Why DWTS Was the ‘Dream’ Robert Irwin ‘Always Knew’ It Would Be

There’s no “I” in “Team,” but there is a “Win” in “Irwin,” and that’s exactly how Robert Irwin finished his run on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. 

At a mere 11 years old, the son of the late Steve Irwin grew familiar with the competitive ballroom dance show when his elder sister, Bindi Irwin, won the series in 2015. One day shy of exactly a decade after Bindi won DWTS, Robert secured his own mirrorball trophy alongside Witney Carson last Tuesday, further extending the Irwin family’s legacy beyond their conservation efforts into a wider message of leading life with passion and positivity. 

Throughout his experience on DWTS, Robert hasn’t been shy in expressing that taking on the challenge was a “dream that I’ve had for so long,” but the 21-year-old tells The Hollywood Reporter his appearance also taught him the strength in “trust and vulnerability.” 

“I found the moments where I let go the guard, the filter and just let the emotions just really be at that surface level and not care if if I was crying or I was just ecstatically happy, whatever that feeling was,” Robert says, continuing, “Just to let it happen and sit in that kind of vulnerable state of, Well, here’s the heart on the sleeve, take it or leave it — there’s a great power in that.”

Fresh off his win, Robert reflects on the experience below, explaining why Witney was the “perfect” pro dance partner for him, how Bindi’s experience inspired his appearance on the show, how he plans to stay immersed in the DWTS universe and if the audience can expect another Irwin family member to compete on the series. 

Robert, I know you just won the show, but how are you feeling? What’s the vibe?

It still feels so weird hearing you say that [I won DWTS]. The vibe is just absolute gratitude, 100 percent. The fact that not only did I get to live out that dream that I’ve had for so long, but also getting to represent what’s so important to me. You know, at the end of the day, I’m not a dancer. I’m a zookeeper, I’m an advocate for the environment, first and foremost. Through everything I’ve experienced growing up at Australia Zoo, our animal sanctuary and our nonprofit Wildlife Warriors, my whole life has been around this legacy that I continue, and I never thought I’d be able to bring that to a new audience on a dancing show, but I’ve been able to do that. And then also, further to that, I feel like I’ve been able to share so many other really personal stories that have meant a lot to me. And, of course, I’ve gained a new member of the Irwin family, an honorary Irwin family member, in Witney. She’s just part of the fam at this point, so I’m very grateful.

I spoke to Witney earlier in the season, and she had so much love for you. The bond that you have really showed throughout your journey on the show. Why do you think that Witney was the perfect partner for you?

I think it was just perfect because she, first of all, in some small way, she’d actually been part of the Dancing With the Stars journey for my sister as well, because she was on my sister’s season. I met her when I was 11 years old and I was in the ballroom. I knew her as my favorite choreographer on the show, and in that 10-year period where I had this dream of doing the show, my sister always said, “If you ever get paired with anyone, I reckon it’ll end up being Witney.” I don’t know, we just kind of manifested that. And for me, I found it a privilege to dance to a Witney Carson freestyle in that finale episode, like, that’s a big thing in the world of dance. She is the greatest, really. And it’s nice she’s not here [in this interview] to shut me up. She hates it when I pile all of these compliments on her, but honestly, she is the best. It just felt right, like from the moment I walked through the door and saw her there and knew that she’d be my partner, I just immediately felt really safe and like I had someone who could protect me and not only teach me how to dance, but also make sure I could be supported and someone that always just believed in me every step of the way.

I love that you talk about how doing the show was a dream of yours. I really think it was not a matter of if, more so when, you were going to appear on Dancing With the Stars, so why was season 34 in 2025 the right moment for you to do the show?

You’re so right. I always knew I would do this. I don’t know — I didn’t know how it would work out, because that dream started as an 11-year-old, and at that point, that’s not really the [show’s] prime age bracket. You know, my sister was very young — she was 17 [when she did DWTS] — but 11 is, you know, a little much. I knew it would happen eventually, but it just sort of, year after year, it kind of never quite lined up. And then it just sort of worked out perfectly where the stars aligned logistically. I was at this point in my life where I just wanted to take that leap, and it just worked and felt like this was the perfect season. You know, not only because I think the show has reached this incredible level of connection with their audience, but also, I mean, I’m biased, but I think the cast and pros on this season were just such a wonderful bunch of people, and I’ve just grown so close with all of them. Plus, behind the scenes, everybody’s exactly the same as when my sister did it. So it was this incredible new crop of people to interact with, but then everybody within the actual structure of the show, making it happen, [were] all exactly the same. I felt like I was just welcomed back into this family.

