It was a night filled with nostalgia and emotion on “Dancing with the Stars.” During the show’s 20th Birthday Party celebration, Derek Hough was visibly holding back tears after Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson delivered a deeply personal performance in honor of the Irwin family legacy.
Ahead of the relay round, Robert and Witney earned the season’s first perfect individual score, performing a Foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis — the same song Robert’s sister, Bindi Irwin, danced to during her winning season as a tribute to their late father, Steve Irwin.
“It was a lot of weight,” Robert admitted before the dance. “I really want it to be our best dance yet, to be honest.”
As the performance ended with a photo of the Irwin parents projected on the ballroom floor, Robert broke down in tears, joined by Bindi for a heartfelt embrace.
Hough, who partnered with Bindi during her winning season, said he felt “honored” to be part of the Irwin family’s story once again.
“I feel honored to be tangled in the Irwin story,” Hough said. “Robert is this generation’s beacon of joy.”
The touching performance moved the entire ballroom.
Guest judge Tom Bergeron admitted he was “annoyed” because he was trying not to get choked up, recalling that the last time he saw Robert, the young conservationist was just 11 years old, watching his sister dance.
Before the show, Robert received a royal surprise. While rehearsing, he got a video call from Prince William, who joked that they missed him at the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Brazil.
Robert explained, “I was supposed to be in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize, but I told him I’m still here in the competition.” The royal affectionately called him “twinkle toes” and wished him luck before hanging up. “I can’t believe he just said my name,” Witney said, laughing, while Robert added, “Let’s not mess this up!”
Their dance clearly impressed everyone — even the judges. Bruno Tonioli called it “the royal seal of approval,” while Carrie Ann Inaba praised it as “so powerful and profound.”
Robert and Witney earned a perfect 40 out of 40 for their touching performance, marking one of the season’s biggest moments.
The night also doubled as “Dancing with the Stars’” 20th anniversary celebration, featuring former host Tom Bergeron and six original pros from season 1 in a special opening number choreographed by Derek Hough.
The evening also included a moving tribute from pros Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold, who performed to “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga in honor of former DWTS family members who have passed away.
With just two weeks left in season 34, including next week’s Prince Night semifinals and the three-hour finale on Nov. 25, the competition is tighter than ever. Still, for many fans, Robert Irwin’s emotional dance will be remembered as one of the most powerful performances of the season.
Bobby Bones says he returned his Dancing With the Stars mirrorball trophy after being slighted by the show’s former host,
Bones, 45, revealed the news to his TikTok followers on Wednesday, November 12, saying he was hurt by comments that Bergeron, 70, made to Parade earlier this week. The ABC dance competition’s ex-emcee told the outlet that he felt “shocked” by Bones’ 2018 victory and said it “was the the first time it was like, ‘Ouch.’”
The day after the outlet published the story, Bones aired his vulnerable reaction on social media.
“I try not to get my feelings hurt, especially about stuff like this, but this was hurtful,” Bones said Wednesday. “And not because of what was said, but really who said it.”
The radio personality said that he likes and admires Bergeron, but felt he was taking a cheap shot at him.
“I didn’t even wanna be on the show,” Bones recalled. “I had no intention of being on
He continued, “Like, it’s crazy the amount of hate I get, even from people I respect like Tom Bergeron” and
Bones said he feels “like a sixth grader and all the ninth-grade Dancing kids are shoving me in lockers.”
With exasperation, he pondered: “Like, what did I do? I had a great attitude. I worked hard, and here we are, like six years later, I’m still catching strays out of nowhere. So, I sent the trophy back. They don’t want me to be a part of the show, obviously. So I don’t wanna be somewhere that doesn’t want me to be there.”
He repeated, “So I sent the trophy back to ABC. I no longer have the Mirrorball trophy.”
While he had “loved” being on the show, he confessed that the ongoing negative commentary by members of the
Bones remembered having “such a great, joyous time. Even though I was the only one in the whole crew that was dancing that had a full-time job at the same time.”
Bergeron has since apologized to Bones. On Wednesday, he took to his Instagram Stories and shared a screenshot of a direct message that he sent to the slighted winner.
“Bobby, it wasn’t my intention to hurt your feelings,” Bergeron said. “My ‘ouch’ was based on my honest feeling that your win spoke to a need to address the balance between judge and viewer voting.”
He added, “I always felt bad that you & Sharna [Burgess] had to deal with the aftermath of that win & I certainly regret pouring any salt into that old wound.”