Anna Delvey, notorious for her involvement in a high-profile fraud case, isn’t holding back when it comes to her experience on Dancing With the Stars. After being eliminated during the second week of the show’s 33rd season, Delvey had some harsh words for the reality competition.
The 33-year-old, known for her scandalous rise and fall as a faux socialite, made it clear that her time on the show left her feeling less than impressed. When asked onstage what she’d take away from her time competing, she didn’t mince words. But it was in an interview afterward where she truly opened up about her frustrations, accusing Dancing With the Stars of exploiting her for ratings.
“I feel that the show so obviously used me to drive up the ratings, that they never had any plans to give me any chance to grow and only cared about exploiting me for attention,” Delvey told NBC News. Her allegations didn’t stop there, as she accused the show’s team of behaving in a “predatory” manner.
For Delvey, it wasn’t just about the lack of support but how she felt intentionally undermined. “It was predatory of them to try [to] make me feel inadequate and stupid all while I did get progressively better, yet they chose to disregard that,” she continued.
Delvey’s comments suggest that the team may have been more interested in capitalising on her controversial reputation rather than helping her improve as a dancer.
Delvey’s frustrations also extended to the scoring, which she felt was unjust. “It felt like I was never really given a fair chance by the viewers or some of the judges, given their nonsensical scoring. It’s supposed to be a dance competition and not a popularity contest.”
Her remarks hint at a deeper dissatisfaction with the entire structure of the show, which often sees celebrities compete more for public favor than technical dance skills. For Delvey, this blurred line between entertainment and competition led to a disappointing and unfulfilling experience.
