“DWTS” fans react to “harsh” assessment of Olympian Ilona Maher

“Ilona, ​​​​we love you!! Everyone makes mistakes! You will come back much stronger!!,” one person wrote. “We need to do a better job of elevating ALL candidates! No reason to make her cry when she's never done that before…heartbreaking,” said another. “Seeing her cry is so heartbreaking. It was a HARD dance and one small mistake doesn't change how wonderful she is. I hate how hard she was on herself. But that she can still be optimistic is amazing,” someone else chimed in. One fan wrote: “Ilona darling, you are an absolute STAR and should be protected at all costs.”

The duo's low score of 26/40 combined with their “Soul Night” score of 30/40 brought them dangerously close to elimination, but luckily they made it to week four, which airs tonight. The theme is “Dedication Night,” where the nine remaining couples dance as a tribute to someone or something important to them.

Ilona shared on Instagram that she was dedicating today's dance to her Olympic team. “Tonight I dedicate this dance to my Olympic team,” she wrote in the caption. “We have truly done something very special, not only for ourselves, but also for those who came before us and those who will come after us. It wasn't easy by any means, but I'm so glad I had this group of incredible people to do it with.”

We can't wait to see what she does out there!

Annie O'Sullivan (she/her) reports vacation, gift guide, travel and lifestyle content at Good housekeeping. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and previously reported for Runner's worldNBC New York/NY 4 and Women's Day. Annie also has experience writing entertainment news and celebrity content.