Dancing With the Stars’ Amber Glenn Reveals Painful Truth Behind Her ‘Angry’ Reaction to Judges’ Scores After Black Swan Performance

Dancing With the Stars contestant Amber Glenn has spoken out after viewers noticed her unusually serious expression during Tuesday’s Halloween Horror Movie Night.

The Olympic figure skater and her professional partner, Pasha Pashkov, impressed the judges with a dramatic Argentine Tango inspired by the psychological thriller Black Swan.

However, despite receiving some of the evening’s highest scores, Glenn appeared noticeably subdued while standing beside her smiling partner.

Now, the athlete has revealed the painful reason behind her reaction.

Amber Glenn’s Reaction Raises Questions After High Scores

Glenn underwent a dramatic transformation for the Halloween performance, wearing dark eye makeup, bright red contact lenses, black feathers and a striking black costume.

Pashkov complemented her look in an all-white outfit decorated with feathers.

Their intense Argentine Tango earned praise from the judging panel, including guest judge Shirley Ballas.

All four judges awarded the pair nines, giving them 36 out of 40 and placing them among the night’s top performers.

Yet Glenn barely smiled as the scores were announced, offering restrained nods before embracing Pashkov.

Her expression prompted speculation that she was disappointed with the judges’ feedback.

Amber Reveals She Was Struggling With Rib Pain

Glenn subsequently addressed the speculation in a TikTok story, explaining that her apparent frustration had nothing to do with the competition.

“Also, if I looked upset, pissed, angry tonight I promise I wasn’t,” she wrote.

The skater emphasized that she was pleased with both the performance and the judges’ response.

Then she revealed what had actually been happening.

“I’m just dealing with some rib pain, and it was hurting to breathe,” Glenn explained.

She reassured viewers that she was not injured, adding that she was simply experiencing discomfort.

Her explanation quickly prompted supportive reactions from viewers who felt her facial expressions had been unfairly scrutinized.

Viewers Defend Amber as Competition Takes Physical Toll

Several Reddit users criticized the pressure placed on contestants to appear cheerful regardless of how they are feeling.

“The constant talk about the contestants’ facial expressions is ridiculous tbh,” one person wrote, arguing that competitors should not have to smile constantly.

Another agreed that the dancers were human beings whose every reaction should not be analyzed.

Others expressed sympathy for Glenn’s pain and wished her a speedy recovery.

The incident also highlighted the physical demands of the competition as the remaining contestants face increasingly challenging routines.

Paralympian Ezra Frech recently revealed that painful blisters on his residual limb had made performing with his prosthetic particularly difficult.

Meanwhile, actress Julia Stiles experienced a tense rehearsal while working through choreography with professional partner Ezra Sosa.

The pressure is set to increase further as the competition prepares for Disney Night.

In a scheduling change, the next live episode will air Monday rather than Tuesday to avoid conflicting with the U.S. midterm elections.

For Glenn, the immediate priority is managing her discomfort while continuing to compete. Her explanation makes clear that the serious expression viewers noticed was not a protest against the judges, but a response to the physical pain she was experiencing.