DWTS 5th Judge: Robert Irwin Honors Mom Terri, Topanga and Mr. Feeny Reunite for Dedication Night

That meant fans got to see Robert Irwin hit the stage alongside his mother, Terri, and Danielle Fishel got to honor 98-year-old William Daniels in person on live television. We also got tributes to fathers and daughters, female friendships, unexpected little sisters who became best friends.

The night even managed to slip in a surprise baby announcement, as one celebrity was joined by their spouse and even bigger news for their family. And while the celebrities were joined by loved ones all night long, the judges were also joined by one of their own with the return of Kym Johnson Herjavec, who knows a thing or two about this show -- and winning it.

She also knows about strong connections through dance, as she met her future husband, Robert Herjavec, when she was partnered with him back in Season 20. They may have had to settle for 6th place in the show, but they were first in each other's hearts. Plus, Kym already had wins with Donny Osmond and Hines Ward under her belt, so she knows that feeling, too!

We'd also like to take a moment to praise Johnson as a guest judge. The two-time Mirrorball champion gave pointed, specific, and correct criticism all night, but she also gave pointed, specific, and correct guidance for improvement. This can not only help the celebrities to improve, but tips like these help the audience improve, as well, gaining a deeper understanding of dance and perhaps even helping them make stronger votes.

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Kym Johnson and Bruno Tonioli. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.

(Salsa - "Jump in the Line," Harry Belafonte) Andy shared that he never expected to be a father again after having his older children with ex-wife Sarah Thyre. But when he met his new wife Jennifer, he said it was a "no-brainer" to adopt her young daughter, Cornelia, 5, and become her dad. It was so sweet seeing his face light up when she joined him in rehearsals. 

On the dance floor, he was all smiles again, but more importantly, he showed us even more effort in this salsa, trying to inject some content and hip movement. Did it work? No. His timing was a disaster, his body stiff, and he still lumbers around, but we see the effort. And while we're not going to critique the dancing of a five-year-old, we will say that we loved seeing her joy and fearlessness as she took to the ballroom with her dad.

Judges Scores: 6, 6, 6, 6

My Score: 5

(Contemporary - "You'll Be in My Heart," Phil Collins) Robert was only two years old when he lost his dad, Steve Irwin, missing him dearly through so many of life's milestones. But through it all, and through her own grief, his mother, Terri, was always there for him and his sister Bindi. As an adult, he looks back and has no idea how she did it, and said he's never been able to express his gratitude for her. Terri, for her part, says that it was because of her children that she was able to keep going.

The vulnerability that Robert carried into this dance was nothing less than gorgeous and it carried through his movements. Gone was the posing and preening for the cameras. Instead, we got pure emotion through dance and it was a beautiful tribute and story of his grief. Honestly, we'd have appreciated a bit more from Terri to express her role in his journey than those final few seconds, but it was still touching and so beautiful.

Judges Scores: 8, 9, 9, 9

My Score: 9

(Foxtrot - "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)," Natalie Cole) Elaine opened up about maintaining a friendship with Lisa since first meeting on The Parent Trap 28 years ago, including how Lisa was there for her when her mother died. Their sisterly bond was definitely on full display in rehearsal, and that playfulness carried into Alan's fun choreography from Alan as the ladies took turns dancing with him and finally with one another. 

Elaine continues to impress with her grasp of these different techniques. This one was a bit harder to judge as there was so much going on in and out of frames with the silliness, but Kym gave a great visual for how to improve the frame with simple hand placement. Even their Parent Trap co-star Dennis Quaid was impressed with this one in the audience. Alan, though, was not happy with some of these scores.

Judges Scores: 8, 7, 7, 8

My Score: 7

(Contemporary - "Heal," Jamal Roberts) Whitney opened up to Mark about a trying time at some point in her marriage when things might not have carried forward. Then, when her husband Connor joined them in rehearsals and saw that this dance's story was going to be about them getting through that time together, he got emotional thinking about how she ultimately did choose him and their life together, and clearly still believes it was the right decision.

Right away, we loved Mark being the piece that initially helped them create shapes and moments together on the floor, before he and Whitney took over for the middle portion. She did get ahead of the time on their side-by-side segment, but quickly recovered and continued with some beautiful lines and heart. Emotionally, we weren't as connected to Whitney as Carrie on this one, as it felt like we could see the work, so it wasn't her strongest. But it was sweet seeing her get to share it with her husband.

Judges Scores: 9, 8, 8, 8

My Score: 8

(Viennese waltz - "Rescue," Lauren Daigle) Once she became a mother herself, Jen said that she came to fully understand the sacrifices her own mom, Maria, made after moving from Ecuador and working hard while raising kids. Maria was touched that her daughter would dedicate a dance to her, while Jen wanted her mom to know how much she is loved and appreciated. "She's a beautiful mom and a good friend," Maria said.

We were loving Jen's graceful fluidity as she and Jan cascaded across the floor, but there were some moments of staccato between the steps that impacted that grounded visual. But then -- but then -- Maria joined her and it was absolutely magical. First of all, we see you mama with that grace and those gorgeous lines. Mother and daughter painted beautiful pictures together, save for the awkward spin that left Maria kind of standing on her own out there for a moment toward the end. All in all, though, this was Jen's strongest performance yet.

