LOS ANGELES — Convicted con artist Anna Sorokin, who posed as an “heiress” named Anna Delvey to defraud banks, hotels and friends, has finished appearing on “Dancing with the Stars.”
As a controversial contestant on the competitive reality TV show, Sorokin was required to wear an ankle monitor while onstage. Described in a show announcement as “the notorious ankle bracelet fashionista,” Sorokin is under house arrest amid her pending deportation case.
She was released from prison in February 2021, but immigration authorities arrested her shortly after her release, claiming she had overstayed her visa and should be deported to her native Germany. The inspiration for “Inventing Anna” spent more than a year in ICE custody, but a judge in October 2022 cleared the way for her to be switched to house arrest while she fights her deportation case.
Sorokin was eliminated from the series on Tuesday after performing “Suddenly I See” by dance pros Ezra Sosa and KT Tunstall. Eliminations begin in the second week of the series and are based on viewer votes.
Asked by the host on Tuesday night what he planned to take home from the competition, Delvey replied emphatically: “Nothing.”
She told “Good Morning America” โโon Wednesday that her favorite part of the experience was “getting dropped out.”
Sorokin and Sosa spoke to The Associated Press after her first performance last week, and about dancing with a sparkly ankle monitor to match her costume, Sorokin said, “It’s actually not a big deal at all. It’s pretty light, and I asked them to tie it on tight so it’s not dangling, so it’s not that bad.”
It is unclear how Sorokin’s house arrest terms have been altered to accommodate the show’s filming in Los Angeles, and it is unclear how her lengthy deportation case will proceed.
Also eliminated during Tuesday’s episode was “Beverly Hills 90210” actress Tori Spelling. After being eliminated along with her partner Pasha Pashkov, Spelling described her time on the show as a “crazy transformational journey” and said she was glad she faced her fears despite being cut.
“I just looked at my kids in the stands and I just kept saying, ‘I love you. I love you,’ and no matter what happens, I just wanted them to know that I love you and thank you for being proud of me,” Spelling said. “The time is passing so fast and it’s scary and it’s messing with my mind. I’m really scared.”
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