On September 17th, 4.97 million viewers tuned in to watch Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) kick-start its 33rd season. This figure signifies a 4% rise in viewership compared to Season 32’s premiere last fall. This increase can be attributed to the season’s star-studded cast, which includes a former Bachelorette still recovering from a highly publicized heartbreak, now facing off against her ex from her time on The Bachelor. The lineup also features several athletes, including viral Olympic medalists fresh from the Paris Games. However, this season’s most controversial addition was Anna Delvey, a convicted con artist—or, as the show declared, an “entrepreneur and fashionista.” While DWTS has a history of casting controversial contestants, this season marks the first time one has cha-chaed onto the dance floor wearing a bedazzled, legally mandated ankle monitor. Delvey’s participation in the competition show has sparked widespread debate about the blurred line between celebrity and criminality.
In 2019, Delvey, whose legal name is Anna Sorokin, was found guilty on eight counts, including grand larceny, for defrauding friends and financial institutions out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by posing as a German heiress. After being released from prison in 2021, Delvey spent 18 months in an immigration detention center for having overstayed her visa, which had expired during her incarceration. In 2022, Delvey was granted bail and placed under house arrest as she continued to fight her deportation case, seeking asylum in the United States. However, the most recent authorization from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement allowed her to compete in DWTS as long as she wore an ankle monitor.
Delvey’s presence in the media had been steadily growing long before her debut on DWTS. Delvey’s story first gained widespread visibility with Jessica Pressler’s 2018 feature magazine article. It later served as inspiration for the stage play Anna X and the Netflix series Inventing Anna. Netflix paid Delvey $320,000 for the life rights to her narrative, but she was not permitted to keep the entire sum due to a New York law that forbids criminals from profiting off of their notoriety.
Despite her lack of full financial compensation, Delvey’s fame skyrocketed following the release of Inventing Anna. Critics of the series claim that Delvey is framed as a girlboss—an ambitious woman whose schemes are largely victimless and progressive since they target the ultra-wealthy, who are seen as embodiments of narcissism, capitalism, and misogyny. Delvey is, thus, cast as a sympathetic “feminist Robin Hood” and an entrepreneur (a label embraced by DWTS) who takes extreme financial risks, literally breaking the law to advance her personal gains in a society that favors the wealthy and impedes social mobility for others.
Even after her initial arrest, Delvey continues to pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions by using her criminal notoriety to further her “fashionista” image, which has nearly eclipsed the severity of her illicit past. Delvey’s court appearances have evolved into her own personal runway, garnering support through Instagram accounts that dissect her stylish ensembles. Knowing that photographers are present in court, Delvey has admitted to using fashion to control her public image. However, it has been revealed that she also uses her court appearances to promote her fashion-focused public relations company, the OutLaw Agency—a name that clearly capitalizes on her crimes.
Delvey’s ankle monitor became emblematic of how her transgressions have been transformed into a fashion accessory that embellishes her public persona.
This strategic self-presentation has taken Delvey from the courthouse to real runways, making her one of the most talked-about attendees at this year’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW)—thanks to her distinctive accessory: an ankle monitor. By styling it alongside her lavish outfits, Delvey’s ankle monitor became emblematic of how her transgressions have been transformed into a fashion accessory that embellishes her public persona; it no longer serves as a blatant warning of the grave consequences of her crimes.
Airing shortly after NYFW, DWTS capitalized on Delvey’s infamy. By strategically placing her last in the premiere’s line-up, the show ensured that viewers—many of whom were drawn in by the controversy surrounding Delvey—would stay tuned for the entire episode in anticipation of her appearance.
Delvey inaugurated her debut performance, a cha-cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song Espresso, by striking poses behind a row of shopping bags. A close-up then revealed Delvey’s dance partner, Ezra Sosa, lifting one of the bags to reveal her vibrant, bedazzled ankle monitor, which seamlessly matched her costume. As the dance came to an end, Sosa grabbed Delvey by the ankle to put her in her final stance, purposefully capturing her ankle monitor once more. The choreography, costuming, and camera work, which was meticulously designed to spotlight Delvey’s ankle monitor, drew attention to her infamy. Yet, by bedazzling the monitor, the show disguised the harsh reality of her criminal past, turning it—much like at NYFW—into an accessory that enhanced her persona. This strategic move aimed to attract more viewers and secure public votes, which are crucial for a contestant’s success on the show.
Although viewership was secured, the votes were not. Delvey was ousted in the first round of eliminations after two consecutive lackluster dances. Delvey’s blunt response of “nothing” when asked by the show’s hosts what she had taken away from the experience sparked divisive reactions from the audience. Some, including Sosa, deemed Delvey’s honesty “iconic.” Others, however, condemned Delvey’s response as unappreciative of the experience she had been granted. In her first week’s introduction package, Delvey described DWTS as an opportunity to “show people a different side of [her],” aiming to change the negative perceptions about her and “reinvent” herself authentically. However, despite claiming to be “pretty determined,” her cold and dismissive demeanor throughout the show, along with her harsh final remarks, reinforced suspicions that she was never fully committed to the show—or to a genuinely redemptive arc for her past.
Regardless of whether it generated positive or negative publicity, DWTS ultimately gave Delvey a platform that reignited the controversy fueling her infamy—one that remains highly profitable for both the media and Delvey herself. Together, they’ve repurposed and bedazzled her crimes, masking their severity to transform her into a celebrity figure.
