14 DAY TRIAL // Bindi Irwin, the teenage daughter of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, made her debut on Dancing With the Stars last night, when the 21st season kicked off on ABC. She was also the celebrity to rank the highest in terms of judges’ scores and praise.
Former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter got the same score as Bindi (a 24 out of a possible 30), but the consensus online is that she and pro partner Derek Hough out-performed Nick and his pro partner Sharna Burgess.
You can see Bindi and Derek’s first dance of the season, a very lively jive, in the video below. She dedicated it to her father and also included a tribute in the performance, by wearing her trademark kakis over her dance costume.
“My mom always said that anytime dad would watch me dance around the zoo that he would cry,” she said in the pre-taped segment airing before the routine. “I think the real reason I’m doing this is to make him proud.”
Last night, she did just that, including the rest of the family, who was sitting first row in the audience, cheering her on. Derek’s sister, Julianne Hough, serves as judge on the panel and she described Bindi’s first dance as the best of the evening. She was being fair in her appreciation.
