Australian activist and actress Bindi Irwin won Season 21 of Dancing with the Stars on November 24. She collected her Mirrorball trophy that night, and now she’s finally collecting her payment for participating, and winning, the most recent season of the celebrity competition. And that’s a sum of over $350,000.
The report that Bindi Irwin is now able to collect her fee comes from TMZ, and I bet you’re wondering why it took so long for Irwin to rake in the cash that was owed to her after successfully contributing to DWTS. Well, since Irwin is only 17, she needed her parents to sign over their rights to the money in court. Her mom, Terri, signed the appropriate paperwork without any trouble.
The problem came in when the judge presiding over the case surrounding her payment required the signature of Bindi Irwin’s dad, too. And, when the judge was told that her father, "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, had died in 2006, that judge was not satisfied. Oh, no. Irwin had to show proof of her dad’s death in order to not need his signature and get her richly deserved payment for DWTS. And, of course, the only way to really do that is to find his death certificate and produce it to the judge.
All of this seems completely ridiculous to anyone who pays even the remotest amount of attention to celebrity news. Steve Irwin’s animal-loving antics were well known and respected the world over, and his death came as a huge shock to everyone who enjoyed his relentless delight while traversing the animal kingdom. Surely Bindi Irwin will never forget her dad or how hard it was to come to terms with his death while she was so young, and having to take his death certificate to a judge who won’t let her get paid without it was probably a pretty crappy way to be reminded of what happened.
Bindi Irwin paid tribute to her late father several times while on DWTS, most notably during a tango she performed with partner Derek Hough, to AC/DC’s "You Shook Me All Night Long", a tune that was one of her father’s favorites. She also performed in his memory during the two-part season finale when she and her partner danced a freestyle number, which earned them their second perfect score of the night.
The fact that Bindi Irwin has managed to win the coveted Mirrorball trophy is no surprise. She danced her ass off all season long, and lucked out in getting one of the best professional dancers on the show to help her through learning some difficult moves. Irwin was such a joy to behold while on DWTS that the idea that she won’t be able to ride this win to bigger and better things seems impossible.
Now, of course, Bindi Irwin has gotten all of her rightful prize from DWTS, and I can bet her dad sure is proud of her.
