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The Masked Dancer (American TV series)

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The Masked Dancer is an American reality competition television series that aired on Fox from December 27, 2020, to February 17, 2021.[1] Craig Robinson hosted the show, with Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale serving as panelists. Like The Masked Singer's format, celebrity contestants wear head-to-toe costumes and face masks that conceal their identities, but perform solo, with a partner, or with a crew in different dance styles.[2][3] The show began as a recurring segment on Ellen DeGeneres' daytime talk show which spoofed The Masked Singer. In pre-production since January 2020, filming was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[4]

The Masked Dancer
GenreReality competition
Based onMasked Singer
by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Directed byAlex Rudzinski
Presented byCraig Robinson
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producers
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseDecember 27, 2020 (2020-12-27) –
February 17, 2021 (2021-02-17)
Related
The Masked Singer

Format

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Panelists and host

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The Masked Dancer panelists and host
 
Paula Abdul
 
Ashley Tisdale
 
Ken Jeong
 
Brian Austin Green
 
Craig Robinson

Actor and comedian Craig Robinson hosted the show. The Masked Singer panelist and comedian Ken Jeong, entertainer Paula Abdul, actor Brian Austin Green (who performed as "Giraffe" on The Masked Singer's fourth season), and actress and singer Ashley Tisdale served as panelists.[5] Guest panelists included Cheryl Hines in the third episode, Rob Lowe in the fourth episode, Whitney Cummings in the fifth episode, Mayim Bialik in the sixth episode, and Will Arnett in the seventh episode.[6][7]

Production

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Background and development

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The Masked Dancer is a spin-off of The Masked Singer which debuted in January 2019 and became a surprise hit for Fox,[8][9][10] averaging about 11.5 million viewers per episode in its first season. The show continued as the highest-rated non-sports program in the United States during its next two seasons.[11][12] The series involves celebrities who are disguised in full costumes and face masks which conceal their identities. After performing a song, a panel attempts to guess their identities using clues given. After all have performed in an episode, the panelists and the audience vote for the favorite, and the least popular must take off their mask to reveal their identity. It is a derivative of the Masked Singer format which originated in South Korea.

Within a week of The Masked Singer's premiere, Ellen DeGeneres introduced a spoof segment, "The Masked Dancer", on her eponymous talk show. Segments featured disguised celebrities Sean Hayes, Howie Mandel, Colton Underwood, and Derek Hough. Masked Singer panelists Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger participated in later segments, as did the show's host, Nick Cannon. The day after the first segment aired, Rob Wade, head of alternative entertainment and specials at Fox, contacted The Ellen DeGeneres Show producers about a possible television series.[13][14] Wade said the network could have proceeded without DeGeneres' involvement, but felt she was "passionate about it ... [and] has great access to celebrities".[15] The Masked Dancer was announced in January 2020 as a "straight-to-series" addition at Fox's winter Television Critics Association press tour.[16][17] It is a co-production of Fox Alternative Entertainment and Warner Brothers Unscripted & Alternative Television.[18][19]

Filming

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Production filmed in Los Angeles at Red Studios where The Masked Singer has also filmed.[13][20] As of January 2020, they had started casting the show.[13] Some of the show challenges for the production is how the dancing is to be presented, as a solo, like The Masked Singer, in duets, which is more traditional for dancing competitions, and in group numbers, or a combination.[14] Additionally, they accepted that the contestants need to speak, but like The Masked Singer, they would need to, in some way, disguise the voice. Like The Masked Singer, the contestants utilize elaborate costumes, made easier to dance in, but with a "similar eccentricity"[14] including headpieces and they compete by performing dances that "could be a group dance or dances with another person". Unlike that show, The Masked Dancer requires more rehearsals as the celebrity contestants have to learn the choreography.[20]

Originally expected to debut in the middle of 2020, production was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21][22]

Broadcast

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Fox aired the series in the United States. Though it was scheduled between two seasons of The Masked Singer, the network was unconcerned about audience burnout as episodes were shorter and less frequent than other reality competition series.[15][14][23] CTV, which broadcasts The Masked Singer in Canada, simulcasts the show in that country.[24]

