Robert Irwin has faced down crocodiles, venomous snakes, and the wilds of the Australian outback — but nothing, he says, quite compares to driving in Los Angeles.
Speaking to Fox News Digital at the NFL Honors ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl, the 21-year-old conservationist and recent “Dancing with the Stars” champion admitted that navigating L.A. roads was the most nerve-racking part of his time on the hit competition show.
“Oh my gosh! I learned to drive in America — it was the first time I’d ever driven on that side of the road, in L.A. That was the most terrifying part of the entire ‘Dancing with the Stars’ experience… was being on the road in L.A.,” Irwin said. “I don’t know how they do that. Give me a crocodile any day!”
Irwin, who won Season 34 of the ABC dance competition, spent several months in California filming the show. While he said he felt overwhelming support from American fans, he was eager to return home to Australia once the season wrapped.
“I grew up out and about, you know, in the wilderness of Australia. Being in that L.A. vibe was so incredibly different,” he explained. “But it was also really amazing because I felt so much support from across America, and it felt wonderful.”
Still, he made it clear where his roots lie.
“I was excited to get home,” Irwin said. “Australia will always be where my heart beats from and that’s always where I’ll go back to.”
In a January interview with The West Australian, Irwin described himself as “not a city kid,” saying that while his time in Los Angeles was “wonderful,” he missed the greenery and open spaces of the bush.
Irwin grew up at Australia Zoo with his mother, Terri, and sister, Bindi, continuing the conservation legacy of his late father, Steve Irwin. The beloved “Crocodile Hunter” died in 2006 after being fatally stung by a stingray while filming near the Great Barrier Reef.
Though he couldn’t wait to return home after “DWTS,” Irwin recently made another trip stateside for the Super Bowl — and true to form, he didn’t arrive alone.
“Well, you know, it’s actually always been a dream of mine to come and watch a Super Bowl,” he said. “But I had to bring a snake with me. I mean, it kind of only made sense.”
From ballroom champion to wildlife ambassador, Irwin continues to balance Hollywood appearances with his deep ties to conservation — even if he’d still take a crocodile over California traffic any day.
