Robert Irwin’s Family Feud confusion

Steve Irwin was known for his broad Australian accent, and it seems his son, Robert, is no different.

The Irwin family appeared on the United States’ version of Family Feud, hosted by comedian Steve Harvey and it didn’t take long for the laughs to start rolling. 

Robert was asked what things might prompt a five-year-old to ask for a bank loan.

He answered quickly and confidently, suggesting a car.

The audience responded with scattered applause, and Harvey looked similarly thrown by the Australian accent.

Bindi Irwin was momentarily confused by the strange response, looking from Harvey to her family.

Robert repeated his answer again and again as Harvey moved closer to hear better.

Terri Irwin quickly realised what the problem was and stepped in to prevent her son’s answer being lost in translation.

While Terri has now lived in Australia for 25 years, she was born in Oregon and still retains her US accent.

“A car,” Terri repeated, emphasising the R on the end of the word.

Robert understood immediately and echoed the pronunciation, comically twisting his face to achieve the desired effect.

“Oh, car!” said Harvey, finally grasping the difference in their accents.

The host couldn’t control his amusement at Robert’s attempts to master the American accent. The whole family, including Robert, lapsed into a fit of giggles at Harvey’s imitation of the moment. You can watch the exchange unfold in the video below. 

While his broad accent might confuse audiences, Robert is coming into his own as a celebrity on US TV.

He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon multiple times this year, introducing Fallon to various animals and winning over the audience with his striking similarities to his father.  

The Irwin family (joined by cousin Daniel Marineau and his wife Sara) were crowned the winners of the episode, managing to score a cool $25,000 for their nominated charity, Wildlife Warriors.

What do you think of Robert Irwin’s growing celebrity status in the US? Can you see the similarities between him and his father, Steve?