Contestants

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The series features 10 contestants, who were announced on November 4,[25] 12,[26] and 25, 2020.[27] The contestants in this series have sold more than 38 million albums worldwide, 20 Emmy Awards wins, 20 Grammy nominations, 10 World Dancing titles, five New York Times Best-Selling Author titles, four Olympic gold medals, and three appearances in Broadway shows.[28]

Results
Stage name[29] Celebrity Occupation(s) Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9
Group A Group B A
Cotton Candy Gabby Douglas Gymnast SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WINNER
Sloth Maksim Chmerkovskiy Ballroom dancer SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE RUNNER-UP
Tulip Mackenzie Ziegler Dancer/singer SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE THIRD
Zebra Oscar De La Hoya Boxer SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Exotic Bird Jordin Sparks Actress/singer SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Hammerhead Vinny Guadagnino Reality TV personality SAFE SAFE OUT
Cricket Brian McKnight Singer SAFE OUT
Moth Elizabeth Smart Child safety activist SAFE OUT
Ice Cube Bill Nye Science communicator OUT
Disco Ball Ice-T Rapper/actor OUT
  •  SAFE  The masked dancer was safe from elimination.
  •  OUT  The masked dancer was eliminated from the competition and unmasked upon their elimination.
  •   The masked dancer did not perform.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The celebrities who competed in The Masked Dancer, pictured in order of elimination (l-r):
Ice-T ("Disco Ball"), Bill Nye ("Ice Cube"), Elizabeth Smart ("Moth"), Brian McKnight ("Cricket"), Vinny Guadagnino ("Hammerhead"), Jordin Sparks ("Exotic Bird"), Oscar De La Hoya ("Zebra"), Mackenzie Ziegler ("Tulip"), Maksim Chmerkovskiy ("Sloth"), and Gabby Douglas ("Cotton Candy")

Episodes

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Week 1 (December 27)

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Performances on the first episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Hammerhead "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by Backstreet Boys undisclosed SAFE
2 Tulip "Fergalicious" by Fergie undisclosed SAFE
3 Cricket "Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters undisclosed SAFE
4 Disco Ball "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars Ice-T OUT
5 Exotic Bird "Con Calma" by Daddy Yankee and Katy Perry ft. Snow undisclosed SAFE

Week 2 (January 6)

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Performances on the second episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Sloth "What I Like About You" by The Romantics undisclosed SAFE
2 Ice Cube "Bad Romance" by Postmodern Jukebox Bill Nye OUT
3 Zebra "Magalenha" by Sérgio Mendes undisclosed SAFE
4 Cotton Candy "Glitter in the Air" by Pink undisclosed SAFE
5 Moth "Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks & Dunn undisclosed SAFE

Week 3 (January 13)

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Performances on the third episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Zebra "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo undisclosed SAFE
2 Cotton Candy "Sour Candy" by Lady Gaga ft. Blackpink undisclosed SAFE
3 Moth "Sway" by Michael Bublé Elizabeth Smart OUT
4 Sloth "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes undisclosed SAFE

Week 4 (January 20)

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Performances on the fourth episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Exotic Bird "Latch" by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith undisclosed SAFE
2 Cricket "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan Brian McKnight OUT
3 Hammerhead "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd undisclosed SAFE
4 Tulip "Fields of Gold" by Eva Cassidy undisclosed SAFE

Week 5 (January 27)

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Performances on the fifth episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Cotton Candy "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis undisclosed SAFE
2 Exotic Bird "Rush" by Lewis Capaldi ft. Jessie Reyez undisclosed SAFE
3 Sloth "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" by Dean Martin undisclosed SAFE
4 Hammerhead "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda Vinny Guadagnino OUT
5 Tulip "Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande undisclosed SAFE
6 Zebra "Mi Gente" by J Balvin & Willy William undisclosed SAFE

Week 6 (February 3)

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Performances on the sixth episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Tulip "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Chiffons undisclosed SAFE
2 Zebra "Take You Dancing" by Jason Derulo undisclosed SAFE
3 Sloth "Twist Remix" by Neeraj Shridhar undisclosed SAFE
4 Exotic Bird "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul Jordin Sparks OUT
5 Cotton Candy "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky undisclosed SAFE

