Robert Irwin’s win on Dancing with the Stars Season 34 was a full-circle moment for the Irwin family. Ten years after his sister Bindi lifted the Mirrorball Trophy, Robert and his partner, pro dancer Witney Carson, did the same, closing out the season as champions.
But the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the confetti. Instead of leaning into a long Hollywood victory lap, Irwin says his priority is to go straight back to the work that has defined him for years.
The win and the moment that sealed it
Irwin and Carson topped a finals lineup that included Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten. In post-finale interviews, Irwin framed their final performances as a gratitude-filled closing statement for everyone who supported their run, while Carson described the win as especially meaningful at this stage of her life and career.
For Irwin, the victory also carried family weight. He has spoken about watching Bindi win as a kid, and how that memory shaped both the pressure and the motivation he carried into the competition.
The surprising next step: back to Australia Zoo
After returning home, Irwin shared a video introducing the Mirrorball Trophy to animals at Australia Zoo, with a few of them sniffing, investigating, and generally treating the trophy like a strange new enrichment toy. The clip ends with a sweet family beat: Robert and Bindi comparing their trophies while Bindi’s daughter Grace watches.
The headline takeaway, though, is what Irwin says comes next. According to reporting that followed his return to Queensland, his immediate plan is not another glossy TV pivot. It is returning to his “day job” at the zoo, including getting back into the Crocoseum for live crocodile experiences.
From ballroom to broadcast: hosting work in the mix
Irwin’s post-DWTS schedule has not been quiet. Reporting around his return indicates he has also been tied up with hosting duties for Australia’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, which films in South Africa, before settling back into his Australia Zoo routine.
The throughline is consistent: television is part of the job, but the zoo and conservation work remain the center of gravity.
What comes next on the DWTS side
Even with his focus back home, Irwin is not disappearing from the DWTS world immediately. The 2026 Dancing with the Stars Live tour announcement includes him as a special guest star, with Carson also slated to appear at select stops.
So the “next step” is not a clean break. It is a split focus: selective ballroom appearances, while keeping his main identity anchored in wildlife and conservation.
Why the “next step” actually makes sense
Plenty of reality TV winners try to turn momentum into nonstop media exposure. Irwin is doing something more durable: using the spike in attention to pull people toward the Irwin family’s long-running conservation mission and the Australia Zoo brand, then returning to the work that reinforces that message.
