The pair opened up to ET’s Katie Krause after this season’s finale.
Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten may not have won the coveted mirrorball trophy on Monday's finale of Dancing With the Stars, but that doesn’t mean they’re not winners! The pair found each other on the show, admitting their feelings for each other on TV.
"I feel like I won!” Alexis tells ET’s Katie Krause after the couple lost out to Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess.
No one was prouder than Alan, who worked hard with Alexis all season to get her to the finale.
"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 tells ET. "So I’m just so thankful for this whole journey."
Alexis notes that she’ll miss “dancing together on stage” most of all after competing with her man. Moving forward, the pair is taking their romance one step at a time, and looking forward to seeing how their relationship progresses outside of the ballroom.
"Now we can be normal for a little while,” Alan says. "I don’t have to teach her five hours a day every day, so we can just go hang out."
So will this last?
"I’m not psychic!” Alan says. "We’re really excited because now we can just hang and do whatever we want."
As for the “L word” that Alexis dropped in her package, she says that the editors cut her words, making for a mixed message.
"They cut it! I really felt love in myself,” she says, laughing. "Honestly, I have no idea where that came from.”
Though the pair will be spending the holidays with their respective families, Alexis has already taken one big step in their romance.
"She actually met my parents right before we danced just because my parents don’t live here,” Alan explains.
"They’re so cute!” Alexis notes of the Bersten family.
So were his parents impressed?
"What can you not think of her? She’s such a sweet person and she’s so caring and it’s amazing,” Alan adds.
After a season of working together, Alan notes, "I’m so proud that she never gave up. I’m a hard teacher and I yell a lot, but she never gave up, which was really cool. She earned her spot here. I’ve learned so much from her. I’ve learned to have so much patience. So my next partners are lucky. No, I’m kidding.”
Alexis fires back, "I don’t know the patience he talks about. I haven’t seen it!”
For more from this season of DWTS, watch the clip below:
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