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Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson claimed the Mirrorball Trophy on Dancing With the Stars Season 34, marking a decade-long family tradition, while the season was also marked by dramatic exits and nostalgic moments.
For the Irwin family, winning the Mirrorball has officially become a tradition.
On the 34th season finale of Dancing With the Stars on Nov. 25, Australian and wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin stepped onto the ballroom floor one last time with his partner Witney Carson and freestyled their way to the Mirrorball Trophy, exactly ten years after his sister Bindi Irwin did the same.
“My sister said it best: Thank you for changing my life”, said Irwin after the show announced they had won. “Honestly, I feel like I already won with him as my friend,” Carson added.
The 21-year-old son of late legend Steve Irwin had been a fan favorite from the very beginning of this season. But for Irwin, this win wasn’t just about technique, timing or fan votes; it was more personal.
Throughout the competition, and especially during his final performances, Irwin carried with him quiet tributes to his father. Hidden in plain sight were two keepsakes, one being a well-worn button-down shirt and a ring that was crafted from keys to the Irwin family’s childhood home. Irwin said before the semifinals that he wore his dad’s shirt every Tuesday as a good luck token and wore the ring every performance day.
“These two things are a way to keep me close to home and to what’s most important to me,” said Irwin on his social media. “I’ve always done that dance at least once in Dad’s shirt… it just feels like a big hug.”
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The road to the finale was anything but easy for Irwin. Finalists Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Joran Chiles and Ezra Sosa, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Berten rounded out the top five spots. Earlier in the season, viewers also watched performances for stars like Corey Feldman, Lauren Jauregui, Hilaria Baldwin, Scott Hoying, Danielle Fishel, Andy Richter, and Whitney Leavitt, who exited after a surprisingly dramatic semifinal elimination.
Richter shared his thoughts on the season’s voting trends towards “The Secret Lives of Mormons” cast members. He defended Leavitt’s honor after what he called her “insane” exit from the show.
“There’s a whole soap opera going on adjacent to this show online,” Richter said to Entertainment Weekly in an interview posted on Nov. 19. “It’s a good way to sort of take the temperature of what the audience is feeling in terms of voting. I’ve seen forever, there’s like people just like, ‘Whitney’s gotta go,’ and I’m just like, ‘What? Why?’”
While many fans agreed with Leavitt’s departure, one week prior, she had stunned viewers with her portrayal of Roxie Hart in an Argentine Tango performance of the “Cell Block Tango” from the musical Chicago.
As for the season itself, it leaned all the way into nostalgia.
Former pros Kym Johnson-Herjavec and Cheryl Burke returned as guest judges, and former host Tom Bergeron made a special appearance during a celebratory episode that honored the show’s 20th anniversary. Original dancers shared the spotlight with familiar faces like Xochitl Gomez and Ariana Madix, turning the ballroom into a time capsule with two decades’ worth of television history.
With a season full of great performances and stories, it was Irwin’s quiet authenticity and the presence of his father that left the most lasting impression. The Irwin family has spun DWTS into a perfect circle and took the Mirrorball home once again.
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Melissa Houston
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