With Season 22’s cancellation still fresh in fans’ minds, the pressure is on to find a lead who can bring a fresh vibe to The Bachelorette franchise. Olympian Ilona Maher is emerging as a top contender to lead the popular reality show. Surprisingly, Maher is open to the idea, but she has one major condition.
Ilona Maher reacts to The Bachelorette casting rumors amid cancellation
Ilona Maher is getting a lot of attention as a potential Bachelorette lead after the cancellation of Season 22, and her fans are rallying behind her. The rugby star is reacting to the rumors with humor, citing her one condition if she were to take the role.
In a recent chat with Entertainment Tonight at the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special premiere in LA, the two-time Olympian confessed she had caught wind of the fan frenzy pushing for her to be the next Bachelorette.
Maher joked she would only take the role if her friends, especially Alan Bersten, her pro dance partner from Dancing With The Stars Season 33, executive-produced and handpicked the contestants.
For the unversed, Alan Bersten is no stranger to Bachelor Nation. The DWTS pro won Season 28 with Hannah Brown and had a 2023 date with Gabby Windey. He is also known for partnering with Bachelor stars on the celebrity dance show.
When asked about serious talks on being the Bachelorette, Ilona Maher laughed it off. “It’s just my agent,” she chuckled, implying that the conversations are fairly casual, with them simply joking about it. When pressed for a straightforward answer, Maher playfully responded with a non-committal “maybe”, leaving the possibility open.
For those unversed, Taylor Frankie Paul was dropped from Season 22 of The Bachelorette after a domestic violence scandal. A TMZ video showed her throwing chairs at ex Dakota Mortensen, with one near a child. ABC cancelled the show in response to the controversy.
Paul has since broken her silence, thanking ABC for their support. She further vowed to share her story, citing years of abuse in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Originally reported by Sibanee Gogoi on ComingSoon.
