Sophia Fishman
Staff Writer
Robert Irwin took home the “Dancing With the Stars” Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in the season 34 finale.
Irwin, the son of Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, grew up at the Australia Zoo. He is known for being raised around animals his whole life. He participates in conservation work such as wildlife rescues, breeding endangered species, habitat-protection efforts, and is an advocate for climate awareness and environmental issues.
This year, Irwin stepped away from the zoo and onto the ballroom floor.
Irwin was partnered with Witney Carson, a “Dancing With the Stars” professional since season 18. She earned her first win in season 19 with partner Alfonso Ribeiro. She is known for her clean technique and ability to adapt to different celebrities’ strengths.
Carson is trained in ballroom, hip-hop, jazz, contemporary and Latin dance styles and began training at a young age. This year, Carson got to show off her skills, which led her and her partner straight to the top.
Irwin and Carson first performed a quickstep to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet for the judges’ choice round, where a select judge picks what style the couple will dance to.
Derek Hough, a judge on the show, called Irwin “the quickstep king.” In the final round, they performed a freestyle to a mashup of “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii.
“You have just done the most beautiful freestyle,” Hough said after the performance. The judges gave 10s across the board, which gave the couple a 30/30 perfect score.
As for the other contestants, in second place were Alix Earle, a TikTok star, and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, who danced a samba to “Hip Hip Chin Chin” by Club des Belugas for the judges’ choice round and performed a freestyle mashup of “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado and “Sports Car” by Tate McRae.
Jordan Chiles, an Olympic gymnast, and her partner Ezra Sosa finished third with a Paso Doble to “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna and a freestyle to “Motivation” by Normani.
Dylan Efron, a reality-television personality, and his partner Daniella Karagach placed fourth with a Paso Doble to “Stampede” by Alexander Jean featuring Lindsey Stirling and a freestyle to “Something in the Heavens” by Lewis Capaldi.
Elaine Hendrix, an actress, and her partner Alan Bersten finished in fifth place, dancing a rumba to “Take My Breath Away” by Jae Hall and a freestyle to “I Hope I Get It” from “A Chorus Line” by District 78.
This year’s competition was tight, drawing more than 72 million votes which is a record for “Dancing With the Stars.”
At the start of the season, Irwin described this process as “a huge mountain to climb.” Not only did Irwin and his partner Carson climb it, but they came out on top. Their win marks the end of another season of “Dancing With the Stars.”