Reading: Ilona Maher jumps into the water at SI Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami

Ilona Maher jumps into the water at SI Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami

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and turned the final walk of the Runway Show in Miami into something no one in the room could have planned for. As the show wound down Saturday night at the W South Beach, the two grabbed hands and took a running leap into the water surrounding the catwalk.

That is the moment people are searching for now because captured it live and posted the clip on Instagram, where it surged to nearly 3 million views and more than 125,000 comments in under 24 hours. The show began at 9 p.m. ET and featured models from SI Swimsuit’s 2026 issue, along with a live performance by and appearances by several pro dancers from ABC's Dancing With the Stars.

By the time the evening was ending, all of the models who walked had returned to the runway in SI Swimsuit-branded looks for a final spin and a farewell to the audience. Maher and Baylee then broke from the polished catwalk routine and jumped straight into the water, a sharp turn that made the finale feel less like a staged fashion exit than a spontaneous payoff to a runway built with a moat.

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The show is set to stream in full for the first time on and beginning Tuesday, June 9, which should give the clip a second life beyond the Instagram feed. What remains unanswered is simple: the leap was unforgettable, but neither Maher nor Baylee has explained what set it off.

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