Characters / The Masked Dancer

For the characters of the UK version, see here

Warning. Spoilers Ahead!

All Contestants

• Phrase Catcher: Just like in Singer, "TAKE! IT! OFF!"

Season 1

Disco Ball

Ranking: Group A: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Ice-T
Song danced to: "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars
Intro Song: "Boogie Shoes" by JC and the Sunshine Band

• Disco Dan: Bonus points for having a disco ball for a head!
• Foreshadowing:
  • An iced tea is seen in his package—a dead giveaway regarding his stage name.
  • He also has a gavel in the package, referring to his role in the Law & Order franchise.
    • The shark fin seen refers to that role's name: Fin.
  • There’s a dog bone with a J on it. He played a character named J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic.
  • Disco Ball's Word Up clue was: Grammy. Ice-T won this award in 1991.
  • The army salute he does at the end of his clue package and sole performance references his time in the military.
• Irony: The first contestant to get unmasked on The Masked Dancer just so happens to represent dancing itself!
• "Staying Alive" Dance Pose: It's only natural that he does this in his promotional artwork.

Ice Cube

Ranking: Group B: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Bill Nye
Song danced to: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga (as covered by Postmodern Jukebox)
Intro Song: "Hot in Herre" by Nelly

• An Ice Person: A dancing ice cube.
• Cool Old Guy: As expected from Bill Nye the Science Guy.
• Foreshadowing:
  • One clue is a periodic element table. Everyone knows Bill's nickname is "the Science Guy".
  • He holds up a bunch of dollar bills at one point. Well, his name is Bill, so this one should be obvious.
  • He mentions that his dad got arrested. Turns out it was something similar—he was a prisoner during World War II.
  • His Word Up clue was: '90s icon. If his TV show is any indication, then he certainly is one.

Moth

Ranking: Group B: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Elizabeth Smart
Songs danced to:
"Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks and Dunn
"Sway" by Michael Bublé
Intro Song: "Anything Can Happen" by Ellie Goulding

• Foreshadowing:
  • Her first Word Up clue was: inspired. As an activist, Elizabeth managed to inspire a lot of people.
  • Her second Word Up clue was: bestseller. Said bestseller was My Story.
  • Her second package has dates on a line. This refers to her appearing on Dateline.
  • She says she’s a survivor. Elizabeth first came to media attention when she was kidnapped.
    • There’s also some salt in one of her clue packages. Her abduction took place in Salt Lake City.
  • A picture of Queen Elizabeth was seen in her second clue package. Both the queen and Moth have the same first name.
  • A newspaper clipping contains a lizard and the word "smart". This is another hint to her name: Elizabeth Smart.
• Macabre Moth Motif: Being a moth and all, she has a gothic appearance.

Cricket

Ranking: Group A: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Brian McKnight
Songs danced to:
"Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters
"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan
Intro Song: "Return Of The Mack" by Mark Morrison

• Foreshadowing:
  • His second clue package had the constellation Gemini in it. Gemini is also the name of one of Brian's albums.
  • The second clue package also had a knight in it. It's a clear reference to his surname.
  • His Word Up clues were: "accomplished" and "all-star". McKnight is definitely a professional in his field.
  • His first clue package had the number ten appear on a slot machine. Another of his albums is called "Ten".
• Happily Married: He credits his wife as a huge inspiration in his life and says that she's very supportive of him.
• Perpetual Smiler: Always seen with a huge grin on his face.

Hammerhead

Ranking: 6th Place
Real Identity: Vinny Guadagnino
Song danced to:
"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by The Backstreet Boys
"Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd
"Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Nina Simone (as covered by Santa Esmeralda)
Intro Song: "Wipeout" by The Surfaris

• Badass Cape: Wears a matador's cape during his third performance.
• Foreshadowing:
  • The first package had a burger in it. Guadagnino started in the show The Life and Times of RJ Berger.
  • The cup of soup with the word "talk" in it references Guadagnino's talk show, The Show with Vinny.
  • At one point, we see Hammerhead painting. This is one of his real-life hobbies.
  • In his third package, he’s shown standing on New Jersey. This is an obvious reference to Vinny's most well known role, being on Jersey Shore.
  • His Super Clue is a bottle of suntan lotion. It’s another Jersey Shore reference- you often put on lotion on the beach.
  • His Word Up clues were: "dramatic" and "heartbreaker". Drama and heartbreak are commonplace in Jersey Shore.
  • The Hammerhead costume itself is a clue, referencing the B-movie Jersey Shore Shark Attack, which starred Guadagnino.
• Shark Man: A dancing, humanoid hammerhead shark.

