Robert Irwin Thinks Late Dad Steve Would Be ‘Stoked’ to Watch Him on ‘DWTS’

Robert Irwin knows his dad Steve Irwin is looking over him with a smile — especially after his Dancing with the Stars season 34 debut on Sept. 16.

Robert closed out Tuesday night’s episode dancing to “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf alongside his pro partner Witney Carson.

Ahead of the performance, Robert wore one of his late father’s shirts throughout the day. When it was showtime, he paid a special tribute to Steve by raising both fists upward, one of his dad’s trademark poses.

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The dance proved to be a favorite of the night, as Robert and Witney ended at the top of the leaderboard, scoring 15/20, tying for first place with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt and partner Mark Ballas.

As the season continues, Robert said that he hopes to continue to honor his family’s legacy — something he’d never thought he’d do with dance.

Speaking to Access Hollywood in an interview published on Friday, Sept. 19, Robert said his late father would be “stoked” for the opportunity that he has been offered.

“He was the sort of person where he just never held back,” Robert said. “He was passionate, enthusiastic about every single thing he did. And he loved life when he was just living on the edge and giving it 100. And that is what this experience is.”

“I have the honor of continuing his legacy and my family’s legacy, and I never thought I’d get to do that by dancing, but here we are and I’m just so grateful for that,” he continued.

As fans will likely remember, Robert’s older sister Bindi won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in 2015 during season 21.

While Robert told PEOPLE in his recent cover shoot that he is in a period where he wants “to branch out and try as many new things as I can,” Bindi was also a big reason why he did the show.

“I wanted to do this because I was inspired by my sister Bindi, who won Dancing with the Stars 10 years ago,” he said. “I remember coming to every live taping to watch her and thinking, ‘One day I have to do this.’ ”

Just like his sister did when she competed on the show, Robert vows to keep his late father’s legacy alive by channeling his zest for life.

“I just hope to keep his legacy alive, his spirit, his sense of just love for life,” he said. “And so if I can bring that kind of energy into the ballroom and honor him and his legacy, then I’ve done my job. So that’s what we’ll be trying to do is make him proud.”

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Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and PT on ABC and simulcast on Disney+. The show streams the next day on Hulu.