Dancing With The Stars celebrated its own, 20th Birthday Party on Tuesday night (Oct. 11), and Robert Irwin was handing out the gifts.
Party night featured two unique rounds of dance. The first saw couples complete routines set to the songs of freestyle routines from earlier DWTS seasons. Then, each celebrity performed with a former Mirrorball champion in the relay dance round, which pitted two couples, toe-to-toe.
Irwin, the Australian conservationist, and his dance partner Witney Carson completed the first perfect individual score of the season, nabbing 40 out of a possible 40. They did so to the tune of his elder sister, season 20 champ Bindi Irwin’s freestyle song as a tribute to their father, the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin.
In an embarrassment of riches, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach; Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy; and Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas also scored perfect rounds.
For his Relay Jive, Irwin teamed up with Xochitl Gomez (season 33 champion), facing off against Alix Earle and Joey Graziadei, swinging their hips to Olly Murs’ “Dance with Me Tonight.” Dressed in baby blue, Irwin looked at home as he does in a lion’s den, as he completed floor slides, leaps and showed off his fancy footwork. Earle and Graziadei, wearing red, had the second use on the ballroom floor. Irwin and Gomez were deemed winners, collecting the two bonus points.
The party ended on a bum note for Andy Richter and Emma Slater, who notched the lowest number of points and were eliminated from the competition.
Next week is Prince Night, which also serve as the semi-finals, while the winner will be crowned Nov. 25 following ABC’s three-hour finale. Watch Irwin’s Relay Jive below.
20th Birthday Party Leaderboard Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 42
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 42
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 42
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 40
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 39
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 36
Andy Richter and Emma Slater: 29 (ELIMINATED)