Exotic Bird

Ranking: 5th Place
Real Identity: Jordin Sparks
Songs danced to:
"Con Calma" by Daddy Yankee and Katy Perry ft. Snow
"Latch" by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith
"Rush" by Lewis Capaldi ft. Jesse Reyez
"Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul
Intro Song: "Get Busy" by Sean Paul

• Foreshadowing:
  • Her first clue package ends with her saying the word "warrior". Jordin's most famous song is called "Battlefield".
  • The jersey with the number 23 on it references Michael Jordan, whose surname is very similar to "Jordin".
  • Her Super Clue was a tattoo. "Tattoo" is another one of Sparks' known hits.
  • The set for her final performance had the number 6 in it. Sparks won the sixth season of American Idol.
  • The motel shown in the aforementioned set was named the "Nowhere Motel". Another one of Sparks' well-known songs was "No Air".
  • The first two Word Up clues were "scored" and "number one". This could reference Sparks scoring 1st place on American Idol.
  • Her final Word Up clue was: circus. Sparks was part of a circus—more specifically, Britney Spears's Circus Tour.
• Ms. Fanservice: If her first performance is any indication, she is the most provocative of the ten dancers.

Zebra

Ranking: 4th Place
Real Identity: Oscar De La Hoya
Songs danced to:
"Magalenha" by Sérgio Mendes
"All My Life" by K-Ci and Jojo
"Mi Gente" by J-Balvin and Willy William
"Take You Dancing" by Jason Derulo
"Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin
Intro Song: "Cuban Pete" by Louis Armstrong

• Foreshadowing:
  • Zebra's first Word Up clue was "comeback". Oscar was credited for bringing boxing back into the limelight.
  • His second Word Up clue is "champion". Oscar has won 11 total championships throughout his career.
  • His third Word Up clue is "author". Oscar wrote a children's book called Super Oscar.
  • The final Word Up clue of his was "box office". De La Hoya's boxing matches did really good in the box office—or rather, the pay-per-view box office.
  • One thing seen in the fourth clue package was a bag with the price of $19.92. He participated at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he won the gold medal.
  • The group dance included the word "Golf". Oscar played golf with former President Donald Trump once.
  • His final clue package has a golden pot in it. Oscar's nickname is "The Golden Boy".
• Genki Guy: One of, if not the most hyperactive dancer on the show.
• Latin Lover: His first and third performances were to Latin songs, his entrance theme is a song with a Latin beat, and he himself appears to have a slight Hispanic accent. Fittingly, he's of Mexican descent.

Tulip

Ranking: 3rd Place
Real Identity: Mackenzie Ziegler
Songs danced to:
"Fergalicious" by Fergie
"Fields of Gold" by Sting (as covered by Eva Cassidy)
"thank u, next" by Ariana Grande
"My Boyfreind's Back" by The Angels (as covered by The Chiffons)
"Tempo Polka" by Elmer Scheid
"Kings & Queens" by Ava Max
Intro Song: "I Love It" by Icona Pop

