“Dancing with the Stars” pro Witney Carson says she had “moments of regret” asking her partner, Robert Irwin, to take his shirt off during “TikTok Night” on the program this week.
In the middle of their salsa, Irwin, a wildlife conservationist, ripped off his shirt as he and Carson danced along to Tommy Richman’s hit song “Million Dollar Baby.”
Though their performance earned them a good score of 22 out of 30, Carson wondered whether she should have asked Irwin to show off his abs on the program.
“I had so many moments of regret. I was like, ‘Did I make the right choice taking his shirt off?’” she told “Entertainment Tonight” with a smile after their performance.
Irwin said he feels flattered by the attention he’s received.
“It is flattering,” he said. “I’m actually getting very red.”
Irwin then talked about the jaw-dropping moment and said he loved taking his shirt off on the program.
“That’s what I wanted. Onstage, I was like, you know what, I want to show this new side. I want to own this,” he said while pretending he was ripping his shirt off again. “I want to give it that bit of oomph, and it was so much fun doing that.
“I’ve never gotten to do that. I’ve never gotten to just be like, ‘You know what? I’m going to be cool. I’m just going to come and rock this,’ and it was fun,” he added.
As for how his mom, Terri Irwin, and sister, Bindi Irwin, who previously won Season 21 of “Dancing with the Stars,” reacted to the moment, he said they were surprised by it.
“My mum and sister were in the audience and they didn’t know I was doing that. I said the shirt may come off, but they weren’t expecting the hips,” he said with a smile.
On “TikTok Night,” Fifth Harmony band member Lauren Jauregui was eliminated from the competition. She joins NBA All-Star Baron Davis and actor Corey Feldman as the celebs who’ve received the ax so far this season.