Who won ‘DWTS’ Season 34? Fan-favorite duo takes home coveted Mirrorball trophy after stunning finale
ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34 has crowned its winner, and it's exactly who you expected. The dance competition's three-hour finale concluded with an epic showdown between celebrity contestants, and we finally have a winner. With intense competition and major entertainment, the five finalists left no stone unturned to impress both judges and viewers. But in the end, one fan-favorite celebrity took home the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, and we couldn't be more excited.
Yes, you guessed it right; the winner of 'DWTS' Season 34 is Robert Irwin and his pro partner, Witney Carson, with Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy claiming the title of Runner-Up. In the Judges' Choice Round, Irwin did a quickstep to 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl.' Carrie Ann Inaba called the performance "amazing, wonderful," noting one mistake. Derek Hough praised him as "the quickstep king," saying it was "crisp and clean" with fantastic movement. Bruno Tonioli joked he'd get a "fine for breaking the speed limit," calling it "nimble, light," like a gazelle but with "the power of a lion." The pair scored 29 out of 30, as per Gold Derby.
In the Instant Dance Challenge, Irwin admitted before performing that "the cha cha just never made sense to me," as he and Carson prepared to dance to 'Cake By the Ocean.' Inaba praised the strong partnership that helped carry them through the routine. Hough confessed, "I was nervous for you for that one," but said the rotation "was honestly so incredibly impressive." Tonioli added, "So much cleaner. Your placement was so much better. You were on fire." The pair earned a perfect 30 out of 30.
For the freestyle round, Irwin and Carson delivered an emotional freestyle to 'Black & Gold' by Sam Sparro and 'The Nights' by Avicii. Despite performing with injured ribs, the routine featured numerous lifts and multiple pro dancers, raising the level of difficulty and pressure. Inaba praised him, saying, "I hope you will accept all of our love and acceptance … Thank you for everything." Hough called it "the most beautiful freestyle" and said Irwin is "an example of how to move through life with grace." Tonioli added, "That was a 24 karat solid gold performance." The judges rewarded the dance with a perfect score, 30 out of 30.
Notably, Irwin's major win was not without some difficulties, as the environmentalist suffered a rib injury ahead of the much-talked-about finale. In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday, Nov. 25, Carson hinted that Irwin had been dealing with an injury that would be addressed in the episode. She shared that "Robert's ribs have been killing him, and more will be revealed on Tuesday, and you guys can get a better idea of what we've been dealing with all week," as per USA Today.
@witneycarsonofficial WHAT!!! Tomorrow we dance for the final time 😭 #grwm #dwts #witneycarson #robertirwin ♬ original sound - Witney Carson
Carson added that the situation forced her to tweak their final freestyle routine, noting that, "it's honestly the most stressful part because this is just getting it all together, and it's going to take some time." Carson described the finale as bittersweet, saying the past 11 weeks of rehearsals have been physically and emotionally draining. She admitted, "I was so emotional yesterday, I couldn't stop crying, I think for a bunch of different reasons."
