Why DWTS's Robert Irwin & Witney Carson's Friendship Deserves a 10

‘DWTS’ Pro Witney Carson Reacts to Fans Sliding Her DMs to Date Robert Irwin

Dubbing themselves "Team IrWINit," Robert and Witney quickly proved they were ready to rumble—er, more like rumba—and were among those to receive the highest scores from judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli during the first two weeks.

"All of my confidence comes from Witney," the 21-year-old acknowledged. "It comes from leaning on the experience that we have in rehearsals, trusting your body, trusting the process, trusting your partner. This whole thing is the ultimate trust fall. You just gotta give yourself to it. I’ve never done anything like this, but I’ve got the best ever to guide me through this process. So I’m just like full trust, all in, send it. I don’t even care. I’m just going to give it every ounce of what I’ve got and hope for the best."

Even when they’ve slipped down in the standings, they haven’t wanted to bow out.

"We’ve started at the top of the leader board. We’ve come down to third place," Robert said during Disney night Oct. 7, "so it’s a reminder to step up."

In fact, they’re both stepping it up when it comes to going outside their comfort zones. Like when Robert brought Witney to visit an alligator during week three.

"I feel like we’ve both thrown each other in the deep end,” he told Access Hollywood Oct. 3. "Like, boom—straight into a salsa, straight in with an alligator."

And just as how Robert kept Witney safe during their gators encounter, she’s been careful about him diving into the dating pool.

"You have to go through a screening process," the 32-year-old—who shares two children with husband Carson McAllister—told E! News in September. "Submit your applications through my DMs and then I will forward them to Bindi and then we will see about the American tourist."

Indeed, whether in or out of the ballroom, Robert and Witney are there for each other. Her support was on full display when he performed his Dedication Night dance in honor of his mom Terri Irwin and he was moved to tears as he spoke about how his mother was there for him following the 2006 death of his father Steve Irwin.
  
"It's been such a hard week for so many reasons," Robert told E! Oct. 14. "I’ve been kind of navigating emotions I’ve never really expressed, certainly not publicly, and I would not have been able to do that, I wouldn’t have been able to express that, I wouldn’t have been able to even think about achieving what we achieved this week without Witney—without her incredible choreography, obviously, but also for her incredible support personally and her understanding. Because above all, Witney Carson McAllister is a boss mom. It’s pretty cool: A dance for moms made by one of the coolest moms around.”

Ultimately, it seems like fans are giving this friendship a 10. As Robert previously told E! News about his bond with Witney, "We have a new adopted member of the Irwin family now."

To see the rest of the celebrities and pros cast for season 34 of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading.