Anna Delvey’s ‘DWTS’ run ends: Why she never stood a chance

Anna Delvey has been eliminated early from “Dancing With the Stars.” But her short-lived run was not unexpected, as criticism over her casting was overwhelming.
Delvey was eliminated from the dance competition Tuesday night, after performing a quickstep with partner Ezra Sosa. Asked by host Julianne Hough what she took from her time on the show, Delvey was curt: “Nothing.”
Delvey, born Anna Sorokin, arrived on Season 33 of “Dancing with the Stars” after she was accused of scheming to finance a lavish lifestyle and her personal business plans, stealing $275,000 from hotels, banks and lavish New Yorkers. She was convicted in 2019 of grand larceny and served a little more than three years of her four- to 12-year prison sentence. Her story inspired the hit Netflix miniseries “Inventing Anna.”
The “DWTS” move to bring Delvey to the ballroom floor delivered headlines from the start: Delvey having to get US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s permission to compete after the agency detained her in 2021 for overstaying her visa; a now-infamous ankle monitor adorning Delvey during the show; and her “lackluster” dance debut.
The casting controversy surrounding the former “fake German heiress” felt familiar and fresh at the same time. And though parts of the internet were upset, her personal reinvention may have helped renew interest in “DWTS.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The premiere’s ratings show a bump over last season after the show returned to ABC this year. According to an ABC press release, the Sept. 17 season premiere was seen by nearly 5 million viewers and topped TV in total viewers and adults 18-49, per Nielsen. That is a 4% increase over last season’s premiere in September of last year, which garnered 4.78 million viewers.
We’ve got the tea: Sign up for USA TODAY’s Everyone’s Talking newsletter for all the internet buzz.
The outcry around Delvey was clear before her first dance.
Former “DWTS” pro Cheryl Burke said on her podcast that Sosa’s pairing with “somebody who’s a little complex” is “a lot” for the pro, who is new to the show.  Whoopi Goldberg, while on “The View,” noted “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 and this woman, they gave her permission to go do this.”
Reinventing Anna Delvey:Does she deserve a chance on ‘Dancing with the Stars’?
The backlash continued on social media, including users who demanded the show “stop glorifying her.” 
The fervor around Delvey continued on the dance floor during the season premiere. She and Sosa, the final pair to compete, danced a cha cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
Judge Derek Hough said he was “lost for words” and “surprised” by Delvey’s potential. The ever-energetic panelist Bruno Tonioli shared pithy praise, saying she was “reinventing Anna yet again and it could be working.” But Carrie Ann Inaba noted the elephant in the room — a “shift in the energy” during the duo’s dance — asking fans “to give this a chance.”
“I was very nervous going into my first dance, but I think I did well under the circumstances. The room went silent. It was clear I wasn’t a fan favorite — yet. But I’m going to keep working at it. And I hope I can win people over with my work effort and perseverance. I’m not giving up,” Delvey told USA TODAY in an emailed statement earlier this month.
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY’s movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
“You know what, I’m a fighter, I’m the underdog,” Delvey continued in her statement.
Delvey didn’t get much of a chance to win people over. But, immediately after her elimination, she was spotted backstage grinning ear-to-ear, according to People.