Since making his “Dancing With the Stars” debut this past week, Robert Irwin has been getting rave reviews for his performance. Derek Hough called his Jive with pro dancer Witney Carson “the best first dance I have ever seen on the show.” Bruno Tonioli told him that it “wasn’t good. It was great! Wonderful in the best possible way.”
The conservationist has stated that, after watching his sister win ten years ago, being on DWTS feels like “coming home.” But it seems “Dancing With the Stars” has had a place in his life beyond his sister’s involvement, with Irwin recently revealing that his crush growing up was a contestant on the show, as well.
Robert Irwin Opens Up About Zendaya & Bro Crush on Tom Holland
On September 19, Robert Irwin talked with BuzzFeed while playing with adorable puppies. One of the questions was about who his childhood celebrity crush was. “This is actually fitting, because she was on ‘Dancing With the Stars,” Irwin admitted. “Zendaya. Growing up, I just thought, ‘She’s cool.’
“But I also love Tom Holland,” he added about Zendaya’s fiancé. “Like, I’ve got a full bro crush on Tom Holland, too.”
Zendaya appeared on Season 16 of DWTS alongside pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. At 16, she was best known to Disney audiences at the time, and taking second place was particularly hard for her.
“I took it very seriously, which, in retrospect, I wish I didn’t,” she told W Magazine in January 2025. “I wish I’d enjoyed it a little bit more and just was like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ You know what I mean? But I was stressing myself out. I really went through it on that [show].”
Zendaya’s disappointment at the loss to Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough is something that Chmerkovskiy shared, as well.
“My biggest heartbreak was on “Dancing With the Stars,” not winning with Zendaya, honestly. That was a huge heartbreak for me because she was 16,” he previously told Entertainment Tonight. “I wanted this to be such a huge moment for her. She worked so hard, and I really wanted her to lift that trophy and jump-start her career. And she didn’t lift the trophy and I felt heartbroken about that.”
Irwin Thinks Dylan Efron is Just Getting Started on DWTS
The results of week 1 of DWTS had Irwin and Carson tied with Mark Ballas and Whitney Leavitt for the most points at 15. Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko’s cha-cha earned them second place with 14 points. Despite Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach ending up in the lower half of scores with 10 points, Irwin believes that Efron can still come out on top.
“This competition is amazing, and I see all of my fellow contestants less as competition and they’re just kind of becoming my mates,” Irwin said. “I think Dylan [Efron] is a real one to watch. Dylan Efron, he is incredible.”
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