The Viall Files - E1016 – Going Deeper with Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

Episode Date: October 15, 2025

Welcome back to The Viall Files: Going Deeper edition.  Today, we sit down with Robert Irwin and Witney Carson to discuss Dancing with The Stars, family, legacy, and more! It’s an incredible conversation you will absolutely not want to miss.  “He was a super hero figure to an entire generation."   Listen to Humble Brag with Cynthia Bailey and Crystal Kung Minkoff! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humble-brag-with-crystal-and-cynthia/id1774286896 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humblebragpod   Listen To Disrespectfully now! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrespectfully/id1516710301 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCh8MqSsiGkfJcWhkan0D0w   Start your 7 Day Free Trial of Viall Files + here: https://viallfiles.supportingcast.fm/  To Order Nick’s Book Go To: http://www.viallfiles.com  Are you struggling with any sort of dating, relationship, or life dilemma? Do you want all the answers? Email [e-mail] with your question in the subject line to express interest in appearing on the show!  To advertise on this podcast please email: [e-mail] or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/theviallfiles     Thank You to Our Sponsors: Blueland - Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://blueland.com/viall  Happy Thursday - Kick off your game day with Happy Thursday Spiked Refresher. To find out more and find a Happy Thursday near you visit https://drinkhappythursday.com/viall  Cozey - Transform your living space today with Cozey. Visit https://cozey.com, the home of possibilities, made easy. Skylight - Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to https://skylightcal.com/viall  Revolve - Whether it’s a weekend away, a big night out, or just a little style refresh – your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to https://revolve.com/viall, shop Natalie’s edit, and take 15% off your first order with code VIALL. Nanit - Nanit is truly the one baby item we can’t live without. Right now, Nanit is offering 25% off just for our listeners. Go to https://nanit.com and use code BABY25. to save. American Home Shield - American Home Shield can help protect your wallet when the items you rely on break down, like your HVAC, plumbing, electrical and appliances. If AHS can’t repair your covered item, they’ll replace it, no matter the age. Visit https://ahs.com/viallfiles to get 20% off any  plan today and see promo details.   Episode Socials: @viallfiles @nickviall @nnataliejjoy @robertirwinphotography @witneycarson  

Running out of closet space, don't stop shopping. Start selling with the real real. Whether it's the jewelry your ex bought you before they became your ex, or that quiet luxury bag you bought before remembering you're actually a maximalist, give it a second chance with someone else. Sell it with the real real and make room in your closet for something else that feels more like you. The best part of selling with the real real, they handle everything, from photography and copywriting to pricing and shipping, because your to do list is already long enough. The community of over 40 million members ready to shop what's in your closet, your items sell fast so you can leave the past in the past because resale on the Real Real is for second chances. Plus, October is national consignment month, so new consigners earn $100 extra for a limited time. Go to the realreel.com to start selling and get $100 extra to keep shopping. That's the realreelreel.com for your extra $100. Thereelreel.com. Terms apply. Can we get a water?

A water. Water. It's pronounced water. Water. This is a perfect angle for me to kick you. You're crazy. Rob Whitney, welcome to the show. Thank you, mate.

Welcome, Rob. Thank you. How are you doing? I'm excited to have you all. Right. So good. So good. I'm tired. I was saying to Whitney just then, I've had coffee three times in my life. And one of those times was this morning. So I'm like on another plane right now. So this could go anywhere. Yeah, real jittery. Could do a backflip off that table. You should do this before dancing. Drinking a cup of coffee. I think that wouldn't be worse. He needs like a zanics before dancing. What were the other two times you drink coffee? Okay. So once was I was hosting a show.

show in South Africa, which is a live show that I do called I'm a celebrity, get me out of here. And it's this show where it shoots live and you start at like 4.30 a.m. And I had tasted coffee once before, you know, my first little taste of coffee. I didn't really love it. But I was getting up really early and I went, oh, I was just exhausted. I need to pick me up. So I just downed a double shot. And the weird thing with coffee is it does wake me up, but it also just puts my mind in like 50 different places. So I'm just like, and then there's this and then there's that. So, yeah, this is a dangerous conversation. I know. This morning I saw him. I'm like, you're different today. He's like, you're good. And you already seem like a pretty high

energy guy. Yeah. So it's like another level. But I was just tired and I thought, oh, I'll grab a coffee. Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea. So rehearsals are going to be fun today. Are you tired from all the dancing? Oh, absolutely. It's, it's Whitney like, mate, Whitney's a goer. Like, we are, we are going for it. I do give him break. though yes are you very much like a drill sergeant are you like let's fucking go get your ass up I don't feel like I'm a drill sergeant but we definitely work really hard like we laugh a lot but we definitely get stuff done because you have to you only have four hours a day you got to learn an entire new dance by Tuesday can you like go a little longer for what for than four hours

can you guys I always try and show up as early as I can to try and stretch yeah but like you know you don't have the room like there's someone who's in there rehearsing and then the room sort of becomes available. Yeah so you're pretty you're kind of limited to time but it's yeah we're not allowed any extra time. We kind of start from square one like the you know obviously every Tuesday is the show and every Wednesday feels like the first week all over again because it's a new style we start back from scratch and it's it's humbling like really humbling because I just feel like I'm, I always say it's like Whitney has to teach a stick how to dance. Like there's no rhythm at all.

But we just work so hard and we're, I think we're just an awesome team. Like I'm very, very grateful for you, Whitney. Y'all came out of the gate. I mean, like, you first week crush. And I think you like blew America away with how good you are. I mean, like, did you, I mean, not a stick, you're a pretty good dancing stick. Well, that's all Whitney's fault. That, like, it was, that was honestly one of the best nights of my whole life.

Like, that was so much fun. And it was such a, it was such a privilege. And the jive just felt so perfect. Our first dance was born to be wild. It was a jive. It's just like high energy. If I was a ballroom dance, that would be it. And it was just, it was the best to just kind of come out swinging and just go, yeah, let's go.

But to feel the love and the kindness from everyone, here in America, it's just been amazing because, you know, I moved out from Australia. I'm here for like three months. It's a daunting experience. But the second like we got in a room together and started rehearsing, I just felt this sigh of relief like, okay, this is going to be fun. This is going to be awesome. And the love from everyone has been incredible. I'm just so grateful. You've been obviously a public figure most of your life and obviously have been worked in media. But I'm curious because like when I did Dancing with the Stars long ago, like you said, First of all, super much relate to, like, the first day of the next week.

You were on, like, not far after when Bindy was on, my sister. What year was she on? On the show, I think, like, season 21. Okay. I was 2017. Yeah, that's like the year after she was on. Okay. Yeah.

Oh, wow. And, yeah, like, you're just learning, you just did a dance. You spent all week learning it. And the next week, you're just like, that's over new language. New language. It's very like. That's what we say. It's a total new language.

And you have to really go from ground zero. It's like not only does he have to remember the steps, but like how to do them properly and get your hips moving and then where are your arms looking and where's your head. Like there's so many layers that it's really hard. It's very difficult to get everything in in five days. Oh yeah. And it's such a brain heavy thing as well. Like the physical side of it is there. Like my body this morning I woke up and I felt like I got run over.

Like I'm just like, whew. But also the mental fitness. fatigue of trying to remember all of these layers. That was way harder. I've never moved my body. Like, you know, I'm a very active person. Like, I wrangle crocodiles. That takes a lot of footwork and upper body strength and all of that.

