DWTS Cast Jets to GMA After Season Finale: Behind-the-Scenes Photos

The excitement didn’t stop after Dancing With the Stars season 34 ended as champions Robert Irwin and Witney Carson flew across the country with their fellow finalists to celebrate on Good Morning America.

Irwin, 21, and Carson, 32, lifted the mirrorball trophy during the high-energy season finale on Tuesday, November 25. Us Weekly got an exclusive look behind the scenes at how the cast traveled in style overnight on the “GMA Express” — straight from the ballroom in Los Angeles — to make their morning show appearance on Wednesday, November 26.

When the official DWTS After Party began on GMA, Carson and fellow pros Val Chmerkovskiy, Alan Bersten, Ezra Sosa and Daniella Karagach showed off their moves with a quick performance. Irwin later emerged with Alix Earle, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles and Dylan Efron.

Just hours after his victory, Irwin reflected on the accomplishment on GMA, saying he’ll remember his experience on the show “forever.” He also shared an update on how his ribs are healing after suffering an injury leading up to the finale.

“We’re getting there. It’s painful, but you know, no pain, no gain. We wanted to push through,” he said on Wednesday, praising Carson’s quick adjustments to their dances. “We just knew we had to make it work, because [our freestyle] was the way to just say we’re so grateful for this experience. … We were just having that much fun that I didn’t even realize there was an issue until the end. The adrenaline, the passion, the fun of it all, it overrides anything.”

Carson, for her part, opened up about winning her second mirrorball more than 10 years after taking home the trophy on season 19 with Alfonso Ribeiro.

“The first time I won, I was 19 years old, now I’m 32. … The fact that Alfonso gave me the mirrorball was really full-circle,” she gushed.

As for Earle, 24, she called her DWTS journey a “humbling process” after finishing the season in second place. “It was really scary for me at first to go out there every week and dance in front of this many people — or dance in front of even one person, that was scary for me at first,” she said while reflecting on her “growth” throughout the competition.

Dancing With the Stars aired on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day. Scroll down for exclusive photos from the season 34 cast’s journey to GMA: