Hannah Brown moves past 'Bachelorette' pain to force in 'Dancing With the Stars' finals

Bryan Alexander | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Dancing with the Stars' cast in tears after shocking elimination A shocking elimination had the remaining "Dancing with the Stars" couples in tears.

Since appearing on "The Bachelor" in fall of 2018, Hannah Brown has become a reality show staple. Her "Bachelorette" season ended in heartbreak, but Brown has a chance for the ultimate reality redemption – winning the Mirror Ball Trophy on Monday's "Dancing With the Stars" finals (ABC, 8 EST live/delayed PST).

Brown and pro Alan Bersten are the favorites to take the reality competition top prize in large part due to the support from fans she has earned from her past reality show dramas.

"My fans have gone from “The Bachelor” to the “Bachelorette” to “Dancing With the Stars," says Brown. "I’ve shared a lot with my life with everyone, and they’ve continued to support me. We've been through a lot together."

Brown, 25, spoke to USA TODAY after one of her final rehearsals before hitting the dance floor.

Seriously, who is going to win?: We break down the 'Dancing with the Stars' finale

Question: How are you feeling after one of your final rehearsals?

Hannah Brown: I’m tired. But feeling really good. I’m excited about my freestyle dance and my repeat dance (a Viennese Waltz). I’m feeling really good about cleaning these up and getting them ready for Monday night.

Q; How impressive is it to go from ‘Bachelorette’ to being such a great dancer and finalist?

Brown: I’m really proud of myself. I’m grown a lot, had some ups and downs along the way. One week I could be great, the next week it would be a harder dance. I’m just staying positive and keeping the goal in mind. I’m doing everything I can to show that I deserve the Mirror Ball Trophy.

Q: Judge Carrie Anne Inaba was a frequent critic of your hip moving dance problems. How did you get over that?

Brown: There was this trigger when they told me I had a Latin dance coming up, it was like, "Oh my gosh." As the season went on I felt good about the style, and I feel like I redeemed myself in the rumba last week. It’s a hard dance, and there was definitely more hip action. I will say, I will always take a standard ballroom dance over a Latin one.

Q: Will reality shows be the same after you step down Monday?

Brown: I was even on ‘Bachelor in Paradise.’ I’ve been on TV for more than a year. And that is crazy. I’m going to enjoy a break. And then I’m going to wonder why there isn’t a microphone pack on my back.

Q: Last week you brought up some of the pain you experienced with Jed on 'The Bachelorette.' Are you over that?

Brown: I definitely did experience a lot of hurt. I wanted to do "Dancing With the Stars" because it kept my mind busy. It helped me move on, focusing on dancing. But when we got to the contemporary dance, (Bersten and I) realized that was a story we wanted to tell. That’s when I realized I maybe had not said goodbye to it all yet. It was just being able to let it go. Having a week of going over those emotions for Monday night was really that final "this is done. I’m moving on” kind of empowering moment — to bring all of those emotions and leave them on the dance floor.

Q: Then you got emotional on the show with judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who has been a sometime critic. Are you guys good?

Brown: Carrie Ann was doing her job in helping me to improve. That was just a moment of me being a human being about the thing I’m focusing my life on now. It was just a hard week. I was really emotional with the contemporary dance, and I had a human moment because of that. But it was nothing that will continue on.

Q: Your partner Alan is such a nice guy, and was even your date to the CMA awards. Your fans might want more, but what will be your status after the show?

Brown: We are both focused on this experience. We have one more week left. We’ve been a great team. And then, after this, we’re going to be great friends. I’m really glad that Alan was my partner through all of this. We've definitely have grown as individuals and as a team. I’m really blessed to have his support.

Q: What's next for you? Surely a break?

Brown: I would like to take a break for sure. I definitely need some TLC and will do that over the holiday season. I’m going to Alabama to hang out with my parents for the holidays. But I like to stay busy. So I don’t know how long a break I’ll allow myself. I love being on TV and sharing my story. We’ll see how we continue to do that later on.

Q: If you win, where will you put the Mirror Ball Trophy?

Brown: I don’t know just yet. Maybe by my bed, so that when I go to sleep it’s the last thing I see.