But dance, you have to harness all of that energy into like flowy and elegant movements. It's a real challenge. But what I was most impressed about with you kind of like to Nelly's point is, and I'm just curious because I had done enough of TV before. before I did dancing with the stars, where I was familiar with cameras and, like, you know, being on TV didn't, like, psych me out.

But, like, I had no experience with, like, the live performances. So when I was dancing, mostly the whole time I was on, it wasn't until I was, like, cut where they brought me back to, like, redo stuff when they're filling out the episodes.

I looked scared, you know? I'm, like, counting in my head. When you were, like, you were out there week one, just, like, your facial expression were giving like professional dancer and I think and it was just like it was really like yeah you were in it you were in character you looked like you're I was really impressed by that because I am up you know did you have any type of performance experience other than because I think

there's a big difference between like hosting TV shows being on camera and performing in front of a live studio audience oh it's it's insane the feeling in the ballroom when you step in there and you know that you're next up on the roster like our first night we were last. So it was kind of scary watching everyone else go. The competition is insane. Like this season, everybody is incredible. And you're just sitting there watching it and then going, oh my gosh, I got to go last. This is, this is terrifying. But I found the second the music started playing, you know, you hear those counts dancing to jive. It's Robert and Whitney. And then all of a sudden, you just kind of go tunnel vision. You hear the audience. You feel the energy.

And it's amazing. Like I've spent my whole life, you know, on. camera. Like, I was literally film being born. My poor mum. There was quite literally the crocodile hunter TV crew were in the hospital when I was, when I was, you know, when I popped out. And so it was, you know, it's always been part of my life. But I feel like through everything I do, there is a message and a mission behind what I do, not only for wildlife conservation, but also to try and spread some positivity, to put some passion out into the world, you know. And so for me, the second I'm in that studio, I'm in that ballroom, and I hear the crowd, I just feed off of that. And all of a sudden, it's the weirdest thing. All of those nerves just, it turns into

adrenaline and joy and excitement. And I just want to give people something that they can just switch off and just love and have fun. Especially when you took your shirt off. And that was like, yep. He's giving back, people. He's giving it. Honestly. But any of the confidence that you feel, because it's such a terrifying thing. I mean, it's beautiful, but it's also really scary, but all of my confidence comes from Whitney. You know, it comes from leaning on the experience that we have in rehearsals.

Trusting your body, trusting the process, trusting your partner. It is like, this whole thing is the ultimate trustful. You just got to 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 got and I hope for the best. Whitney, did you kind of tell him like whatever happens like this, facial expressions or, you know, form or like performing?

Did you tell him anything was like most important or were you just like, let's just try to knock all this out? I know. It's like, have fun, but be perfect. No, I think his performance quality and what he does naturally is there. So, like, I didn't really have to worry about that because, you know, it's just Robert is Robert. Like what you see here, he's exactly, you know, like that in rehearsals. So I didn't want to mess with that because I felt like that was him and that's what people love. Our main focus was just trying to, you know, get him as good as we could dancing. And so that was the biggest thing. I was like have fun, enjoy it because you'll never have this experience again. So, and that's what we've kind of been doing.

I can't help myself, but start, like I start singing along to the song. I just, I have so much fun. I just can't help, but just love it. It's so fun. It really is. It's been like the best most special season already. So how does Danny feel about that? He's,

he's great. He comments on everything I post. He's like, he's cool. No. I think every past partner has like a little bit of like, hey, like a little bit, like I want to be doing that again because it's such a special time and you never get it again. And you never get it again. And so when you're seeing your partner, your teammate, your partner with another person's kind of like, hold on a second. I'm not ready for that. How he's it already been a year, you know, like, oh my gosh. I know. I feel like we just were here doing the same thing. But no, he's been very supportive and commenting on all of our stuff. You are definitely my wife's favorite choreographer because you do a lot of the flips and the spins and the turns and the lifts. And as far as my wife is concerned, Natalie, if you're not being lifted and thrown around, like she...

She's like, I'm out. But then I've been told, I've been told that like there's rules. You can't have lift and every day. Carrie Ann will cool you out. It's a nice, you have to have a balance because you need good scores from the judges. but you also want America's vote as well and you also want to do something that you're passionate about with the song and the chorus

and you want to be able to show his strengths and every partner has different strengths like it's just it's different from season to season so it's just finding that right balance how what is like how does choreographing go in your brain like are you on the weekends like taking your boys to you know I don't know practice and also like in your head

trying to figure out the next dance 100% I am like 24-7 like working in here so it starts with the track so the music is super important and then and who picks the song i think it's a it's a collective team effort the music team is really incredible and we have you know we have theme weeks and so we're a little bit dialed in a little bit on what we can choose from and then from there it's you know the celebrity has to like the song because we want them to be passionate about it and then obviously the professional who's creating it you know I have to really love it as well.

And then, you know, it goes through lots of different channels and everybody has to be kind of happy with the song choices. So there's a lot of people. You don't always get, you don't usually get the first option you have. Like sometimes there's another and it can change several times. But often you end up with something that you go, I wouldn't have even thought of this song, but this is perfect. Yeah.

It's amazing to watch you like take a song. Like, I'll play a song and instantly you'll be like, that's a jive and this is how I would do it. It's incredible to watch your brain work with choreography. Like, I just, it's, it's so foreign to me, but it's so impressive. Like, it's insane. Anytime I listen to a song, I go straight to choreography, straight to, I can't just listen to a song and just like hang out. Yeah, we need to start dancing. She just starts putting it.

And this is a good trick there. And, like, it's kind of a curse a little bit. Amazing. But no. Do you come into first day of rehearsals with the entire dance done, or do you build? I have, like, a really. good idea. And then things change as I put it on him. So sometimes it's like, oh, you know what? We don't have time to work on that. Let's switch it immediately. Because another thing that's working against us is time.

Like if we had three weeks to work on something, he would get it 100 percent, anything that I would give him. But because we don't have a lot of time, you know, you assess and then you change it quickly. And then you do something different. And sometimes, you know, it changes a lot throughout the week. And I always have to be like, I'm so sorry, I love you, and you can do this on Saturday. I'm like, we're changing it all. I'm coming one morning, and I'm like, I feel like I'm finally getting this dance. I'm practicing all night. About that.

It's completely different now. We're changing all of it. And here we go. But you were announced part of this cast pretty early on. I know when Dina is casting, she'll ask. She's the best. Who, you know, do you have any preferences? Certainly you don't find out who your partner has until like the announcement, but did you, like, was Whitney always your first choice? Did you not care? Were you like, give me anything?

It was interesting because when I, same question to you, because I am curious, I don't know how it works on the pro side. Whitney said anyone but Robert. No. It was interesting because my sister did this show in what, 2015, 2016. I was 11 years old. And since then I went, I want to do this show. Like, I really. I wanted to. And, you know, I was 11, so it was a long way off. But, you know, Dina, who obviously decides, decides the cast and everything, we would talk about it. We would kind of joke around about it. For years, we talked about it. And then I kind of always had in my mind, like, after watching Bindy season, because Whitney, you were there. We always sort of, I don't know, as a

family, we would always kind of talk about, I bet, I'd end up getting partnered with Whitney. And I kind of just, it was this weird, like, feeling I had. I had this feeling if I ever do the show. I don't know. I just, I kept thinking, it's going to be Whitney. And so when I came into this experience and they said, well, we did our first meeting, which they capture on camera, and Whitney was standing there, I just felt this sense of, whoa, this is a full circle moment. Like, this is 10 years in the making. Here we are. And I instantly felt so protected. And so, like, Whitney's become like an older sister so quickly. It's so, it's so funny. So it's so funny. So it's Like, I've got my mom here, my actual older sister, and now you, so, you know.

