A ‘DWTS’ pro thinks she already knows Season 34 finalists — and yes, Robert Irwin’s one of them
'Dancing With The Stars' pro Daniella Karagach is making her prediction about who will take the prestigious mirrorball trophy home in the upcoming season of the ABC dance competition. Up until now, ABC has officially revealed two contestants for 'DWTS' Season 34, and they are none other than the TikTok sensation Alix Earle and Australian conservationist Robert Irwin. During her latest interview with US Weekly, Karagach said, “We're starting off with a bang! [Alix Earle and Robert Irwin] are probably gonna be in the finale. Alix, just with her votes alone, and then Robert is just such a sweetheart. I’m sure they’re gonna do really well."
While acknowledging that 'DWTS' is "the only dance show left", Karagach gave credit to influencers like Charli D’Amelio and Earle for getting a wider audience to the beloved dance show. Karagach further elaborated, “Reality stars [and influencers] nowadays, they’re our celebrities. I know there are a lot of people who don’t understand the celebrity status [for the show] and are [asking], ‘Why are these TikTok [stars going on DWTS]?’ Because that’s what we are watching nowadays!”
Karagach, who has been a pro on 'Dancing With The Stars' since 2019, continued, "They’re on our screens all the time. People are on their phones. Before, it was the actors and musicians. Now it’s people like Alix Earle who we’re all looking up to. We’re watching her, and we’re like, ‘Oh, I want to hear what she has to say. I see her on the screen all the time, let me meet her in person, that’d be cool."
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In addition to this, Karagach also stated that casting movie stars can also bring more success to 'DWTS.' Karagach continued, "I think we should definitely keep having movie stars but also the people on reality shows — and different reality shows like Survivor and Traitors. We have so many cool shows, I would love to meet someone from Claim to Fame or Alone — like Gina [Chick], who won Alone. That’s cool to me. I think Deena Katz is doing such a great job casting the current people.”
In a separate interview with People magazine, Karagach candidly spoke about Irwin, who was the first confirmed contestant for 'DWTS' Season 34. Then, Karagach had nothing but good things to say about Irwin, and she mentioned that he reminded her of a contestant from the previous season. At that point, Karagach shared, "I think he's great. I think he's exactly like Stephen [Nedoroscik]. He's America's sweetheart. People loved Stephen — he just won everyone's hearts, [he's] so, so kind. And I feel like Robert gives that same energy. I think people are going to fall in love with him. He's going to do [well]. I mean, I'm sure he's going to be in the finals."
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For the unversed, let us share with you that Paris Olympics bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik competed on Season 33 of 'Dancing With The Stars' alongside his dance partner Rylee Arnold. Ultimately, Nedoroscik and Arnold reached the finale, but they failed to lift the mirrorball trophy, finishing in fourth place. 'The Bachelor' alum Joey Graziadei and his pro partner Jenna Johnson emerged as the winners of that particular season.
