Robert Irwin is competing in the Dancing With the Stars finale on November 25.
The son of late wildlife adventurer Steve Irwin hasn't found dating in the public eye easy, though, as DWTS catapults him onto people's television screens and elevates his fame.
Now, with the finale looming, Irwin opened up about dating and girlfriend challenges to The New York Times.
"Holy moly, that’s so challenging to navigate,” Irwin told The New York Times in the November 23 interview, adding, “Anything you do will be on TikTok the next day.”
Irwin, who is only 21, told The Times that he tries to stay true to himself. “I never change what I say, what I do, who I am one bit, wherever I am,” he said, adding that he has “no persona to hide behind."
"It's just me, and I stand by who I am," he said in the interview.
Irwin has been the subject of romance rumors that ignited when he danced with Xochitl Gomez during DWTS' 20th anniversary celebration episode, according to E! News. That sparked a headline on TMZ that read, "Robert Irwin Doesn't Deny Xochitl Gomez Romance Rumors." He didn't confirm that she's his girlfriend, either, though.
"Oh my gosh, we had the best time," he said when a TMZ reporter asked him if he and Gomez were an item. "That dance was so much fun. And it was so cool to do two such distinct dances. One that was really slow and heartfelt, and then the dance with Xochitl, which was just like energy and fun. She's the best. It's been really, really great."
The reporter pressed on and asked if they were dating or just friends, but Irwin just walked away. Gomez is an actress.
Fans have also taken note of Irwin's "cheeky TikToks" with DWTS troupe member, Hailey Bills, but there's no confirmation that she's his girlfriend either.
Irwin told People that he wants a relationship similar to what his parents had, although he hasn't found that girlfriend yet.
"My mom and dad met when she was this American tourist coming over to Australia, and that's also how my sister met her husband," he told People. "I've been saying, when is that going to happen for me?!"
"I'm still waiting for it," he added. "That American tourist is not quite lined up."
Witney Carson, Irwin's dancing partner, noted in an Instagram story how many young women want to be Irwin's girlfriend.
"Girls, I love ya, thank you for the applications through somehow my email and flooding the DMs," she wrote, according to People. “If I could line you all up with Robert, I would because you're all 10/10 perfect cuties." She even floated him as the next Bachelor.