He doesn't have a life. No. Is it in here? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, very protective. I have no dating life at the moment, that's for sure.

You guys are like. No, we've exhaled that. They have quite the people to go through. I know. Yeah. But no, it's, friends at this point are just a distraction. That's what I'm saying. I'm locked in.

That's what I'm saying. I'm locked in. But no, it's, it is really cool. But you don't, yeah, you have no idea. You have no idea. But I've known a lot of the professional dancers on this show since I was 10 years old. Like when I came to the announcement to announce, you know, I'm doing this, everyone was there and everyone's just like, oh my gosh, the last time I saw you, you were this big, you were tiny. You had a little bowl haircut, you know, like what's up?

So, yeah, and the pros also, we don't get a say in our partners at all. So it's kind of. They don't ask, you don't. I mean, I think. You get like a tip. I personally don't ask. Like, I kind of leave it up to fate and I leave it up to the casting producers

because they, you know, they're so good at that. And so I trust them completely. But I didn't know. I thought everyone was talking about Robert and Riley. So I kind of had checked Robert off the list. And so I was looking at all the celebrities. And in my head I had like one celebrity that was like, oh, they'll probably pair me with him,

not thinking it was Robert at all. So when I walked in, I was like so shocked. Were you thinking Riley, like, you know, younger, maybe they would hope there's like some kind of like a showman's kind of thing. Exactly. Or yes. Just I think like just them too being so young and like it was in the press a lot and like she had said that she wanted you as a partner. Yeah. So I kind of had checked that off my list. But it's cool because like then once you're in this little world, everyone's so tight. Like everyone kind of just becomes mates. Like I'm mates with all the pros and all the all the celecast as well. And it's nice. Like it's the sort of environment where everyone's. really just stoked for each other and everyone's kind of just lifting each other up. Yeah, it is. It's a family for sure. It's pretty cool. So there's no like, there's really, I mean, at least this season, there's really no dramas. Nothing crazy. There's no drama. There is no.

Maybe a little bit. But like, there's no, like, showmances either. No. Which I feel like usually there are. Yeah, everyone's pretty locked in. Everyone's like married with kids now, which is funny because it's changed so much over the years. But everyone is, you know, I was just thinking this. When Bindy did the show and I was there 10 years ago, you had just gotten engaged to Carson. I know, which is crazy. And Whitney was 21. Whitney was my age. And I got so excited at that.

I was like, you can be engaged, Robert. I'm like, hang on a minute. I had like an existential crisis. I'm like, wait, what? I know, the Mormons. We get right on it. You're straight in there. Just straight to marriage.

So are you like an off dating period? Are you like in between for the show? No, he's off dating. No, I'm not. No, I'm not. Whitney's trying to say that I, no, I'm, I'm kind of at this point in my life where I'm, I'm completely, like, open to it and let it happen. But I'm not in any, like, crazy rush.

And I'm not trying to. Exactly. I'm just kind of trying to. Hey, I was engaged. I was engaged. Yes. Oh, my God. Yeah, I got a, I got to step up my game.

I got to hurry up. You got time. No, you got time. If you, just to indulge the fans. Okay. Because I know you have a lot of fans. This is Whitney's favorite company. Yeah, I love this.

If you were to date, describe your perfect partner in a way. I've got it. All right. I know exactly what you're going to say. Okay, so I think... Well, I want to hear from him and then I want... No, no, no, yeah. Let him...

Yes. Well, honestly, I think, first of all, I try to surround myself with people, genuine, authentic people who are just really kind. Like, that's the thing. In life, you've got to find people that... lift you up and that you can kind of just support one another. My life is pretty crazy. Like it's here and there and everywhere. The amount of side quests I'm going on. I was thinking I'm like, you really don't have, I mean, how would that even work? You're so busy. But like I'm so. You'd need someone who's also like like a content creator who had, you know, who could like travel. Yeah. Because one day I'm like,

you know, rescuing a crocodile. And then the next day I'm dancing with the stars and the next day I'm, you know, so it's here and there. But to find someone, yeah, who's up for an adventure to come along. Yeah, you need that, yeah. And someone who's got, like, their own world and passions that you can kind of find what you both love and sort of, you know, form that together. So someone just adventurous and fun and really kind, you know, is really important to me. And someone kind of family focused, like family's everything to me. Does she have to like animals? I mean, yeah, like that would help.

What if she was, like, allergic to cats? Fine. The only cats I have, I've got, I've got, I've got. tigers and a couple of cheaters. But apart from that, I don't have any cats. You don't have any cats? Yeah. What would be like a dating pet peeve?

Or do you have like an ick where it's just like, you know, it's petty but I can't do it. Ooh, this is a good question. That is a fun question. Like the only ick that I get, really. Listen to it. Look, I'm going all red. I'm getting hot now. I'm getting all sweaty.

No, like I, people who are like rude to weight stuff. That's like. That's like. We want something really petty. Like, anytime Nick gets road rage, I'm, like, icked out, you know? Yeah. When do I get road rage? Well, if you ever do.

You know, anytime Nick, like, trips and, like, oh, God, could have done without that. If I'm hungry. Like, it's like, could have done without that. Oh, my gosh, that's funny. Like, just Carson do anything where you're like, oh. Well, actually, he did. He had a little bit of road rage, but this, in this case, it was. I found it really attractive because he was, like, protecting the kids.

Like, this guy got out of the car and, like, was, like, yelling at us, like, in traffic. Here in L.A. Here in L.A. And Carson just, like, got right out. It's like, we were about to get in a fight. Carson's a big guy, isn't he? Yeah. As soon as he got out of the car, the guy was like, bye. Yeah. He would have been like, wait a minute.

Never mind. You guys are great. He's a unit. I know. He's built like a house. I can't do a drunk, like a sloppy girl who's drunk. You're like, I'm like, ah, I'm like, I'm not drunk. Oh, yeah, that's just like, that's like, okay, yeah, that's why. I'm like, yuck, get away from me. Robert is kind of a germaphobe a little bit.

Okay, you are. But not in an extreme way, in a normal way, but we've been, in a normal way. We've been trying to, I've been doing, like, exposure therapy, right? Where I'll just, like, touch this sand railing down the stairs. And then I'll just, like, touch the floor, and then I'll be, like, ready to dance. And I'm like, uh, because, but it's weird. I can be covered head to toe in mud.

I'm like, I was going to say. Like, the animals aren't necessarily the most hygienic. Mud, the blood, everything is fine. But, like, door handles. Like, I'm in L.A. and it's like, everything's, like, the ground's dirty. You're going to struggle once you have kids. I know.

I know. I was like, a lot of viruses. Just do you wait. It's like, oh my God, take that out of your mouth. Jesus. I found that in the trash. I know. And, like, my son's favorite thing right now is to put his shoes on his hands and then put it on his face.

