NEED TO KNOW

• Robert Irwin received surprise support ahead of his final performances on the Dancing with the Stars season 34 finale
• Before the broadcast, the wildlife conservationist was gifted a bouquet of flowers from actress Xochitl Gomez
• Weeks before, Gomez joined him for a special dance during the show’s 20th anniversary celebration

Robert Irwin received a special surprise from actress and former Mirrorball champ Xochitl Gomez ahead of the Dancing with the Stars finale.

Ahead of Robert’s final performances on the season 34 finale, he was showered with support from his sister, DWTS season 21 winner, Bindi Irwin, their mother, Terri, and former DWTS season 32 champion Xochitl.

Hours before Robert, 21, hit the stage, Xochitl, 19, was seen greeting him outside his trailer with a smile and a big bouquet of flowers in photos shared by TMZ.

The Avengers actress — who won Season 32 of ‘DWTS’ with her partner Val Chmerkovskiy in 2023 — also supported Robert backstage and watched as he practiced for his final freestyle performance.

The pair’s bond comes after Xochitl joined Robert for the series’ 20th birthday celebration during the Nov. 11 broadcast. During the episode, the two were paired for the Relay Dance round and performed a jive to “Dance with Me Tonight” by Olly Murs. 

After their dance, Derek Hough remarked on the pair’s chemistry, and his partner  Witney Carson gave a knowing look, prompting fans to speculate about a budding romance.

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Earlier in the season, Witney revealed that she was getting an onslaught of DMs from fans wanting to date Robert.

“Girls, I love ya, thank you for the applications through somehow my email and flooding the DMs,” the dancing pro wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time. “If I could line you all up with Robert, I would because you’re all 10/10 perfect cuties.”

“We are currently dancing our lives away so we are unable to respond,” Carson went on to say, joking, “Robert for The Bachelor?! Idk this is too stressful for me to handle lol!”

That same month, Robert opened up to PEOPLE about what he’s looking for in a relationship.

“My mom and dad met when she was this American tourist coming over to Australia, and that’s also how my sister met her husband,” he explained of late dad Steve and mom, as well as Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell. “I’ve been saying, when is that going to happen for me?!”

“I’m still waiting for it,” he added. “That American tourist is not quite lined up.”

But in the months since the show premiered, Robert spoke to The New York Times on Nov. 23 and shared what it’s like to date in the public eye.

“Holy moly, that’s so challenging to navigate,” he admitted, particularly when “anything you do will be on TikTok the next day.”

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