The stars of “Dancing With the Stars” season 34 honored a loved one during Week 5’s Dedication Night. There was hardly a dry eye in the ballroom as the pairs performed classic foxtrot, jive, Viennese Waltz, contemporary, and salsa routines.
Robert Irwin, who has quickly become a fan-favorite this season, dedicated is dance to his mother, Terri Irwin.
“This is a moment with my mother that I will cherish forever,” Irwin, 21, said in a pre-taped dedication video. “And I know my dad would be so proud.”
The conservationist’s mother replaced his partner, Witney Carson, joining him on the dance floor for the final twirl in their contemporary performance.
The judges — along with the fans — went wild for the Australia native’s touching tribute.
“Man, I’m so proud of you. I really am,” Judge Derek Hough — who won the Mirrorball Trophy with Irwin’s sister Bindi Irwin in season 21 — said. “You’ve become such an amazing man, and the world needs the Irwin family.”
Who Had the Highest Score on DWTS Week 5?
The season began with 14 couples, but after five weeks of competition, only 10 couples remain.
At the top of the leaderboard for week 5 was Dylan Efron and his partner, Daniella Karagach, who dedicated his contemporary dance to brother Zac Efron. The judges were all in agreement with their scoring, each giving the pair a 9, for a total of 36 points.
Irwin and Carson tied for second place with Alix Earle and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, with scores of 35.
“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt and her partner Mark Ballas scored a 33 for their contemporary routine, followed by Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, whose Viennese Waltz received a score of 32.
Elaine Hendrix and pro Alan Bersten received 30 points for their foxtrot, as did Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold. Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik scored 29 points for their Viennese Waltz, tying with Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov with their jive.
Landing in last place were Andy Richter and pro Emma Slater with a score of 24 for their salsa.
Who Was Eliminated on DWTS Week 5?
“We’ve combined the judges’ scores from tonight with your live votes,” host Julianne Hough said at the end of last week’s episode. “Now, in no particular order, let’s find out which couples are safe and who will be going home tonight.”
Cohost Alfonso Ribeiro added, “The first couple who is safe is…All of you! No one is going home tonight!”
Because of the emotional nature of the week, all of the couple will return to the ballroom for Week 6’s “Wicked” night. Their scores and votes from Week 5 will carry over into this week’s show.
