Lauren Jauregui was overwhelmed with emotion as Robert Irwin was crowned the season 34 winner of Dancing With the Stars.
“Oh, my God, I cried,” Jauregui, 29, told Us Weekly exclusively after the season finale on Tuesday, November 25. “I love that man. He is the sweetest human being. He gave his heart and soul into every performance that he did on this season, and I love to see it. Honestly. I love the way he honors his family. I love the way that he honors himself and his partners and just the people around him. He’s deserving as f***.”
Irwin, 21, and pro Witney Carson came out on top on Tuesday night after facing stiff competition from runners-up Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy. Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa finished the season in third place, followed by Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach in fourth and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten in fifth.
Carson, 32, is now a two-time mirrorball champion following her previous win with Alfonso Ribeiro on season 19 in 2014. Robert and sister Bindi Irwin, meanwhile, are the first sibling duo to win the ballroom dance competition. (Bindi, 27, won season 21 in 2015 with partner Derek Hough.)
Who Won ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 34? See the Finale Scores
“Dreams do come true ❤️,” Robert gushed via Instagram on Tuesday night alongside a video of the moment he and Carson were announced as the winners.
As the finalists performed their three rounds of dances, Jauregui and more eliminated stars from season 34 returned to the ballroom floor to celebrate. The Fifth Harmony singer reunited with pro Brandon Armstrong, among other fan favorites from the season.
“I had so much fun tonight,” she told Us. “It’s so electrifying to be in the space, and so I’m just grateful to be a part of it. I’m so glad that we got to all do our own little thing one more time before it was all over.”
Jauregui admitted she “was definitely a little nervous” getting back out there with a “very small amount of rehearsal time,” but she had “so much fun” with her fellow season 34 alums.
In a shocking elimination earlier this season, Jauregui and Armstrong, 31, were sent home during week 3 — and her one-word exit interview quickly secured a place in DWTS history. When asked how she was feeling about the result back in September, Jauregui simply replied, “Pissed.”
‘DWTS’ Cast Members Who Did — And Didn’t — Return for Season 34 Finale
While some of her competitors will be hitting the road on the DWTS Tour next year, Jauregui is focusing on her solo music, including her latest single, “Ego.”
“I’m in my pop-rock era, baby,” she teased on Tuesday. “I’m a little angsty. … This song is basically about just laying down your ego and allowing yourself to connect more authentically with yourself and with others. So, in the first half I’m kind of talking to my partner and I’m just kind of like, ‘You’re the problem.’ And then I turn that reflection into myself in the second verse and I’m like, ‘Actually, I’m the one keeping them around, so maybe I’m the problem.’ Maybe I need to lay down my ego.”
Jauregui said “Ego” is kickstarting “a new era,” with an album “coming next year, for sure.”
Dancing With the Stars is available to stream on Hulu.
