Anna Delvey Performs 1st ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Routine With Ankle Monitor Amid House Arrest

Anna Delvey made her debut on the Dancing With the Stars ballroom floor during the season 33 premiere on Tuesday, September 17. The con artist-turned-socialite dazzled in her ensemble and completed her look with the best accessory – her ankle monitor.

The ankle monitor was decked out in pink and blue rhinestones to match her outfit as she performed a Cha Cha to Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso” with partner Ezra Sosa. The judges were pleasantly surprised, mentioning that she had the makings of a good dancer but needed to hone in on the technique more. They called her a “mystery.” The duo scored an 18 out of 30.

Hours ahead of the premiere, Anna, 33, celebrated the big night via Instagram with photos of her camera blocking run-throughs.

“Too much dancing #DWTS #BTS,” she captioned the September 17 post.

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The Russia native faced criticism after it was revealed that she was going to be a part of the ABC comPetitive reality dance comPetition. Anna gained popularity after she made headlines for her 2019 arrest after she posed as a German socialite and scammed wealthy people out of their money. She was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison and served less than the minimum sentence for good behavior. Anna was released from prison in February 2021 and is currently under house arrest as she fights deportation.

On September 5, The View cohosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin questioned the morality of Anna’s casting. Alyssa even went as far as to claim that Anna “still owes people money” and “con artists tend to remain con artists.”

“While you are entitled to your own opinions, you should at least get your facts straight,” Anna wrote in response to a clip posted via X at the time. “I served my time and paid everyone back in full 3+ years ago. Looking forward to your on-air correction.”

Anna’s partner Ezra, 23, is a fresh face to the professional dancer cast this season and is ready to make a mark on the dance floor.

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“Excited to announce my very first partner for DWTS is none other than the iconic @theannadelvey! Thrilled to be hitting the dance floor with someone who knows how to keep everyone on their toes — both in and out of the ballroom,” he wrote via Instagram on September 4. “We’re ready to hustle our way to the top — just without the wire transfers this time.”

Hours before the DWTS premiere, the series costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner told Women’s Wear Daily how they accessorized Anna’s ankle monitor.

“We’ll try to probably do something fun with it — make it sparkly, maybe,” she told the outlet. “We’re going to try and do something fun with it so it becomes part of the costume. The costume itself won’t be affected by it. [We’ll] try to do something cute with it to make it look all pretty together.”

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Daniella added, “Our costumes are really prepared for a lot of things. I don’t foresee that anklet being any issue on any of the costumes we’re going to do.”

DWTS royalty and current cohost Julianne Hough gushed over Anna after the two got well-acquainted after pre-premiere practices.

During a Monday, September 16, appearance on the “Call It What It Is” podcast, Julianne, 36, admitted that she was “obsessed” over Anna’s “controversial” casting.

“I just love it so much because I was obsessed with the show, and Julia Garner just crushed it,” Julianne said, referencing the actress’ portrayal of Anna in Netflix’s Inventing Anna. “And there’s so much fun to be had with it and she like plays into it.”