If you could talk to yourself 10 years prior, when you were in the ballroom watching Bindi win, what would you tell yourself?

Oh, geez, I would just say, “Start stretching now (Laughs). Start doing Pilates, start working out.” There’s nothing that can prepare you for the physicality of it. But I would just say, hang in there, and one day that dream will come true. Really, it all started with this immense sense of pride in what my sister was doing on the show, because I realized that she was doing more than just carrying on the legacy that I think our family carries. But she was having this life-changing experience, and she was spreading a real important message. And I just always knew, I just thought, Wow, one day, however long it takes, I want to have that experience and follow in her footsteps. But I was also able to make this my own and make it a very individual journey. The most powerful and important part of this journey was, I think, the team aspect that Witney and I had. We had the backing from our families — Witney’s family, my family came all the way from Australia — everybody was backing us, and we were sharing stories that I think really resonated with everyone across the country. That love and support and the kindness that we felt from everybody in America and around the world was everything. I had everyone back in Australia that were cheering us on, and it just felt like we were doing something that was actually giving back and giving a sense of inspiration to people, and that was the most important thing for me, and for us, going into it.

What has doing Dancing With the Stars, and now winning, taught you about yourself?

It’s taught me a lot. I think the biggest thing it’s taught me is two things: The two words that spring to my mind would be trust and vulnerability. I think having a sense of trust in the people around you, like for me, I had absolute and complete faith in Witney, and she had that same trust in me. I feel like we just both believed in each other 1,000 percent: We just knew whatever we would do, as long as it was fun and it felt right, it was going to be great. And also, I think personally, I found the moments where I let go the guard, the filter and just let the emotions just really be at that surface level and not care if if I was crying or I was just ecstatically happy, whatever that feeling was, just to let it happen and sit in that kind of vulnerable state of, Well, here’s the heart on the sleeve, take it or leave it — there’s a great power in that. And I think everybody felt that, all of the contestants from every different walk of life. You’ve got people that you think of [who go on] Dancing With the Stars, [and] you think, Oh, these people are going to be pretty, confident, outgoing people. But you come to realize that if you’re an actor or you’re a musician or you’re a zookeeper or you’re an Olympian, we’re all just people, and we’re all just suffering with the same imposter syndrome and the same trials and tribulations. So really, Dancing With the Stars, it’s just about getting a cross-section of humanity together to work towards the same goal and share common stories.

We have had Bindi and Robert Irwin on the show. There’s another Irwin, I think, the audience would love to see. Do you think that your mom, Terri Irwin, would do Dancing With the Stars?

Listen, the petition to have my mom on Dancing With the Stars has begun, and I started it. I started this season, and she is firmly like, “Nope, I’m not doing it. That’s not for me.” And I’m like, “Well, I’m gonna wear you down,” so let’s wear her down and get her on there, because I think she would be great. I mean, I didn’t know I could dance, Bindi didn’t know that she could dance. We were able to dance and do this show, so that’s got to come from somewhere, right? Those dancing genes, I’m pretty darn sure they didn’t come from my dad. I mean, he was a very athletic human being, but [had] no rhythm. So, I mean, I guess [we got them from my] mom. It must be. I mean, it’s only fair, right? She’s got to do it.

What else is next for Robert Irwin? What can we expect from you to come?

I definitely think for me, I want to take on as many different projects as possible at this point. Because I feel like I’d always thought that the message that I have, of wildlife conservation, of passion and positivity and everything that I’m about, I kind of always saw this sort of one lane in one direction that I would travel in to spread that message. But now doing this show, a complete deviation from what I usually do, I’ve realized there are so many different avenues to connect with people and to tell stories, and I really think that’s what I’m here to do, you know? I want to find as many different mediums to do that, whether that’s through TV or movies or whatever that ends up being. I definitely want to take on bigger and better projects. And I also want to stay within this Dancing With the Stars family. I mean, that poor crew, I’m going to be part of the furniture now. Like, they’re not getting rid of me. Next season, I’m like, I’m in, just tell me, I’ll do it all over again. Like, put me in, coach. I’m here. Let’s go (Laughs).

All winners!

I mean, let’s do it! Let’s do an All-Stars [season]. That would be great.