Reinventing Anna? Watch controversial con Anna Delvey’s first ‘Dancing with the Stars’ performance
This season’s most controversial contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” is easily Anna Delvey, described by the show as a fashionista and entrepreneur, but whose primary claim to fame is her criminal history, which was portrayed in the Netflix limited series “Inventing Anna.” Is she on a path towards redemption? Or will “DWTS” fans quickly show her the door? Watch her debut cha cha with first-time pro dancer Ezra Sosa from the season premiere above.
As described by her official bio,”Some view her as a cunning scam artist, while others see her as a charismatic and ambitious entrepreneur who took advantage of New York City’s social elite in an effort to open a prestigious art studio.” Either way, her participation on the show following her grand larceny conviction — she competes wearing an ankle monitor — was an unusual choice. “‘Dancing with the Stars’ is a way for me to show people a different side of me,” she explained in her season premiere clip package. “My prior history shows I’m pretty determined … I hope that everybody who feels negatively about me, that I will be able to turn their opinion of me around.”
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Her first dance of the competition actually wasn’t half bad. It left judge Derek Hough “at a loss for words. You actually have the facility to be a really beautiful dancer.” Bruno Tonioli added, “When you hit the right lines, it really looks good.” But Carrie Ann Inaba, noticing some ambivalence from the crowd, said, “When you came out on the dance floor, there was a shift in the energy in this room, and I would just like to say, let’s all just give this a chance because I can imagine this is scary for you.”
When all was said and done, Delvey received straight sixes from the judges for a total of 18 out of 30, placing her in the middle of the pack. Asked by co-host Julianne Hough how she felt, she answered, “I feel happy that I don’t have to do this dance again.” That was indicative of her first appearance on the show — cagey, reserved, showing little of herself besides a desire to be seen differently by viewers at home. Perhaps it was just shyness. Or maybe she’s also ambivalent about being on the show. The question is whether fans will decide to keep her on or vote her out. There was no elimination at the end of the season premiere, but there will be a double elimination in week two. She’ll have to wait and see how “DWTS” fans see her.
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