And I'm like, it is. the worst. Yeah, I would struggle with that. Yes. The worst. Yeah. I feel like even just having a niece now, you do definitely, you learn to be a little bit more like, I don't know, you've got to just kind of go, oh well, okay. This is happening. You're licking the

floor. Okay, great. Okay, great. The pacifier falls out, like on the floor of the airplane and I'm like, Nick, put it in your mouth. Wipe it off. I'm done that same thing. I've done that same thing. I'm the I'm the pacifier cleaner on a plane.

With your mouth? When you have a kid, it's like, when you have a kid, it's like it's us or them. And it's life or dying. The airplane sink, water is no better. No better than your saliva. Wow. You guys, wow. Have you ever had airplane coffee?

No. Okay. Or tea? Never. No. Good. Yeah. Oh, you have had tea.

I've had tea. I'm a tea guy. Well, I, uh, I'm not after this. You don't drink coffee. So you had a tea in an airplane. Yes, I have. Well, I'm about to freak you out because. I've heard a rumor.

Pretty common rumor that you should never drink coffee or tea in an airplane because they're using the same water that you would wash your hands on an airplane. It's coming from the same place. So last week,

one of the flight attendants was very lovely and she was a fan of the show and she said hi. So I felt we had a little bit of a connection and she was serving and I really wanted a coffee

but I was like, I've heard this rumor and I was like, hey, like, would you ever drink the coffee on the plane? She's like absolutely fucking not. And then, and then

we were on a flight yesterday and the water, the sink, they're like, hey, we got hand sanitizers is in the bathroom because the water's not working. Also, P.S. coffee's not available today. Oh. So make the connection.

So like, just, like dirty, ziki. I'm having an existential crisis over here. New fear unlocked. I'm thinking about every time. We're still here, though. I'm still alive.

I know, we're still alive. I'm the guy where I get on a plane and I will disinfect to see, I'll get a little wiped out. I feel like that's normal. That's normal. A flight attendant will come by and they'll always go, that's a great call. I would do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We do that. I do that. That's what I'm

saying, he's a normal germaphyl. That's normal. I'm a normal germany. Do you want kids someday? Yeah. Okay. Well, if you ever have kids, Whitney, it's just like it's, you become like instantly dad mode, mom mode, we're going to Like, I'm here for my kids. You're, like, you're just, you're, you're there to, like. Have you ever seen the, you know, they put something in their nose and you, like,

suck it out with your mouth? Have you ever seen that? I've seen that. I've never used it. I've never used it either. No, I've never used it. But, like, you would. Like, you would.

You would. Without question, you don't even think about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like, oh, you're stuffed up. Let me suck out all of the snot and then spit it out of your nothing soon. That's awesome. That's great. That might be extreme for me.

That's okay. Whoa. When my. sister and her husband Chandler when they had their little one, Grace. Like it is so cool when you watch, like even just someone in your family, like watching my sister and brother-in-law, like watching them go into parent mode. It's such a crazy thing. It's like this instant shift. I feel like all of a sudden my brother-in-law Chandler just went from, you know, this guy that I'd known for years. And then all of a sudden, he's just permanently got like a diaper bag with him and he's got like

tactical baby gear, you know? He's got like bottles ready to go. And he's got like bottles ready to go and he's got wipes and he's just like all of a sudden just and Bindy's the same. She's like this amazing mom and it's just wild to watch that kick in. It's cool to watch you as well because last time I saw you on this show. Yeah. It's like I saw before and after and now you've got your whole family and it's so cool to watch even like on a live show when they come in and it's just the most amazing environment. It's so cool. It's so cool to see. Thank you. I am constantly trying to redecorate, reorganize. I want a fresh new feel, and I get that feeling with cozy furniture.

The level of customization cozy products offer shows how they're all about making your home feel like your home. Plenty of colors to choose from and plenty of configurations to play around with. If one day you're feeling a green sofa and the other day you want to orange sofa, changing covers is as easy as changing bed sheets. Cozy's furniture collections are designed to be loved. They make your house really feel like a home with practical features, true comfort, and chic style. Easy living starts at home and Cozy makes it even easier with their fast assembly and easy to move boxes. Also having a toddler, two dogs and a husband, Cozy really makes it easy with their washable, stain resistant sofas and rugs. They give me a peace of mind from everyday spills and messes.

Their products range from first of its kind modular sofa beds to washable rugs and modular customizable shelving. So whatever it is you're looking for, you can get it from Cozy. Because I'm such a great boss, we recently did a giveaway here at the household. And our employee, Jack, won the Cozy sofa. Here's a photo of his, of his cozy sofa in his very stylish, sleek bachelor pad. So if you want to transform your living space today, do it with cozy. Visit cozy.com, C-O-Z-E-Y, the home of possibilities made easy. Well, it's October baseball.

My brewers are playing. My Packers are playing. It's really been exciting for me as a sports fan. And thank God I have Happy Thursday by my side. Game day is always a good time, especially when you kick it off with a happy Thursday spike refresher. No fuzz, no fizz, no bubble. just good game vibes right at your fingertips. Happy Thursday is a bubble-free non-carbonated spiked refresher.

That's 4.4 ABV with vibrant fruit flavors. I got the black cherry by my side right here. It's in a delicious flavor. They have so many great flavors to choose from. And the best part is they're non-carbonated. No more burps, unnecessary burbs. Everyone hates the unnecessary burps, especially like on a date, you know, it's just like you're drinking and all of a sudden, you know, no one wants that.

Have your Happy Thursday spiked refresher ready to go, whether it's a day at the beach, your happy hour drink, or certainly at the game, everyone's going to love you when you bring Happy Thursday to the event because it tastes great, it's bubble-free, and it just brings good vibes. Just that crisp, you can hear it, the crisp fun, funness right here,

the black cherry drink that I got with me at this time. It is the light, refreshing flavor, a perfect pairing for all your favorite game day snacks. They got some great flavors, whether it's their strawberry, pineapple, starfruit, mango passion fruit, In Raspberry Dragon Fruit, they also have their black cherry, which is what I'm drinking right now. They've got something for everyone.

So check out a Happy Thursday on your next Game Day event party that you go to. Crack open a Happy Thursday and bring good vibes to wherever you are. Kick off your game day with Happy Thursday Spike Refresher to find out more and find a Happy Thursday near you. Visit Drink HappyThursday.com slash V-I-A-L-L. That's Drink HappyThursday.com slash V-I-A-L-L. Celebrate responsibly, non-carbonated, naturally flavored with other natural flavors. 21 plus contains alcohol 2025 Molson Coors beverage company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin beer. Say goodbye to sticky notes and calendar confusion with Skylight.

The Skylight Calendar is here to keep your family organized this beautifully designed digital display syncs with your existing calendars, making it effortless to track events, appointments, and reminders in one easy-to-see place. The Skylight Calendar has been game-changing for me and Natalie. We are busy people on the go. We do a lot of things together, but we have some individual appointments and things that just kind of pop up. Also, with child care, that we, it's really important to make sure that we are organized and we're not getting our schedules confused. And the skylight calendar has been super helpful for us. This is an all-in-one smart calendar syncs seamlessly with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and more giving you customizable views for daily, weekly, or monthly planning.

