Robert Irwin Is Your DWTS Champion
Congratulations are in order for the man Prince William dubbed Australia’s finest “Twinkle Toes,” Robert Irwin. On Tuesday night, Irwin and his pro partner Witney Carson took home the Mirrorball Trophy and were crowned the winners of the 34th season of Dancing With the Stars. Over the course of the season, the 21-year-old conservationist and son of Steve Irwin became a clear fan favorite, with his knack for stage presence and little wiggling hips. The win also marked a sweet family moment, as Irwin got to celebrate his win with his mom, Terri, and his older sister, Bindi, who won her own season of DWTS back in 2015. When co-host Julianne Hough asked how he felt about winning the show, Irwin replied, “My sister said it best: Thank you for changing my life.”
“I’m so grateful for Robert,” Carson added of her partner. “And I feel like I won already with him as my friend.”
While the competition series has picked up heat over the last few years with Zeitgeist-y contestants like Ariana Madix, Simone Biles, and Charli D’Amelio, this year marked a big return to mainstream relevancy, particularly with younger audiences who flooded TikTok with fan edits and reaction videos. The season featured Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, The Parent Trap’s Elaine Hendrix, Hilaria Baldwin, and Danielle Fishel of Boy Meets World, along with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt, who turned out to be a breakout star.
Despite dealing with some rib pain during the final stretch of the show, Irwin was able to beat out some wily TikTokers (and Efron’s eight-pack) with two perfect scores for a cha-cha to DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean” and a freestyle to “Black & Gold,” by Sam Sparro, and “The Nights,” by Avicii. Congrats again to my personal Mr. Congeniality.
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