Ciara Miller’s first night in the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom became a bigger conversation than she expected after some viewers focused on her facial expressions while she received feedback from the judges. The “Summer House” star made her Season 35 debut with professional partner Brandon Armstrong on September 16.
Miller and Armstrong performed a foxtrot to Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).” The routine had special meaning for Miller, who explained that she wanted “DWTS” to provide a different way to express emotions after a difficult year in her personal life.
The performance proved emotional for judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who was moved to tears. Inaba told Miller she could feel the pain behind the dance and encouraged her to believe in herself as she continued through the competition.
Derek Hough also saw potential but encouraged Miller to get out of her own head and dance with greater confidence. Bruno Tonioli praised the sophisticated and elegant qualities of her foxtrot while noting that she needed to develop more control and continuous flow.
All three judges awarded Miller and Armstrong a 5, giving them a combined score of 15 out of 30. Although the scores were modest, the judges’ comments suggested they saw considerable room for Miller to grow as the season continued.
However, some viewers became distracted by Miller’s serious expression while listening to the judges. Social-media comments described her as appearing unhappy, distant or even “rude,” with some questioning why she did not appear more excited after completing her first routine.
Miller quickly explained that viewers had misunderstood what was happening. She said she had been “petrified” throughout the night and asked people not to read too much into her facial expressions, adding that she had been trying to avoid an emotional meltdown before the live show.
Speaking after the performance, Miller said she felt “out of sorts” and became unusually quiet because she was still processing everything that had just happened. At the same time, she felt relieved because the intimidating first dance was finally behind her.
Armstrong also came to his partner’s defense. He said Miller has many more layers than viewers may realize and criticized the tendency for women on television to be placed into narrow categories based on whether they appear too emotional or not emotional enough.
For Armstrong, the goal is to give Miller room to express herself authentically rather than worry about how every reaction might appear on television. He said he has discovered there is “a lot to her” and believes “Dancing With the Stars” will give audiences an opportunity to see more of those sides.
Miller also credited Armstrong with helping her through intense anxiety before the live broadcast. Her longtime friend and former “Summer House” costar Paige DeSorbo joined the conversation as well, defending Miller and joking about the nervous expressions that had attracted so much attention.
In the end, the expression some viewers interpreted as rude appears to have had a much simpler explanation: Miller says she was extremely nervous and overwhelmed during one of the biggest live-performance moments of her career. She survived the premiere elimination, giving her and Armstrong another opportunity to return to the ballroom and show viewers what she can do once those first-night nerves begin to settle.
