Originally appeared on E! Online
Carrie Ann Inaba isn’t two-stepping away from her feelings about Anna Delvey’s comments.
After the fake heiress said she took away “nothing” from her time on "Dancing With the Stars" following her elimination on Sept. 24, Inaba shared her honest reaction to Delvey’s commentary.
“I was taken aback by her comment when asked what she learned from being on the show, and she flatly said, ‘Nothing,’” the longtime judge told Entertainment Weekly in an article published Sept. 25. “That was dismissive not only of the opportunity she was given, of her wonderful and supportive partner Ezra in his debut season, but also of all of us who work on the show-from the dancers to behind the scenes to the creative team.”
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She continued, “We all put in the effort to give her a fair opportunity. But I don’t think she could see that and it’s a shame. A little gratitude could have changed the narrative.”
Inaba and her partner Ezra Sosa joined Tori Spelling and her partner Pasha Pashkov during the double elimination, summing up her experience with just one-word when asked her takeaway from her time in the competition.
Delvey—who was convicted in 2019 of grand larceny and theft of services for defrauding wealthy individuals and businesses—has been a topic of discussion with "DWTS" fans and those inside of the ballroom since it was announced she would be joining season 33.
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Despite the chatter, Inaba made her debut along Sosa on Sept. 17 and quickstepped through the noise during week one. Following her debut dance, Delvey told E! News that the show pushed her past her comfort zone.
"I'm not a performer, so it's something new," Delvey shared. "I learned a lot and hopefully I'll learn a lot moving forward."
Delvey—who rocked a bedazzled ankle monitor during her time competing for the mirror ball trophy—joked about the backlash and said, “This is a dancing show, so hopefully I'm not going to be reincarcerated for dancing badly."
Though Delvey put on a good front while on-camera, Sosa revealed that during week one, she was brought to tears after the live-taping because of the backlash.
He explained on Instagram Sept. 23 that the producers “couldn’t find her” and when they did she was upset.
“They finally found her in the bathroom,” he shared. “She was crying. I've never seen her like that, and it broke my heart.”
