Dancing With the Stars Season 34 has come to an end, and an injured Robert Irwin delivered three showstopping performances in an effort to take home the mirrorball trophy.
Five couples remained going into Tuesday night’s three-hour Dancing With the Stars finale, all of whom earned a coveted spot with judges’ scores and viewer votes. For the final episode, each team danced three dances: a judges’ choice dance, an instant dance, and a freestyle routine.
The Judges’ Choice dances were first, giving an opportunity for the judges to provide coaching to the couples as they learn a new dance style. The Instant Dance Challenge followed. For this challenge, the couples learned which dance style and song they had to perform just minutes before performing it. The final dance was the popular Freestyle dance.
Those who made it to the finale are:
- Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin & his professional partner Witney Carson
- “Parent Trap” actress Elaine Hendrix & dancing pro, Alan Bersten
- Social media personality Alix Earle & her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy
- Television personality and “Traitors” winner Dylan Efron and professional dancer Daniella Karagach
- Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and dancing pro, Ezra Sosa
Throughout the season, Robert Irwin has remained a fan favorite, but, as seen in past seasons, that doesn’t automatically result in a win. Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy have consistently topped the leaderboard and are considered to be Robert and Witney’s closest competition. Dylan Efron and Elaine Hendrix are easily the most improved dancers of the season and have built a loyal and excited fan base. And Jordan Chiles has also wowed all season, coming into her own on the dance floor later in the season, earning her first perfect scores during the semi-final round last week.
Robert Irwin went into the finale with an injury.
The day before the finale, Irwin’s professional dance partner, Witney Carson, revealed that the wildlife conservationist had suffered a rib injury. That injury forced the pair to make some changes to their choreography to compensate for the pain Robert was in.
RELATED: ROBERT IRWIN EARNS FIRST PERFECT SCORES OF THE SEASON WITH “PROFOUND” TRIBUTE TO HIS DAD
But when it came time to hit the dance floor, Robert masterfully hid the pain and delivered flawless performances. His first dance was a Quick Step to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet. Judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli praised his delivery, but Carrie Ann Inaba called out a couple of missteps. Robert’s first dance earned him a 29 out of 30 possible points. The score tied Robert and Witney for 3rd place.
For the Instant Dance round, Robert and Witney were tasked with dancing a Cha-Cha to “Cake By The Ocean” by DNCE. The pair had five minutes to change into costumes and work out a routine before performing.
Robert was vocal about his nervousness ahead of the Instant Dance, but he didn’t let it show. In fact, Derek Hough told him after the performance that it was “incredibly impressive.” The other judges agreed and awarded Robert and Witney a perfect score of 30, moving them into a tie for 2nd place.
For their final dance, Robert and Witney danced a freestyle routine to “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii. It was their last chance to show the judges and America why they deserved to win this season’s title.
Ahead of their performance, Robert got emotional while talking about his late father and admitted that he wishes his dad could be there to witness this moment.
“I know I wouldn’t be here without my dad and his legacy. And I really want to make him proud in this dance,” Robert said. “I want to show him how we’re gonna write our own story … I wish he could see it. I really wish he could be here.”
Once again, Robert and Witney delivered a perfect dance, despite Robert’s injury and the emotion surrounding the dance. The judges awarded them another perfect score, bringing their total of the night to 89 out of 90 points.
Were Robert Irwin and Witney Carson’s finale night dances enough to earn him the Dancing With the Stars Season 34 title?