The Scammer’s Quickstep: 5 Shocking Facts About Anna Delvey’s Controversial Run On Dancing With The Stars

The world watched with a mixture of fascination and outrage as convicted con artist Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin) stepped onto the ballroom floor for Season 33 of *Dancing with the Stars*. Her casting, which became one of the show’s most controversial decisions, dominated entertainment headlines in late 2024, sparking a fierce debate about celebrity, redemption, and the monetization of infamy.

The spectacle of the fake German heiress attempting to master the Quickstep while under house arrest was a cultural moment that transcended reality television. As of December 12, 2025, the fallout from her brief but explosive appearance—including accusations of exploitation and the viral image of her dancing with an ankle monitor—continues to define her post-prison, pre-deportation public life.

Anna Delvey: Biography and Current Legal Status

Anna Delvey, born Anna Sorokin, is a Russian-born fraudster who successfully infiltrated the elite New York social and art scenes by posing as a wealthy German heiress with a $60 million trust fund. Her story became the subject of the Netflix series *Inventing Anna*, further cementing her status as a pop culture figure.

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• Real Name: Anna Vadimovna Sorokin
• Date of Birth: January 23, 1991
• Place of Birth: Domodedovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia
• Nationality: German (her family moved to North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in 2007)
• Parents: Her father, Vadim, was a truck driver, and her mother owned a small retail shop, a stark contrast to the aristocratic background she fabricated.
• The Persona: She operated under the name Anna Delvey, claiming to be a non-existent German heiress who was attempting to launch the "Anna Delvey Foundation," a private club and art foundation, to secure massive loans and funding.
• Conviction: In 2019, she was convicted of multiple counts of grand larceny and theft of services for defrauding banks, hotels, and individuals, including former friends like Rachel Williams.
• Current Status: Anna Delvey was released from New York State custody but remains under 24-hour house arrest in New York City while fighting a pending immigration case. She is currently facing deportation to Germany.

The Quickstep and the Ankle Monitor Scandal of DWTS Season 33

Anna Delvey’s participation in *Dancing with the Stars* Season 33 in 2024 was unprecedented, given her ongoing legal restrictions. Her time on the show was brief, but it generated more discussion than almost any other contestant in recent memory.

The Partnership with Ezra Sosa

Delvey was paired with fan-favorite professional dancer Ezra Sosa. The partnership was rocky from the start, largely due to Delvey’s inability to practice outside of her house arrest location. This restriction severely limited her training time, a critical component of the rigorous *DWTS* schedule. Despite the challenges, Sosa maintained a professional relationship, even revealing in interviews that they continued to text daily after their elimination.

The Infamous Quickstep and Low Scores

Delvey and Sosa performed only one competitive dance: a Quickstep. The dance was set to a song, "Suddenly I See," from the film *The Devil Wears Prada*, a choice that many saw as a tongue-in-cheek nod to her fashion-forward, high-society aspirations.

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Their performance was met with lukewarm reception from the judges. While judge Carrie Ann Inaba noted that Delvey had talent, she suggested the con artist was "holding back just a hair," perhaps reflecting her constrained legal situation. Ultimately, the pair received low scores and were the first couple eliminated in a double elimination during Week 2 of the competition.

Dancing Under House Arrest

The most visually striking detail of Delvey’s *DWTS* run was her ankle monitor. Due to the terms of her house arrest, she was required to wear the electronic tracking device at all times. In an unprecedented move, a promotional photo released by the show featured Delvey wearing a glamorous outfit with the black ankle monitor clearly visible, turning a symbol of her criminal status into a bizarre fashion statement. This image quickly went viral, becoming the defining visual of her time on the show.

The Exploitation Debate and Post-Show Drama

Anna Delvey’s casting ignited a firestorm of controversy. Critics, including other celebrities, argued that ABC was rewarding criminal behavior and normalizing fraud by giving a platform to a convicted felon who had yet to fully repay her victims.

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Delvey’s Accusation of Exploitation

In a surprising twist, Delvey herself later spoke out against the show, accusing *Dancing with the Stars* of "exploiting me for attention." She stated that the show’s producers were "predatory of them" for capitalizing on her notoriety and legal troubles. This accusation further complicated the narrative, positioning the infamous scammer as a victim of the same media machine that she had previously sought to manipulate.

A Controversial Finale Return

Despite being the first eliminated, and amidst reports that she was banned from the venue, Anna Delvey returned for the Season 33 finale on November 26, 2024, alongside Ezra Sosa. Her presence at the finale, where she danced to a remixed version of her Quickstep song, served as a final, defiant curtain call, ensuring that the conversation around her involvement lingered long after the mirrorball trophy was awarded.

The Legacy of Anna Delvey's DWTS Stunt

Anna Delvey’s brief stint on *Dancing with the Stars* is more than just a footnote in reality TV history; it’s a significant moment in the intersection of true crime, celebrity culture, and the American justice system. The controversy surrounding her casting highlighted several critical themes:

• The Monetization of Infamy: Delvey’s appearance is a prime example of how modern media can turn a criminal past into a lucrative public career, a concept previously explored by the success of the Netflix series *Inventing Anna*, starring Julia Garner.
• The Power of the Ankle Monitor: The visual of the ankle monitor on the glamorous ballroom floor became a symbol of the tension between Delvey's aspirational fantasy and her harsh legal reality.
• The Deportation Clock: Her public activities, including *DWTS*, are occurring while her immigration battle with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues. Her current legal status dictates that she must remain under house arrest in New York City until a final decision is made on her deportation to Germany.

While her dance scores were low, her impact on the show's narrative was enormous. Anna Delvey successfully leveraged *Dancing with the Stars* to maintain relevance and a public profile, ensuring that the "fake heiress" remains a fixture in the cultural zeitgeist as she continues to fight her legal battles in 2025 and beyond.