DWTS’ Joey Graziadei defends Anna Delvey and calls felon an ‘amazing dancer’ as viewers vow to vote her off show

NEW Dancing with the Stars cast member Joey Graziadei has spoken out about fellow contestant Anna Delvey as controversy swirls about her appearance on the beloved show.

Joey spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun in the days leading up to his Tuesday night DWTS debut.

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Joey, the runner-up on Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette and star of season 28 of The Bachelor, is paired with professional dancer Jenna Johnson.

The pair started their DWTS journey with a Cha Cha on Tuesday night’s season 33 premiere, scoring 21 points from the judges.

But they weren’t the only ones dancing the Cha Cha, as controversial cast member Anna Delvey and her partner, first-time pro Ezra Sosa, performed a routine to Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song, Espresso.

Anna was convicted on a slew of charges, including grand larceny, after being caught in a web of lies. She was sentenced to prison before being released in February 2021, but was arrested again a month later and remained in custody at New York’s Orange County Correctional Facility for 17 months.

She has been granted permission to compete on the show in Los Angeles – ankle monitor and all.

When asked about the controversy surrounding the decision to let Anna compete, Joey acknowledged that it’s a “huge story right now.”

“To tell you the truth, I’ve gotten to meet Anna a few times. She seems great,” Joey shared with The U.S. Sun.

“I have not had a lot of interactions. But my mindset right now is I’m just focusing on how not to make an idiot [of] myself in a few days so that is where my head is.

“I try not to focus on all the noise around it. I’m happy for everyone that’s got an opportunity this season and for me, like I said, my focus is on trying to make sure I keep my feet under me. That’s really where my head’s been at.”

Beyond that, Joey said the dancers are “amazing,” especially the pros.

“They really do focus on each individual feeling important, getting their ability to focus on what they should be focusing on, which is the dancing, and getting as good as you can before night one,” he said.

‘HER DANCING WAS TERRIBLE’

Fans, however, were not thrilled by Anna’s first dance.

Some even noticed the fake heiress appearing to snub her partner right at the start of their routine.

A Reddit thread about the show revealed scathing comments after Anna’s first bow.

In a comment titled Anna Delvey deserves to go home first, a viewer pointed out that it looked like she “does not want to be there.”

“She is not enthusiastic, her dancing was terrible, she’s a criminal, destroyed peoples lives and thinks she has done nothing wrong,” the poster continued.

“The worst part was her saying shes glad she doesn’t have to do that dance again.”

“She dances and acts like she’d rather be in jail,” another replied.

“I legitimately can’t tell if she doesn’t want to be there or if her general being is just…like that. And it’s very obvious in comparison to Ezra,” another chimed in.

“She’ll definitely be an early elimination, not surprising at all,” another said.

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NEW LOVE

Joey proposed after finding love with Kelsey Anderson on his season of The Bachelor.

Kelsey has been nothing but supportive of her beau, telling The U.S. Sun he’s been “killing it.”

“I’ve been watching a little bit of his practices and everything. I think he can take home the mirror ball,” she said.

Kelsey joked about her own skills, saying she’s a “terrible dancer” and that Joey “makes me just look worse now with my dance moves.”

As the two continue to build their life together in Los Angeles and deepen their relationship, they’re equally excited for quiet moments away from the cameras.

“I think the biggest thing for us is we’re just trying to find the little moments now where we can kind of have a lot of fun outside of it, which is what we care most about.”

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