You will be able to manage events, chores, and grocery list while assigning colors for each of your family members and eliminating excuses of not knowing what they need to do. I know my parents would love the Skylight Calendar for their 11 kids and all the chores that we had to do. And if your family needs to get a little bit more organized and things are being forgotten or lost track of, the Skylight Calendar will certainly make all of your lives easier. Especially you parents out there, limit their ability to make excuses or I forgot it. I didn't know. It's a great way to help kids like learn responsibility, organization. The Skylight calendar has so many perks and advantages. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15-inch calendar. By going to skylightcal.com slash V-I-A-L-L. Go to skylight.com for $30 off your 15-inch calendar. That is skylightcal.com. S-K-Y-L-G-H-C-A-L-com slash V-A-L-L.

Rob, I want to transition a little bit to just kind of getting to know you and your childhood a little bit, but obviously you're, you're very well known for your family in general, and obviously your father, Steve, who passed away when you were just two years old. And speaking about being a new father, it's just, you know, again, like being a dad just changes you in so many ways. And I saw a recent interview that you did. Well, I thought was really cool for a lot of reasons and also just kind of gave me a little piece of mind. But like, certainly as you get older, you just think about your own mortality in general. And then once you become a father you have those kind of just like what if something happened type of thing and just

doing what I do for living and doing what we do I've always just been like so grateful because like there's this idea like how you know who's going to be there to teach your kid lessons and things like that that you know if God forbid something happens and you talked about how like because of your dad and what he did for living and all the interviews he's done and just he was just films so much you know it's just like this kind of beautiful gift yeah that you were able to get to know your dad you know even though you know you probably don't have a lot of memories of him in person and i just love to like have you speak more about that because again like it's just that's one thing i thought about like god forbid if something happened i have like hours and hours of footage

of conversations of like just talking with my wife and just talking with our guests and offering perspective and things that I've learned and being vulnerable and and I feel grateful that god forbid something were to happen if my kids wanted to get to know their dad and they would have the ability to do that and I'm just curious like at what age did you kind of have that realization that there was this gift available to you in order to like get to know your father yeah I think um when when you lose someone like that so young, all of a sudden, as you grow up, well, at least for me, one of the most important things in my life and one of the things that I just really would seek out is just any kind

of connection I could sort of reclaim to my dad. And I think the two greatest gifts that I have in my life to still have that connection. One, as you say, it's all that footage. I mean, as I just said, I mean, my whole life from the time I was born, captured on camera. So all of the times with Dad, in photos, they're on video, there's recordings, it's all there. My memories with Dad are blurry, very, very distant. So my grief journey has been different in a way where I'm trying to get pieces of him back. And when I watch a piece of footage. It happens to me, you know, it's happened a handful of times in my life where I will watch footage that I haven't seen before of me as a two-year-old kid with him. And all of a

sudden, it's like this wave. It's like I just get hit with something. And all of a sudden, it's just like, boom, I remember that. That moment in time just comes back. It just floods back into my mind. And I just go, whoa, I remember that. I remember that feeling. I remember how I felt and I remember how he felt in that moment and that is the greatest gift I can receive. So that is huge for me. But the second thing in my life, the second gift that I have that keeps me connected to my dad is my mom.

The legacy that my mom and dad created is incredible. They were just the ultimate team and they created something that, Now I, my sister, we get to continue. And it's a message that is so important. They built an entire life around trying to make positive change on the planet. And when dad passed away, everything then stops, but mum just carried it all forward. She's an incredibly strong human being. And she made sure that dad was always part of my life.

And I'm very, very grateful for that. Yes, still having a connection with him is so important to me. And also, I get that connection from people. I talk to in my day-to-day life. I mean, he was a superhero figure to an entire generation, I think. And worldwide, I mean, like, you know, we all knew your dad. And I think it's because at any age, too. Yeah, like, obviously it's cool because he was this advocate for the environment, he was boots and all in there and so passionate about animals. But also, I think he exemplified what it is to truly live, to truly give everything. He didn't have a lot of time.

and it's like he knew that he just gave so much to everything he did and people still come up to me all the time and share stories of when they met dad or the way he inspired them in their own lives and that means so much to me and i think losing him um it makes for me it's really made me try to um appreciate every second appreciate the fragility of life and how fleeting it is to keep the ones you love around you to tell everyone you love just how much you love them and to just try and put out as much positivity because that's all we've got that's all we've got in this life is to just try and be kind to each other try and make each other laugh and just spend time with the ones that fill your cup you know because you don't know how long you've got and um i'm i'm very grateful for

for my family and for my mom you know giving me i have to say like sitting here with you is is very full circle for me personally i grew up with my dad having the crocodile hunter on all the time um that's awesome oh you're going to let me try now he's not doing so well right now i'm sorry I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, it's tough, right. So this is really cool for me to have this conversation with you because it brings me back to my childhood with my dad. Yeah.

Are there traits that you see in yourself of your dad when you watch back footage? Yeah, there are. And I'm really sorry that you're going through that because it sucks. Like, there's no two ways about it. It's a really weird, um, feeling to see my dad in, in photos and in footage as a young guy. And, and now me being that age, it's, yeah, very, very surreal. Um, and like, I think the most, like, emotional thing for me is when my, my niece will often see footage of, of my dad.

And she'll go, she calls me shushu. And, and she'll go, oh, it's, oh, it's. Shushu. And Binda will go, no, no, that's your grandfather when he was your uncle's age. And Grace just kind of can't quite figure that out. Yeah. It's, it's really special. And I think in this life, grief is just, it's, it's part of the deal. And it's so bloody hard. It's so hard. And there's no grief journey that's easy and there's no grief journey that is the same as the other. But for me, to celebrate my dad, to celebrate the person he is, to continue what he loved is the honor of a lifetime. And I, um, um, I do that with such pride. And I really hope

what you do, what I do, what we all do with a platform is to try and say it's okay. It's okay when life's hard. It's okay to be vulnerable. And it's okay sometimes for some days to just be too much and to just try and keep that light in your heart, try and find the people that lift you up and to just lift each other up. So thank you for sharing that sense of vulnerability and for saying that it's okay. It's okay to find that grief sometimes. It's been the week for it. It's like really been the week for it. We're doing our dedication week dance. It's like this, it brings up so many crazy emotions, but it's so powerful because you realize none of us are doing this alone.

Exactly. We've all, we've all experienced that in some way and we all have to be there for each other. And I think that's something we can all connect with, right? Yeah. Like we're all going in grief, like through grief in some way. And if we can pull together and connect in that way. And I think that's what's been really big for us this week. yeah has been to share robert's story and his personal journey yeah but to connect and and hope and try and

make sure it kind of helps helps others helps others in some way yeah yeah how how are you how are you doing with it all how how are you how do you yeah how do you navigate it i mean it's it's tough it's tough it's definitely you know i've only ever you know lost grandparents that you know i wasn't super close with So, I mean, a parent, I think for a girl, you know, her dad is, it's everything. Oh, yeah, truly, truly. So I, you know, slowly, day by day, day by day. Not to get the emotions going, but I, you know, again, just like, I think a lot is Rivers too. Yeah.

I'm almost two. So I really fantasize about, like, conversations I look forward to having. with her and teaching her things and just like, I care about her character and things like that. And then again, those moments with your dad was taken from you. Yeah. But I imagine you must have conversations with your dad or through your mom or your sister. Yeah. I'm sure they expressed to you things your dad would want you to know or lessons they'd want to teach you. And I'm just curious, like, what are some of those? Yeah. You know, it's like it's something if I, again, God forbid something were to happen.

