And the winner is… Robert Irwin!
After combining the judges’ scores with the audience votes, the Wildlife Warrior and his partner Witney Carson have officially been announced as the 2025 champions.
He and Bindi now make history as the first sibling duo to win Dancing With The Stars.”My sister said it best, thank you for changing my life,” he said.
We’ll just leave this here.
What a special moment for the two of them.
Well that was a wild ride. After a record 72 million votes cast by the US public in the finale, it was revealed Robert Irwin secured the most votes out of any contestant in the show’s 34 series, spanning 20 years.
Now that’s impressive.
Bindi has been Robert’s number one fan during the whole season and was campaigning to secure votes from the public right to the very end.
This is what it meant to her.
Robert’s win comes exactly 10 years after Bindi won the show as a 17-year-old.
It was first reported by Variety in 2019 that each celebrity competing on Dancing With The Stars is paid a base salary of around US$125,000 ($A188,000) for the rehearsal period and the first two weeks on the show.
Contestants then receive additional weekly bonuses if they stay longer, with multiple media outlets reporting that Robert could be paid a total of between US$295,000 (A$447,000) and US$400,000 (A$606,000) for making it to the finale.
It’s no wonder that Robert would sign up to the US version of Dancing With The Stars rather than the Australian series, as this year’s Aussie contestants were reportedly paid between A$27,000 and A$100,000 for the entire season.
As well as their eye-watering salary, the winner of Dancing With The Stars walks away with the coveted Mirrorball trophy.
The celebrity and the professional dancer each receive a Mirrorball trophy, with Bindi Irwin joking following her win in 2015 that she planned on keeping hers in the middle of the “croc pond” at Australia Zoo.
The biggest difference between the US and Australian versions of the reality show – besides the budget and ratings – is that the Aussie contestants compete on behalf of a charity, which receives a $10,000 donation if they win.
Well that was a classic TV move, wasn’t it.
As we discover Robert and Witney have made it to the final two pairings, they cut to a commercial break.
Moments away now.
There’s been huge interest in this season’s show and it’s just been revealed they’ve received 72 million votes from the public in the finale. That’s more than double the previous record.
A winner is moments away from being announced. Stay tuned.
