Dancing With the Stars launched its 33rd season with a 90-minute premiere on Tuesday night.
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| 'Dancing with the Stars' season 33. Disney/Eric McCandless |
Jenn Tran, the star of the latest season of The Bachelorette, was among the new contestants, performing the cha cha to Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" alongside partner Sasha Farber. Tran, who had been part of Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor before leading her own season of The Bachelorette, had previously shared during the After the Final Rose finale that she and her final choice, Devin Strader, had split between the filming and the live special.
On the same day as the DWTS premiere, it was revealed that Strader had been arrested and had a restraining order filed against him by an ex-girlfriend before appearing on the reality show. The restraining order, sealed during The Bachelorette vetting process as reported by Reporter, raised concerns regarding the ABC/Warner Horizon-produced series.
While walking the red carpet for DWTS later that day, Tran didn't directly comment on the reports but told Reporter that the dancing competition marked “the start of a new journey” for her and that she was focusing on “pouring energy back” into herself.
"[I’m] really just healing and focusing on me," she shared. "It’s been truly amazing."
When asked whether her experience on The Bachelor helped her prepare for DWTS, the 26-year-old laughed and said that while they are “two very different shows,” her reality show experience did help.
"With The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, I just had to be myself and give it my all with an open heart, and I’m doing the same here,” she said.
Joey Graziadei, the lead from The Bachelor season 28, was the first to perform during the Tuesday night premiere. The 29-year-old danced a cha cha to Tyler Hubbard's "Dancin' in the Country" with partner Jenna Johnson.
Graziadei said he joined DWTS to push himself outside of his comfort zone and has high hopes for his time on the show. "No Bachelor guy has ever made it to the finale, so that’s the first goal," he told Reporter. "Anything after that, we’ll set some new goals."
He also noted some similarities between his experiences on The Bachelor and DWTS. "That feeling before a live show on The Bachelor, I had the same feeling tonight," he said. "It’s different here because I have to perform. On The Bachelor, I’m just being myself and talking about my feelings."
Meanwhile, one contestant's accessory became a trending topic on social media. Anna Delvey, also known as Anna Sorokin, wore a bedazzled ankle monitor during her performance. Prior to the show, Delvey had announced she would be wearing the bracelet.
Delvey is known for being the convicted fraudster and fake German heiress who scammed Manhattan elites out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Her story was portrayed in Netflix’s Inventing Anna by Shonda Rhimes, with Julia Garner playing Delvey.
Delvey received permission from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to participate in DWTS. Earlier in the month, hosts of The View criticized the decision to cast her on the show. However, Delvey’s lawyer responded, stating that Anna had "made amends by serving her time in prison and repaying all her debts."
While DWTS didn’t focus much on Delvey’s past, judge Carrie Ann Inaba touched on the subject during her feedback to Delvey and her partner, Ezra Sosa, after their performance.
"I just want to say something," Inaba began. "When you stepped onto the dance floor, the energy in the room shifted. I want to say, let’s give this a chance because I imagine this is scary for you. This is about your dancing here. Let’s give her the space for that."
After the show, Delvey told Reporter that she hopes viewers will see a different side of her. "Hopefully, people will give me the chance to move on with my life because I’ve repaid my restitution and served my time," she said, while showing off her bedazzled ankle monitor.