I would, I just would want my daughter to still feel like she was able to learn things I'd want to teach her. And like, what are lessons that you've been able to learn from your dad through your family, the footage or whatever that, you know, that you were still able to connect with your father? Yeah, I feel like through, particularly through my mom and my sister and through a lot of the people that knew dad best, I still get to learn from him. I absolutely learned from him. He was just so ahead of his time and was so, he was such a dedicated father. Like he was so, such a committed, dedicated father. And the time that I had with him and that my sister had with him was so short. But it's like, for me, every second of those two years that I

had with my dad was just like saturated with his energy and his passion and his spirit. And I still, I still feel that, like, all the time. Yeah. I was clearing out his office the other day we were renovating, and I found his, one of his old jackets, one of his old shirts. And I remember pulling it out of this box, and obviously it had been like 19 years, but I don't know how. It sounds so weird, but it smelled like him.

Oh, wow. Like, it's, it smelt like a campfire. Yeah. That's what he always, he smelled like a. campfire because he was all he every night he'd build a fire and it's like whoa there he is and and my my mom my sister they still pass on the lessons that that he was all about he was so family focused and his thing was always treat everyone equal like you you have to treat everyone the way you would wish to be treated and he approached that with all the people he would come into contact with

but also animals you know he was very much like treat every living being how you would want to be treated. That's this real lesson that I think he kind of gave to me and to my sister. The other really cool thing, you know, dad was very known for crocodiles, right? You know, everyone knows that he was, he's the crocodile hunter. But, you know, Hunter is kind of the wrong word because he was going out to conserve crocs, to protect them, often to rescue them out of situations where they were going to be killed, you know, so he would go out and wrangle crocs and he devised this method of catching crocodiles because no one else had really done that before. You know, it was portrayed in movies and all, but no one had ever actually done that in real life. And he, and he did that. And so

the people that he taught those techniques to now teach me. So now I lead our crocodile rescue team. And I go out and, and catch and rescue crocs or do crocodile research, continue his work. And so, you know, all of all of those actual techniques of how you catch a crocodile were were passed down from the people he taught now on to me. So it's like all of the lessons, the real like material work lessons, you know, I'm still learning from him too to continue his legacy and to continue his work. And it's such a privilege. It really is, it is such a privilege.

And you know what? Like I, one day, I really would love to have a family and I'd really love to have kids because I would love to give my child one day what my dad kind of gave to me, the lessons that he gave to me. And I want to, you know, I want to be around for them as long as I can. But I, but I would want to, I would want to pass that down onto someone too, you know. So that's something I think about a lot as well. There's a video that reminds me of a video circulating where your dad, I think is when you're born. Yeah. And he's like, you're born and he's like, this is what it's all about. Like, you could tell he was just all about family. I love that. Yeah, there's this,

there's, there's this interview that he did where someone, he was on some show, some talk show or something, and someone asked him like, is there anything that would make you give up what you, what you do, give up your, your work and your career, you know, ready for the answer, for dad to be like, no, no way in classic dad fashion, this is what I do and I'll do it to the end and I'm so passionate. but instead he answered yes absolutely when when my kids are ready to take over my legacy and my mission i'm done it's theirs i'm out like that he always said my whole mission is to create a legacy that my kids can continue and he said that years before he passed um and so for me watching that it's like he gave me this gift it's there it's material it's in writing it's i'm

watching him looking through the camera and telling me I'm not always going to be here and um this but I'm creating something that you can continue and that's what I want you to do and that's what I get to do now and and it fills me with a lot of pride and what's so cool is like he's there with you when you're doing the stuff you know he's like so proud like watching you crush it and like do it exactly how he would do it and like seeing himself in you. And to do some different stuff as well. Like, I never thought I'd be doing dancing with the star.

I never thought that would be a way to spread my message to continue his legacy and now to kind of try and create my own. Like take all of the building blocks that he sort of created. Take all of that, carry that spirit with me, but now create my own legacy. You have a whole new generation following you, but you're also introducing them to your father and giving your father an even bigger legacy. And it's amazing how it's so alive today. Yeah. Like his legacy is still so alive. There's actually a thing that the world really got behind, which is Steve Irwin Day, the 15th of November, is a day that is now celebrated worldwide

to kind of honour dad. And it's incredible how every year his impact is felt and his message is felt even more because I think as our world, you know, the times that we're going through, what he stood for is more important than ever before. And what he stood for is so universal. And it will always be relevant. Yeah. Well, Revolve has been my one-stop shop for a long time now. It is so easy to find an outfit for absolutely anything that you are doing if you are going to a concert, if you're going on vacation, if you're wedding guest dress shopping, if you're looking for like casual airport looks, if like whatever you're looking for accessories, beauty, handbag, shoes, anything Revolve has it. And one of my favorite things to do on Revolve is when I click on an item and it says,

create a look and you can literally, it builds an outfit for you. It's so easy. They have over 1,200 brands and 100,000 styles across high in emerging and exclusive labels in fashion beauty and home goods, consistently offering the latest and most sought after trends in fashion from top brands like lovers and friends, Norma Kamali, Hilsa, a Goldie, free people, super down, so many brands and so many new things constantly. And they have inclusive sizing options from extra, extra small to 4X, and they also ship everything in two days. So if you are a last minute procrastinator, like I am, it is so easy to, on a Wednesday be like, oh my gosh, what am I wearing this weekend, place an order on Revolve, and you have it before the weekend. Honestly,

if you're ever wondering what I'm wearing, it is usually from Revolve. I have so many great loafers from Tony Bianco off a Revolve. I have great graphic t-shirts from Shop Redone on Revolve. I have loungeware from Eves or Lesette. Like, everything on Revolve is just so good. And it's also so fun to just like instead of scrolling on TikTok at night, scroll and Revolve. You know, you never know what you might find. So whether it's a weekend away or a big night out or just a little style refresh, your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to Revolve.com slash V-I-A-L to shop my edit and take 15% off your first order with code V-I-A-L, fast two-day shipping, easy returns. It's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's Revolve.com slash V-I-A-L to shop my favorites and get 15% off

your first order with code V-I-A-L. Offer ends October 29th, so happy shopping. Well, we've talked about it so many times, but Nanit is something that Nal and I have really relied on when it comes to helping raise our daughter River. You know, peace of mind is something that you can't have enough of when it comes to being a parent. And if you're a parent, you know, what I'm talking about. And when your child is sleeping, it's always great to be able to check on them, you know, to make sure they're okay. The NANET is the number one most awarded smart baby monitor trusted by parents and experts over 35 parents expert award. What's so great about the NANN is this is how you're, you know, you're connected to your baby sleeping. The monitor on there is great.

