The Dancing With the Stars Season 34 finale delivered energy, emotions, and one moment that blew up the whole ballroom. Frontrunner Robert Irwin hit the floor with a quickstep, and the crowd was ready to hand him the trophy on the spot. But when judge Carrie Ann Inaba shared a critique, the audience didn’t like it.
Carrie Ann Inaba gets booed while criticizing Robert Irwin’s DWTS finale performance
Robert Irwin and his pro partner Witney Carson opened the finale with a high-energy quickstep to Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” earning huge cheers for their crisp footwork. The judges were right there with the crowd until Carrie Ann Inaba paused. She called the number “amazing” and “wonderful,” but her tone made it clear a critique was coming.
The second she started with, “There was a bit of a,” the crowd shut her down with loud boos. Trying to get the room back, Carrie Ann laughed nervously and apologized, reminding everyone she had to be honest if she was going to hand out that mirrorball.
“I don’t want to give it to anybody who doesn’t absolutely deserve it,” she said. She also said that her comment didn’t mean Robert and Witney weren’t strong contenders. “I just have to point it out now… You know I love you!” (via EW)
The boos were so loud that Alfonso Ribeiro had to cut to the skybox so Robert and Witney could chat with Julianne Hough instead. Whatever Carrie Ann was about to say never made it to them. A moment later, the duo scored a near-perfect 29, with Carrie Ann’s 9 being the only holdout.
Talking with Hough, Robert opened up about how far he’s come, saying that dance was the last thing he ever pictured himself doing. Irwin also thanked his partner for believing in him. He also got emotional while talking about his mother and his sister, calling them “the most important” and strongest people in his life.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on ComingSoon.
