Robert Irwin has captured plenty of hearts amid his run on this season of Dancing With The Stars. Could a starring role on The Bachelor come next? The 21-year-old wildlife conservationist, best known as the son of the late Steve Irwin, has publicly responded to speculation (or just some heavy campaigning among his fans) that he could become the next Bachelor suitor. And while his answer isn't definite one way or the other, it certainly leaves room for fans to stay hopeful.
"The Bachelor, you reckon? Hey, I mean, never say never," he told Entertainment Tonight with a smile during an interview earlier this year. "Never say never. I mean, I'm looking for the perfect person. So stranger things have happened."
Robert's current DWTS run has turned him into quite the heartthrob, from underwear-clad photoshoots featuring a giant snake resting on his shoulders to a shirtless performance that got everyone, including the judges, tongue-tied. "Robert Irwin is all grown up," judge Carrie Ann Inaba said after his performance. "You're making me feel like a grandmother. I'm like, 'Put a shirt on!'"
The Australia native has confirmed that he is currently single, and looking to meet an American woman. (Robert's older sister, Bindi Irwin, married American-born Chandler Powell in 2020, and the two share one daughter, Grace.) His DWTS pro partner, Witney Carson, has joked about helping Robert on his quest for love and being the gatekeeper to his social media DMs, which she says are full of women hoping for a chance to date Robert.
"You have to kind of go through a screening process," Witney told E! News. "So submit your application through my DMs, and then I will forward them to Bindi, and then we will see about the American tourist." Robert joked that he's "got another protective older sister now." But anyone hoping to date Robert needs to be patient — Witney said she isn't showing him any messages until after the season. "We cannot be distracted," she said. "He thinks that it would be fine, but he cannot."
Who is Robert's ideal partner? Someone kind who shares his "core values" but also helps to provide different life perspectives, he previously told ET. And she doesn't have to be a total fan of snakes, even if Robert is more than comfortable cozying up with one. "You know, I think we can get over that," he added. "I think she's got to like animals but even if [she's] a little bit afraid of the snakes and spiders, that's fine. I'm pretty good at slowly but surely kind of convincing pretty much everyone to like animals."
While the show hasn't made any public comments about potential next Bachelor stars, the idea of the current DWTS cast member joining the long-running reality dating show isn't without precedent. Both shows run on ABC, which tends to favor moments of corporate synergy. More than a dozen Bachelor or Bachelorette stars have gone on to compete on DWTS and a handful of them have even won their seasons, including Hannah Brown, Kaitlyn Bristowe and last season's champion, Joey Graziadei. And just last month, the network announced that Taylor Frankie Paul, star of ABC's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, would be starring in the next season of The Bachelorette. Several other reality TV shows have found success in casting already famous faces to join the show, such as The Traitors, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test and The Masked Singer.