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The reality host lost his father, the famed conservationist and zookeeper, when he was only 2 years old.
Key Points
- Robert Irwin got emotional while coaching a contestant on the new Dancing With the Stars spinoff, The Next Pro.
- Allen Genkin struggled to make it through rehearsals of a dance dedicated to his mother, who died when he was 15.
- “I understand what it’s like to lose someone,” Irwin told the dancer, encouraging him with an uplifting memory of a tribute he performed in honor of Steve Irwin on DWTS season 34.
This post contains spoilers for Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro episode 2.
Robert Irwin is proving to be more than just the host of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro — he’s quickly becoming the show’s emotional bedrock.
On Monday’s new episode of the reality mainstay’s latest spinoff, which seeks a new addition to the anchor series’ troupe of professional dance partners, the 10 remaining contestants were paired up and asked to showcase their ability to tell stories through choreography.
Allen Genkin and Adele Zaikman, who both emerged as frontrunners during last week’s premiere, decided after some conversation to pursue Genkin’s story of grief and healing through dance. But as week two mentor and Dancing With the Stars pro Brandon Armstrong helped each couple rehearse, it was clear that the exercise was taking an emotional toll on Genkin.
So Irwin decided to drop by the cast’s villa in his native Queensland, Australia, for a heart to heart — from one child of a lost parent to another.
“This week is very draining. After my mom passed, [it] was quite a difficult moment in my life, so this dance is taking a toll on me,” Genkin shared in a confessional interview. Irwin explained in his own confessional that he “wanted to visit Allen today because I know he’s telling a very important story, and a story I know that’s hard to tell. I want to see if I can help him through.”
Genkin and Irwin caught up poolside, where the DWTS season 34 winner and heir to the Irwin family animal conservation dynasty urged the aspiring pro to share his story.
“My mum, when she died when I was 15, I lost my best friend. 20 years have gone by, and they say time heals all wounds, but it really doesn’t,” Genkin told Irwin, tears welling in his eyes. The 22-year-old zookeeper agreed, adding a sharp “nope.” Genkin noted, “The only way I could really do it justice is to really showcase it through art, and that’s what I want to do.”
Irwin’s father, the famed reality star, conservationist, and zookeeper Steve Irwin, died suddenly on Sept. 4, 2006, just three months shy of Robert’s third birthday. “I understand what it’s like to lose someone,” Irwin told Genkin. Then he was able to offer some practical and encouraging advice.
“When I did Dancing With the Stars, I was given this opportunity to do a dedication dance to my mum,” he began.
It was season 34’s fifth week. Robert and his partner, Witney Carson, were already tearing up the competition. But then they found themselves in the position of making everyone in the crowd — themselves included — tear up in a new way.
On “Dedication Night,” Robert chose to dedicate his moving contemporary routine not to Steve, but to his mom, Terri Irwin, whom he called “an absolute hero to me.”
“I was 2 when I lost Dad, and as I got older, I started to realize just how hard it would have been for her to be there for us — and all the while, continue Dad’s legacy that her and Dad built together,” he shared during Dedication Night’s rehearsal package. “I struggle a lot with losing Dad, a lot, and she always made sure my dad was present in our lives. I wanted to know how proud my dad would be of her.”
Terri actually joined Robert on stage in the dance that night, earning him a then season-high total of 35/40 points.
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“As soon as that music stopped, my mum joined me on stage, and I completely broke down,” Robert explained to Genkin. “It’s like you’re facing something for the first time in your life that you’ve never had the strength to face. But movement and dance, that is the thing that gives you the ability to face that.”
Face it he did. Genkin and Zaikman performed a stirring routine to Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” earning them the highest praise of the night.
“I got emotional watching it. I’ll think about this until the day that I’m no longer here,” Armstrong said. Judge and DWTS pro Mark Ballas added, “Adele, I would be happy to dance with you. And Allen, I will be happy to dance next to you.” Finally, Mark’s mom, revered pro and Strictly Come Dancing Judge Shirley Ballas called it “the best number of the night. It was by far one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.”
The number brought tears to the eyes of Irwin, every judge on the panel, and every contestant watching backstage.
Suffice it to say, Genkin and Zaikman both advanced to the next week of competition, while Miami’s Benji Castro was eliminated.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