Like, I mean, all parents know this, especially those young babies. You're always just like this fear. It's making sure they're breathing. You can zoom in. You can literally see their little bodies breathing. It's really peace of mind that can't be beat. As busy parents who are often on the go, when I have to travel in the few days that I'm away from River, I'm allowed to, you know, check in on my baby wherever I am in the world

and listen to her sleep. Sometimes I listen to her nap when I'm on my run. It's a great way to just stay connected to your baby. And just like that piece of mind, also it just, you know, it allows you to be productive when your baby's sleeping. You know, you can get some chores done. You know, like sometimes when your baby is napping, that's the few moments of the day

where you can get some other things done while knowing that you're just an alert away from knowing that your child is up and ready to go. Nanette parents get 36 more nights of sleep per year because of the peace of mind that the nanad offers. It's got crystal clear video and two-way audio so you can see and hear your baby from anywhere anytime. It provides parents with personalized insights

and smart notifications to understand their baby's development and needs like never before. Like telling you exactly how. long your baby slept and predicting when their nap time should be. With sounds, motions, cry, and cough detection, Nanit tells you precisely when and why you're needed. Netit is the smartest baby monitor on the market, tracking everything from your baby's breathing motion to sleep quality, giving you key insights into their health and well-being. It's always like his parents, you forget about, like, when did they wake up, when did they take a nap? You can always back and check out

the Nanit monitor to know that when you put them down and when they got up to make sure they're going to bed at the right time. Nanit is truly the one baby item we can't live without right now. is offering 25% off for our listeners. Get 25% off your first order with code baby 25. Go to nanit.com and use code baby 25 to save. That is n-anit.com with code baby 25. Remodeling homes can be exciting. We should know, but it also means dealing with older systems and appliances,

which can be expensive to fix when they break down. That's why you should turn to American Home Shield. They can help protect major systems and appliances, like your HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and refrigerator, no matter their age. Enjoy peace of mind knowing your budget won't get drained by unexpected covered expenses. Visit AHS.com slash vial files for 20% off any plan today and see promo details. That's aHS.com slash vile files for 20% off. See aHS.com slash contracts for coverage details including service fees, limitations, and exclusions.

I imagine the answer is no because obviously just hearing you speak with such passion and connectedness to your dad. But was there ever pressure that you felt, you know, in terms of caring on this legacy or just kind of being ordained? And did you ever want to be just like a banker? Yeah.

You know what I'm done with this. I'm going to be an astronaut. Yeah, I'm going to be an accountant. I'm going to be a dancer. I do. Well, now, I mean, maybe it's a career change. If this whole animal thing doesn't work out, if you'll be. We know where you'll be. Yeah.

It's a small room. 100%. Robert, especially the cha-cha. Don't say that word. I can't even, that's, that is a trickle word for me, chacha. Oh my gosh. No. Honestly, it was never a question. But the interesting thing was, my mum was really big in saying, if you want to take over the family business, if that's what you want to do, great. But as I was growing up, she would actively try and get me into different stuff. She'd be like, if I had an interest in something else, she'd be like, yep, go, do that. Do that separate thing. She was like, you choose. So she was very encouraging of separate passions, but I would always end up just circling back to what we do, you know? And I think it's because growing up, my mum and dad were like,

we're going to take the kids with us everywhere. So when they were on some wild conservation mission, we would be there with them. And I grew up seeing like, you know, I learned about rhinos by being on the plains in Africa and seeing them firsthand with an anti-poaching. unit. I learned about koalas by going to one of our conservation properties and watching a baby koala emerge from the pouch there in the wild in front of me in a eucalyptus tree. Like,

I was so immersed in this world of conservation that it filled me with a great sense of responsibility, not pressure, but responsibility. Like, I was born into this world and I was born with a platform. I am so grateful that I get to reach people with this message. And I feel like I have to do that justice. I've been put on this planet for a reason. This is what gets me out of bed every day with a fire in my belly is to make the world a better place and to try and show the next generation that it's up to us to make that difference. It really is. And it doesn't matter who you are. I mean, everything I do was started by this young bloke in Australia in a town called Beerwa, Population Nobody, in the middle of nowhere. And he just loved animals. And that

was my dad. And he created this empire, this legacy with my mom. So you've got to just follow your passion. You've got to give it 100%. And that's always been my passion. But it's the same as you. Like, we talk about this. When you're born into something that gives you that sense of passion and you can form a career out of it, that is life's greatest gift. Yeah, 100%. For sure. What has been the most, like, unbelievable thing you've witnessed being around animals? Oh, my gosh. So many things. So much heartbreak.

So much beauty. The natural world at this point in time as it goes through its most uncertain point, and it's going through such turmoil. There is such just horror and beauty happening at the same time. Here's two examples. These are just two examples that come straight to my head. of how hard this job is and how beautiful it is. So a couple of years ago, Australia went through a bushfire crisis,

which you would have heard about. You know, millions upon millions of acres of land destroyed, billions of animals lost. It was devastating. I and our team went down to a place called Kangaroo Island,

down in the south of Australia, and it was one of the places hardest hit by these wildfires, absolutely decimated. And we went down there to help out to rehabilitate injured koalas, the burn victim koalas that were rescued. I went out with the army, it was like ground zero, it was like an apocalyptic scene. I remember we were going out to try and find any sort of greenery that we could pick for these koalas to keep them fed. They were at a local animal hospital and they were trying to be

rehabilitated. I went out with the army and I remember going out trying to find any sort of leaf, anything we could find and it was just ash as far as the eye could see. And I remember getting out of the car and looking on the ground and seeing it's just so sad and it's horrible to even think about. But just seeing a field of just singed koalas, just koalas littering the ground next to the road that we're trying to flee the fire. And there they all are. That's horrible. The icon of Australia, one of the most iconic animals ever. And it was just devastating.

And I remember, I was crying and these like super tough army guys and girls were there, they're all crying. And we were all just devastated. And there was this one tree sitting there that was still green and there's a koala sitting there at the top of the tree, unscathed, totally fine. Wow. And you just look at that and you go, there's always hope. Yeah. There's always hope. We ended up getting hundreds of koalas rehabilitated, put back out in the wild, re-vegetated. And you just look at it. that island's doing really well now. That's so great. Wow. Another example of that, I'm out on the Great Barrier Reef looking for sea turtles, right? Endangered sea turtles. And I'm out in the deep water and I'm sitting there just bobbing around, can't see the bottom. And this just gives

the idea of how small we all are, right? I'm looking and I can't quite see it's kind of murky and all of a sudden this shape just starts like emerging from the deep, this deep blue dark shape. Like a submarine just starts coming up And your heart rate goes up And this like weird primal instinct Just pops in your head and you're like I got to run. What do I do?

I got to run what's going on. And I look and it's a humpback whale. Massive humpback whale Comes right up And I'm telling you she comes up eye to eye with me Where Whitney and I are right here One foot, reach out a hand and you touch her. There she is.

And she just comes right up, turns over and shows me her beautiful little calf. her little baby that's right underneath her. Oh my gosh. The baby comes up and we spend like half an hour just circling each other, watching each other, her eye, looking dead in your eye, just watching, allowing me to have this connection, to have this moment, and then she disappears again.

And I just felt so small. That is the natural world. We are part of something so much bigger than ourselves. And in so many ways, unfortunately, we are part of its destruction, but we will be its solution as well. you like try to figure out why you know like why would she have done that what you know like is there a part of you that's like and this is this is the thing there is no instinctual primal reason there is no reason for her to do that there's no reason but curiosity and no reason for

her to allow me to to be with her baby they are incredibly like defensive creatures and And for her to say, hey, here's my little baby. I'm going to let you, she kind of like ushered her over. Here she is. Kind of here's a little introduction. And I'm going to let you spend this time. Wow. And then she went, all right, we're done now and I'm off.

