Robert Irwin nailed his “Wicked” jazz routine on “Dancing With the Stars” week 6, but he didn’t win over the judges enough to grab a single 10. Fans shared their surprise that Irwin’s dance with pro Witney Carson didn’t receive higher scores.
Robert Irwin & Witney Carson Deliver Exceptional DWTS ‘Wicked’ Night Performance
On the October 21 episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” the pairs were tasked with performing to songs from “Wicked.”
Irwin and Carson performed a high energy jazz routine to “Dancing Through Life.” Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough, and guest judge Jon M. Chu had rave reviews following the performance, but none of them gave Irwin and Carson a 10.
Irwin did receive his best score yet, however, with 9s across the board for a total of 36/40.
Inaba noted that “Dancing Through Life” should be Irwin’s “theme song,” adding, “That was so ambitious … You really took the challenge. You nailed it.”
Hough told him, “You were meant to be on stage. You were born to be a performer,” while Chu noted that watching Irwin dance in person was “even better” than watching him at home.
Tonioli said the performance “was a joyful, theatrical treat.”
Irwin’s Fans Thought He Should Have Earned 10s
Irwin later posted a video of his “DWTS” performance on Instagram. “Dancing through life! Tonight was unbelievable. I’m so grateful that I got to bring to life my favourite character from one of my favourite films, in the ballroom tonight,” he wrote in the caption.
He continued, “@witneycarson, THANK YOU for making this week fun, challenging, hilarious, exciting, and an absolute JOY … as always. I’m gonna miss practicing this routine every day.”
“I want to thank ALL of you for your support and having us back for another week, this experience is utterly unforgettable and life changing. See you next week! Love ya,” Irwin added.
Fans flooded the comments section with praise for his performance, with many wondering why it didn’t earn a single 10 from the judges.
“What more does he need to do to get a 10?! He earned it weeks ago!” one fan wrote.
Another person commented, “I am shocked that there were no 10s from the judges!! This was soooo good and seeing the other contestants that got 10 (very deserved) I think Robert was robbed!!”
“Where are the 10s for this man?” another fan asked.
One fan noted, “You are SPREADING SO MUCH JOY, ROBERT! Dancing through life! Beautiful! And those 10s are coming! Because you & Witney deserve them so much! ❤️”
“I’m so flabbergasted, like Robert you and Witney deserved 10s! UGH YOU LITERALLY SPUN ON BOOKS!! I’m so glad you’re still in. Can’t wait for next week!” another fan noted.
This happens every season. And audience members are clued into the fact that it’s all a sham. When they like a contestant, they don’t want to score them high. They want to see a “journey” or see an underdog come from behind. Having worked behind the scenes on the show, you find out they have a writer who watches the rehearsals and writes content for the judges. And because we never see how scores and audience votes are calculated to give us an eventual outcome, it lends itself to having the whole process being suspect.
Some times the Judges give them just a little lower score to make them work harder next time. Because they know they are good.