In case you haven't been following along, Robert Irwin has been the standout star to watch on this year’s season of *Dancing with the Stars* in the U.S. From flaunting his moves in the season premiere to "Born to Be Wild," to unveiling his new character in the upcoming Disney film *Zootopia 2* during last week’s episode, each week has delivered a whirlwind of excitement for viewers. But today, the spotlight took a deeply emotional turn, leaving fans in tears after a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Terri Irwin.
“She was there. And that was enough.”
This week’s theme on *DWTS* was Dedication Night, requiring each celebrity to select someone special in their lives to honor through dance. While many chose friends or siblings, for Robert, the choice was obvious—it had to be his mom, Terri.
“I want to dedicate this dance to my mom,” he shared during Week 5’s episode. “She’s an absolute hero to me. I was just two years old when I lost my dad, and as I grew older, I realized how incredibly difficult it must have been for her to be there for us while also continuing the legacy she and Dad built together.”
Through tears, Robert admitted he’d “never been able to fully express the depth of my gratitude.” “At every milestone, I just wished my dad could be there,” he said. “But she was there. And that was enough.”
“You gave us all of your heart and soul.”
Partnered with Witney Carson, Robert and Witney delivered a poignant contemporary dance to Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be In My Heart”—a song Collins originally penned for his daughter Lily Collins in the 1999 film *Tarzan*.
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The emotional performance culminated in a heart-stirring moment when Terri herself joined Robert on the dance floor, both overwhelmed by emotion as tears streamed down their faces. It’s hard to imagine a single dry eye in the studio.
Bindi Irwin—who paid her own moving tribute to her father when she won the series in 2015—watched from the audience alongside her husband, Chandler Powell.
The dance received glowing praise from all four judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough, and special guest judge Kym Johnson-Herjavec.
“You gave us all of your heart and soul,” Bruno declared. “This was the truest expression of everlasting love.”
Derek—Bindi’s former partner during her winning season—also sang Robert’s praises: “I just have so much love for you guys. I’m so proud of you… The world needs the Irwin family.”
We’re rooting for you, Robert!
The performance earned a score of 35 out of 40—including his first three nines—placing him second on the final leaderboard. Robert trailed just one point behind Zac Efron’s brother, Dylan Efron, and his partner Daniella Karagach, and tied with influencer Alix Earle and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, both of whom had dedicated their routines to their youngest sisters.
At the end of the episode, it was announced that no one would be eliminated, meaning Robert will dance on for at least another week.
Robert remains one of the season’s frontrunners, alongside *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* star Whitney Leavitt.
