Let Ilona Maher Lead The Bachelorette

Well before ABC pulled the plug on Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette season — in fact, before The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had ever premiered — fans once rallied behind another game-changing pick for the lead role: Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher. Now, during an uncertain time for the show (and Bachelor Nation as a whole), they’re back to pitching her as a new hope for the franchise.

“It’s very sweet,” Maher recently told Entertainment Tonight of the support, before noting a few playful conditions she’d have for the job: like having Joey Graziadei and her former Dancing with the Stars partner Alan Bersten serve as executive producers, and enlisting the help of her friends to weigh in on potential suitors.

And you know what? Let her do it!

While Taylor’s season was derailed by controversy and Mormon Wives Season 4 cast some doubt on her emotional readiness for the role, there was one thing about Taylor’s casting that always made perfect sense: She was the first lead to enter Bachelor Mansion an established public figure. Her Mormon Wives background ensured that many fans of that show would tune into The Bachelorette, even if they’d never been too interested before.

Similarly, Ilona comes with a built-in audience: fans of her rugby career, her time on Dancing with the Stars, and the House of Maher podcast she runs with her sisters. Her well-loved social media accounts are a blend of thoughtful, nuanced takes and cheeky humor — the ethos of your smartest, most accomplished bestie who can make you laugh with on-her-feet ease.

Naturally, this would make for an entertaining Bachelorette season. “It’d be like an episode of The Office. Like, a guy would say something, and then I’d look at the camera,” Ilona told ET, pausing to recreate Jim Halpert’s classic expression. “And then it’d just be funny. I’d do it mostly for my girls to watch it! That’s the only reason.”

Beyond the presence Ilona would bring to the lead role, she’s been candid about her openness to dating. Her mindset around mingling, she shared in a recent TikTok: “My goal when people see me is for them to fall instantly in love while also being slightly terrified.” That’s a Bachelorette speaking, people!

With all eyes on Bachelor Nation, the next move they make may well determine their future. Instead of trying to reverse-engineer a lead from the existing pool of alums, going with a fan-favorite outsider could be the reset the franchise needs.

Plus, casting Ilona could set an exciting precedent for future unexpected picks — lending an air of novelty to a show that’s ostensibly keen to stay competitive in an era of reality overload.