Maks Chmerkovskiy Unleashes on New DWTS Contestant

Heavy/Getty Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy issued a harsh critique of “Dancing With the Stars” season 33  season 33 contestant Anna Delvey.

In a September 2024 interview on “The TMZ Podcast,” the former DWTS pro ranted about the casting of the convicted felon who wears a GPS ankle monitor for her routines with first time pro dancer Ezra Sosa.

Chmerkovskiy said Delvey’s ankle bracelet just draws unwarranted attention to her. “And you know the scandalousness of it all and blah blah blah,” he said on the podcast.  “I mean man, there’s so many other people you can choose from,” Chmerkovskiy added, confirming that he is not a fan of Delvey.

“Absolutely not,” he said.

In 2019, Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, served two years in jail after she was convicted of attempted grand larceny, three grand larceny counts, and four misdemeanor charges of theft of service while posing as a German heiress, according to CNN. Delvey has since been placed under house arrest but received special permission  from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to compete in “Dancing With the Stars.”

Maks Chmerkosvkiy Said Anna Delvey is a ‘Professional Liar’

On the “Dancing With the Stars” season 33 premiere, Delvey’s occupation was announced as a “fashionista” and “entrepreneur.” In a TikTok video, Delvey joked that she wanted to be called an “ankle bracelet model.”

But Chmerkosviy has another description of her occupation.

“You know, to me she [her job] AKA was a professional liar,” he told TMZ. “You’re going to bring that person and say here’s a platform that a lot of people waited their entire actual career you know, to be a part of. To also get a moment of like a personal story week and say this is who I actually am.  Will I believe anything that this lady says? Absolutely not.”

“She wasn’t great, she was very kind of standoffish in a lot of things,” Chmerkovskiy added. “You can blame the nerves and say ‘Hey, everybody’s human and this person is not used to that stage. Hold on a second. Didn’t she con people into believing that, she’s like fully fashioned this? It takes a lot of guts, it takes a lot of self-control to present yourself a certain way even if you’re so nervous. I don’t buy that she was nervous. She’s just a [expletive]  dancer. And a personality that’s not going to really help her in this competition. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even get to see why she got on the show.”

Delvey and Sosa scored 18 out of 30 points from the judges for their Week 1 cha cha.

Cheryl Burke Is Also Not Thrilled That Anna Delvey Is On the Show

DisneyEzra Sosa and Anna Delvey.

Chmerkovskiy isn’t the only former DWTS pro who has an issue with Delvey. In September 2024, two-time mirroball champion Cheryl Burke spoke out on her podcast “Sex, Lies & Spray Tans” to say she felt bad that Sosa was saddled with such a polarizing celebrity for his first round as a pro.

“Poor Ezra,” Burke said on the September 19 episode of her podcast. “For his first season, you know, he really not only has to deal with all of this press and attention for the very first time, but he also has to somehow crack her open. …Ezra, get a therapist in that room if you can.”

Burke also suggested that viewers didn’t understand Delvey’s sense of humor.  In Week 1, when host Julianne Hough asked her  how she was feeling after her performance, Delvey bluntly replied, “I feel happy that I don’t have to do this dance again.”

“As funny and dry as it is, most of America I don’t think will relate to her,” Burke said. “People are not happy about her being on the show. She’s continuing to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths because she’s not willing to be vulnerable.”