• The Baby of the Bunch: Not only is she the youngest contestant on the show, but she's also the youngest contestant in the Masked franchise at the time of her unmasking, a record previously held by Singer (and Dance Moms) alum JoJo Siwa.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In her first clue package, she clicks her heels like Dorothy Gale. Mackenzie played her in a pantomime production of The Wizard of Oz in Pasadena.
  • Tulip's first Word Up clue was "triple". Mackenzie has three main talents: singing, acting, and (of course) dancing.
  • Her second Word Up clue was "princess". Mackenzie played one in the film Ice Princess Lily.
  • "Lifetime achievements" was her third Word Up clue. She appeared on Dance Moms, which aired on Lifetime.
  • The fourth Word Up clue was "butterflies." She danced to a song with that name on Dance Moms.
  • The final Word Up clue, "followers", references her 39 million combined followers on her social media platforms.
  • Her Super Clue was a picture of her and her mother participating in the Annual 2nd Mother Daughter Dance. This, of course, alludes to Dance Moms.
• Plant Person: A dancing tulip flower.

Sloth

Ranking: 2nd Place
Real Identity: Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Songs danced to:
"What I Like About You" by The Romantics
"Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
"Ain’t That a Kick in the Head" by Dean Martin
"Twist (Remix)" by Neeraj Shridhar
"Dancing with a Stranger" by Sam Smith ft. Normani
"Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet (as coveted by The Struts)
Intro Song: "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO

• Bowling for Ratings: His final performance takes place in a bowling alley.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While Sloth has a bunch of goofy moments on stage, when he dances, he really dances.
• Cuddle Bug: Often hugged Craig after each of his performances.
• Foreshadowing:
  • His first Word Up clue was: "Broadway". Maksim participated in a couple of Broadway musicals—as a dancer, obviously.
  • His second Word Up clue was "leading man". This references Maks pairing up with multiple celebrites in Dancing with the Stars.
  • The third Word Up clue was "rose". Maksim once starred in a season of the Ukrainian version of The Bachelor.
  • "App", Sloth's fourth Word Up clue, references Maksim's dancing app Dance and Co.
  • During his first dance, he formed the letter "L" with one of his fingers, and his first clue package had a bottle of toothpaste containing the word "glee" on it. One of Maks's more recent dancing partners was Glee alumnus Heather Morris.
  • That same package also had some amber in it, referencing another of his DWTS partners, Amber Rose.
  • His super clue was a bunch of stars and the number 18. Maksim won season 18 of Dancing with the Stars.
  • His clue in the group dance was "Miami". This was where Maks proposed to his wife, Peta Murgatroyd.
• Fun Personified: A sloth who intersperses his dance numbers with goofy antics.
• Funny Foreigner: Possibly the funniest character on the show, and he was born in Ukraine.

Cotton Candy

Ranking: 1st Place
Real Identity: Gabby Douglas
Songs danced to:
"Glitter in the Air" by Pink
"Sour Candy" by Lady Gaga ft. BLACKPINK
"Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis
"Swan Lake, Opus 20: Act 1 Finale" by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
"Get Ready (2013 Version)/Hey Mickey" by 2 Ultimate/by Toni Basil (as remixed by Mickey Max DX)
"This Is Me" (as covered by Kesha)
Intro Song: "I Want Candy" by The Strangeloves (as covered by Aaron Carter)

• Anthropomorphic Food: She gets a dress of cotton candy to wear.
• Breaking Old Trends: She's the first contestant based on a type of food to win a Masked competition in the US. She’s also the first contestant to win to not be a singer or dancer by trade.
• The Cutie: Much like the food she's based on, she sure is sweet.
• Determinator: Like Butterfly in Singer, she had an injury mid-rehearsal (she fell off of the hoop she was latched onto at the beginning of her routine a day before her actual performance)—but that didn't stop her from performing the next day.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Her first Word Up clue was "primetime". Gabby participates in the primetime event that is the Olympics.
  • The second Word Up clue was "team player"—alluding to the two teams Gabby was part of at the Olympics, the Fierce Five and the Final Five.
  • "Prayer", the third of the Word Up clues, references how Gabby is a Christian.
  • The fourth of Cotton Candy's Word Up clues was "cover girl". Gabby was one for TIME Magazine.
  • Her last Word Up clue, "foundation", references Gabby's commitment to multiple charities, such as the Women's Sports Foundation.
  • The initials of "F.S." seen in her fifth performance references Gabby's nickname of "Flying Squirrel".

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