Robert Irwin brought the heat to the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom during TikTok Night, but it wasn’t just his salsa skills that had the crowd buzzing. The 21-year-old wildlife conservationist shocked fans (and his own family) when he ripped off his glittery blue shirt mid-performance, later laughing off the bold move with an apology to his mom, Terri, and sister, Bindi, who were watching from the audience.
Helping Find His ‘Inner Cool’ on ‘Dancing With the Stars’
For TikTok Night, Irwin performed a salsa to “Million Dollar Baby” with his partner Witney Carson. While the duo scored an impressive 22 out of 30 points, the main talk of the night was Robert ripping off his shirt mid-performance.
Irwin, 21, shared a clip of the dance on his Instagram page. In the caption, he said it was “so much FUN to let loose and show a different side” of himself during the dance. He also thanked his dance partner for helping him to find his “inner cool.”
Apologies to His Mom & Sister
While social media was loving the routine, Robert’s mom and sister were able to watch his racy moves from the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom.
In an interview after the show with ABC7, Irwin joked about the routine, saying, “We thought we’d take it easy on the costume department tonight and just go as few clothes as possible.”
He talked about wanting to bring out the “cool Robert” with the performance. Irwin then brought up his mom and sister watching the shirtless routine from the audience.
“My whole family were in the audience,” he said. “Sorry, guys, sorry about that!”
It looks like his family may have been prepared for the shirtless moment, but not the spiciness of the dance.
Irwin told Entertainment Tonight, “My mom and sister were in the audience, and they didn’t know I was doing that. I said the shirt may come off, but they weren’t expecting, like, the hips.”
Moments of Regret From Witney
While he was trying to get Witney to bring out his “inner cool,” it looks like the pro dancer was having some moments of regret on “Dancing With the Stars” season 34 for the shirtless moment.
She joked with Entertainment Tonight, “I had so many moments of regret. I was like, did I make the right choice taking his shirt off?”
Witney added, “Girls. Let’s take it down a little.”
Despite that, the shirtless moment may happen again. Irwin told Extra, “So, it was so much fun. And you know what? Maybe I’ll do it again.”
“Dancing With the Stars” season 34 airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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Robert Irwin Apologizes to Family After Shirtless DWTS Routine