‘Fake Heiress’ Anna Delvey Makes 'Dancing With The Stars' Cut Amid Guilty Verdict
By Afouda Bamidele on September 4, 2024 at 3:00 PM EDT
Anna Delvey, who was born Sorokin, is not letting a guilty verdict stop her from living her best life on stage!
The legendary con artist, who faced guilty charges in 2019 for building a false reputation as a wealthy German royalty, is now enlisted to perform alongside other celebrities in the 33rd season of "Dancing With The Stars."
Anna Delvey was announced on the list this morning despite fighting a deportation case and being released from ICE custody to home confinement in 2022.
Anna Delvey Will Dance On Season 33 Of 'Dancing With The Stars'
The con artist who was convicted of defrauding banks, hotels, and friends five years ago and called the "notorious ankle bracelet fashionista" in a press release will compete with the likes of former NBA star Dwight Howard and actress Tori Spelling.
She also joins Jenn Tran, the first Asian American lead on "The Bachelorette," whose season ended in heartbreak last night, to contest for the ballroom trophy. She will be vying for the big prize alongside newly promoted pro dancer Ezra Sosa.
Anna's appearance on the show may shift viewers' attention to the ankle bracelet she has worn since October 2022. However, in the promo image of her in a shiny dress with the ankle monitor on, she wore it with pride.
"Dancing With The Stars" is Anna's first chance to make her way into the limelight, and the 33rd season will premiere September 17 on ABC and Disney+.
According to the Associated Press, Stephen Nedoroscik and Ilona Maher, who represented the United States at the recently concluded Paris Olympic Games, will also compete for the winning trophy.
The German Is Paired Up With Another First Timer For The Show
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Anna will be dancing with Ezra Sosa, a first-time professional dancer who announced his promotion from troupe membership for the 33rd season on Instagram.
Anna was reportedly given special permission to appear on "Dancing With The Stars" and tape the show in Los Angeles. This means she does not have to worry about her two-year-long house arrest as the terms were also recently relaxed.
Anna, who is now 33, was the focus of Netflix’s "Inventing Anna" following the discovery of her fake heiress stunt, which saw her rip businesses and individuals of over $250,000 between 2013 and 2017.
Inside The 'DWTS' Season 33 Star-Studded List
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Thirteen celebrities will dance their hearts out alongside their partners to grab the winning trophy and earn the bragging rights. Spelling will be joined by Pasha Pashkov, while Tran will have the delectable Sasha Farber by her side.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson will slug it out in their dancing shoes with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Brooks Nader and partner Gleb Savchenko, a creative choreographer.
Former NFL star and two-time Super Bowl winner Danny Amendola and Witney Carson are also teaming up to battle Howard and Daniella Karagach for the ultimate prize.
"Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Phaedra Parks will compete alongside the show's reigning champion, Val Chmerkovskiy, who won with actress Xochitl Gomez for season 32.
Maher and Alan Bersten will rule the stage together and face off with "Girl Meets World" actress Chandler Kinney and partner Brandon Armstrong.
Golden Globe-nominated actor Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart will slug it out in moves and flows with Reginald VelJohnson from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Emma Slater.
Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold will dance battle with Anna and Sosa in the new season co-hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, per Page Six.
Anna Made A Return To Social Media Last Month
It is surely a new beginning for the 33-year-old, as The Blast shared that a judge lifted her social media restriction. Anna's attorneys explained in her plea to the court that:
"Social media restriction served absolutely no purpose in mitigating any flight risk or threat to the community that Ms. Sorokin may present and clearly violate her constitutional rights."
Anna was allegedly excited about the return and expressed her excitement about finally having an opportunity to rewrite the narrative surrounding her arrest.
"I would like to thank the United States government court system and especially my lawyers, John Sandweg and Catherine Hunstad, for fighting for my First Amendment rights. I'm also grateful and thrilled to be able to control my own narrative once again on social media," she declared.
Anna Delvey Does Not Agree With The Con Artist Tag
Despite serving time for her crimes in the Orange County facility, Anna claimed she did nothing wrong and that her lies were simply lies that did not hurt anyone.
She admitted on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that pretending to have millions of dollars in a trust fund was not a new practice, especially when 60 million people are borderline poor in New York.
Anna reiterated that she was not a scammer and was only being herself during her time in New York, stating:
"I guess it's just easier to ask somebody for, I don't know, 20 million when they already think you have money," noting that she never told "any senseless lies. Unless they were, like, a bank."
Will Anna Delvey shock the world and lift the trophy on the show? It will definitely be a step in the right direction for her already controversial reputation.