‘DWTS’ Pro Alan Bersten Praises ‘Amazing’ Partner Alexis Ren After Finale Loss

Dancing With the Stars‘ Season 27 finale on Monday night saw Bobby Bones crowned the winner of the Mirror Ball Trophy, beating out fellow finalists model Alexis Ren, Disney star Milo Manheim and actress Evanna Lynch.

While Ren and her pro partner Alan Bersten may not have walked away with the Mirror Ball Trophy, they did gain a new relationship, falling for each other over the course of the show as they worked together.

To celebrate the finale, Bersten used Instagram to share a tribute to his partner, posting a shot of the pair on the dance floor along with a sweet caption.

“To say I’m proud of you is an understatement!” he wrote. “@alexisren you are amazing! I’m so lucky for this whole experience! Thank you everyone.”

Ren also posted a tribute to Bersten on her Instagram Story, sharing in a text post that she’s thankful for the support he has shown her during their time together.

“One of my biggest thanks goes to @alanbersten,” the model wrote. “You stood your ground no matter how shaky i felt, you powered me through walls I created to stop myself.”

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight after the show, Ren shared that she still feels like a winner thanks to her new relationship with Bersten.

“I feel like I won!” she said.

Bersten echoed his partner’s sentiments, explaining that he had “so much fun” working with Ren during the season.

“Honestly, this whole experience, I’ve told her so many times I don’t care if we win the mirrorball because we’re out here doing something that we love and it’s so much fun and to do it with Alexis has been incredible,” he said. “So I’m just so thankful for this whole journey.”

As for whether their romance will continue after the show, Bersten shared that he’s excited to spend time with Ren outside of the ballroom.

“Now we can be normal for a little while,” he said. “I don’t have to teach her five hours a day every day, so we can just go hang out.”

The pro dancer added that he doesn’t know what the future holds for the couple.

“I’m not psychic!” he said. “We’re really excited because now we can just hang and do whatever we want.”

Ren and Bersten confirmed their relationship during DWTS‘ country-themed episode on Nov. 5, with Bersten telling Ren in a video that he was nervous to potentially jeopardize their partnership.

“I’m in a place where we worked so hard for this amazing journey together, and I’m afraid I will mess that up in some way. But I’ve never had an experience like this,” he said. “It’s so easy to just hang out with you and have fun and not worry about everything else.”

Bersten continued, “I do have feelings for you. And I really feel like I am falling for you.”

Photo Credit: Getty / David Livingston