Robert Irwin Gets Motors Running With Thrilling ‘Born To Be Wild’ Debut on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

In a competition in which he’s up against a few song and dance ringers in the form of Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying and former Fifth Harmony member and solo singer Lauren Jauregui, conservationist Robert Irwin made a big impression in his Dancing With the Stars debut on Tuesday night (Sept. 16).

Paired with professional hoofer Witney Carson, Irwin helped kick off the ABC competition show’s 34th season in style with an energetic jive to Steppenwolf’s 1968 Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 classic “Born to Be Wild.” Wearing tan slacks and a colorful Hawaiian-print shirt, Irwin executed the complicated spins, dips, leaps and intricate footwork like a seasoned pro.

When the votes were tallied at the end of the night, Irwin and the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt both landed the highest scores with a pair of 15/20s; the typical 30-point scale was ratcheted down after judge Carrie Ann Inaba missed the show due to illness.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Irwin’s show-closing performance inspired judge Derek Hough to proclaim that it was the “best first dance I’ve ever seen on the show.” Irwin has some family history with DWTS, with his debut coming a decade after his older sister, Bindi Irwin, won season 21 with Hough as her partner.

Things did not go so well for some of the other celebs, with Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, Pentatonix’s Hoying, The Traitors‘ Dylan Efron and former NBA all-star Baron Davis each putting up a 10/20 score, while singer/actor Corey Feldman and former Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter scraped the bottom with 9/10s; Jauregui scored a 13/20 for her elegant tango to Ariana Grande’s “Yes, And?“

With no celebs eliminated on the first episode, next week’s show will feature a double-elimination. DWTS airs and streams simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays, with new episodes streaming on Hulu on Wednesdays.

Watch Irwin’s debut on Dancing With the Stars below.