Look out, world, Robert Irwin the dancer has arrived! Despite his nerves going into the competition, the conservationist stunned everyone with his incredible debut Dancing with the Stars performance. He danced the jive with his partner Witney Carson, and he absolutely crushed it. And right after he finished, he ran up and gave his sister, Bindi Irwin, a big hug in the audience.
Bindi is no stranger to DTWS. She won the competition exactly 10 years ago. And after that explosive first performance, could Robert be far behind? It may be too early to tell, but he’s definitely proven he’s a contender.
Robert Irwin gave sister Bindi a huge hug after his Dancing with the Stars debut
Everyone has been enjoying Robert’s time on the show thus far. From his initial cast announcement to finding out his partner was his friend Witney, to their fun behind-the-scenes shenanigans, Robert is just so endearing. And he’s proving he’s got the dance chops to boot despite having absolutely no prior experience ever “moving to music.”
For his first performance, Robert and Witney performed the jive to Born to be Wild. The upbeat and energetic performance started with him wearing a wildlife conservationist outfit similar to what his late dad, famous conservationist Steve Irwin, often wore. He nailed it. He was engaging, he looked thrilled, and he gave all the other contestants a serious run for their money.
The cutest part was that after he completed the dance, he ran over and gave his sister Bindi a big hug in the audience.
“That was not planned,” he said. “But I finished that, and I just, this sense of warmth and relief and joy. Bindi said this would feel like flying. And now I know that feeling. And I went over to Bindi and gave her a hug, and I was just like… Yeah…”
Robert looked a bit choked up but concluded, saying, “It means a lot. It was super cool!” He really seemed so thankful to have his family there supporting him.
“Everybody text your sister and tell them you love them,” he added. Such a sweetheart! He and Witney did an incredible job! If they can keep this up, I can absolutely see them making it all the way through.
Dancing with the Stars Season 34 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+. It will stream on Hulu the next day.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ROBERT’S FIRST PERFORMANCE? ARE YOU ROOTING FOR HIM IN THE BALLROOM?
