The Dancing with the Stars’ contestant and zookeeper’s famous dad passed away in 2006 aged 44, and left an estimated $200,000 in life insurance

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He’s already taken the wildlife conservation world by storm, and now, Robert Irwin is similarly excelling in the dance world. The 21-year-old, whose dad is the late, renowned zookeeper Steve Irwin, is part of Dancing with the Stars‘ 34th season, and along with his partner Witney Carson, already reached first place during the first episode, tying with Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas.

Speaking with Access Hollywood about his DWTS stint and what he thinks his dad might think of it, the internet personality said he thinks Steve would be “stoked” that his son got the opportunity. “He was the sort of person where he just never held back,” he said. “He was passionate, enthusiastic about every single thing he did. And he loved life when he was just living on the edge and giving it 100. And that is what this experience is.”

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Witney and Robert on the premiere episode of DWTS season 34

Read on for more of Robert’s ventures and partnerships, and his net worth.

Net worth & inheritance

Though he is only 21, and there is little to no concrete, public evidence to substantiate an accurate net worth for Robert, some reports estimate it to be around $5 million. His father, who passed away aged 44 in 2006 after a short-tail stingray’s barb pierced his heart while he was filming a documentary in the Great Barrier Reef, had a reported net worth of $10 million.

Robert’s mom is Terri Irwin, who married Steve in 1992, and has similarly worked as conservationist, television personality, and zookeeper. The couple were also parents to daughter Bindi, 27, who is married to Chandler Powell, with whom she shares daughter Grace Warrior, four. Terri’s net worth is reportedly around $20 million.

Terri, speaking with the Australian Financial Review last year, recalled the financial aftermath of her husband’s death and her concerns about upkeeping their staff and animals as part of their conservation efforts. “Everything was reinvested into conservation work. I was in debt … and Steve’s life insurance, I think, was the sum total of $200,000 which didn’t even cover half of one week’s payroll,” she confessed.

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Steve with his family a few months before his death

Still, Terri could count on her and Steve’s 10-year business plan and an “ironclad will” that eliminated the stress that “some crazy person [would] sweep in from some distant family connection and try to take everything.” She maintained: “I really advise people to plan your legacy … You can’t be arrogant enough to think that ‘I’ll deal with that in 10 or 20 or 50 years.’”

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The Irwins at the Steve Irwin gala in Las Vegas in May 2024

Robert’s endorsements

In addition to his latest DWTS gig, for which contestants reportedly make a base salary of $125,000 for the first two weeks, and later progress to a potential total of $295,000 to $400,000, Robert also recently went viral for his Made for Down Under campaign with Bonds, as the Australian brand launched in the US.

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Robert modeling for Bonds

Speaking with People about posing in only his briefs alongside wild animals for the shoot, he said: “I mean, I’ve spent my life wrangling crocs and snakes and rescuing animals. And so to feature a little slice of that excitement in this new campaign, mate, it has been so much fun,” adding: “I mean, I’m surrounded by spiders and snakes except [this time] I’m in my undies. That’s the only difference.”