Robert Irwin Says He Feels ‘Closer’ to Late Dad Steve Irwin ‘Every Year I Live’ as He Praises His Lasting Impact

Robert Irwin has never felt “closer” to his late father, Steve Irwin.

Before his tango to “Move Your Feet” by Junior Senior on the Sept. 23 episode of Dancing with the Stars, the wildlife conservationist, 21, admitted that while he was yet not born when the song was released in 2002, that his “dad’s show was at its all time high,” referring to The Crocodile Hunter, which ran from 1997 to 2004.

“There isn’t a day goes by where someone isn’t sharing how dad inspired them,” he continued. “It means everything to me, because every year I live, I actually feel closer to my dad.”

Robert and his partner Witney Carson then impressed the judges with their Tango routine.

Bruno Tonioli told Robert that he was “leading man mode” but advised him that he didn’t “need gimmicks” to take home the mirrorball trophy.

“This level of competition is insane. Your charisma is off the charts,” Carrie Ann Inaba added.

Derek Hough used one word to describe the competition, “Crikey,” earning him a high-five from Robert.

Robert previously shared during an interview with Access Hollywood that he thinks his late father — who died in an underwater accident at age 44 in 2006 when he was just 2 years old — would be “stoked” to see him on Dancing with the Stars.

“He was the sort of person where he just never held back,” Robert 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.”

“I have the honor of continuing his legacy and my family’s legacy, and I never thought I’d get to do that by dancing, but here we are and I’m just so grateful for that,” he added.

Of course, Robert’s older sister Bindi Irwin took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in season 21 with her partner Derek Hough.

While it’s been nearly two decades since the late Crocodile Hunter’s death, Robert told PEOPLE earlier this month that he is “still part of every day” for the nature photographer.

“He’s part of every conversation,” he shared. “He’s part of my life. And I feel as though I get a little part of him back in some way, in every conversation I have about him, or any new story I hear about him, or in any new photo that I haven’t seen before.”

Robert admitted that he is fortunate that there’s so much video footage of his dad, thanks to his show.

“I’ll often come across archive footage that I haven’t seen before,” Robert added. “And all of a sudden, his memory just starts flooding back. So it’s weird that decades later, after losing someone when I was 2 years old, I almost have an even greater picture of the person he was.”

With age, Robert has felt a closer bond with his late father.

“As I start to reach the same sort of milestones that he did as a young bloke growing up, I, yeah, I feel closer to him in a way,” he said. “I really do. My dad is like a superhero figure. He’s like this omnipresent, just a superhero to me. And I’m so grateful for that, because while I didn’t have much time with my dad, I have a human being who exemplifies everything I want to be in life.”

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Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.