Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Finale: Robert Irwin earns perfect 30 for an emotional freestyle honoring his late father

In the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale’s freestyle round, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson earned a perfect 30 for a routine built around “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii, even as Irwin danced through rib pain and dedicated his work to honoring his late father, Steve Irwin.

The title outcome of the night rested with Irwin and Carson, who went on to win the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Dancing with the Stars finale: Freestyle Round

On the finale night of Dancing with the Stars Season 34, the five remaining couples each delivered a freestyle after completing their earlier routines, using the round as a final statement to judges and viewers.

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson’s freestyle combined “Black & Gold” and “The Nights,” loaded with lifts and additional pro dancers, and was performed while Irwin managed rib pain that had been acknowledged in the lead‑up to the show.

In the broadcast, Dancing with the Stars judges underscored the stakes of the freestyle round by emphasizing both risk and personal narrative.

Robert Irwin’s perfect‑30 freestyle

Robert Irwin’s stated goal for his freestyle was to make his late father proud, a theme that had followed him throughout Dancing with the Stars Season 34 as he referenced Steve Irwin’s legacy and his own wildlife‑conservation work.

The routine’s musical choices, pairing “Black & Gold” with “The Nights,” aligned with that narrative of remembrance and living with purpose, while the choreography leaned on soaring lifts and traveling patterns that required coordination among Irwin, Carson, and the assisting pros.​​

Carrie Ann Inaba responded to the freestyle by telling Irwin, 

“I hope you will accept all of our love and acceptance ... Thank you for everything.”

Derek Hough followed by stating, “You have just done the most beautiful freestyle,” and added that Irwin is “an example of how to move through life with grace.”

Bruno Tonioli completed the judging panel’s reaction with, “That was a 24 karat solid gold performance,” summing up the panel’s assessment before the trio delivered straight 10s for a total of 30 out of 30.​

Scores, standings, and the broader Season 34 picture

In aggregate scoring for the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale, Irwin and Carson’s card included a Quickstep to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” a Cha Cha in the Instant Dance round, and the freestyle that completed their night, yielding an overall judges’ total of 89 out of 90.

They finished one point behind Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy on judges’ points but prevailed in the combined judges’ and public‑vote tally, with coverage citing roughly 72 million votes cast during the finale.

The Season 34 field, which included finalists Alix Earle, Jordan Chiles, Dylan Efron, and Elaine Hendrix alongside champion Robert Irwin, was framed across entertainment outlets as one of the more competitive lineups in recent years for Dancing with the Stars.

Irwin’s win created a ten‑year bookend for the Irwin family on the franchise, as Bindi Irwin had previously won Season 21 with Derek Hough, who now serves as a judge on the panel that evaluated Robert’s freestyle.

In that context, Irwin’s injury‑defying, family‑focused freestyle functioned as complementary capstones to a season that repeatedly tied personal narratives to the technical and theatrical demands of Dancing with the Stars.

Stay tuned for more updates.