DWTS ’ Robert Irwin Says He Almost Choked to Death During Group Dance

Originally appeared on E! Online

Robert Irwin lives to dance another day.

But that nearly wasn’t the case after a mishap during a group dance number on this week’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame episode of Dancing With the Stars.

“I almost died tonight,” Robert told Entertainment Tonight after the Nov. 4 episode in a joint interview with his dance partner Witney Carson. “I choked on a piece of confetti after the team dance. Legit.”

The 21-year-old added, “I went over to Witney. I inhaled a piece of confetti [and] I couldn’t breathe.”

But, as Robert explained it to the dance pro, he was able to dislodge the confetti on his own while trying to signal to her that he was choking. In fact, as soon as he went over to Witney, he let out a cough and “it popped out.”

As Robert noted, “I’m not even kidding.”

Adding to the fright of the chaotic situation, Witney was completely unaware of Robert’s panic.

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“I didn’t even know that was happening,” she said. “I would have been his shield.”

Luckily, the rest of the show seemed to go off without a hitch for Robert and Witney, as they tied for the highest score of the night after dancing a Paso Doble set to The White Stripes‘ song “Icky Thump.”

But regardless of the scoreboard, the wildlife conservationist—whose sister Bindi Irwin won the mirrorball trophy in 2015 with dance partner Derek Hough—has one goal in mind.

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“What I want more than anything else is to keep spreading passion and positivity with America,” Robert told Good Morning America after this week’s performance. “That’s what I wanted to do coming into this.”

“Every week, the fact that all of you guys want to have us back, it means the world,” he continued. “It means so much to my message, to what I’m all about, that we as a team try to create. We want to tell important stories through dance.”

And Robert wants to continue telling “the stories of grief and loss” and “the stories of people that lift you up throughout your life,” as well as “the stories of fun and joy” all the way to the finale.

As he said, “I really, really hope we can do that all the way to the end. That’s the goal. 100 percent.”

Read on to see who else is part of the season 34 cast of Dancing With the Stars.

Baron Davis