“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba said she was “taken aback” by Anna Delvey’s savage one-word response after her elimination on Tuesday night.
“I was taken aback by her comment when asked what she learned from being on the show, and she flatly said, ‘Nothing,'” Inaba, 56, told Entertainment Weekly Wednesday.
“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 continued, “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.”
Inaba also said she felt some “gratitude could have changed the narrative.”
After Delvey, 33, shockingly stated she would take “nothing” from her time on “DWTS,” her dance partner said he expected “nothing less” from her.
“I knew she was going to say something very iconic and something very Anna Delvey with her exit,” Sosa, 22, told “Extra.”
Meanwhile, the “fake heiress” doubled down on her statement by reposting the viral moment on Instagram.
Delvey is not known for being a warm or gracious person; she conned New York City’s upper class, plus hotels and banks, out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to be a wealthy German heiress.
During her 2021 interview with “60 Minutes,” she did not immediately express remorse when asked if she felt “bad about some of the people that got burned along the way.”
“Can you name me the names of the people, and I’ll tell you if I feel bad about them?” she replied. She also said she does not believe she committed any crime.
However, during a 2023 appearance on News Nation, Delvey admitted she has regrets.
“I understand why I said I regret a lot of decisions I made when I was younger, and I think I should be afforded a chance to move on with my life,” she said.
Nevertheless, she maintained her innocence.
Delvey was convicted in 2019 by a New York state court of three counts of grand larceny, one count of attempted grand larceny and four counts of theft of services, among other crimes, after she defrauded various people and businesses.
She served two years in prison and was released on parole in February 2021.
However, she was swiftly taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying her visa. She was detained until March 2022 and has worn an ankle monitor since.
People had mixed feelings about Delvey’s inclusion in Season 33 of “DWTS” due to her criminal history, but Inaba encouraged fans to give her a fair chance.
When asked by Entertainment Weekly whether viewers took that advice, Inaba said the “audience did what felt right to them.”
“And that’s the beauty of ‘DWTS’ for our fans,” she added. “Our fans are passionate and engaged and they vote for who they want to win the Mirrorball Trophy.”
Delvey was eliminated on Tuesday along with “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress Tori Spelling.
