Anna Sorokin, infamous for her art world scams and portrayal in Netflix’s Inventing Anna, traded courtrooms for ballrooms on Dancing with the Stars, but her dance journey was short-lived. After just two performances, Sorokin, known to many as Anna Delvey, faced the music and was the first celebrity voted off this season. Her attempt to redefine herself on the dance floor proved less successful than her past elaborate schemes in New York’s high society.
Sorokin’s departure came during a double elimination alongside actress Tori Spelling from Beverly Hills, 90210. For her final dance, Sorokin and partner Ezra Sosa performed the quickstep to KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See.” The judges awarded them a score of 17 out of 30, a slight decrease from the 18 they received the previous week for their debut cha-cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” While her initial score placed her mid-pack, Tuesday’s performance earned the second-lowest score from the judges, sealing her fate.
Eliminations this season rely on a combination of judges’ scores and audience votes, and it became clear Sorokin struggled to win over viewers. Last week, judge Carrie Ann Inaba openly acknowledged the room’s palpable shift in energy when Sorokin took the stage. Inaba urged both the audience and judges to give Sorokin a fair chance, stating, “I just want to say, let’s all just give this a chance, because I can imagine that this is scary for you… I’m not pro or against what you’ve done, but this is about your dancing here, so let’s all give her this space, please.” This comment hinted at the undercurrent of public opinion influencing the competition.
The casting of Sorokin on Dancing with the Stars was met with considerable controversy. Many fans criticized the show for platforming someone convicted of grand larceny and fraud. Her crimes, which involved defrauding friends, hotels, and banks to fund a lavish lifestyle and her aspirations for an art foundation, are well-documented. Figures like Whoopi Goldberg even publicly questioned how Sorokin, in ICE custody and fighting deportation, was permitted to participate in the show while under house arrest. (Sorokin, originally from Russia and later raised in Germany, is indeed contesting deportation and claimed ICE granted her permission to join the show, even with her noticeable ankle monitor.)
Despite the backlash, Sorokin’s sardonic humor resonated with a segment of viewers, earning her a peculiar form of admiration. In a characteristically blunt manner, when asked about her takeaways from her brief Dancing with the Stars experience post-elimination, Sorokin simply stated, “Nothing.” This succinct response mirrored the enigmatic persona that has captivated and divided public opinion throughout her controversial journey. Her ballroom chapter may be over, but Anna Sorokin’s ability to command attention remains undiminished.
