Robert Irwin‘s animals might just be seeing double!
The Dancing with the Stars champion, 22, returned to Australia recently to meet his doppelgänger, the winner of a Robert Irwin lookalike competition in his hometown. And on Thursday, Jan. 22, the real Robert decided to document his experience meeting his double in person.
Irwin’s hometown of Caloundra, Australia, hosted a lookalike competition dedicated to the new DWTS champ on Saturday, Jan. 17, in an effort to welcome him home after six months overseas. According to 9 News Australia, the 30-person competition featured plenty of khaki shorts, but only one true winner: Ben Marshall, a local father who decided to break dance his way to victory to his $500 prize.
Reacting to Marshall’s appearance, Robert admitted that “this guy really does look like me.” So he took matters into his own hands.
“I said, ‘Wait a minute, bring him into Australia Zoo.’ I want to see how ‘Robert Irwin’ this bloke really is,” the conservationist said in his latest TikTok clip.
As it turns out, the guy is very “Robert Irwin.”
While documenting their wild encounter, Irwin and the faux Irwin high-fived each other, shared a hug and took a moment to take in the resemblance. “Holy moly,” Irwin said. “It actually is kind of weird, man. Look at this! Dude, there’s two of us now, about time!”
To test Marshall’s Irwin-ness, the wildlife conservationist asked him how he is around snakes, before introducing him to one of Australia Zoo’s Burmese pythons. The pair held the snake together, as Robert told Marshall he “passed the test.”
At the end of the clip, the pair posed for a snap wearing nearly identical khaki looks and laughed about their resemblance.
Irwin is just one of many celebrities who’ve been at the center of lookalike competitions in recent years. There’s been competitions for Pedro Pascal, Jason Kelce and even Timothée Chalamet, whose lookalike has had a few run-ins with the Marty Supreme star since.
As for Robert, he’s getting settled back into his duties at the Australia Zoo since securing his Mirrorball Trophy with dance partner Witney Carson in November 2025. Speaking with The West Australian, Irwin revealed he was happy to return to a more rugged terrain after his time in Los Angeles.
“Being in L.A. for the last three months has been wonderful, but I am not a city kid,” Irwin, who also hosts Australia’s I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, admitted. “I live out in the bush and have grown up there, so it’s good to be back where there’s a bit of greenery.”
