Dancing With the Stars pro Witney Carson gave fans a glimpse of how she and Robert Irwin are getting ready for the season 34 finale — injuries and all.
“Today at [camera] blocking is a little stressful … Robert’s ribs have been killing him,” Carson, 32, said in a TikTok video, hinting that “more will be revealed” during the DWTS finale on Tuesday, November 25. “You guys can get a better idea of what we’ve been dealing with all week.”
Carson added that she even had to “change some things” in the pair’s freestyle dance to keep Irwin’s body safe. “It’s just honestly the most stressful part because this is just getting it all together and it’s gonna take some time,” she continued. “We’re gonna have to run it a lot and just make sure everything is coming together for Tuesday. … It’s literally tomorrow, what the heck.”
Getting ready for their final night in the ballroom has been emotional for Carson, who confessed that she “couldn’t stop crying” during rehearsals.
“My body is feeling it, Robert’s body is feeling it. … I think I’m emotionally and physically exhausted,” she said.
Though he might be in pain, Irwin, 21, is determined to give the competition his all. “Knowing Robert, he’s going to want to rehearse until the very last second,” Carson told her TikTok followers. “Last night, we stayed at the studio until it closed down, like, they had to kick us out at 9 p.m.”
Carson encouraged fans to vote on finale night but said she already considers herself a winner by having Irwin as her partner. “This entire season just feels like the biggest gift,” she added. “I’m just so thankful.”
Irwin shared a similar message via Instagram ahead of Tuesday’s finale, posting a video of himself and Carson walking out of the rehearsal studio for the last time.
“I’m gonna miss this. Thanks for the best memories, Witney. I will cherish this experience forever. One last night to dance – see you tomorrow, America ❤️,” he wrote on Monday, November 24.
While Irwin hasn’t given more specifics about his injury, he’s not the only contestant this season to have trouble with their ribs. Last month, Elaine Hendrix was forced to miss the Halloween Night show after being rushed to the hospital.
“Elaine kind of froze and said she can’t move and she can’t breathe, and something happened with her rib,” her partner, Alan Bersten, said on the October 28 episode, noting that the actress was in “so much pain.”
The pair didn’t perform live that night, but fans kept them in the competition with their votes. Hendrix and Bersten will go up against Carson and Irwin for the mirrorball trophy on Tuesday, along with fellow finalists Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach and Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa.
Carson continued to express her gratitude for her DWTS partner with an Instagram tribute on Monday, writing, “I’ve been searching for the right words to describe this season, and every time I try, nothing feels big enough. This journey has transformed me in ways I didn’t even expect. Robert, you’ve pushed me to be a better teacher, a better choreographer, and honestly, a better human.”
She added, “You brought back a spark in me that had dimmed in the ballroom for a while, and for that I am forever grateful. You are joy, light, and everything good in this world. I truly believe you’ve healed a part of America just by showing up as YOU. … Let’s do this, buddy. 🤍.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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