“Big believer in grace and second chances”: Dancing with the Stars host Julianne Hough chimes in on Anna Delvey’s elimination

Dancing with the Stars season 33 episode 2, titled Oscars Nights, premiered on September 24. ABC's reality show pairs celebrities with professional ball dancers to perform live in front of judges and a live audience. Teams are eliminated each week based on votes from a panel of expert judges and the viewers at home.

Anna Delvey and her dance partner Ezra Sosa were eliminated during episode 2 of DWTS. When host Julianne Hough asked Delvey about her departure and what she would be taking away from the show, she replied that she would take "nothing" with her.

In an interview with People on September 27, DWTS host Julianne Hough dwelled into Delvey's brief response and said that she was “very neutral” with the reaction. Hough implied that she believes in giving people a benefit of doubt and a second chance to redeem themselves. She further appreciated Delvey "showing up" despite her past mistakes or public perceptions.

“I'm always a big believer in grace and second chances and showing up," Hough said.

The DWTS host's comments seemed to imply that Delvey’s response was a sarcastic jab at her public persona related to her history and wasn't meant to be taken seriously:

“I also heard somewhere that she was actually being silly and being very literal about that, with her history. So there was that."

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Dancing with the Stars: Anna Delvey’s elimination and reaction

Anna Delvey and her dance partner Ezra Sosa appeared on the second episode of Dancing with the Stars season 33 and were one of the first teams to get eliminated alongside Tori Spelling and her partner Pasha Pashkov.

During the Oscars Nights episodes, Delvey and Sosa performed their dance routine to the Devil Wears Prada theme song, KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See. Sosa choreographed the routine to showcase Delvey's detached demeanor and playfully worked around it. He even stretched Delvey's lips from both sides to create a forced smile.

After the results were announced, Delvey responded to Julianne Hough's question and commented that she would take "nothing" from the show. Sosa was a bit shocked hearing her response, however, he had a smile on his face. Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro was quick to quip:

“You had fun, stop it.”

DWTS host Julianne Hough posted Delvey's exit interview on her Instagram and captioned that the response was "iconic" according to her.

“There you have it….. ICONIC 🤣☠️,” Hough wrote in the caption.

Sosa commented on Hough's Instagram post in defense of his dance partner and wrote that he felt that Delvey was being sarcastic.

“I think she was referring to anything you’d be taking away ‘physically,’” Sosa commented.

While most of Delvey's Dancing with the Stars cast mates had a positive attitude toward her response, judge Carrie Ann Inaba had a different viewpoint. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Wednesday, September 25, the DWTS season 33 judge shared that she was aback by Delvey's exit interview comment.

“As for Anna, I was taken aback by her comment when asked what she learned from being on the show, and she flatly said, ‘Nothing,’” Inaba said.

Inaba felt that Delvey's comment was dismissive of the "opportunity she was given", her "supportive partner Ezra" and all the crew members who worked on the show.

“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,”

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Dancing with the Stars season 33 episode 3 will be available on ABC on October 1, 2024.