Former Dancing With The Stars pro Cheryl Burke has insisted that controversial contestant Anna Delvey deserves a fair chance on the competition show – but her ankle tag and lack of authenticity could prevent her from lifting the mirror ball trophy.
Fans were stunned when the notorious criminal, 33 – who defrauded individuals out of $275,000 – was revealed in the Season 33 line-up, leading for calls to boycott the beloved ABC program.
However, professional dancer turned podcast host Cheryl has claimed viewers should move past Anna’s crimes and instead judge her ‘potential as a ballroom dancer.’
Following the fraudster’s debut performance on Tuesday night – in which she flashed her bedazzled ankle monitor – Cheryl exclusively told DailyMail.com: ‘There is a lot of judgement surrounding Anna. What’s done is done and she’s a part of season 33 and it wasn’t our decision but it was the show’s decision.
‘With that said, everyone deserves a chance. I agree with [judge Carrie Ann Inaba] that we need to look at whether she has potential as a ballroom dancer, and to be quite honest, she does.’
Anna danced to Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso with her partner, pro dancer Ezra Sousa, securing three solid sixes to finish with a total of 18 points.
But the audience was noticeably less enthusiastic with their cheers for Anna compared to her competitors.
‘Unfortunately for her, the show is not just a dance competition,’ Cheryl said. ‘With this show.. it really matters as far as how much you’re willing to be vulnerable, and only people who are willing to be 100 per cent raw, authentic, vulnerable are the ones that are going to succeed, no matter what. It’s more important than the dancing.
‘I have to say, I’m still wanting her to come out of her shell, but seeing this, it’s hard to have compassion for somebody who doesn’t take accountability of even just her feelings. How do you have compassion for somebody who doesn’t have compassion… for themselves or others?’
The Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans host added that this could prove to be one of the key reasons why Anna could miss out on the coveted glitter ball trophy.
‘It’s not just about paying back the money, it’s about the people that she affected and hurt their mental health,’ she said.
‘She’s making it sound like a business transaction but people have feelings. We all do, regardless of if you want to show them or not.
‘I think we’re missing the human side of Anna Delvey. She needs to open up. There is really nothing else for me to say, other than she has potential, but she needs to be human. Whatever emotion it is, you’ve got to show them.’
Cheryl quipped: ‘Maybe answer the questions a little bit more than just a couple of words. It’s hard for me to read her.’
The two-time mirror ball winner also claimed Anna’s ankle monitor is preventing her from shining on the dancefloor.
‘It can seriously hinder her performance because it throws her off balance. She’s lopsided, it’s not helping,’ she said. ‘They need to put equal weight on the opposite foot. I could see her falling off to the left.’
Anna – whose real name is Anna Sorokin – spent years posing as a wealthy heiress while defrauding a series of banks, hotels, and individuals out of $275,000.
She was arrested in 2017 and found guilty of grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services.
Her story inspired the wildly popular Netflix series Inventing Anna, which starred Anna Chlumsky, Julia Garner, and Arian Moayed.
She also recently announced that she will star in new reality show, Traits, which requires contestants to deploy ‘deception, lying and not letting people see the real you.’
She was released from prison in February 2021, but immigration authorities picked her up shortly after, claiming she overstayed her visa and must be returned to her native Germany.
The Inventing Anna inspiration was in ICE custody for over a year before a judge cleared the way for her to switch to home confinement in October 2022, while she fights deportation.
Her release terms had to be amended to allow her to travel from New York to Los Angeles for filming of the dance show.
Anna has said that she hopes viewers will be somewhat forgiving despite her criminal history.
However, social media posts following her first dance were mostly angry messages about her participation in the show.
‘She is a damn criminal,’ one outraged viewer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
‘I hate Dancing With the Stars for allowing this piece of trash to step onto their famous dance floor,’ added another. ‘And her dancing is weak.’
‘I’m sorry but why are we rewarding Anna Sorokin’s bad behavior by giving this clearly mentally disturbed woman exactly what she wants… a spotlight and a platform,’ asked a different viewer.
Someone else branded her performance ‘lackluster,’ while another said it ‘sucked all the energy and happiness out of the ballroom.’
‘Is it possible to charge Anna Delvey with another crime for how emotionless that dance was?’ joked one viewer.
‘Anna is giving emotionless robot,’ added another.