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

“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. 

“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.