Bindi Irwin Gets Bitten By A Heartless (and Brainless!) Judge

Bindi Irwin, the daughter to the late great Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, isn’t getting paid a dime for her time on Dancing With The Stars. Since she’s only 17, she has to have a minor’s contract submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court. The judge reviewing her contract declined to accept the it because there is no proof that her father Steve has passed away.

Really?

That means one of two things: either the judge hasn’t watched the news in the past decade, or he has serious memory problems. Steve Irwin was among the world’s leading wildlife experts and his death in 2006 reverberated around the world. Not only was it tragic, but the way he died from being stabbed in the heart by a stingray barb was so out of the ordinary as to be surprising and shocking in and of itself.

Many people were shocked when they heard the news, I certainly know I was. I had dreams of someday going to Australia and visiting the Australia Zoo. I had wanted to meet Steve Irwin and see him perform in the famed Crocoseum. He was one of my heroes and one of the reasons I chose to pursue my interest with wildlife.

Apparently the news or Irwin’s death didn’t make it through the thick smog that surrounds Los Angeles. If it had, there’s no way that the judge could have forgotten about Irwin’s death. His funeral was after all broadcast live on international television so that his fans and supporters could bid their hero farewell. Of course, the judge could use Google to verify, but hey, this is American jurisprudence at its most efficient and this particular judge wants to see Irwin’s death certificate because hey, the American legal system threw out common sense and deductive reasoning a long time ago. Or, maybe he just didn’t like her performance on last week’s episode and he’s voting from the bench.

At this point Bindi’s money is sitting in the DWT bank account. She has been guaranteed $125,000, but she can earn even more as the weeks go on.  During Weeks 3 and 4, she made $10,000 a week. In the 5^th week, she made 15,000, and she made $20,000 a week for the next 2 weeks. In weeks, 8 and 9, Bindi won $30,000. All in all. She could lose $230,000 if they can’t get the death certificate. But, she doesn’t have to worry about losing out on the money. It’s there, waiting for her, patiently collecting interest as she, her mother, and DWT lawyers all do their part to help her resolve the issue so she can get paid.  That means digging through Terri Irwin’s files for the death certificate, getting it notarized, and having a physical copy sent to LA so the judge can see for himself that yes, Steve Irwin is resting in the great outback in the sky.