On Tuesday night's finale of "Dancing With The Stars," 17-year-old Bindi Irwin took home the coveted Mirrorball trophy, and there was nobody more deserving of this win than her. She excelled week after week and from her very first dance, it was clear she was a threat to the other competitors. As one of the most positive and high-spirited contestants to ever compete on this show, it was truly a joy to watch her dance each week, and her partner Derek Hough could not have been happier with the dancer she had become and the light she had brought into his life is something he will never forget.
She dedicated the entire season to her father, the late Steve Irwin, and it was clear she had made him proud. She spent the season paying tribute to him and dancing quickly became her new way of working through the emotional journey of growing up without her dad.
When she and Hough found out that they were the Season 21 champions, the rest of the cast, and even the judges, threw them on top of their shoulders and cheered as they held the Mirrorball trophy together in the air. It was a magical and exciting moment and you could feel the energy of the room even from watching at home.
"Thank you so much for everything. I can't believe I'm here," Bindi screamed in excitement. "And thank you for changing my life!"
Following the big win, Bindi took to Instagram to share an incredible photo of herself and Hough in the air holding the trophy with the biggest smiles on their faces. "I am speechless," she wrote. "This is a gift and I can't tell you how much love I have for all of your support throughout this beautiful journey. My life has been changed."
This was the sixth mirrorball trophy for Hough, keeping him at the top as the pro dancer with the most wins over the past 21 seasons. He was the perfect partner for Bindi as he used his incredible talent to choreograph some of the most beautiful and moving dances ever performed on the show. With each dance, you could feel the raw emotion that allowed the world to join Bindi on her magical dancing journey.
"Reflecting on this beautiful experience," he captioned a photo of himself holding Bindi in his arms as they waited to find out who would be crowned champion. He then posted a photo collage of the thrilling moment when they held the trophy for the first time.
"Pure ecstasy!!!!" he wrote. "Thank you for the love and support! I couldn't be more happy for my beautiful @bindisueirwin. What a perfect way to finish a perfect season with a perfect person."
Bindi told the judges and her partner every single week how life-changing this experience has been, but there is one thing she's happy she won't have to deal with any more. "My feet are pretty cut up right now," she told People following her win. "It is such a special experience that you don't really think about all the bruises and the skin coming off your feet like a flesh-eating disease. There have been some interesting moments, for sure."
Now that "DWTS" is over, she'll be returning to Australia to continue her life as an animal conservationist at the Australia Zoo, where she lives and works with her mom and brother.
"I'm excited to get back into my khakis and be with the animals again," she continued to say. "I hope to make even more positive change in this world and spread that love and light."
"I am so speechless right now! I can't believe it," she also told Us Weekly right after she won. "The glitter all over the floor may be from my mind just exploding into glitter! No, I am so honored and so blessed to be here. And this entire experience has felt like the most beautiful gift."
Nick Carter and his partner Sharna Burgess ended up coming in second place while Alek Skarlatos and his partner Lindsay Arnold came in third. As happy as the two pairs were to even have come this far, they did take a moment to congratulate Bindi on her win.
"This experience was unreal," Carter captioned a photo of him and Burgess.
"PS congrats @bindisueirwin, you earned it." Burgess posted the same photo writing a thoughtful caption for Carter while adding, "@bindisuerwin you make me so proud to be an Aussie, you absolutely deserved that mirrorball!!! Congratulations you little beauty."
Arnold also posted a thoughtful caption for Skarletos while adding, "Congratulations to @bindisueirwin and @derekhough you truly deserve it and I am so so happy for you both."
Here are some of Bindi's most spectacular moments from "DWTS" over the past 11 weeks...
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