‘Dancing With the Stars’ winner revealed in epic finale

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After months on the dance floor, a do-or-die night of dancing and a dramatic conclusion, Robert Irwin and pro partner Whitney Carson were announced as the last pair standing on Dancing With the Stars

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The animal activist won 10 years — almost to the day — after his sister, Bindi Irwin, took the title with her partner Derek Hough in Season 15.

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Irwin beat out influencer Alix Earle, Olympian Jordan Chiles, content creator Dylan Efron, and actress Elaine Hendrix to raise the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy alongside Carson.

But it was close.

How the night played out

Prior to the winner announcement, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro revealed that Irwin and Earle received more votes than any other Top 2 in the show’s history, and the margin was nearly too close to call.

The winners were determined by a combination of live viewer votes from the night as well as the scores from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.

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Chiles finished in third place, followed by Efron in fourth and Hendrix in fifth.

Upon winning, Irwin said in that enthusiastic way of his that has made him so popular: “My sister said it best, thank you for changing my life!”

He told People magazine after the show: “To follow in those footsteps and to do the same has meant everything to me. This has absolutely changed my life.”

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Russell Crowe shows his support

Robert, son of the beloved conservationist Steve Irwin, was joined by Bindi and their mother Terri to celebrate the victory.

Even family friend Russell Crowe weighed in on Robert’s journey on the show.

The Oscar winner told the New York Times in a weekend profile of Irwin that he thought his late pal would be “so impressed” with his son’s performance.

“Although Steve could read the rhythms of the seasons and every living creature, he was absolutely not gifted with a sense of musical rhythm,” Crowe joked. “In his hands, a tambourine became a deadly weapon.”

He added: “I think he would watch Robert dancing and how he uses his body, the strength and poise, and he would be in awe of his son.”

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Powered through the pain

That said, Irwin’s road to the final wasn’t exactly a smooth ride after Carson revealed in a TikTok video on Monday that Robert had been having pain in his ribs due to “11 weeks of crazy, vigorous, hard dancing.”

She detailed: “My body is feeling it. Robert’s body is feeling it. We’re, like, kind of falling apart right now. Just trying to keep it together for, like, two more days. Literally today and tomorrow, and then it’s over.”

She added: “Robert’s ribs have been killing him.”

It was a gruelling finale, which was split into three rounds: A dance chosen by one of the judges, an “Instant Dance Challenge” that tested the couples’ improvisational skills, and the fan-favourite freestyle.

Despite his win, Irwin admitted that he was nervous leading up to the season.

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“It was so scary coming over here, and I’ve had this dream that’s been in my head for 10 years, and I wanted to follow in Bindi’s footsteps,” he told Access Hollywood.

“I remember just watching her having this experience, lifting that Mirrorball, and when she lifted that trophy, she lifted the message that we represent, the conservation legacy, the legacy of my dad, and to keep that going is the honour of my lifetime.”

As for what he thought his dad’s response would be to his win, Robert kept it simple yet deeply satisfying for the Crocodile Hunter’s fans: “One word: Crikey.”

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