"All the backlash" - Dancing with the Stars contestant Anna Delvey shares her experience on the show

The season 33 finale of Dancing with the Stars aired on November 26, 2024. Among the highlights was Anna Delvey’s much-anticipated return to the ballroom. The controversial contestant, a convicted con artist, had been the first to exit the competition earlier in the season. She returned with her partner, Ezra Sosa, to perform during the finale, injecting her trademark irreverence into the show.

Delvey and Sosa danced to Whitney Houston’s iconic song, I Have Nothing, playfully nodding to Delvey’s exit remark. When eliminated in September, Delvey stated she was taking away "nothing" from her time on the show.

Her finale performance mirrored that sentiment, with host Julianne Hough joking, “You know, I’ve got nothing.” Meanwhile, previously on Tori Spelling's podcast misSPELLING which was published on September 28, Devley reflected on her time on the show, she remarked:

“I really did not take away much from this experience [...] especially after all the backlash that I received being cast on the show.”

---

Dancing with the Stars: Anna Delvey’s finale performance

Delvey returned for the Dancing with the Stars finale onto the ballroom floor, she mimicked the lyrics of I Have Nothing during the performance. The moment was a playful callback to her earlier declaration, which had shocked fans and co-host Julianne Hough alike.

In a lighthearted exchange during the finale on the show's TikTok Live, she quipped about being “excited for it to be over” and expressed amusement at the idea of no one winning.

---

Reflections on "nothing"

Delvey’s statement—“I really did not take away much" —became a defining theme of her time on Dancing with the Stars. On Tori Spelling’s misSPELLING podcast, she elaborated on the remark, explaining that despite producers’ efforts to welcome her, she ultimately felt rejected. “Your advice was worthless,” Delvey candidly stated.

Her elimination after only two weeks fueled frustration, with Delvey calling the experience “a bit upsetting” and describing it as a “waste of time.” She felt the show’s audience wasn’t naturally inclined to embrace her. “The large part of the audience is not the people who would usually be excited about me in general,” she remarked.

---

Ezra Sosa and his reaction

As per People's October 5 article, reflecting on the elimination, Sosa admitted he was nervous about her response to being asked what she had learned.

“I was a little nervous about what she was going to say,” he shared, though he later called her remark “iconic.”

The phrase resonated strongly with Sosa that he commemorated it with a tattoo of the word “nothing” alongside the season number. Despite their early exit, the pair stayed connected, texting daily and discussing future plans. Sosa even joked about Delvey’s humorous way of expressing herself, saying:

“Every single time she says ‘sure,’ it means ‘yes.’”

---

Controversy and backlash

Delvey’s involvement in Dancing with the Stars sparked controversy from the start. Granted special permission to compete while under house arrest and sporting an ankle monitor, her participation divided public opinion. While the show’s producers stood by their decision to cast her, Delvey acknowledged the widespread criticism.

“I had to be on the defensive, especially after all the backlash,” she said on misSPELLING podcast.

Despite all, Delvey praised the general kindness of her fellow cast members. However, she viewed her elimination as a calculated move by the show, calling it “an attempt of an embarrassment.”

---

Dancing with the Stars continues to stream on Disney+.