Who went home on 'Dancing with the Stars'? Robert Irwin comes out on top

"Dancing with the Stars" has Irwin fever all over again.

The popular reality show hit the air for Episode 2 Tuesday night, rounding out its full table of Season 34 judges as fan favorite Carrie Ann Inaba returned following illness, and treating audiences to its usual toe-tapping joyride.

Dylan Efron's hips didn't lie (nor, we imagine, did the sweat stains on his purple satin shirt from his samba) and Hilaria Baldwin narrowly avoided a post-tango elimination. Fast-emerging as a season darling, though, is Robert Irwin, the 21-year-old son of late zookeeper and environmentalist Steve Irwin.

Irwin's older sister Bindi, 27, won "Dancing with the Stars" at just 17, leaving big dancing shoes for her younger bro to fill − though so far he seems up for the task. During Week 1, Irwin and his partner Witney Carson charmed audiences with their jive, which was both a high-energy romp and a sweet homage to the family's outdoorsman history.

For Episode 2, Carson and Irwin slowed up for a tango to Junior Senior's 2002 hit "Move Your Feet." In rehearsal footage ahead of the big dance, Irwin admitted that he had not been born yet when the song was released, just four years before his father's death. Despite the years passing, Irwin told Carson, "Every year I live, I actually feel closer to my dad."

The performance earned Irwin a score of 22/30 from the judges, tying "Mormon Wives" stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt, along with Olympian Jordan Chiles, for the highest marks of the night.

Off the scoreboard and online, though, the competition wasn't close. Fans fawned over the young television presenter's resemblance to his father, his tight-knit relationship with his sister and his general wholesome appeal. For a show known to rehabilitate scandal-ridden stars, watchers appear hungry for a squeaky-clean youngin eager to lace up his dancing shoes.

"Give Robert Irwin the mirrorball I’ve seen enough," one user wrote in a post to X, while another remarked: "WE MUST PROTECT ROBERT IRWIN omg."

'DWTS' recap

By the numbers, Irwin held onto his lead during Week 2 of the show, but will no doubt face tough competition from his female castmates who have athletic backgrounds and may benefit from the more daring choreographer sometimes gifted to the woman in a ballroom dance.

Ahead of Episode 3, here are the other top-scoring couples:

• Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa
• Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik
• Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas
• Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy
• Lauren Jauregui and Brandon Armstrong
• Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten
• Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko

The eliminated couples were:

• Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson
• Baron Davis and Britt Stewart

Carrie Ann Inaba nearly suffers wardrobe malfunction on 'DWTS'

Inaba marked her return (and season debut) with a smash, suffering a mild wardrobe malfunction midway through the episode.

After Leavitt and Ballas performed their cha-cha to "Play that Funky Music," Inaba told the "Mormon Wives" star she was like an engine, standing up to swivel her head and make engine noises. The gesture had an unintended effect, though, as her plunging silver dress shifted to the side.

"Oh, hi boob pad!" she quipped once she noticed, taking the moment in stride amid her critiques of the dance.