Anna Delvey had a specific idea for her Dancing With the Stars job title, but it was ultimately vetoed.
Delvey, 33, is referred to as an entrepreneur and fashionista during DWTS live shows and accompanying press releases, but she initially wanted a different label.
“There’s discrepancy online because Anna is a called a ‘fashionista and entrepreneur’ on the show,” her pro partner, Ezra Sosa, said in a Saturday, September 21, TikTok video. “Actually, that is not what she wanted to be called. What did you want to be called?”
Delvey then revealed that she wanted to be known as an “ankle bracelet model.”
Delvey, who was previously convicted of grand larceny, had been granted permission by ICE to relocate from New York City to Los Angeles for DWTS so long as she wore an ankle monitor. (Delvey revealed in the Tuesday, September 17, season premiere that she was required to wear the anklet because she “overstayed” her U.S. visa amid her prison sentence.)
“But, they declined,” Sosa, 23, added on Saturday about Delvey’s suggestion. “So, ‘Fashionista and entrepreneur’ [was chosen].”
Delvey and Sosa, a first-time DWTS pro, performed a cha-cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” on Tuesday’s premiere. They sported matching ombré rainbow outfits, which matched Delvey’s bedazzled ankle monitor. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli gave the pair an 18 out of 30.
During judging, Inaba, 56, remarked that sensed a palpable “shift in the energy” among the crowd when Delvey and Sosa danced.
“When we go out there and we’re dancing, it’s just us two on the floor, and we honestly don’t [notice the crowd],” Sosa exclusively told Us Weekly, denying that he felt the change. “Even when we finished the dance, we’re not really thinking about applause or anything.”
Delvey concurred, telling Us that she was similarly unaware.
“It’s hard to say because we just moved fresh off the stage,” Delvey told Us. “I’m not sure what the public’s reaction was yet, so it’s hard to say.”
She added, “I [am] glad the night is over. I think I could have done a little bit better with my dance. I think I performed better during rehearsals, but it was a great experience. I’ve never performed in front of a live audience and, hopefully, I will get better moving forward.”
Delvey and Sosa are gearing up to perform a quickstep to KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See” for season 33’s Oscars Night on Tuesday, September 24. The number will pay homage to The Devil Wears Prada.
Dancing With the Stars airs simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.
