Dancing With the Stars judge Derek Hough delivered the ultimate fake-out while giving Robert Irwin and Witney Carson their Wicked Night scores.
Irwin, 21, and Carson, 32, delivered a jazz routine worthy of the big screen to “Dancing Through Life” during the Tuesday, October 21, episode. When it came time for the scores to be revealed, Hough, 40, initially held up a six before flipping his paddle over to show a nine.
“I was like, ‘Oh no, oh no,’” Irwin exclusively told Us Weekly after the performance. “In my head, I’m like, ‘OK, all right, that’s all right, room for improvement.’ And then he flipped it upside down, and I’m like, ‘Yes!’”
Carson said she would’ve had words with Hough if the prank turned out to be real. “I didn’t think he would give [Robert] a six. No way,” she told Us. “He would have me coming after him.”
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Hough and his fellow judges — including Wicked director Jon M. Chu — were all aligned with their scores, giving Irwin and Carson a total of 36 points. Carson told Us that the pair felt “really good” about their performance, even though some of the moves couldn’t be practiced until the last minute.
“I gave Robert a lot to work with this week, with the props and the dancers and the flip,” she explained. “We couldn’t practice that in rehearsals. We could only practice that here on stage.”
“We pretty much just kind of went, ‘We’ll see,’ and just went for it,” Robert added. “We didn’t really get to practice at all, so we practiced in the rehearsal studio, but everything all together, really just kind of came together here in the studio.”
Dancing to his “favorite song” from the musical “was such a privilege,” Robert continued. “We just had the best time,” he gushed. “I feel like this team feels unstoppable. We are just getting started. This is such a privilege to be here.”
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Hough’s score wasn’t the only surprise he had in store for the pair. The pro-turned-judge also made an appearance in the opening number on Tuesday, putting his own spin on “Dancing Through Life” before Irwin and Carson’s routine.
“No pressure, right?” Irwin teased to Us.
While the duo were happy to walk away with all nines, they have no plans to slow down as the competition continues. Carson even broke down exactly what it might take for Irwin to earn his first 10s of the season.
“I think it’s going to take a really strong technical dance and a little bit of a wow factor,” she told Us. “So I think we’ve got to mix our wow factor with some really good technique. I think that the judges are going to be looking for that this week, and it’s a perfect opportunity to show them.”
For Robert, however, the scores take a back seat to the overall experience. “I’m first and foremost just so grateful to be here,” he said on Tuesday. “But as I’ve come into this experience, I’ve formed such a love for this craft. Honestly, it’s such a privilege to be able to dance to Witney’s remarkable choreography every week and … I’m so lucky that I get to come back.”
The wildlife conservationist is ready to kick things up a notch for Halloween Week on October 28. “Every week, I want to bring it to a new level,” he told Us. “So next week for Halloween, [it’s] something intense, something dark, and I really want to bring the technique to a new level, so I’m going to be trying my absolute hardest.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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