Robert Irwin and Witney Carson won the Season 34 finale of Dancing with the Stars on November 25, 2025, in a result that combined a powerful audience connection with an emotional Irwin family milestone.
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy earned the highest judges’ total, but more than 72 million votes helped Irwin and Carson claim the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in one of the closest reported finales in the show’s history.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson won Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars on November 25, 2025, taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy after a finale shaped by record-level audience enthusiasm and one of the closest vote races in the show’s history.
Irwin’s victory was especially emotional because his older sister, Bindi Irwin, won the same trophy with Derek Hough in Season 21. Bindi and her mother, Terri Irwin, were in the audience for the finale, giving the result a striking family connection: two Mirrorball Trophies now belong to the Irwin family and Australia Zoo.
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But the result was not simply a judges’ decision. Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy finished with the highest judges’ total, while Irwin and Carson were one point behind. The deciding factor was the combination of judges’ scores and live viewer votes. More than 72 million votes were cast, and contemporary reporting described the margin between the leading finalists as one of the tightest ever seen.
Where to watch the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale
During Season 34, the show aired live on ABC and Disney+, with new episodes made available on Hulu the following day for subscribers. Streaming catalogs and regional access can change, so check the current ABC, Disney+ or Hulu listing before relying on it to watch the finale or the full season.
Season 34 final placements
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson — winners
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy — runners-up
- Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa
- Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten
Why Robert Irwin won despite not leading the judges
The most important distinction in the finale is that Irwin did not have the highest judges’ score. Earle and Chmerkovskiy earned a perfect 90 points across the three rounds. Irwin and Carson earned 89, tied with Chiles and Sosa. Efron and Karagach finished on 88, while Hendrix and Bersten had 87.
The judges’ leaderboard therefore could not determine the winner on its own. The show’s result also included live viewer voting. With more than 72 million votes cast, Irwin’s broad season-long connection with the audience appears to have outweighed his one-point deficit with the judges. That is an inference from the public scoring and the reported result—not a disclosed calculation of the vote weighting or a published vote breakdown.
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Reporting also said that Irwin and Earle each received more votes than any previous finalist or competitor, although the exact totals and the numerical margin between them were not publicly disclosed. The finale can accurately be called exceptionally close; it cannot be assigned a precise vote spread without evidence that has not been released.
Every Season 34 finale routine and score
Each of the five finalists performed three routines: a Judges’ Choice, an Instant Dance Challenge routine and a freestyle.
Round one: Judges’ Choice
For the first round, the judges selected routines intended to showcase each couple’s progress and strengths.
| Couple | Dance and song | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy | Samba to “Hip Hip Chin Chin” by Club des Belugas | 30/30 |
| Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach | Pasodoble to “Stampede” by Alexander Jean featuring Lindsey Stirling | 28/30 |
| Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten | Rumba to “Take My Breath Away” by Jae Hall | 30/30 |
| Robert Irwin and Witney Carson | Quickstep to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet | 29/30 |
| Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa | Pasodoble to “Breakin’ Dishes” | 29/30 |
Irwin’s quickstep came with an additional layer of concern. During finale preparation, he discussed worsening rib pain involving the intercostal muscles, and Carson said that his health was her priority. Available reporting supports describing the problem as rib or intercostal pain; it does not establish a fracture, tear or other medical diagnosis.
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Round two: Instant Dance Challenge
The Instant Dance Challenge tested how quickly the couples could adapt. The routines were not completely improvised: the dancers had prepared material for possible styles earlier in the week, but they had only minutes to adjust to the style and song ultimately assigned to them.
| Couple | Assigned dance and song | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy | Cha-cha to “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?” by RAYE | 30/30 |
| Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach | Foxtrot to “Ordinary” by Alex Warren | 30/30 |
| Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten | Quickstep to “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes | 27/30 |
| Robert Irwin and Witney Carson | Cha-cha to “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE | 30/30 |
| Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa | Tango to “I Like It” by Alesso and Nate Smith | 30/30 |
Round three: Freestyle
The freestyle round ended with a clean sweep: every couple received 30 out of 30.
| Couple | Freestyle music | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy | “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado and “Sports Car” by Tate McRae | 30/30 |
| Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach | “Something in the Heavens” by Lewis Capaldi | 30/30 |
| Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten | “I Hope I Get It” from A Chorus Line, performed by District 78 | 30/30 |
| Robert Irwin and Witney Carson | “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii | 30/30 |
| Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa | “Motivation” by Normani | 30/30 |
Final judges’ leaderboard
| Rank by judges’ total | Couple | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy | 90/90 |
| 2= | Robert Irwin and Witney Carson | 89/90 |
| 2= | Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa | 89/90 |
| 4 | Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach | 88/90 |
| 5 | Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten | 87/90 |
This table explains why the finale should not be summarized as a judges’ victory for Irwin. His Mirrorball win came from the full competition result, which combined the judges’ scores with public voting.
The Irwin family Mirrorball moment
Irwin’s background made the win resonate beyond the ballroom. He is a wildlife conservationist, zookeeper and wildlife photographer, as well as the son of the late Steve Irwin. His victory followed his sister Bindi’s Season 21 win a decade earlier.
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After the result, Robert echoed a sentiment Bindi had expressed after her own victory: “Thank you for changing my life.” Carson described herself as already feeling like a winner because of her friendship with Robert. Bindi later celebrated that two Mirrorball Trophies now call Australia Zoo home.
Terri and Bindi’s presence in the ballroom turned the final announcement into a family celebration, while the close vote gave the result genuine suspense. Earle had the strongest judges’ night, all five couples finished their freestyles with perfect scores, and the audience ultimately gave Irwin and Carson the extra push they needed.
The real takeaway from the finale
Season 34’s ending demonstrated the difference between technical judging and audience momentum. Earle and Chmerkovskiy won the judges’ leaderboard by a single point over Irwin and Carson, but that advantage did not settle the competition. The public vote was enormous, the leading contenders reportedly broke previous vote records, and the final margin was never published.
So the most defensible explanation is also the simplest: Robert Irwin won because the combined result favored him. His performances held up under pressure—including a perfect 30 in the Instant Dance Challenge while managing reported rib pain—and his personal connection with viewers proved powerful enough to overcome a narrow judging deficit. The Mirrorball was not awarded for the highest judges’ total alone; it went to the couple that prevailed once the audience was counted.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Dancing with the Stars Season 34?
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson won Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. They defeated Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy in the finale on November 25, 2025.
Did Robert Irwin have the highest score in the DWTS finale?
The final judges’ totals were Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy with 90, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson with 89, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa with 89, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach with 88, and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten with 87. The judges’ totals were combined with live viewer votes to determine the winner.
How close was the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 vote?
More than 72 million votes were cast. Reporting described the race between Robert Irwin and Alix Earle as one of the tightest in the show’s history, but the exact vote totals and numerical margin were not publicly disclosed.
Where can you watch the Season 34 Dancing with the Stars finale?
Season 34 aired live on ABC and Disney+, with new episodes available on Hulu the next day for subscribers during the season. Current availability may vary by location and can change, so check the services’ current listings.
The Bottom Line
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson won the Season 34 Dancing with the Stars finale on November 25, 2025. Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy led the judges 90–89, but more than 72 million viewer votes helped Irwin overcome that one-point deficit in one of the show’s closest reported finales.
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