Dancing With the Stars has seen some memorable moments over the years, but none quite like the entrance of Anna Delvey into the show’s 33rd season. For the uninitiated, this isn’t just any old All-American girl-next-door fairy tale; instead, behold the rise of the twinkle-toed, high-society ex-con as the new modern “it” girl. Need I remind you that Anna Delvey was convicted of a horrendous crime? Still, she’s in such command of her story and her star power—performing with an ankle monitor, no less—that it’s hard not to be captivated by her life as scandalous art.
Anna’s unapologetic post-elimination revelation did little to cool down the simmering pot of controversies. Ask Anna what she took away from the competition, and her answer was blunt, to the point, and clear as day: “Nothing.” You could almost hear the collective gasp. Defiance and honesty are two sides of the same coin, not traditionally associated with a reality TV contestant in pursuit of star-making. In contrast, Ezra Sosa, a more seasoned dancer (and surely with more charisma) than most of the reality show host community, had this cooler, gentler thing to say about his time spent dancing with Anna. “I learned a lot dancing with Anna,” he said. “She’s really misunderstood.”
Since 2017, Anna has been a source of both curiosity and controversy. “My past has been riddled with cons,” she said in a span of time that seemed to stretch barely beyond the good old days. In the lovely and lyrical world of mystery thrillers, her story could be recounted as an intriguing redemption arc. That was Anna’s plan anyway. In the simultaneously uplifting and tear-jerking world of “Dancing with the Stars,” the former con artist sought to pen her own kind of “star.” She doesn’t have an iconic dance, but she does have an iconic ankle monitor.
Anna’s ephemeral experience on the dance floor left her pensive and unimpressed. The bright stage lights paled in comparison to the comfort of her home confinement in New York. “I actually miss being on house arrest,” she said in her now-familiar deadpan delivery. It felt like she was steering the narrative again towards the direction of her brand of on-screen individuality and off-screen nonconformity. No commute, no chaos—just Anna, in her own spotlight again, with admirers (intentional or not) again flocking to her doorstep. Despite the abrupt end to her televised tango, Anna Delie’s tale continues to fascinate. It’s a story not so much about chasing a trophy but about struggling for the spotlight. A misunderstood celebrity defying the odds, challenging our perceptions, and sashaying, quite literally, through life’s minefields.
As Anna Delvey prepares to reenter the bustling metropolis of New York City, one can’t help but wonder what she will do next—what her next move will be. Even in the absence of a new episode of the Anna Delvey narrative, this exists as an open question that is certain to elicit great interest. Delvey’s story is one of intrigue and controversy—of mystery and scandal. Yet what will it become when it is allowed to dance only in the en pointe direction of the next noncontroversial chapter rather than back across its controversial steps?
