Emmys 2026: Ciara Miller Says She’s Getting Her “Butt Kicked” on DWTS
After all, the Summer House alum admitted that she’s been putting in the work ahead of Dancing With the Stars’ season 35 premiere Sept. 15.
“I pray for my ankles every single day,” Miller admitted to Lance Bass as well as E!’s Erin Lim Rhodes and Will Marfuggi during the Live From E!: Countdown to the 2026 Emmys Sept. 14. “But I’m definitely getting my butt kicked a little like I haven’t worked out this much since high school.” (To see every star on the Emmys 2026 red carpet, click here.)
And when Bass—who competed on season seven of the series—chimed in noting he “lost 20 pounds” while on the show, Miller clarified she’s bulking up, adding, “I’ve gained weight.”
But while Miller is putting in reps on reps for her upcoming dance to Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” alongside pro partner Brandon Armstrong as part of night two of the premiere Sept. 16, she couldn’t be a traitor to her stint on another reality series when surmising who’d take home the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition.
“This is a tough one because I feel like Dancing With the Stars is hotter than ever right now but also Traitors has had a genuine run and they’re still going,” Miller posited. “I think I might have to put my money on the Traitors just because I don’t know how my first dance is going to go yet. It’s pending.” (RuPaul's Drag Race, Survivor and Top Chef are also up for the trophy—see every winner so far here.)
But Miller’s cohost Bass—who made it to the finals of his DWTS season—had plenty of advice to keep the 30-year-old on the ballroom floor for as long as possible.
“Obviously sleep because it really marinates in your brain when you sleep,” Bass explained. “But connect with the judges. They love when you look at them in the eyes when you’re performing."
To which Miller cheekily interjected, “Oh, I have to smize!”
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
“It grabs them,” Bass confirmed. “Really perform for the judges.”
Nodding to all of Bass’ A+ advice, Miller playfully used her hands to mime taking notes.
“Here’s me, I’m writing it down,” she told him. “I want to go to the finals so bad. I have so many ideas. So many costumes. So many things."
For more stars at the Emmys 2026, keep reading…
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Louisa Jacobson
in Tom Ford.
LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty Images
Luke Tennie
Randy Shropshire/NBC via Getty Images
Aliyah Mastin
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Supriya Ganesh
Photo by: Jesse Grant/NBC via Getty Images
Matty Matheson
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Abby Elliott
in Erdem.
Photo by: Jesse Grant/NBC via Getty Images
Shabana Azeez
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Kristen Kish
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Ciara Miller
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
Melissa Rivers
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Trisha Paytas
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Keltie Knight
LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty Images
Justin Sylvester
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
Derek Hough
Photo by: Jesse Grant/NBC via Getty Images
Lance Bass
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