Anna Delvey is a convict known for acting as a rich New York heiress to extort money from both strangers and her own friends and family, in order to gain $22 million to start an art company in her own name. She rose to fame as her story was recreated on the Netflix show, “Inventing Anna,” and was also cast as a contestant on the 33rd season of the reality show “Dancing with the Stars” too, before getting eliminated due to the lack of votes and low judge scores.
Delvey was originally from Russia and wanted to make a living for herself in America. However, due to being in prison to serve her time due to her scams, she ended up overstaying her visa. This landed her under house arrest with an ankle monitor tracking her every move. Since her prominence in the industry was growing due to the Netflix show, the producer of DWTS called her up to do the show. That’s when the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gave her permission to do the show as long as she wore the ankle monitor.
However in ICE’s perspective, she simply conned the rich through numerous scams, and giving her the permission to pursue this extravagant opportunity doesn’t provide the best look for them. It is very concerning to see that other immigrants are being kicked out almost immediately if they overstay their time in the country or commit crimes, while convicts like Anna Delvey are not only allowed to stay in the country but also continue to be handed large-scale opportunities like being a part of “Dancing with the Stars”. Though the decision was based on her influence in the media through the recent Netflix show, her controversial presence in itself was also another aspect that played a role in her selection.
There was not much that could be done about it as she was already confirmed as a cast member of the show, though people were not happy to hear this. But this is something that has been happening for decades in the entertainment industry. One major example from “Dancing with the Stars,” is Olivia Jade Giannulli (Season 30), whose parents tried to bribe the college she was trying to get into with millions of dollars as part of one of the most massive college admission scandals to take place in recent years. This goes to show that Anna Delvey wasn’t the first controversial figure on the show and that this has been going on for quite a long time in the industry.
In the press release for the latest season, she was labeled as “notorious ankle bracelet fashionista Anna Delvey”.
Despite criticism against her, the headline didn’t seem to capture who she really was and seemed like a placeholder for the fact that she started a huge con scheme, as done for past contestants with similar backgrounds too. But, the small fan base she created in her time serving her prison sentence seemed to be rooting for her despite all that, convinced that she would be able to move on from her tough past and win the whole dance show with her dance partner, Ezra Sosa.
In fact, the ABC producers stated that “most people are curious about her as a person and would want her to move forward”.
However, she didn’t appear too excited to be there as her monotone face told a different behind-the-scenes story. In one of her interviews, she mentioned that the producers convinced her to be a contestant and that she had zero interest in participating. Giving her an opportunity she didn’t even want took away from other people who could have learned so much from it and had a great experience to be a part of.
The night of Anna Delvey’s elimination, her reaction to the announcement broke the internet and the general public as well, as one of the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, called her “ungrateful and bratty.”
When asked what she took away from the opportunity to be on the show, she simply said one word, “nothing.” Furthermore, in the after-show interviews, she even emphasizes that her favorite part of the show was “getting eliminated”.
No one really knows whether she was being sarcastic or bluntly dismissive, and although there continue to be people who support everything Anna Delvey does, in my book, she still hasn’t convinced me that she has changed her ways. This is not to say she will never change, but for now, this is my conclusion. She didn’t belong on “Dancing with the Stars” and should have never been released into the spotlight.
