"Not his best": Dancing with the Stars fans react to Robert Irwin getting a perfect 30 for his Instant Round Cha Cha performance

Dancing with the Stars season 34 is currently in its final leg, where the five finalists battle it out to take home the Mirrorball Trophy by stepping on stage for three rounds of dancing, each with a different challenge. 

Among the contestants in the final lap to the finish line is Robert Iwrin and his pro dance partner Witney Carson. 

In the Instant Round, where the couples were given their songs and the dance styles just minutes before their performances, Robert and Witney got assigned the Cha Cha. As for their soundtrack, they got Cake by the Ocean by DNCE. 

Although Robert announced before the round that he did not want to do the Cha Cha, he managed to pull it off impressively. The judges were wowed by his improvisation skills and granted a ten each, leaving him with a perfect score in that round. 

However, viewers disagreed with the judges’ verdict, as they took to X to share their thoughts on his act. According to them, Robert’s timing was off as he made a misstep at the start of his routine. 

The Dancing with the Stars viewers wondered how he scored a perfect 30 despite the faults in the performance, as one commented:

“I know Robert’s going to win and I’m so sorry for saying it but this cake by the ocean cha cha dance is not his best…”

Many Dancing with the Stars fans called out the judges for being biased toward Robert.

“the judges are on some f**king crack. i am a robert shooter for life but he VERY CLEARLY messed up the timing. goving him a perfect score over elaine who had ONE tiny misstep is actually criminal. BOOOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO,” a fan wrote. 

“I want Robert to win but that was not a 10 performance..... I feel like the judges are scared to judge fairly because of the social media backlash and criticism they would get if they did. Shame,” another one commented.

“so let robert make a blatant mistake and give him a perfect score and not mention it but elaine doesn’t have a single obvious mistake and she gets all 9s this is ridiculous atp like i don’t even want to watch,” an X user reacted.

Other Dancing with the Stars fans expressed a similar sentiment. 

“Ok now - I love Robert as much as the next person, but 10s when he messed up noticeably and BAD but not for Elaine?! Idk man…idk,” a person wrote. 

“robert getting a perfect score after literally stopping more than once, looking like a deer in headlights, and not moving his hips for a cha cha…. and you’re telling me this show wasn’t rigged from the moment he was announced??” another netizen commented.

“This Robert praise AND perfect score when he had more visible missteps in his instant dance than Elaine…” a fan posted.

What did the Dancing with the Stars judges say about Robert Irwin’s Instant Cha Cha routine?

During rehearsals, ahead of the finale, Robert admitted to the cameras that he did not want the Cha Cha in the Instant Round. However, he ended up with that exact dance style.

Despite the nerves and a rib injury during practice, the conservationist pushed through and left a lasting impression on the judges. 

His growth moved the Dancing with the Stars panelists throughout the season, as Bruno Tonioli said:

“So much cleaner, your placement, you were on fire.”

Carrie Ann Inaba echoed Bruno’s sentiments, adding that she was fond of the chemistry between Robert and his partner. 

Derek Hough admitted that he was nervous about Robert’s act, but was pleasantly surprised. The zookeeper’s hip rotation, particularly wowed him. 

“It was so incredibly impressive. That dance is so hard, and you did fantastic. Well done,” Derek said.

While speaking with co-host Julianne Hough, Robert confessed that his ribs were “sore” from the Cha Cha routine before admitting that “dancing is hard.”

Nonetheless, his efforts paid off as he emerged with a perfect score of 30 points out of 30.

Viewers, on the other hand, disagreed with the scoring, saying the judges should have pointed out his mistakes as they did Elaine’s. 

Elaine and her partner Alan danced a Quickstep to You Can’t Hurry Love by The Supremes. They received 27 points after being pointed out for missteps and “foot faults.”

Stay tuned for more updates.