Witney Carson won her second Mirrorball Trophy on the Season 34 finale of Dancing With the Stars, partnering Robert Irwin. Reflecting on the achievement in an Instagram post on November 25, 2025, she wrote,
"I’ll truly cherish this moment forever."
Carson first won a Mirrorball 11 years ago with Alfonso Ribeiro. She acknowledged the support of her family, friends, and fans, noting the role they played throughout her career.
The finale featured five celebrity finalists competing in three rounds, with judges’ scores combined with audience votes to determine the winner, ultimately awarding the Mirrorball to Robert Irwin and Witney Carson.
Witney Carson celebrates second Mirrorball win with Robert Irwin on Dancing With the Stars Season 34 finale
Looking back on the journey
She thought that every high and low, a hard loss, and any season that was difficult for her had made her come to the place where she was and said that all of it had brought her to this "moment."
Carson gave credit to her family, friends, and fans as the people who helped her through her career and said that their sacrifice, love, and faith in her were the things that had kept her going.
Moreover, she pointed out her husband, saying that the victory was for him, and she thanked her kids, mother-in-law, parents, brothers and sisters, and friends who had been there for her all the time, focusing on their "support."
Carson highlighted her partner, Robert Irwin, adding,
"No one deserves this more than Robert. His joy, his light, his resilience, and his heart have touched every person who watched him this season."
She thought about the time of her victory and mentioned that it was just 11 years to the day when she originally won a Mirrorball together with Alfonso Ribeiro.
Her journey and her various seasons were what she put down as the reasons for her being ready for this moment and she even went as far as to say that she really thinks that God was "preparing" her for this moment.
The final night on the dance floor
The finale featured three rounds: Judges’ Choice, Instant Dance Challenge, and Freestyle. Robert Irwin and Witney Carson danced a quickstep to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet in the Judges’ Choice round.
Derek Hough urged Irwin to demonstrate a wide frame and in addition to being a quickstep, he called it very accurate and precise while commending especially the quality of the movement over the floor.
Carrie Ann Inaba described the performance as a fantastic one, and Bruno Tonioli called the dance light and agile, but at the same time, he was stressing its "power" aspect. Their total score was 29 from 30.
For the Instant Dance Challenge, Irwin and Carson danced a cha cha to "Cake By the Ocean" by DNCE. Irwin admitted that the cha cha was a difficult one for him.
Carrie Ann Inaba observed that Carson gave a lot of support to Irwin throughout the routine while Derek Hough commented that he had been very uneasy before the performance and at the same time, he was pointing to the "impressive" nature of the rotation.
Bruno Tonioli also commented on the perfection of the placement and execution of the team as compared to their previous performances. The judges gave a perfect score of 30.
The Freestyle round featured a performance to “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii with the intention of letting Irwin’s father, who has passed away, know that he was being remembered.
Carrie Ann Inaba wished that the contestants would welcome the judges' "acceptance" and thank them graciously.
Derek Hough called the most beautiful freestyle the one they just did and Bruno Tonioli named it a "solid gold" performance. The judges awarded another perfect score of 30, which eventually led to the final triumph of Irwin and Carson.
Dancing With the Stars finale results
After all three rounds, judges’ scores and audience votes determined the standings. Elaine Hendrix placed fifth, Dylan Efron finished fourth, and Jordan Chiles came in third. Alix Earle was the runner-up.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson were declared the winners, earning Carson her second Mirrorball Trophy, 11 years after her first win with Alfonso Ribeiro.
Stay tuned for more updates.
DWTS star Witney Carson attends the Los Angeles Travel Magazine Spring Issue Launch (Image via Getty)