Robert Irwin showed up to Hulu’s Get Real House event shirtless, snake in hand, and vibes at an absolute 11 — because why not turn a press event into an impromptu episode of Australia’s Next Top Shirtless Zoologist?
The 21-year-old animal conservationist, zookeeper, and now official DWTS heartthrob, strolled into Beverly Hills looking like he just wandered out of the jungle, accidentally discovered Hollywood, and decided to take it by storm. He wasn’t just flexing his abs — he was flexing his star power. And possibly the snake’s too.
“It’s official, I’m heading to Hollywood for Dancing With The Stars Season 34 🎉,” Robert declared on Instagram, while the snake (presumably named Cha-Cha) nodded in approval. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid watching my sister dance her tail off on the show in 2016. I cannot believe it’s actually happening. So grateful 🙌🏼”
Not sure what’s wilder — the fact that Robert is joining the DWTS cast, or that he might be the only contestant ever to arrive with a reptile and no shirt. (Chris Hemsworth, your move.)
Robert hit the stage with DWTS judge/human glitterball Derek Hough, charisma machine Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough (whose genes must be 90% rhythm), and dance pros Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa, who all managed to keep their cool despite the shirtless crocodile prince in their midst.
Also present: a bunch of DWTS pros who may or may not have formed a real-life soap opera backstage. Allegedly-romantic duo Emma Slater and Alan Bersten were there, as were Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Gleb Savchenko (who sounds like he belongs in a Bond movie), Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Britt Stewart, and Sasha Farber — aka the Avengers of Rhythm.
The Hulu Get Real event was basically a reality TV Coachella — a day of “major announcements,” “memorable moments,” and more reality stars in one place than an entire season of The Bachelor. ABC, Hulu, and Freeform came together to flex their unscripted muscles, and Robert Irwin basically stole the show with a snake and some abs.
Your move, everyone else.