Max Chmerkovsky is not cautious when it comes to his thoughts about convicted criminals Anna Delvey‘s casting on Dancing with the stars.

While we were talking about casting the 13 celebrities for each season of DWTS On the “TMZ Podcast” on Monday, Sept. 23, Chmerkovskiy, 44, broke down the types of candidates they’re looking for to fill specific archetypes, including beloved but aging icons, retired athletes, young rising stars and more. However, when it came to discussing Delvey’s controversial casting for the current season of the long-running show, the professional dancer didn’t hold back his disapproval.

“So those are the qualities that you put together. And then it’s like, ‘Okay, who’s going to grab the attention?’ And now you’re talking about someone like an Anna character, right?” Chmerkovskiy began. “So my struggle here … I can see both sides. I can be on the production side and I can be on the viewer side and understand it all. But if you want an anklet (bracelet) and you’re like, ‘Damn, this is going to grab the attention,’ and the outrageousness of it all — I mean, there are so many other people to choose from.”

When asked if he was a fan of Delvey, 33, Chmerkovskiy continued: “Absolutely not. It doesn’t matter (who I would choose as a replacement). For me, (Delvey’s) job was to be a professional liar. You’re going to bring that person (on stage) and say, ‘Here’s a platform that a lot of people have been waiting their whole career to be a part of,’ to also have a moment of personal story (where they) can say, ‘This is who I really am.’ Am I going to believe everything this lady says? Absolutely not.”

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Chmerkovskiy then criticized Delvey’s cha-cha dance, during which she wore a bejeweled anklet, stating that he thought she was “not great” and that she was “quite aloof in a lot of things.”

“You can blame it on nerves and say, ‘Hey, everyone’s human and this person is not used to being on that stage.’ Bulls—,” he said. “Wait a minute — didn’t she fool people into thinking she was, like, all fashion and so special? And that takes guts. It takes a lot of self-control to present yourself in a certain way, even when you’re so nervous. I don’t buy that ‘she was nervous’ stuff. She’s a shy dancer and (her) personality is not going to help her in this competition.”

After being asked how far Delvey would get in the competition alongside partner and newcomer Ezra SosaChmerkovskiy replied, “I don’t care. She’s not someone I look at… I don’t say anything that no one else says.”

Delvey was arrested in 2017 and charged with multiple counts of grand larceny and robbery. She was released from prison on probation in 2021 and was placed under house arrest a year later after being taken into custody for overstaying her visa. (A famous New York magazine profile about her was adapted for the 2022 Netflix series Inventing Anna.)

“When you collaborate with someone, like with her story, you have no choice but to throw yourself into it,” Sosa, 23, explained during a recent interview on the “Lightweights” podcast. “That’s the only way to really win people over is to take what she is and her story and just go for it. Even though some people might not like it, no matter what, you’re going to watch it anyway.”

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After their debut performance during the season premiere earlier this month, Sosa and Delvey denied feeling a noticeable change of energy in the audience during their performance.

“When we go there and we dance, it’s just the two of us on the dance floor and we honestly don’t (notice) the crowd,” Sosa told exclusively We weekly“Even when we’re done dancing, we don’t really think about applause or anything like that.”

Delvey added: “It’s hard to say because we just came off stage. I don’t know what the crowd reaction was yet, so it’s hard to say.”

Dancing with the stars will air simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will be available to stream the following day on Hulu and Disney+.