Warning: spoilers ahead.
Anna Delvey is not one for tearful farewells.
The 33-year-old convicted con artist left Dancing with the Stars’ September 24 program on Tuesday night. When asked by host Julianne Hough what she was taking away from her experience on the show, she simply answered, “Nothing.”
Her professional colleague, Ezra Sosa, was stunned by her response, lifting his eyebrows in amazement. For her part, Hough laughed it off before the program ended. As the rest of the group said their goodbyes, pro-Alan Bersten and competitor Dwight Howard approached Delvey and Sosa, 23, and hugged them.
Shortly after, Delvey emerged from backstage, beaming from ear to ear.
Delvey’s short stint on the show was fraught with controversy from the outset. She previously gained popularity for impersonating a wealthy German heiress and used her social status to scam wealthy individuals, banks, and hotels. In 2017, authorities arrested her, and in 2019, they found her guilty of grand larceny in the first, second, and third degrees, along with theft of services. Many people questioned the show’s decision to cast her.
But Delvey delved into her past, wearing a bedazzled ankle monitor. ICE granted her special permission to join the cast, provided she wore the gadget. She completed her time in state prison and made restitution before her release in February 2021. ICE detained her shortly after her release for violating her visa restrictions. Since then, she has been under house arrest in New York City, contesting her deportation case.
In a TikTok post on Monday, Sosa, who rose to pro-dancer status on the show for season 33 and quickly won over fans, expressed his surprise at the volume of negative comments she received after last week’s premiere episode.
“On my end, I was feeling so much positivity,” he told me. “My partner was not experiencing the same level of positivity.” The most challenging part of my day, I believe, was when my partner was reading the comments and we couldn’t locate her. They eventually discovered her in the bathroom. She cried. I’d never seen her like that, and it crushed my heart.”
In Tuesday’s show, Delvey’s friend, actress Julia Fox, appeared, claiming that Delvey’s rough demeanor was a kind of self-defense.
“Although Anna does put up this tough exterior, it’s obviously a defense mechanism,” Fox replied.
Delvey and Sosa performed the quick step to the Devil Wears Prada theme tune, KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See,” with Sosa’s choreography poking fun at Delvey’s distant manner. At one point, he lifted the corners of her lips to force a grin.
In the end, her harsh final words on the broadcast were consistent with her public character.