By: Audrey Ring
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy on last Tuesday’s finale of the most-watched season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
The four other couples that competed in the finale were Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa and Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach.
This season’s finale differed from previous years, with couples performing three rounds, instead of the usual two. The three rounds included judges’ choice, instant dance and freestyle.
For the judges’ choice round, each couple performed a style selected by one of the judges. The instant dance round required contestants to perform a surprise style of dance and song revealed on the spot. For the freestyle round, couples chose their own style and music.
At the end of the judge’s scoring, Earle led with 90 points. Chiles and Irwin followed closely with 89, Efron earned 88 and Hendrix finished with 87. Still, the final result came down to the viewer votes.
Social media users speculated ahead of the finale that the competition would come down to Irwin and Earle — and that’s exactly how it played out. Earle finished in second place and Chiles placed third.
“I was happy with Robert winning because he is such a nice and likable person and also a pretty good dancer. But, I was sad for Alix as she is clearly the better and more improved dancer,” Marlowe Hutter said.
Some viewers questioned how Irwin earned a perfect score in the freestyle round despite making a visible mistake. But ultimately, audience votes determined the winner. Irwin gained popularity among viewers with his charm and positive attitude. His sister, Bindi Irwin, won season 21 which also made him a fan favorite, and wanted him to follow in her footsteps.
“I think the ending of Dancing with the Stars was representative of what should have happened. I think that the finale was very entertaining, though I personally would have liked to see Jordan Chiles win as opposed to Robert Irwin,” Max Bosworth said.