Maks Chmerkovskiy Was Surprised by Anna Delvey’s ‘DWTS’ Elimination Despite His Casting Criticism (Exclusive)

Maks Chmerkovskiy still has plenty of thoughts about Anna Delvey‘s Dancing With the Stars casting, but he wasn’t expecting her to leave the ballroom so early in the season.

“I am going to have to be honest, I thought she’s not going to be the first to go, in terms of her dance ability,” Chmerkovskiy, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Dancers Against Cancer 10th annual Gala of Stars Awards in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, October 9.

Without naming names, Chmerkovskiy hinted that there were a “few others” he thought might be voted out of the competition before Delvey, 33, but her heart just wasn’t in it. “I don’t think she embraced the moment at all,” he added.

DWTS fans had mixed feelings after Delvey, a fraudster who was previously convicted of theft and grand larceny, was announced as one of the celebrity contestants on season 33. Described in her official ABC bio as “an artist, fashion icon and infamous NYC socialite,” Delvey was paired with pro dancer Ezra Sosa.

Chmerkovskiy previously expressed his strong opinion about Delvey’s casting during an appearance on the “TMZ Podcast” in September. At the time, he discussed the show’s tendency to cast certain archetypes of stars — from retired athletes to beloved Hollywood icons — but he wasn’t convinced Delvey was a good fit.

“So my struggle here … I can see both sides,” he said. “I can also be on the production side and I can be on the viewer side and understand it all. But if you want an ankle [bracelet] and sort of this, ‘Damn, this is going to draw attention,’ and the scandalousness of it all – I mean, there’s so many other people you can choose from.”

Chmerkovskiy noted that he was “absolutely not” a fan of Delvey, saying, “It doesn’t matter [who I would choose as a replacement]. To me, [Delvey’s] job was a professional liar. You’re gonna bring that person [on stage] and say, ‘Here’s a platform that a lot of people waited their entire actual career to be a part of,’ to also get a moment of a personal story [where they] can say, ‘This is who I actually am.’ Will I believe anything this lady says? Absolutely not.”

Delvey and Sosa, 23, had already performed a cha-cha in the DWTS ballroom when Chmerkovskiy’s interview dropped, and he noted that Delvey appeared “kind of standoffish” toward the overall experience.

“You can blame the nerves and say, ‘Hey, everybody’s human and this person is not used to that stage.’ Bulls— … I don’t buy this ‘she was nervous’ stuff,” he added.

Val Chmerkovskiy, who is currently competing on season 33 with Phaedra Parks, later weighed in on his brother’s comments. “He has his opinion,” he exclusively told Us following a September taping of DWTS. “Whether I share his opinion or not, that’s not my quote, and that’s not my position to talk about it.”

Delvey and Sosa, along with Tori Spelling and Pasha Pashkov, were the first couples sent home in a double elimination during the September 24 episode. As if she hadn’t already drummed up enough conversation, Delvey went viral for bluntly telling cohost Julianne Hough she would take “nothing” away from her time on the show.

Maks appeared on 17 seasons of DWTS, winning the mirrorball trophy in 2014 with Olympian Meryl Davis. He last competed on season 25 in 2017 and is now focused on raising his kids with wife Peta Murgatroyd.

The couple welcomed their third son, Milan, in July and are adjusting to life as a family of five. “It’s crazy. It’s a lot,” he told Us on Wednesday, joking that the pair are “entering this next chapter of our life of responsibility, lack of sleep and hope for the best.”