Season 33 of Dancing With The Stars premiered last night. Heading into the show, many were curious to see the performance of convicted felon Anna Delvey, whose casting on the show has been seen as controversial.
Delvey Appears To Snub Her Partner
When it came time for Delvey, 33, to take the stage, fans were stunned to see her apparently snub her partner Ezra Sosa. Longtime Dancing With The Stars fans insist that the moment wasn’t planned, and they’re questioning why Delvey would do this before her routine even started.
Sosa, who is in his first season as a pro on the show, took to the dance floor to perform the Cha Cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Espresso.” They ultimately walked away with 18 points.
The routine opened with Delvey posing at the top of steps on the stage. She appeared to be looking toward her partner. Instead of moving towards him, however, Delvey proceeded to walk past him and down the stairs. This left Sosa with his arms open and a shocked look on his face.
Check out the awkward moment for yourself below.
Fans Respond
Viewers were convinced that this move was not part of the routine.
“Really not planned,” one fan wrote. Another added, “She made a creative choice on the fly and it just didn’t work.”
“She’s so unserious I was wondering if it was a bit, but watching this back I’m so dead. LMAO his face,” a third person commented.
Delvey competed on Dancing With The Stars last night while wearing an ankle monitor. She has been wearing it since October of 2022, when she was placed under house arrest in New York City.
“It’s pretty light and I asked them to make it tight so it doesn’t dangle,” she told The Associated Press of the device.
Delvey’s History
Delvey rose to infamy by posing as a wealthy German heiress in New York City. She used her position to defraud banks, hotels, and rich people. After being arrested in 2017, Delvey was convicted of grand larceny in the first, second, and third degree as well as theft of services in 2019.
Delvey was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison, but was released in February of 2021 for good behavior. Unfortunately for her, however, she was quickly taken into custody by ICE for violating the terms of her visa. In the years since then, Delvey has been under house arrest in New York City while she wages a legal battle against her deportation.
After being cast on Dancing With The Stars, Delvey told People Magazine that she had been given special permission from ICE to compete. This enraged many, including the actress and media personality Whoopi Goldberg.
“I think back to all the families who’ve had family members arrested by ICE, who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their mother or their brother back,” Goldberg said earlier this month. “And this woman, they gave her permission to go do this. Now, should I think there’s a reason. Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?”
Check out Goldberg’s full comments on that in the video below.
Fans Weigh In On Delvey‘s Casting
Fans were also angry about the casting of Delvey.
“Oh I want her gone next week,” one fan commented. Another added, “God, they’ve moved past controversial people to full on criminals.”
Despite all of this, Delvey is hoping to win the public over.
“Hopefully people will give me, will give me a chance to show what I can do,” she said.
Delvey managed to not be at the bottom of the leaderboard last night. That position went to the actor Eric Roberts, the older brother of Julia Roberts. He ended up in last place with 15 points.
Next Tuesday, Delvey, Roberts, and the rest of the cast will reveal who the first contestant to be eliminated will be.
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