All posts by Micaela Pena, Correspondent

Arts and Entertainment

Robert Irwin wins mirrorball trophy on ‘DWTS’

 

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.

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NECC vs. the world of object shows

 

Most students and other people at Northern Essex Community College have likely never heard of a phenomenal YouTube sensation known as object shows. These types of shows, which include the series Battle for Dream Island and Inanimate Insanity, are based on anthropomorphic object characters going through Survivor-like challenges in a competition, building friendships and having silly moments along the way. They are meant to be enjoyed by anyone stalking on YouTube who has a particular interest in animation vids, so why don’t typical college students give much thought into these shows?

A few people at NECC have at least been exposed to these shows at least once, but there are several factors as to why it might not be their biggest passion. “I think I’ve heard of [object shows], but not very much,” Emma McDonough, an early college student, said.

“I saw BFDI on TikTok,” Bianca DaSilva, another early college student, said. “But I’ve only heard of Inanimate Insanity once.”

Ricky DaSilva, an early college student, came up with some ideas as to why object shows are not very popular among teenagers in high school and college. “People’s attention span is being killed by TikTok and Instagram,” DaSilva said.

Bianca DaSilva seconds his opinion. “They are more convenient and easier for us to use rather than YouTube,” Bianca DaSilva said. Additionally, “not a lot of students go on YouTube,” McDonough said.

Mary Clark, learning coach at NECC, knows some greater detail behind the students at this college not being fully passionate about object shows. “Everybody’s algorithm tells them what to watch, but no two people share the same algorithm interests,” Clark said.

There is another major reason as to why most college students at NECC don’t fully connect with object shows on YouTube. On which platforms everyone used most often to view video content on television, Netflix came on top with 39% of viewership while YouTube trailed behind at 17%, Yahoo News said. This means Netflix is a streaming service which occupies college-age students’ minds more frequently than YouTube.

Madison O’Brien, an early childhood education major student, usually prefers Netflix over YouTube most of the time and has not heard of object shows completely. “Netflix is just more popular and has a greater attention span for viewers,” O’Brien said.

There is an even bigger factor contributing to object shows not appealing to college age students. Due to their friendly approach in terms of character design and visuals, object shows are primarily targeted towards Gen Alpha and younger audiences as they are a digital native group that spends a significant amount of time on YouTube, Google said. 

In other words, the object shows have not yet reached mainstream awareness for those who are older than Gen Alpha audiences, as those in Gen Z and older are more attached with other social media platforms relevant to their age level, whereas the younger Gen Alpha generation is more attached with YouTube as it’s easier for them to use, making it more likely for younger audiences to know about object shows rather than the rest of the human population.

Both BFDI and Inanimate Insanity have been increasing in viewership in recent years, yet still not well-known enough to capture the attention of all age groups, but they are still trying. Battle for Dream Island originally released to YouTube on January 1, 2010, while Inanimate Insanity was introduced a year later on April 1, 2011.

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Weekly specials back at Perfect Blend Cafe

 

The Perfect Blend Café at C Spurk Building in the Haverhill campus of NECC has brought back Weekly Wednesday Specials for the fall semester. This was mostly due to both persuasion and helpful decision making by the café staff to bring back this beneficial trend for those attending NECC who just need a little treat. 

Lynette Clark, Project Search and café manager, believes this trend returning could bring great outcomes for lots of cafegoers. “We wanted to make sure that the students had an affordable hot meal,” Clark said. “It’s good to have different choices, some that are healthier, and we just want filling foods for both students and faculty.”

 Pam Ross, who is part of the café staff, had a few other words to add on to this point. “We were inspired to do new things for students,” Ross said.

 The Perfect Blend Café has a wide number of staff members taking care of preparing the food and helping others with paying for meals. 

Some of the workers also feel that they made a great choice with bringing the trend back.

Reilly White, cashier and food preparer of the café, is one of those people who agrees with how the majority of the staff team has made a wise decision with their meals for the benefits of students. “People just like the Wednesday specials every week,” White said.

The weekly specials change each week, so people attending the Haverhill campus on Wednesday don’t exactly know which food the cafe will be serving as weeks go on. 

This week the special is pasta with meatballs and garlic bread. The specials are served alongside the café’s usual menu, which consist of breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, tater tots, drinks and snacks, along with many more food options.

Gabriel Polanco, an art major student at NECC, is mostly neutral towards the difference between normal meals at Perfect Blend and the weekly specials, assuming both are practically the same. “The food there isn’t a gourmet, but it [could still] fill you up,” Polanco said.

The weekly specials have also shown positive feedback towards the café operation itself as well. 

“We think they provide some great options and great service,” David Hobbs, police chief at NECC, said. “[Overall], we love having them here.”

The Perfect Blend Café is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week throughout both fall and spring semesters at the Haverhill campus of NECC. It is located on the first floor of C Building.

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YMCA child care moves off campus

 

The YMCA Child Care Program closed operations at NECC’s Haverhill campus this fall for a number of reasons. 

Several staff members recently spoke with this reporter about the transition of the child care space leaving D building (the sports and fitness center) and the content that will take up the space in the future. 

Nicole Pyburn, assistant director of the NECC athletic department, knows the primary reason behind this absence. “The program moved to another YMCA location in Haverhill,” Pyburn said.

Notable factors that caused this relocation to the YMCA of Haverhill were due to a lack of classroom space, along with construction, WHAV.net said. There was also at least one other major factor involved with this situation.

“I wasn’t involved in the decision, but the lease for the child care program to rent space expired,” Dan Blair, athletic director at NECC, said. “The police academy is moving into the space.”

Dana Margolis, facility director at NECC, provided some additional information regarding the space. “There will be new classrooms in D building,” Margolis said. These classrooms will be used by the police academy when renovation is completed. The former child care classrooms are currently receiving floor change and makeovers.

The child care program has removed belongings and items from their old location on the right side of D building, including the playground that has stood outside for years. The playground was torn down on Sept. 8. The program itself closed after a final day of classes on Aug. 27.

The program will be missed by several faculty members and people who work for NECC, including Keith Walker, director of canine operations and lieutenant of the police department, who is known by most students for going on walks with Winnie, the therapy dog at NECC. 

“The kids in the program will miss seeing the dog,” Walker said. “It’s the end of an era.”

The child care program originally opened its doors to NECC in January of 2021 as a new location for the ongoing YMCA child care services in the  Merrimack Valley, according to the NECC newsroom site.