‘DWTS’ judges can’t stop gushing as season 34 duo lights up the stage with wild jive, scoring top marks
It seems like the 'DWTS' judge Derek Hough is in complete awe of Robert Irwin's first dance. During the premiere episode of 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34, which aired on September 16, Robert, the son of wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, and his professional partner Witney Carson stunned the judges Bruno Tonioli and Hough with their stellar first performance. In the episode, Robert and Carson danced to 'Born to Be Wild' by Steppenwolf, and the judges were taken aback by the duo's jive routine. By the end of Robert and Carson's performance, Tonioli was up on his feet, and he stated that their dance routine was "great."
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In addition to this, Tonioli also complimented the duo for their timing and being in sync. On the other hand, Hough, who won the prestigious mirrorball trophy with Robert's sister Bindi Irwin in season 21, said he's "so relieved" because Robert had "some big shoes to fill," as he jokingly asked him if he had been "practicing for 10 years." As per People magazine, while gushing over the performance, Hough enthused, "The best first dance I've ever seen on the show!"
Soon after, Robert mentioned that he's "doing it" for his family in the audience. Eventually, Robert and Carson bagged a combined score of 15 out of 20 points. In the episode, 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star Whitney Leavitt and her partner Mark Ballas were also awarded an overall score of 15 points for their tango routine, which was set to 'Golden' by K-pop Demon Hunters. At the end of the premiere, Robert and Leavitt emerged as the top scorers on the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson were tied up with Andy Richter and Emma Slater at the bottom of the leaderboard after scoring 9 out of 20 points.
Following that, Robert took to his Instagram page and shared his honest thoughts on his first dance on Season 34 of 'DWTS.' Then, Robert simply captioned the post, "BEST NIGHT EVER! Our first dance! I started my rehearsals without the slightest idea of how to dance, and I am just so grateful to @witneycarson for being the most incredible teacher. This show means the world to me and I am pinching myself that I get to live out a childhood dream. And how special to have my family here to celebrate with me. Team IrWINit are here to bring passion and positivity into the ballroom! Week one done, onto the next!"
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Once the clip of Robert's first performance was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of 'Dancing with the Stars', the fans couldn't stop themselves from raving over the act. One social media user wrote, "That slide at the beginning was so smooth. I had a feeling he would be good, but he still exceeded my expectations." Followed by the second user who penned, "MY MOUTH IS ON THE FLOOR. I’m so proud of you, Robert and the whole of Australia is rooting for you!" Another netizen went on to say, "Robert did so good! I’m impressed! Witney is going to make him shine this season. This was such a fun dance!"