Dancing With the Stars bosses have sparked outrage by signing up convicted, high-society con artist Anna Delvey to the show’s current 33rd season — and it’s getting worse behind the scenes.
“Anna has an interesting criminal backstory that became a huge hit series on Netflix and created this cloud of mystery and intrigue around her,” an insider close to the production exclusively tells In Touch of the fraudster, 33, who inspired the 2022 miniseries Inventing Anna. “She’s a wild character, and the DWTS team loves when these little forest fires spring up around casting decisions.”
However, the source adds, “The reality is that DWTS has never really worked with anybody like her before, and they are approaching the situation with caution behind the scenes.”
Because a dispute about her deportation remains ongoing, Anna must wear an ankle bracelet on the show as she remains under house arrest. And the production team on the hit reality competition seems to be going to extremes to ensure she can hit the dance floor.
“Anna has been given extra security and special scheduling considerations because she is somebody who people send threatening messages to online all the time,” says the source. “DWTS is all about stunt casting, and they love when there’s an uproar over one of their choices, but they are approaching this situation with care.”
Production’s close eye on Anna seems to be ruffling feathers with some other stars of the season.
“The rest of the cast need to understand that even though Anna is being given special treatment and an outsize share of the spotlight, it’s good for the show overall because it brings more eyeballs to the episodes,” the insider explains. “As edgy as Anna’s history is, it gets people invested in the storyline of this season.”
Earlier this month, Anna was revealed to be one of the contestants competing on season 33 after she was given clearance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE].
However, some people weren’t happy with the casting choice considering Anna’s past. “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,” Whoopi Goldberg said during an episode of The View. “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?”
This season’s premiere episode, which aired Tuesday, September 17, ended with Anna’s highly anticipated performance, a Cha Cha to Sabrina Carpenter‘s hit “Espresso” with partner Ezra Sosa.
“I did serve my time, and Dancing With the Stars is a way for me to show people a different side of me,” she said on the show.
Her partner, Ezra, explained, “There is a lot of publicity surrounding Anna, so this is a lot of responsibility to guide her and hopefully give her that second chance.”
Anna added, “I hope that [for] everybody who feels negatively, I will be able to turn their opinion around,” adding, “I’ve reinvented myself many times, and this time I’m going to be a ballroom dancer.”
They received a score of 18 out of 30.
