No love loss. Cheryl Burke, who spent 26 seasons as a pro on “Dancing With the Stars,” is responding to Anna Delvey‘s statement that she took “nothing” away from her time on the ABC dance competition show.
“I believe that the feeling is mutual from the fans of show,” Burke tells Variety.
During the Sept. 24 episode, Delvey and partner Ezra Sosa went home as part of the first double elimination of the season; Tori Spelling and Pasha Pashkov were also eliminated. When co-host Julianne Hough asked what she’d take from the experience, Delvey responded flatly, “Nothing.” Later, in an interview with “Good Morning America,” she was asked what her favorite part of the experience was. “Getting eliminated,” she responded.
Burke has been vocal about Delvey in the past, sharing her opinions on her “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast. Following the premiere, she noted that Delvey, who rose to fame by defrauding banks, hotels and people, needed to open up in order to get America to vote for her.
“As funny and dry as it is, most of America I don’t think will relate to her,” she said during the Sept. 19 episode. “So I’m hoping Ezra or somebody cracks her open because she is human. She’s not a robot. There is a heart in there somewhere, right? Like, I wish in a way the nerves would create a little bit more emotion.”
She continued, “People are not happy about her being on the show. So the only way, though, that she can change people’s minds is if she shows emotion. This is key… She’s continuing to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths because she’s not willing to be vulnerable. And unfortunately, with a show like this, you either are trusting the process and are willing to go for it, or you’re not, and you’re trying to be cool or you’re trying to think, like, I’m trying to reinvent myself. But just do the work because the reinventing of yourself will happen, I promise, if you just focus on what is ahead, which is your next dance.”
Burke is not the only member of the “Dancing With the Stars” family to speak about Delvey’s post-elimination comments.
During Wednesday’s episode of “The Talk,” co-host Amanda Kloots, who competed on Season 30 of the show, stated that the show was “life-changing” for her. “It healed me in ways I never expected it to,” Kloots said. “I think it was a disgrace that she said she got nothing.”
“DWTS” Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, who also won the competition in Season 19, agreed. “My life has changed greatly… my career is back because of that show, I owe everything to that show,” he said.
Ahead of the season’s debut, showrunner Conrad Green opened up about the backlash against casting Delvey, a convicted felon. “I think there is an inherent curiosity about her. She’s very into the world of fashion and those kinds of things, so I think she’ll actually present very well as a dancer. I think people really want to see her,” he said at the time. “She’s a very valid and interesting part of that cast. Yes, she had the issues she’s had, but we’ve had other people on the show who’ve had criminal issues in the past. She served her time. I think it’s perfectly valid for her to be on the show, and I think people have been really curious to see how she performs.”
