Season 33 of Dancing With The Stars promised to be unpredictable, and it certainly delivered on that promise in just its second week. After a debut week where everyone was safe, the competition turned fierce as two celebrity contestants and their professional partners faced the dreaded double elimination. In a results episode that left many viewers stunned, the ballroom said goodbye to two figures, one departure perhaps anticipated, and the other a genuine shock, especially considering her memorable reaction to the news.
While some frontrunners, previously highlighted for their potential to take home the Mirrorball Trophy, continued to shine at the top of the leaderboard, the bottom of the pack saw some unexpected shifts. Interestingly, one contestant, despite lower scores, managed to garner enough public support to stay, while two others, who actually outscored actor Reginald VelJohnson, found themselves eliminated. Fans of Family Matters might be pleased to see VelJohnson continue, but the eliminations sparked debate about fairness and viewer choices in the competition.
DWTS Season 33 Eliminated Contestants Tori Spelling and Anna Delvey
(Image credit: ABC/Andrew Eccles)
Tori Spelling and Anna Delvey Say Goodbye to the Ballroom
In a night that shook up the Dancing With The Stars landscape, Tori Spelling and her partner Pasha Pashkov, alongside Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa, were revealed as the first couples eliminated from Season 33. Tori Spelling’s exit, while disappointing for her fans, wasn’t entirely unexpected. Despite expressing her desire to remain in the competition, her performances hadn’t shown the significant week-over-week improvement needed to climb the leaderboard. Her Week 1 score of 17 served as a starting point, but even with slight gains, it wasn’t enough to secure her spot. Perhaps, as some humorously suggested, incorporating some unexpected acrobatic moves might have changed her trajectory, but ultimately, her journey on Dancing With The Stars concluded.
The elimination of Anna Delvey, however, landed as a much bigger surprise. Many viewers and commentators felt the judges had been overly critical of her initial performances. While critiques pointed to stiffness and visible nerves, some, like Carrie Ann Inaba, acknowledged the unique atmosphere surrounding Delvey’s participation and how public perception might be influencing her experience. Despite these factors, the viewer votes painted a clear picture, suggesting that the lukewarm reception wasn’t limited to the live studio audience. After navigating a complex path just to compete, including securing permission from ICE, Delvey’s Dancing With The Stars adventure was cut short sooner than many anticipated.
Anna Delvey’s Utterly Unimpressed Reaction Steals The Show
Dancing With The Stars often thrives on dramatic moments, but Anna Delvey’s exit interview took an unexpected turn into comedic territory. The hosts, Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, seemed to navigate the elimination with a somewhat detached approach, perhaps overlooking the unique circumstances of Delvey’s participation. After being asked about facing negative online comments just moments before her elimination was announced, it’s understandable that Delvey might not be overjoyed to be leaving, especially when contrasted with Reginald VelJohnson’s survival despite lower scores. So, when Julianne Hough posed the standard question about her takeaways from the Dancing With The Stars experience, Delvey’s response was both blunt and instantly iconic:
Nothing.
The hosts attempted to laugh off the deadpan reply, assuring Delvey (and the audience) that surely she must have had some fun. But did she? Anna Delvey’s journey to the ballroom was far from typical. She had to navigate legal hurdles and public scrutiny just to compete, facing backlash ranging from general public opinion to critical commentary from shows like The View. To then be voted out at the first opportunity by the viewing public likely added salt to the wound, making her terse “Nothing” a perfectly understandable, if hilariously dry, reaction to a less-than-ideal experience.
Stunt Casting and Viewer Tolerance: A Lesson for DWTS?
Anna Delvey’s swift departure from Dancing With The Stars raises a question for the show moving forward: how far does viewer tolerance for “stunt casting” go? While Inventing Anna, the Netflix series based on Delvey’s life, was a popular streaming hit, translating that fascination into viewer support on a reality competition show proved to be a different story. The public’s appetite for a dramatized version of Delvey’s persona didn’t necessarily extend to embracing the real individual in a different context. This early exit suggests that viewers might be willing to tune in out of curiosity for figures like Delvey, but are less inclined to invest their votes in keeping them in the competition, especially when faced with other contestants perceived as more traditionally “deserving” based on dance ability or likability. The quick elimination perhaps signals that the “scammer persona” that brought Delvey notoriety is still the dominant public perception, overshadowing any attempt to rebrand or showcase a different side on Dancing With The Stars.
For viewers eager for more ballroom action, Dancing With The Stars will take a brief hiatus, skipping Tuesday, October 1st. However, the glitz and glamour will return with a double dose the following week, airing two episodes on Monday, October 8th, and Tuesday, October 9th. In the meantime, fans can explore the broader landscape of upcoming television with a look at the 2024 TV schedule. The early eliminations in Season 33 have certainly set a precedent, highlighting the power of the audience vote and the complex dynamics at play beyond just dance scores in determining who stays and who goes in the Dancing With The Stars ballroom.
