Dancing with the Stars 33 judge talks Anna Delvey comments

There were a lot of great moments within the Dancing with the Stars 33 premiere on ABC and yet, there were certainly uncomfortable ones, as well. One of the biggest ones came at the end of the two-hour episode and unsurprisingly, it was tied to Anna Delvey.

Obviously, it was clear going into the premiere that the notorious inspiration behind Inventing Anna was going to be controversial. We knew the series would try to create a decent atmosphere for her first dance, but there was no denying that the entire ballroom felt quiet and almost eerie during her first routine. It was almost like no one knew what to do. Carrie Ann Inaba, in her critique, implored everyone to at least give Anna a chance in the audience. Did that change the mood? Not really, especially since Anna’s deadpan proclamation that she was happy to never do that dance again fell flat.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Inaba explained her comments further, noting that they come out of her place as a judge and not as any sort of opinion about Delvey beyond that:

Let’s be clear, I don’t have anything to do with the casting. And yes, her casting is controversial, maybe even upsetting for people. I can understand that. But my job is to score her performances, not her criminal past. I look at what she is doing for those 90 seconds, from when the music starts to that final pose. And by doing that, I’m not commenting on what she did that earned her that ankle monitor. I’m also not making light of the fact that she is a convicted felon. But in the context of my interaction with her, it’s about what she does in the ballroom. And my comments about giving her a chance were more for the studio audience who are a part of the show. The energy in the room was really low when she danced. And I think when someone enters your house as a guest, we should treat them as such. I think that’s just being a good human. The beauty is that, as always, the fans can vote or not vote for whomever they choose, and they have the power to make their statement about it by the way they vote. It’s also Ezra’s first season and I’m like the DWTS mom. I want to create a safe and welcoming space for Ezra to perform with his partner as well.

We do feel for Ezra right now, who is trying to make the best of a really hard experience for his first season on the show. We hope that next season, he gets a chance to be paired with someone who allows him to have a more positive energy around him at all times.

Related – The ratings for Dancing with the Stars are solid so far

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This article was written by Jessica BunBun.