The Moment
Two mirrorball champs, one bouquet of flowers, and the entire internet yelling, “So are you dating or what?”
Xochitl Gomez, the 19-year-old actress and Dancing With the Stars Season 32 winner, went all in celebrating Robert Irwin’s big Season 34 win – right as dating rumors about the two young stars kicked into overdrive.
According to Page Six coverage on November 26, Gomez recorded the moment 21-year-old Irwin and his pro partner Witney Carson were crowned champions, reposting the emotional onstage hug and writing, “I am so incredibly proud of you two!” plus a very on-brand “What a season!” and a heart emoji.
Xochitl Gomez gushes over Robert Irwin’s ‘DWTS’ win after private meetup sparks dating rumors https://t.co/rgvlbJt53L pic.twitter.com/k1rCpuwQCO
— Page Six (@PageSix) November 26, 2025
Hours earlier, paparazzi photos showed Gomez bringing Irwin a bouquet during a private meetup on the DWTS lot before the finale. The two were seen laughing, chatting, and looking extremely comfortable. TMZ also reported she spent time backstage with Irwin’s family.
Add in the fact that she’d shared his voting number with fans – along with numbers for fellow competitors Alix Earle and Jordan Chiles – and that they previously danced together during the show’s 20th anniversary celebration, and you’ve got premium “are they or aren’t they?” fuel.
Reps for both Gomez and Irwin haven’t commented yet, per Page Six. Which, of course, only makes everyone talk louder.
The Take
I’m going to be honest: this is the kind of “scandal” I will happily overanalyze over coffee. No arrests. No divorces. Just two sweet, wildly likable twenty-somethings and a bouquet of flowers. Hollywood, take notes.
Here’s what we’re really watching: the collision of old-school fan shipping with the new era of parasocial relationships. Fans don’t just vote for their favorite dancer anymore; they fantasy-cast their love life in real time.
On paper, Gomez and Irwin are a very shippable duo. She’s the Marvel/Disney alum with major Gen Z appeal. He’s the wildlife-loving son of the late Steve Irwin, who grew up in the public eye and somehow stayed grounded. Put them together on a sparkly ballroom floor and the internet basically writes its own fanfic.
But if you strip away the heart emojis and the bouquet, what actually happened? A former champ cheered on the new champ. A colleague brought a friend flowers on a huge career night. A castmate hung out with the winner’s family backstage. In any other workplace, we’d call that “being nice,” not “confirming a relationship.”
Right now this feels less like a secret romance and more like a high-school cafeteria moment: two cute lab partners are laughing at a table, and suddenly half the school has them married with kids by lunch. The story is as much about our need to couple people up as it is about anything they’re actually doing.
That said, the show absolutely leans into it. Witney Carson joked on Instagram back in September that her DMs were flooded with “applications” to date Irwin, before half-seriously pitching him as the next “Bachelor.” Irwin told Page Six he’s “on the lookout” and encouraged admirers to “keep [the messages] coming.” Nobody here is allergic to the attention.
If Gomez and Irwin are just friends, the fandom’s going to be a lot to navigate. If they are quietly dating, they have every right to figure it out privately without issuing a joint statement to confirm that, yes, the bouquet did in fact mean something.
My read? This is classic early-stage Hollywood: flirty energy, lots of mutual support, zero hard evidence. The story is fun – as long as we remember there are real young adults under all that sparkle.
Receipts
Confirmed
- Gomez posted a video of Irwin and Witney Carson winning the Season 34 Mirrorball, writing, “I am so incredibly proud of you two! What a season!” with a heart emoji, per Page Six (Nov. 26, 2025).
- She previously shared Irwin’s fan voting number on social media, as well as numbers for competitors Alix Earle and Jordan Chiles, according to Page Six.
- Photos show Gomez and Irwin meeting privately on the DWTS lot before the finale; she brought him a bouquet and they were seen laughing and talking, reported by Page Six.
- TMZ reported that Gomez spent time backstage with Irwin’s family during the finale taping.
- Irwin and Gomez danced together earlier in the month during the show’s 20th anniversary celebration, as seen in DWTS broadcast footage and official images.
- Witney Carson said on Instagram in September that fans were “flooding” her with “applications” to date Irwin and jokingly pitched him for “The Bachelor,” as quoted by Page Six.
- Irwin told Page Six in a later interview that he’s “on the lookout” romantically and wants admirers to “keep [the messages] coming.”
Unverified / Speculation
- That Gomez and Irwin are romantically involved. No one on either side has publicly confirmed a relationship.
- That the bouquet or backstage time were romantic gestures rather than friendly support between co-stars.
Primary sources used: On-air Dancing With the Stars Season 34 finale coverage and social clips (November 2025); Page Six reporting on Gomez’s posts and the finale meetup (Nov. 26, 2025); TMZ reporting on Gomez spending time with Irwin’s family backstage (late Nov. 2025).
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
Quick refresher: Xochitl Gomez is best known for Disney projects like “Raven’s Home” and for joining the Marvel universe in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” She charmed viewers on DWTS, winning Season 32. Robert Irwin, son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, grew up at Australia Zoo and now works as a TV wildlife presenter and conservation advocate. He joined DWTS for Season 34, became a fan favorite, and just took home the Mirrorball with pro partner Witney Carson. Fans have been trying to set him up with someone – anyone – basically since week one.
What’s Next
For now, all eyes are on their social feeds. Do Gomez and Irwin keep popping up together in cute backstage photos and TikToks? Or does the romance talk quiet down once the sequins are packed away and everyone flies home?
The next beats to watch:
- Any joint appearance away from the DWTS set – premieres, charity events, zoo visits, you name it – will send the rumor mill spinning again.
- Future interviews where either of them is asked (probably awkwardly) about their relationship status. Both have already shown they know how to keep things light and non-committal.
- How the fandom behaves if they insist they’re just friends. Do people accept that, or keep pushing a narrative they want to see?
There’s a bigger cultural question under all this sparkle: are we rooting for a harmless, possibly real romance, or are we so hungry for a fairytale that we’re writing one onto two people who haven’t actually told us a story yet?
What do you think – is this cute, respectful shipping, or are fans and the media reading way too much into a bouquet and a few heart emojis?
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