After emphasizing that dancing is not in his comfort zone, global wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin performed what “Dancing with the Stars” judges called one of the best first dances they’ve ever seen.
A contestant on Season 34, Irwin has been paired with pro Witney Carson, who is from Utah. As Irwin donned his signature khaki pants, the pair performed a jive to “Born to be Wild” during Tuesday’s season premiere.
The two judges, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough, awarded Irwin and Carson with scores of seven and eight, respectively. With a total of 15 points, the pair tied with “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt and her partner Mark Ballas for the top spot in the premiere.
During the introductory package shown before his dance, Irwin said, “Crocs are my comfort zone, dancing is not.” Soon after, Carson emphasized how difficult a jive is as a first dance.
The pair’s jive was the final performance of the night and the judges called it “absolutely brilliant.”
Tonioli was the first judge to address them, standing up to tell them that their dance “wasn’t good, that was great.”
The other judge, Hough, had been paired with Irwin’s sister Bindi when she was on the show in Season 21 and the two of them won the Mirror Ball trophy together.
After Irwin’s performance, Hough told him he was “so relieved, because you had some big shoes to fill.”
“You didn’t just fill them; you owned those shoes,” Hough continued. “That was probably the best first dance I’ve ever seen on this show.”
Earlier in the episode, Irwin shared that when he watched his sister on the show 10 years ago, he had the thought, “One day, that’s going to be me.”
He added that watching his sister win in 2015 served as good preparation for him.
“I feel like I had a good idea of what this show was about coming into it, cause my sister had done it,” Irvin told E! News. “Bindi just said, ‘Take a breath and enjoy every single second of it ... really try and enjoy this cause it goes by so fast.’”
Typically the show has three judges, but Carrie Ann Inaba was sick on Tuesday, so the episode ran with just two judges.
During the season’s first episode, there was no elimination, so all 14 couples will also appear in the second episode next Tuesday.
How the other Utahns on the show did
One of five pros from Utah on the show, Ezra Sosa, and his Olympic gymnast partner Jordan Chiles were the first performance of the night. The pair performed a salsa to “Break My Soul” by Beyonce and received a total score of 10 out of 20.
Another Utah pro is Rylee Arnold, who is paired with Pentatonix member Scott Hoying. The pair danced a tango to “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, receiving a score of 10 out of 20, tying with Sosa and Chiles.
The second “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star on the show is Jen Affleck, who this season is paired with first time pro Jan Ravnik. Together the pair performed a salsa to “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny, earning a score of 12 out of 20.
Jenna Johnson, another Utah pro, and her partner Corey Feldman, an actor, performed a tango to “It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me” by Billy Joel. The dance earned the pair a score of 9 out of 20, the lowest score of the night tied with comedian Andy Richter and partner Emma Slater.
The last Utah pro on the show, Brandon Armstrong, has been paired with Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui. The two of them danced a tango to “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande, receiving a score of 13out of 20.