Judges Scores: 8, 7, 7, 7

My Score: 7

(Contemporary - "Rewrite the Stars," Zac Efron & Zendaya) At 33 years old, Dylan said he wasn't at all expecting to become a big brother, but felt immediately inseparable when he became one to Olivia, now 5. His hope is to honor both of his siblings with this dance, as older brother Zac was always there for him, and he hopes to be that for Olivia, inspiring her to have confidence in her life. "I just like being with Dylan," the precocious five-year-old said. "He's my best friend and I just feel like I'm free with him."

The opening with Olivia to this dance was just so precious, and she took it so seriously, determined to do a good job for her best friend. Once with Daniella, Dylan lost his balance at one key point -- covered pretty well -- but mostly brought consistently strong character into the piece. He's a very strong partner, and handled some impressive lifts for a Week 5 dance. The transitions into them aren't quite smooth yet, but he remains one of our top contenders and strongest presences in the competition. That said, Olivia could give him a run for his money!

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9, 9

My Score: 8

(Viennese waltz - "Daughters," John Mayer) Jordan and Ezra teared up talking about her dad Timothy; Jordan because he helped her focus her ADHD into gymnastics and Ezra because he doesn't have a relationship with his own father. The pride that Timothy had in just watching his daughter rehearse was palpable, as was his love and devotion to her.

Ezra gave Timothy a lot to do for his own "Week 1 dance," and he did a solid job of being there for his daughter. With Ezra, Jordan really filled the floor, creating a beautiful, gliding motion. She carried that elegance into her smaller moments with her father, who appeared to only get off on the wrong foot one time. All in all, she continues to impress with her gentleness, shining both with Ezra and with her dad.

Judges Scores: 8, 8, 8, 8

My Score: 8

(Foxtrot - "Parallel," Scott Hoying) Scott had a double dedication in this piece as he and husband  Mark also revealed that they are expecting their first baby together. It was such a sweet moment when they shared the news with Mark. The only thing we wish we could have seen was more of Mark in this performance as they shared their story together.

That said, this was definitely the most confident we've seen Scott as a dancer. He looked like more of a leading man out there, with a confident carriage in hold with Rylee. He still dances a bit timid and within himself, but each week he's filling more space, with this his strongest of the season so far. There was much-improved frame and overall movement across the floor. Once again, Kym came through with some great technical advice about holding his head straighter and using gravity and momentum to push.

Judges Scores: 7, 8, 7, 8

My Score: 7

(Jive - "Boy Meets World," Twenty Cent Crush) Danielle was just 12 years old when she first walked onto the set of Boy Meets World. "Mr. Feeny" aka William Daniels already had two Emmys under his belt and was basically a television icon at that point. She said that without his acceptance of her, she praised him for immediately giving her total respect as a fellow actor and helping her to feel immediately comfortable. Since then, he's been someone who was always there for her. "Thank you for always showing up," she told him, "even when the cameras stopped rolling.

Daniels, now 98 years old, was in the ballroom for this high-stepping jive, taking on the role of her favorite teacher once again and he was absolutely adorable. We wish we could heap as much love on Danielle's performance, but this was way too clunky and heavy-footed from Danielle. She was back on her heels throughout and didn't bring that effervescent lightness the style needs.

Judges Scores: 7, 7, 7, 8

My Score: 6

(Contemporary - "Sparks," Coldplay) Alix wasn't expecting to get another little sister after her parents' divorce when she was 10 years old, admitting that she wasn't at all about it when her dad first told her he was expecting with another woman two years later. When she got to hold the baby, though, Alix admitted that she melted, crediting her new sister with expanding her understanding of what family could be.

The choreography of this piece, and the way Val incorporated Izabel into this story, was mesmerizing and so sweet. But while Izabel was absolutely adorable in her moments, Alix was transcendent in hers, effortlessly giving us everything we could want in a contemporary piece. Her lightness, those legs, the nonstop motion creating seamless imagery as if she was underwater, even as Val kept the tempo pretty fast. We can see why this was held until the end of the night. Even if it didn't pack the same emotional punch as Robert's piece, it was performed so beautifully.

Judges Scores: 8, 9, 9, 9

My Score: 9

Even in the closing moments before the "results" were revealed, we were realizing that at no point tonight did Alfonso or Julianne say that anyone would be eliminated. And after losing someone on Disney Night -- which often gives a free pass to everyone -- we had a feeling that amnesty would carry into this week. Who wants to punctuate a night with this kind of positive emotion with a sad ending note?

Nevertheless, we'd be remiss if we didn't discuss how the night went, with Alix and Robert our clear leaders, even though Dylan got higher scores from the judges. Look, his performance was great, too, but it didn't quite connect in the same way, nor was he as consistently strong in what he delivered as a dancer.

On the other end of the spectrum, obviously, Andy continues to be the weakest dancer of the season, but he is such a sweetheart. And while the judges had Jen and Danielle tied above her, we'd put a bit more separation between them with Jen performing a little more consistently than the BMW star. 

This week, we were prepared to be worried about Jen and Elaine, because we think those fanbases are too strong -- and you know BMW fans were tuning in to see Mr. Feeny -- but as the night went along, we felt more and more confident that producers didn't want to risk breaking little hearts by booting someone on a night they performed with their loved one. Andy's daughter gave him a 10. 

How could you kick him or anyone off after that? They couldn't do it, so everyone will get to fly into Oz for next week's show.

Dancing with the Stars returns for "Wicked Night" next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.