kinney noted that she was “really sad” that she and Maher didn’t get to speak this week — especially since they both danced a jive.

“I think we both felt a little alone in our discouragement with the jive,” she continued. “It was nice to have her tonight and be there for her and her be there for me.”

Eric Roberts

The actor praised Maher’s “huge heart” on and off the dancefloor.

“I felt horrible for her because she cares so much,” he told Us. “She’s kind to all of us all day long, every day. I felt so bad for her because she felt bad about herself — and she should not.”

Britt Stewart

The professional dancer said that Maher should “be extremely proud” of her performance despite the “little bump in the road.”

“We all know what it feels like to be on the ballroom floor and not feel like it’s your best, but that’s OK,” Stewart said while speaking with Us. That just means no journey is linear. I hope that she can just use it as inspiration to help her continue. I predict they’re going to have a long journey.”

Joey Graziadei

The former Bachelor star couldn’t help but gush over the “special” Maher, noting exactly what you see with the athlete is what you get. Graziadei made it clear he will continue to “support” Maher and “keep her confident” throughout the competition.

“I could talk about Ilona for the next hour,” he explained to Us. “She just gives 110 percent every single time. I think that she puts a lot of pressure on herself, which people saw tonight.”