Five finalists. Three dances each. Tons of confetti — the kind that nearly kept Robert Irwin from breathing several weeks ago. That was Tuesday’s “Dancing with the Stars†finale.
 Robert Irwin and Whitney Leavitt celebrate after winning "Dancing with the Stars," Nov. 25 on ABC.
The winners: Irwin and Witney Carson. Separated by a slim margin in the voting, they pulled it out over Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, the only pair to have a perfect score in the last night.
Continuing the family tradition (sister Bindi won years ago), Irwin didn’t have a dance background (Earle did) and came out blazing the first week of competition. Throughout the 20th year, he kept driving and topped the leaderboard repeatedly. He had a strong friend pool, too, King Charles among them, and came off as a friendly sort who didn’t lord his abilities over others.
On the finale, he and Earle were separated by one point. That’s too close to quibble, but both will be part of the “DWTS†tour that will cross the country.
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Growth was key to Irwin’s win — even though there was a fear he wouldn’t be able to perform some moves due to a rib injury. Thankfully, he soldiered on and impressed, particularly in his freestyle dance.
Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Alix Earle, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Dylan Efron, Daniella Karagach, Elaine Hendrix, Alan Bersten, Robert Irwin, Witney Carson, Jordan Chiles, Ezra Sosa are pictured during the finale of "Dancing with the Stars," Nov. 25 on ABC.
Dylan Efron also showed growth and exhibited some exquisite moves. His brother, Zac, may have been a star of musicals, but this Efron has the goods for a great dancing career. (He’ll be on the tour, too.)
Elaine Hendrix, the show’s senior contestant, hung in despite injury and showed she was just as vital as those half her age.
Olympian Jordan Chiles hit her stride at Tuesday’s finale and could have bested the others had she had a few more weeks. If there’s a “second-chance†year, she’d be a great contestant.
This year’s 20th anniversary show was the season’s best. That’s because it brought back past contestants, paired former winners with current contestants and spent time remembering the show’s trajectory. Even former host Tom Bergeron showed up and played judge. The episode introduced a lot of good ideas that need to be continued.
The series, however, should figure out how to even things up a bit. If you’re going to have dancers in the mix, why not make the whole season folks with dancing experience?
The rise of social media “influencers†throws much of this off as well. They’ve got built-in voters who could tip the scales, particularly if opponents have a couple of Disney Channel credits but not a “crew†to pump the votes.
Irwin is a great winner — he fits the narrative — and will be a great representative for the series.
Crikey! Viewers learned that wrestling snakes is really nothing.
