Carrie Ann Inaba may not control 'DWTS' casting, but even she felt the heat from fans over this dancer
'Dancing with the Stars' faced severe backlash from fans when it announced convicted felon Anna Delvey as one of its celebrity participants last year. Viewers even demanded a boycott of season 33 ahead of its premiere, as per the Daily Mail. However, Delvey paired up with pro dancer Ezra Sosa and performed during two dance rounds before being abruptly eliminated from the show. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba exclusively spilled a few details about the 'fake heiress' in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: "The energy in the room was really low when she danced," she revealed.
The ace choreographer, however, cleared the air that she looked at Delvey from a judge's perspective on the show, "My job is to score her performances, not her criminal past. I look at what she is doing for those 90 seconds, from when the music starts to that final pose. And by doing that, I'm not commenting on what she did that earned her that ankle monitor," she said. "I'm also not making light of the fact that she is a convicted felon. But in the context of my interaction with her, it's about what she does in the ballroom." She added, "Let's be clear, I don't have anything to do with the casting. And yes, her casting is controversial, maybe even upsetting for people."
Inaba appeared soft towards Ezra Sosa, who was also making his 'DWTS' debut along with Delvey. "It's also Ezra's first season, and I'm like the DWTS mom. I want to create a safe and welcoming space for Ezra to perform with his partner as well," she said. Additionally, the television judge pointed out that it was ultimately the fan votes that decided each participant's fate on the show. "The fans can vote or not vote for whomever they choose, and they have the power to make their statement about it by the way they vote," she concluded.
However, Inaba was left shocked after the con artist left the show with a scathing one-word review soon after experiencing early elimination. "I was taken aback by her comment when asked what she learned from being on the show, and she flatly said, 'Nothing'. That was dismissive," the seasoned judge reacted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. She was furious that Delvey disregarded the collective efforts of the crew, her dancing partner, and the judges on the show. Labeling the fake socialite's attitude as shameful, Inaba expressed that a genuine message of gratitude would have sounded better from the convicted felon.
"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," she said. Meanwhile, while appearing on Tori Spelling's podcast 'misSPELLING', the fake socialite stood by her controversial exit remark. Calling the judges on the show "worthless," Delvey explained that she followed all the given instructions on the show and, despite that, faced brutal elimination, People reported. "And I’m taking away nothing. This is what I’m taking away from it, because your advice was worthless.”
