Last night, after much glitz, fanfare, sequins and kick-ball exchanges, a winner of ABC’s 33rd season was crowned Dancing with the stars.

In the hearts of her legions of online fans, that winner was Olympic rugby player and social media sensation Ilona Maher. In reality it wasn’t, but does it really matter?

The hit series, which pairs professional ballroom dancers with celebrities to compete in themed choreographed dance routines, had a record-breaking season in both viewership and votes cast.

Last night’s ratings haven’t been released yet, but last week’s semifinals reached a season-high total of 5.19 million viewers, also surpassing last year’s semifinal viewership of 5.13 million. In addition, fan voting broke a series record with over 20 million votes cast.

The season premiere in October saw the most votes ever cast for a single episode in the series’ history.

Not bad for a show in its 33rd season. And while we can’t say for sure what drew fans to watch this year’s competition, it probably didn’t hurt Olympian Maher and her millions of Instagram and TikTok followers.

“Ilona Maher was, in my opinion, the true embodiment of this season. She constantly improved, showed vulnerability and gained so much confidence. She has empowered so many young girls and won the hearts of so many,” one fan wrote on X.

“Inspired a nation twice in one year,” Team USA wrote on Instagram.

“This will forever be an Ilona Maher Stan account,” parenting news site Scary Mommy wrote on Instagram to its 2.6 million followers.

So who actually won?

In fact, the winners were Joey Graziadei — best known for his role as the Bachelor on the show’s 28th season — and his partner, dancer and choreographer Jenna Johnson.

“This means everything, this whole experience has been incredible,” Graziadei said after his win. “Thank you for putting up with us. I did my best, I promise!”

Maher and partner Alan Bersten took second place and took second place.

Each couple performed a freestyle dance and a release dance. To make amends, Maher and Bersten performed a jive Shake a tail feather by Ray Charles & The Blues Brothers. Graziadei and Johnson performed a cha-cha-cha I can’t stop the feeling! by Justin Timberlake – get a perfect score.

How Maher flipped the script

US rugby star Maher, 28, shot to fame on social media at this summer’s Paris Olympics, where she won a bronze medal. She is known for her quirky, comedic online presence and advocacy for body positivity. She is called the “Queen of Memes” on social media and has had countless posts posted about her Dancing with the stars Trip.

Maher was also the digital cover model for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue in September, where she was called a “modern role model of strength, conviction and authenticity.”

Maher has often flipped the script on traditional notions of femininity this season dancing with the stars, Sometimes he chose not to wear high heels and often he lifted bursts into the air. For the Disney-inspired episode of the series, Maher dressed up as strong woman Luisa Von Encanto.

And before the finale aired, she posted a video of herself eating a sheet cake from Trader Joe’s to prepare it.

“I’ve never been much of a DTWS. I watched a few episodes but was never invested. I am 100% invested in @ilona_maher and her journey. She’s absolutely the kind of role model I want for my kid and, heck, for me.” “One user wrote on X and said she would be tuning in for the finale.

During the show, Maher said that it would be nice to win the trophy, but it wouldn’t be that much for herself. “I think that goes for all the girls who have been told they’re too tall or too muscular and not pretty ” she said.

After the show, Maher thanked her fans in an Instagram post.

“Your vote is the reason we came in second place. Of course it’s not the first, but honestly we’ve won in a lot of other ways.”