MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / REALITY TV

Robert Irwin ripped his shirt off on 'DWTS' — and we totally get why Carrie Ann Inaba was lost for words

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson performed a fiery salsa routine to 'Million Dollar Baby' by Tommy Richman

'Dancing With The Stars' judge Carrie Ann Inaba was left speechless after Robert Irwin ripped off his shirt in the middle of his performance on TikTok Night. During the third episode of 'DWTS' Season 34, which aired on September 30, Irwin and his pro partner Witney Carson performed a salsa routine to 'Million Dollar Baby' by Tommy Richman. Following their performance, Irwin stood in front of judges Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Inaba, shirtless, flaunting his abs. At that point, Inaba said, "Robert Irwin is all grown up. You're making me feel like a grandmother. I'm like, 'Put a shirt on!'"

Then, Inaba, who looked visibly flustered, struggled to find the right words to express her emotions. Inaba further added, "You are a really great performer. I'm just going to leave it there." On the other hand, Hough wasn't distracted by Irwin's abs, and he gave some constructive criticism to the wildlife conservationist by saying, "It was rigid. It was stiff for salsa." Soon after, the studio audience began booing Hough for his comments, but Inaba silenced them by saying, "Don't boo him!" 

When Tonioli was asked to share his feedback on Irwin and Carson's act, he called it a "wonderful performance" but noted that Derek was "absolutely right" and noted that they cannot let the contestants get away with the missed technique because of how competitive this season of 'DWTS' is. Later in the episode, co-host Julianne Hough also gushed over Irwin's chiseled physique when he and his partner Carson joined her in the sky box.

Then, Julianne exclaimed, "Robert's with me." In addition to this, Julianne also compared Irwin to his fellow Australians, actors Chris and Liam Hemsworth. Julianne went on to say, "I think it's another Hemsworth. I'm not sure." In his rehearsal package, Irwin stated how he uses TikTok to promote animal welfare. Furthermore, Irwin even introduced his professional partner, Carson, to one of the alligators he had rescued. Eventually, Irwin and Carson bagged a score of 24 out of 30 points from the judges.

After the episode, Julianne poked fun at Irwin's shirtless moment on social media. Then, the 'DWTS' co-host took to her Instagram page and posted a picture of herself standing beside Irwin with her eyes wide, looking off to the side. Julianne inserted a text over her body that read, "me," and over Irwin's body she wrote, "My afternoon snack." Then, Julianne simply captioned the hilarious post, "You too? #dwts" 

In the blink of an eye, the comments section of her Instagram post was filled with numerous messages from the fans who shared the same sentiments. One social media user wrote, "She just said what we were all thinking," followed by a second user who penned, "No way, how are you so quick with this." Another fan remarked, "Is it weird that both me and my 13-yr old have crushes on Robert Irwin?" Season 34 of 'Dancing With the Stars' airs on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET on ABC and Disney+. You can also stream it on Hulu the next day.