There was no reason. She had no gain out of that. There's so much more to animals than meets the eye. That's amazing. She's like, look what I did. Look what I did. Yeah, we want to show off our babies. Yeah, we do.

We want to get to like hooty dutty with it all. But there's a real energy in that. Oh, I bet. Like your energy, they have a soul. And if you put out that energy, if you're gentle, if you're respectful, if you have this sense of I'm in your space, I'm grateful to be here, thank you. I'm telling you animals pick up on that. I was going to about to say that says so much about you for her to be able to come up and trust you.

It was a real privilege. But anyway. Have y'all made plans to get Whitney in the, in the safari or in the ocean or something? She's coming to Australia. Yep, I am. I'm coming to Australia. Yeah, I'm so excited. You are.

He's naming an animal after me, so I must go. What animal? I am. Watch this space. I'm thinking about a wallaby. I'm thinking about Whitney the wallaby. Wouldn't that be great? They're really cute.

I used to always play this game, like, in my young professional life when I'd do, like, training and it's always boring or in, like, school, I'd always be like. What animal would I? If you're an animal, who are you? Yeah. What's your favorite animal? What would you be? I don't know. I used to always say monkey, because I'm, like, slightly obnoxious and, you know.

a little quirky, you know. But what is your favorite animal? Crocodilels. Okay, I absolutely love him. Okay. Like, they are cool. What animal would he be?

What would I be? You would definitely be a koala. I mean, I don't know much of them. I mean, they're native to Australia, right? They're cute and cuddly. Everyone loves them. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah.

You've obviously, you've been a professional on Dance with the Stars for a long time. And like Rob, you know fascinating persona fascinating career last season you had Danny professional football player Super Bowl you know winner like have you picked up

on all your various partners with all these like crazy backgrounds I'm sure you must have picked up on these you know professions that they've all had and not to ask if you've had a favorite but like what are some of the most interesting things you've learned you know just from your various partners I learned how to do the Carlton which is pretty cool

I was able to dance it with him. I can do the curl. You can? I did it in front of him. I feel like I need to see this now. Pretty good. You did it in front of it? Yeah.

Oh, wow. And what do you say? He said it was really good. I'll show you. Really good or pretty good. Okay. I haven't done it in years. Okay, well, you're going to have to show me after this now.

I'll be the deciding factor. Yeah, no, Danny had, he actually took me through some, like, football runs, and I actually beat him, so there's, I feel like I thought of that. I beat him. But, no, it's been really, really fun to have Robert as a partner just. how passionate he is about animals and you know he actually showed me an alligator and I got in with an alligator and I touched its little chubby legs and it was very well it was very cute and we had what did we have on set with us that snake was it well we had a Burmese python on set and I had

it all over me and I was like I am like I love animals that was our first day I'm terrified I actually love snakes and Whitney's like none it's no worries at all I'm like wow okay I'm actually surprised that I did that before we let you guys go this episode's to drop next Wednesday. So it'll be the day after your next dance. So I'd love, you know, going into this week, you know, people have already watched the dance. Can you just, I know it's dedication week. What's the dance you're going to be doing? How are you feeling about it? Like, what's maybe the biggest challenge in terms of the dance itself and the choreography that you're thinking about? So when we all watch it back, we'll have thought, you know, he nailed it.

He conquered that move. Like, what are we excited about? And do you know the, the music you're going to be dancing too. Well, I'll let Whitney describe the, like, the actual choreography and what is difficult about the dance, you know, but from my perspective, the hardest thing I think has been tapping into, like, a real sense of, I've really just, for the first time, like, I'm a very positive person, but I'm kind of just trying to put my heart on the sleeve with this one and try and allow myself to kind of just be vulnerable and let that emotion just fly. And it's been really hard.

it's been really a draining week because you're creating something that is literally just pouring your heart and soul. I've been thinking a lot about, obviously, my mum, it's dedicated to my mum. You'll be in my heart, Phil Collins. But it's also about how my mum has kept our family together and how she's sort of pulled me out of the dark so many times throughout my grief journey with my dad while she's enduring her own journey with that. And to capture that feeling in a song is such a cathartic experience.

It's so much deeper than just a dance. I really hope that it means something to people. Anyone who has lost someone feels lost in their own life, there's always people around you that believe in you that want to see you do well and you need to keep moving forward. To capture that in one dance is a big thing. And Whitney, you've done that incredibly well. Thank you.

Well, it's, you know, it's Robert's story is so special. And it's something that we really, we want to take care of. And, you know, I want to challenge him at the same time. So we're trying to, you know, really push ourselves and challenge ourselves. But I think at the core, it's what, what's his story and what is this about? And how can we connect to the audience and make them feel something? That's like the most important thing. What is the type of dancing?

It's contemporary. Contemporary. Yeah. And is, do you have a favorite? I love contemporary. You do. And will your shirt be off. No, probably not.

No, for this one. Hey, we'll save that. Not for this one. Not for this one. Definitely. The week after. No more shirts coming out. Like, I feel like, um, come on.

Missed up. Come on. Hey, sir. Let's get the votes. Whitney. Let's get her out. One more time. Um.

It's been, it's like, I feel like, The trust that we've built has just been amazing, and I feel like it's all kind of, like, come to fruition. It's like reached this height this week. Yeah. Like we've really, like I feel like I've been really leaning on Whitney so much, not just from a dance perspective, which I have every week, but also, like, emotionally, you've, there's been a lot of tears and you've had a lot of that kind of just put on you. I love it.

But, yeah, I'm really grateful for you. We make a good team. I'm really grateful. great team. I think you'll do make a good team. Well, I know you guys have to get going. Really appreciate you taking the time, Whitney. Always a pleasure to have you on. Rob, this has been a lot of fun getting to know you.

Thanks for, you know, just being so vulnerable and having fun with us. And congratulations on crushing it so far. Good luck the rest of the way. Thank you. If you don't make the finals, I'll be very disappointed. I know. We're going to do it best. We're going to give it everything. I know, obviously. But how can, just for a minor,

like, what's the text? How can people vote? Text Robert to 215, 2. three. Or you can vote online. You can vote 10 times. You can vote 10 times. Yes. Look at that. We'll probably know it better than I. We'll be there Tuesday night. Yeah, we'll be there. Really? Good. We'll see you there. Thanks so much. You have a favorite couple? Definitely. Well, you're my favorite dancer. So anyone that you are coupled with, I love. I agree. And she's not just saying that. I don't know. I, all the time. Nick's like,

shut up. I'm talking about Whitney. You know, interestingly enough, I know a handful, like Dylan's a good friend. It's been fun getting to know you And it's always fun to root for you Obviously the Mormon wives With Whitney and Jen It's great, yeah It's a really good cast

It is a really good cast, yeah So it's been fun to root for everyone It's just fun to see the dances And it always brings me back to when I was on it I feel like they've really modernized the show In a fun way They did They've made a lot of changes

I'm kind of envious of that so Yeah, no it's been really fun They've done a great job And, like, keeping, like, the younger generation involved, too. Like, social media has been huge. They've realized that, like, oh, there's this thing called social media. We should capitalize it. Yeah, exactly.

Hence TikTok night. Yeah, it's revivalized, like, the whole thing. Yeah, modernized it. Yeah. Very cool. We'll see on Tuesday. We'll see you on Tuesday. Thank you, guys.

It's such a great chat. I really appreciate it. We'll see you guys tomorrow. Thank you.