Robert Irwin earned a perfect score of 40 on this week’s episode of Dancing with the Stars in the US, delivering a dance that served as an emotional tribute to his late father.
Irwin and his dance partner Witney Carson danced a foxtrot to the song Footprints in the Sand, a performance he said was inspired by his older sister Bindi and her season-winning stint on the same show back in 2015.
Bindi’s dance had been dedicated to their late father, conservationist Steve Irwin, and Robert was joined on stage by his sister towards the end of his performance.
They stood hand-in-hand and looked on as a video projected on the dance floor showed scenes of their father with them when they were young.
As the performance ended, Robert dropped to his knees, appearing overcome with emotion. Both his sister and dance partner Carson rushed to comfort him.
Their efforts scored Irwin a perfect score of 40 from the judges.
Sharing footage of the dance on social media, one viewer dubbed it “one of the most beautiful performances in #DWTS history.”
There was another surprise during this week’s episode: Irwin got a video message of support from none other than Prince William.
“You guys have got a serious good chance of winning,” he told Irwin and his dance partner in a greeting that was played during their rehearsal video package. “Best of luck on the show!”
Irwin’s performance was markedly similar to one he performed earlier in the season: Also dressed in white, he’d dedicated that dance to his mother Terri, crediting her with holding the family together after his father’s passing. Terri joined her son on stage in the final moments of his performance, as Bindi did today.
It seems Robert’s got two modes as he races towards the season finale of Dancing with the Stars in just two weeks’ time: Emotional family tributes, and racy shirtless dance workouts like the salsa he performed in week three to a rapturous audience reaction.
Teasing this week’s episode on social media, Robert said he was excited to be able to pay tribute to his sister and her own season-winning DWTS stint a decade earlier.
“This week is a tough one, because we’ve got two dances, it’s going to be really special,” he said on Instagram.
“To do a Foxtrot to Footprints in the Sand – of course, my sister’s dance that she did with Derek on Season 21 – she’s such a big reason as to why I’m here doing this.”
