Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars has wrapped, and Robert Irwin and Witney Carson have officially claimed the Mirrorball trophy after the show’s strongest ratings run in years.
The finale lineup included Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles and Elaine Hendrix.
For their final dances of the competition, Robert and Witney delivered a high-energy Quickstep to Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” for the Judges’ Choice round, followed by a dynamic Freestyle set to Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold” and Avicii’s “The Nights.” They rounded out the night with an impromptu Cha Cha to “Cake by the Ocean” in the Instant Dance round.
Upon grasping the famous trophy, Robert said: “My sister said it best: Thank you for changing my life!”
“I’m so grateful for Robert, honestly — I already feel like I won with him as my friend and I can’t thank you enough,” Witney added.
Robert’s week leading up to the finale wasn’t easy. Witney Carson admitted on TikTok, “We’re kind of falling apart right now,” explaining that “Robert’s ribs have been killing him” and that rehearsals required last-minute changes because of the pain.
Season 34 also highlighted how demanding the competition can be. Earlier in the season, Alix Earle revealed on TikTok, “I have bruises on my collarbones. My toenail came off during practice today.”
Behind the scenes, DWTS experienced a major resurgence. Showrunner Conrad Green said the strategy was simple: keep the core format and bring in new viewers through social engagement.
Casting director Deena Katz embraced influencers, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “The TikTok world has opened something up that I’ve never seen before.”
The result has been huge ratings, massive online engagement and the show’s biggest cultural impact in years. Season 35 now has momentum few could have predicted.
This year, finalists performed three routines: a Judges’ Choice dance guided by Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli; the Instant Dance Challenge, where couples learned their song and dance style mere minutes before hitting the floor; and a Freestyle, giving each couple the chance to pull out all the stops.
The finale also showcased a packed slate of non-competitive performances. All 14 season couples returned for group numbers set to “Sugar on My Tongue” by Tyler, The Creator, “Applause” by Lady Gaga, and “I Don’t Dance” by Alexander Jean.
Rounding out the night, reigning champions Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson from season 33 performed a special number to “Tanguera” by Fabio Hager Sexteto.
