Bindi Irwin continues to shine on "Dancing With The Stars," and she has proudly proved over and over again that she is doing this all for her father, the late Steve Irwin. She has dedicated each of her dances so far to him, but her tribute on Monday night was the most touching one yet.
Week four was all about the stars' most memorable years, and while it really was an emotional show for everyone, Irwin's performance really touched everyone's hearts. As her partner Derek Hough described it during practice, the death of Steve Irwin had an effect on not only the family, but the entire world because he was such a well-known and well-loved wildlife conservationist.
Watching his 17-year-old daughter, who loved him more than anything in the world, remember the very year he passed away, left the entire audience and everyone watching at home in tears.
I love you. Thank you for always being with me, wherever I go.
A photo posted by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin) on Oct 5, 2015 at 8:43pm PDT
She and Hough performed a beautiful, and near-perfect, contemporary dance to The Police's "Every Breath You Take." Even throughout the pre-recorded practice segment, Bindi couldn't help but break down as she remembered so many moments she shared with her father.
"What shaped me the most would probably be when my dad passed away. It's been nine years and I've never really dwelled on that point," she said during the pre-recorded segment. "I think I'm ready to tell that story. It took a really long time to understand what actually happened. For the rest of my life, I'll kind of feel like he's going to come home."
Hough did a beautiful job of incorporating the grief and sadness that is very much still present in the younger Irwin's life into the dance, and as if the dance itself wasn't emotional and heart wrenching enough, watching Irwin cry in Hough's arms while the judges shared their kind words through tears really affected everyone watching.
It was hard to see her break down and not feel for her, and to prove it, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Following the dance, Hough even told the judges that this has been one of his favorite seasons so far just because of Irwin. The two earned the highest score of the night, and of the season so far, with a 28 out of 30. Judge Bruno Tonioli gave them the first 10 of the season, and they truly did deserve it.
"My baby, he was dancing with you every step of the way," Tonioli told her. "He really was. He is proud of you. Australia and the world is proud of you."
Judge Julianne Hough told her that she took her breath away, and that not only was the performance, but the actual dance itself was "breathtaking."
"That was a tribute to your father," she said. "And I know that you should be very proud, but he is very proud too."
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba got just as emotional as everyone else as she told Bindi how much she loves the way she turns every dance into a memorable moment from her life. "It's such an honor to see such a bright light dance with so much beauty and passion," Inaba explained.
Bindi you are a magnificent human being who transforms not just the energy surrounding you but living beings that are blessed with your positive high vibrating charge . Your heart is unlike anything I've ever seen or felt. You are living your purpose. So proud of the person you are. I love you dearly x @bindisueirwin A photo posted by Derek Hough (@derekhough) on Oct 5, 2015 at 9:10pm PDT
While we've seen how Irwin learned to grow from her past and turn it into something that only makes her stronger, this is the first time we've really seen her break down. She's usually such a positive and high-energy person, but watching her truly share her emotions like this was a lot to handle.
"This week was a really, really tough week," she told Us Weekly after the show. "It was kind of revisiting a place that I haven't gone to since 2006. It's a really challenging thing to do because there is a lot of emotion - I don't think I've ever cried as much as I have this past week, to be honest!"
As the viewers and audience watched the pre-recorded segment, Hough was kind enough to cover her ears so she didn't have to see herself get worked up right before she went onto the dance floor.
"I was just holding her ears back and blocking it out so we could focus on the dance," he told People. "And then after the dance you get let it out because it is hard to hysterically cry while dancing."
"You have to remember that that emotion is just a part of life, and we all have to deal with different things, but you have to find that beauty in every day," Irwin told People. "Tonight, it was just all about remembered the fact that dad is always with me, and I carry him in my heart."
