Carrie Ann Inaba did not laugh at Anna Delvey’s glib response after her Dancing With the Stars elimination.
The longtime DWTS judge, 56, told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Wednesday, September 25, that she “was taken aback by her comment when asked what she learned from being on the show, and she flatly said, ‘Nothing.’ That was dismissive not only of the opportunity she was given, of her wonderful and supportive partner Ezra [Sosa] in his debut season, but also of all of us who work on the show — from the dancers to behind the scenes to the creative team.”
She added, “We all put in the effort to give her a fair opportunity. But I don’t think she could see that and it’s a shame. A little gratitude could have changed the narrative.”
It is fitting that 33-year-old Delvey — one of the most controversial contestants in the show’s 19-year history — departed the dance floor in such dramatic fashion.
Most Controversial ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Contestants
“I knew she was going to say something very iconic and something very Anna Delvey with her exit,” Sosa, 23, told Extra after they got the boot on Tuesday, September 24. “Of course, she has to. It’s very typical. We would expect nothing less of her.”
Seconds after the results were called, DWTS cohost Julianne Hough asked Delvey what she was going to take away from her experience on the show. “Nothing,” Delvey replied as Sosa shook his head and smiled.
“There you have it, absolutely nothing,” Hough, 36, said, while cohost Alfonso Ribeiro added, “You had fun, stop it.” (Tori Spelling and her partner, Pasha Pashkov, were also sent home during the episode’s double elimination.)
In the season 33 premiere, Inaba had asked viewers to give the convicted felon a chance after her dancing seemingly received a lukewarm welcome from the crowd.
Most Disastrous ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Partners Ever!
“I think our audience did what felt right to them,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “And that’s the beauty of DWTS for our fans. Our fans are passionate and engaged and they vote for who they want to win the Mirrorball trophy. But I’d like to point out something important. Our fans don’t vote people off. That is not our format. Unlike Survivor we don’t vote people off. Our fans vote for who they want to win.”
Earlier this week, Sosa tearfully defended Delvey via TikTok following harsh criticism from DWTS alum Maks Chmerkovskiy, who called her a “professional liar” and “s—-y dancer.” Sosa found Delvey crying in the bathroom over the hate she received online.
In a Tuesday interview with Extra, Sosa said Delvey apologized to him for cutting his first season as a pro short.
“I was like, ‘No, don’t apologize. I’m here for you, this is your journey,’” he told the outlet. “I apologized, like, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t take you any further.’”
ABC’s Dancing With the Stars resumes its competition with episodes airing Monday, October 7, and Tuesday, October 8, at 8 p.m. Eastern.
