Dancing With the Stars Season 34 finale: Robert Irwin and Witney Carson take home Mirrorball Trophy

Three-hour finale began with Irwin and Alix Earle among the favorites to win

Robert Irwin teases new Dancing with the Stars season 34 lineup

The newest Dancing With the Stars champions have been crowned.

After another season of memorable dances and shocking eliminations, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson walked away with the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. The duo finished the evening with 89 out of a possible 90 points, one behind Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, who earned a perfect 90.

The final five couples also included Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa; reality TV personality Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach; and The Parent Trap star Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten.

Each couple completed three routines during Tuesday night’s finale: a Judges’ Choice dance, an Instant Dance, and a Freestyle routine.

All five couples finished the evening within three points of one another on the judges’ leaderboard. Over 72 million votes were cast by viewers at home, combining with the judges’ scores to crown a winning couple.

While crowning the new champions, co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough said the margin between the top two couples was one of the tightest ever seen in a finale.

All episodes of Dancing With the Stars are available to stream on Hulu.

Key Points

• Robert and Witney win!
• Final leaderboard results
• Who competed this season on 'DWTS'?

[25 November 2025 17:02 · Caitlin Hornik]

Season 34 cast

The season started with 14 couples:

• Jordan Chiles (with Ezra Sosa) — Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast
• Lauren Jauregui (with Brandon Armstrong) — Fifth Harmony singer
• Dylan Efron (with Daniella Karagach) — Reality TV personality and brother of actor Zac Efron
• Corey Feldman (with Jenna Johnson) — Eighties film star of Gremlins, The Goonies and Stand by Me
• Hilaria Baldwin (with Gleb Savchenko) — Yoga instructor, podcaster and wife of actor Alec Baldwin
• Andy Richter (with Emma Slater) — Comedian and former sidekick of Conan O'Brien
• Danielle Fishel (with Pasha Pashkov) — Star of Boy Meets World
• Elaine Hendrix (with Alan Bersten) — Actor known for her role as Meredith Blake in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap
• Scott Hoying (Rylee Arnold) — Pentatonix singer
• Robert Irwin (Witney Carson) — Wildlife conservationist and son of the late Steve Irwin
• Alix Earle (with Val Chmerkovskiy) — Social media influencer and host of the Hot Mess podcast
• Jen Affleck (with Jan Ravnik) — Star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
• Whitney Leavitt (with Mark Ballas) — Also from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
• Baron Davis (with Britt Stewart) — Two-time NBA All-Star

[25 November 2025 17:08 · Caitlin Hornik]

Familiar faces in the ballroom

Season 34 of DWTS welcomed back co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, in addition to the returning judging panel made up of Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli.

The trio of judges were joined by several guests throughout the season, including former host Tom Bergeron and former pro dancer Kym Johnson Herjavec.

[25 November 2025 17:11 · Caitlin Hornik]

What time is the finale?

Tuesday night’s Dancing With the Stars finale begins at 8 p.m. ET on ABC with streaming on Disney+.

The three-hour event will conclude at 11 p.m. ET.

[25 November 2025 17:18 · Caitlin Hornik]

Finale schedule revealed

The three-hour finale will include an opening number featuring all of the Season 34 couples.

Then, the remaining five couples will perform three routines each: a Judges’ Choice dance, an Instant Dance, plus a Freestyle routine.

[25 November 2025 17:26 · Caitlin Hornik]

How to vote during the finale

Fans looking to cast their vote for their favorite couple will be able to do so once the show begins.

Online voting will be available across the U.S. and Canada at dwtsvote.abc.com.

Fans can also text their favorite couple’s keyword to cast their votes.

Viewer votes will combine with the judges scores from the evening to determine the winner of the competition.

[25 November 2025 17:34 · Caitlin Hornik]

Judges’ Choice Dances revealed

• Social media personality Alix Earle and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Samba to “Hip Hip Chin Chin” by Club des Belugas.
• Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson will perform a Quickstep to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet.
• Reality TV star and content creator Dylan Efron and partner Daniella Karagach will perform a Paso Doble to “Stampede” by Alexander Jean featuring Lindsey Stirling.
• Film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Rumba to “Take My Breath Away” by Jae Hall.
• Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Paso Doble to “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna.

[25 November 2025 17:46 · Caitlin Hornik]

Freestyle round dances revealed

• Social media personality Alix Earle and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Freestyle to “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado and “Sports car” by Tate McRae.
• Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson will perform a Freestyle to “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii.
• Reality TV star and content creator Dylan Efron and partner Daniella Karagach will perform a Freestyle to “Something In The Heavens” by Lewis Capaldi.
• Film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Freestyle to “I Hope I Get It (from A Chorus Line)” by District 78.
• Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Freestyle to “Motivation” by Normani.

[25 November 2025 17:53 · Caitlin Hornik]

Instant Dance Challenge returns

Couples won’t know the dance style or song until minutes before they have to perform.

Pro dancers have to choreograph immediately after learning the song and style and then lead their celebrity to the floor to win over the judges and viewers at home.

[25 November 2025 18:06 · Caitlin Hornik]

Pro dancer Daniella Karagach opens up about 'mom guilt'

Speaking to The Independent ahead of the show’s premiere, the 32-year-old said she’s “so excited” to get started with her partner: The Traitors breakout star Dylan Efron.

However, the excitement is bittersweet. Karagach knows the weeks ahead will bring long days and late nights away from her young daughter.

Married to fellow DWTS pro Pasha Pashkov for more than a decade, the couple welcomed their daughter, Nikita, in May 2023.

“There’s definitely a lot of mom guilt and that will never go away, especially now that Kiki’s talking, and she says, ‘Mama, don’t go to work,’” Karagach says.

Caitlin Hornik reports:

[25 November 2025 18:17 · Caitlin Hornik]

Robert Irwin bids farewell to the dance studio

In an Instagram video posted Monday night, Irwin and his partner Witney Carson said goodbye to their rehearsal studio.

“I’m gonna miss this. Thanks for the best memories, Witney. I will cherish this experience forever. One last night to dance - see you tomorrow, America,” Irwin wrote in the caption.