On Tuesday night, November 25, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and his partner Witney Carson were crowned the new champions of Dancing with the Stars season 34.
This event followed an 11-week long competition full of pressure, perseverance, and most importantly the growing emotional attachment to dance experience throughout the season.
A few days prior to the finale, Irwin had been working on his final routines so hard that he would often feel severe pain on his ribs during final rehearsals and practices.
That however did not stop him from winning the Mirrorball trophy on finale night, which was a major accomplishment for both him and his partner.
Carson’s only other occasion winning Dancing with the Stars as a professional partner was 11 years ago, when she and current DWTS host Alfonso Riberio were crowned Mirrorball champions of season 19 in November 2014.
Irwin’s sister, Bindi Irwin, also won the Mirrorball trophy 10 years ago on season 21 in November 2015 with her partner Derek Hough, a current judge on the show.
This means both Irwin children are officially Mirrorball champions together, which is a great way to support their father Steve Irwin’s legacy.
During a segment on the Good Morning America DWTS After Party the next day on November 26, a recording with Bindi Irwin supporting her brother’s win was shown where Bindi stated she hoped Robert’s trophy would make it to the Australia Zoo where it would be placed right next to her trophy from 10 years ago.
The other finalists alongside Robert Irwin have been quite remarkable contestants as well.
Social media personality Alix Earle and her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy finished at second place next to Irwin’s placement, where they scored all 10’s in her three dances for the finale. The voting for the winner was a close call between Earle and Irwin, with the gap between their votes being “one of the tightest they have ever seen in a finale”, DWTS co-host Julianne Hough said while keeping the audience waiting for the winner announcement. Irwin ultimately took the win at more votes than Earle by the end.
Third place saw Olympic artistic gymnast Jordan Chiles and her partner Ezra Sosa, the latter being his first time making DWTS finals.
Chiles’ freestyle dance was incredible to watch, as she showcased some of her cool flip routines into the performance, along with a guest appearance from Normani, a member of Fifth Harmony and former contestant on DWTS season 24 in 2017, where they were using her song “Motivation” as part of the freestyle dance.
Chiles has also done flips on stage throughout several other dances from the season. She is one of several gymnasts who has ever competed on DWTS.
Reality television personality Dylan Efron and his partner Daniella Karagach took fourth place in the placement lineup.
Efron had initially struggled with his dances during early weeks due to not being used to performing, unlike his famous brother Zac Efron.
However, as weeks progressed Efron’s dance skills became increasingly better over time to the point where his week 9 Argentine Tango to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers went viral on social media, along with the couple’s freestyle dance to “Something in the Heavens” by Lewis Capaldi bringing everyone to tears due to its emotional weight representing Efron’s growth throughout the season. The performance abilities of each finalist were so tight, though, that Efron did not make the top three, but still made a spot into the finale at least.
Lastly, film and television actress Elaine Hendrix and her partner Alan Bersten took fifth place in the lineup respectively.
Hendrix has enjoyed an incredible season of regaining her love for dancing, following a dance hiatus of over 30 years after a car accident where she eventually started focusing more on acting until this season.
The couple got lots of high scores in dances throughout the season, despite Hendrix already being over 50 years old, where she would often boast about her age and dancing skills comparison, often stating “I’m 54 and I just did that!”
While a rib injury forced her to miss out on competing for Halloween night on October 28, the couple came back the following week and performed their absolute best for the remainder of the season, eventually landing Hendrix a spot for the freestyle round on finale night.
The current Dancing with the Stars season wrapped up on November 25, 2025 following Irwin’s win.
The five finalists attended the DWTS After Party on Good Morning America the next day, and a Christmas special for DWTS is set to air December 2 on ABC.
