Is Anna Delvey making ‘DWTS’ relevant again?

Anna Delvey is trying to reinvent herself.
But Delvey, whose legal name is Anna Sorokin and who inspired the hit Netflix miniseries “Inventing Anna,” is quickly learning that there’s a high cost to the public shaming attached to bad choices.
Delvey’s arrival on Season 33 of “Dancing with the Stars” comes 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.
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The “DWTS” move to bring Delvey to the ballroom floor has 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.
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The casting controversy surrounding the former “fake German heiress” feels familiar and fresh at the same time. And though parts of the internet are upset, her personal reinvention may help renew interest in “DWTS” — and give her a second chance.
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Delvey headlines a cast full of recognizable names, including “Beverly Hills: 90210” star Tori Spelling, NBA legend Dwight Howard, Oscar nominee Eric Roberts, former Bachelor franchise leads Jenn Tran and Joey Graziadei and Olympic “pommel horse guy” Stephen Nedoroscik.
The fervor around Delvey continued on the dance floor during the season premiere. She and first-season pro Ezra Sosa, the final pair to compete, danced a cha cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s buzzy song of the summer “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 can imagine that this scary for you, and I’m not pro or … against, anything that you’ve done. But this is about your dancing here,” she told Delvey.
“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.
She continued: “When I finished my first dance, I saw an ‘avalanche of hate’ on social media. It was devastating and I ran off the stage in tears.”
In an Instagram post, Sosa echoed Delvey, saying she was found “in the bathroom and she was crying.” He said “no one deserves the amount of hate she’s getting right now” and she “deserves a second chance.”
That “avalanche” of public discourse has been clear before and after Delvey’s 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. The New York Times suggested Delvey “may need to show some emotion” after her stoic dance.
“The View” apologized on-air after its co-hosts misrepresented the facts of Delvey’s case during a Sept. 5 show, incorrectly telling viewers that Delvey owes restitution. Alyssa Farah Griffin told viewers that she “still owes people money, and con artists tend to remain con artists.” Whoopi Goldberg 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.”
Responding on X prior to the apology, Delvey wrote: “While you are entitled to your opinions, you should at least get your facts straight. I served my time and paid everyone back in full 3+ years ago. Looking forward to your on-air correction.”
The backlash continued on social media, especially in the comments under Delvey’s pictures and videos on the official “Dancing with the Stars” Instagram page.
“I’m mortified for Ezra. He deserves so much better than this,” one account said. Another wrote, “Stop glorifying her.” A user argued that “anyone wearing an ankle monitor should not be allowed to compete.” “Ezra deserved better. The viewers deserved better,” someone said.
The controversy surrounding Delvey may be creating ratings gold for “Dancing with the Stars.”
The “DWTS” results aren’t in until Tuesday night’s first elimination, but 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.
USA TODAY reached out to reps at ABC for comment.
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“Dancing with the Stars” has a history of casting controversial contestants, long before Delvey.
Ex-Food Network star Paula Deen danced on Season 21 of the show in 2015 after she admitted in a lawsuit deposition that she used racial epithets targeting Black people and tolerated racial jokes in the workplace. 
Former figure skater Tonya Harding finished third on Season 26, two seasons after her ex-rival Nancy Kerrigan competed on the show. Harding pleaded guilty to a felony charge of hindering the prosecution after her ex-husband attacked Kerrigan on the knee with a baton, causing injury in the run-up to the 1994 Olympics. She also paid $160,000 in fines and completed over 400 community service hours.
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Last season, former Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson danced despite past arrests for child abuse and suspicion of domestic violence, including one incident that allegedly occurred as recently as 2022.
In 2014, Peterson, then 29, was indicted on a felony charge for injuring his 4-year-old son while disciplining him with a switch that resulted in cuts all over the boy’s body. In 2022, Peterson agreed to domestic violence and alcohol counseling after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence following a flight with his wife Ashley, who later called the incident “a private matter.”
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Other recent controversial celebrity dancers include Olympian Ryan Lochte, who was accused of lying to Brazilian investigators about being robbed at gunpoint during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. A USA TODAY Sports investigation at the time found that despite some embellishment, the framework of Lochte’s story was true. His charges were later dismissed.
Former President Donald Trump-era White House communication director Sean Spicer danced in 2019 which sparked backlash at the time after he was accused of using a racial slur a year earlier at a book event.
Delvey is no stranger to controversy either, but she is still a human. Last Tuesday, after Delvey and Sosa danced, they headed up to hear the judge’s scores. The duo received an 18 out of 30.
Delvey told “DWTS” co-host Julianne Hough she hopes “America will get to see a different side of me.” Delvey says she’s “not a natural performer,” telling USA TODAY the “DWTS” experience is “overwhelming and terrifying.”
Maybe, as Inaba and Sosa said, she deserves a second chance now. The same one that other celebrities have received. To dance, to reclaim her life, to reinvent herself.
“You know what, I’m a fighter, I’m the underdog,” Delvey told USA TODAY in her statement. “But I’m going to show people I deserve to be here. I hope they’ll give me a chance.”
As the official bio from “Dancing with the Stars” states, “Her story continues to captivate the public’s imagination.” Whatever you think of Delvey, maybe we should let her write her own next chapter.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Lorena Blas, Marina Pitofsky, Cindy Clark, Dave Meeks, Josh Peter, USA TODAY