Week 7 (February 10)

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Group performance: "Shut Up & Dance" by Walk the Moon

Performances on the seventh episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Cotton Candy "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited/"Mickey" by Toni Basil undisclosed SAFE
2 Sloth "Dancing with a Stranger" by Sam Smith feat. Normani undisclosed SAFE
3 Zebra "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin Oscar De La Hoya OUT
4 Tulip Polka undisclosed SAFE

Week 8 (February 17)

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Group performance: "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (performed by Craig Robinson)

Performances on the ninth episode
# Stage name Song Identity Result
1 Tulip "Kings & Queens" by Ava Max Mackenzie Ziegler THIRD
2 Sloth "Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet Maksim Chmerkovskiy RUNNER-UP
3 Cotton Candy "This Is Me" by Kesha Gabby Douglas WINNER

Ratings

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Viewership and ratings per episode of The Masked Dancer
No. Title Air date Timeslot (ET) Rating
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR
(18–49)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total
(18–49)		 Total viewers
(millions)		 Ref.
1 "Premiere - Everybody Mask Now!" December 27, 2020 Sunday 8:00 p.m. 1.4 5.12 — — — — [30]
2 "Group B Premiere - New Year, New Mask! (Who Dis?)" January 6, 2021 Wednesday 8:00 p.m. 0.8 2.94 0.2 0.84 1.0 3.78 [31][32]
3 "Group B Playoffs - These Masks Don't Lie!" January 13, 2021 0.7 3.04 0.2 0.75 0.9 3.79 [33][34]
4 "Group A Playoffs - So You Think You Can Mask?" January 20, 2021 0.7 2.88 — 0.45 — 3.33 [35][36][a]
5 "Super Six" January 27, 2021 0.6 2.74 — — — — [37]
6 "Top Five - Mask the Night Away!" February 3, 2021 0.6 2.75 — 0.51 — 3.26 [38][39][a]
7 "Semifinals - It's All About the Dance!" February 10, 2021 0.6 2.79 — — — — [40]
8 "Road to the Finals - Final Clues to the Mask!" February 17, 2021 0.5 2.74 — — — — [41]
9 "The Finale - One Last Mask!" February 17, 2021 Wednesday 9:00 p.m. 0.7 3.23 — 0.60 — 3.83 [41][42][a]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Live+7 ratings were not available, so Live+3 ratings have been used instead.

References

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  1. ^ Jennifer Maas (November 10, 2020). "Fox Sets Premiere Dates for 9-1-1, Lone Star, Masked Dancer and Last Man Standing Final Season". TheWrap. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Thorne, Will (October 28, 2020). "The Masked Singer Spinoff The Masked Dancer Taps Craig Robinson as Host". Variety. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (October 28, 2020). "The Masked Dancer: Craig Robinson Set To Host The Masked Singer Spinoff". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Dailly, Paul (April 9, 2020). "TV Ratings: Modern Family Series Finale Hits 3-Year High". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Craig Robinson to Host The Masked Dancer, Fox's Brand-New Celebrity Competition Show, Featuring Panelists Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale" (Press release). Fox. October 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020 – via The Futon Critic.
  6. ^ Michael Schneider (January 19, 2021). "The Masked Dancer Gets a Lego Masters Crossover with Guest Panelist Will Arnett (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Meredith Jacobs (January 5, 2021). "The Masked Dancer: Is Zebra a Performer? Plus 3 Guest Panelists Revealed (VIDEO)". TV Insider. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 9, 2019). "Fox Launching Unscripted Studio With The Masked Singer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019.
  9. ^ Desantis, Rachel (January 15, 2019). "Why it's hard to look away from Fox's surprise hit The Masked Singer". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Venable, Malcolm (June 7, 2019). "The Masked Singer Was the Most Underestimated Show of the TV Season". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Porter, Rick (June 10, 2019). "2018–19 TV Season: Live-Plus-7 Ratings for Every Broadcast Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020.
  12. ^ Porter, Rick (June 4, 2020). "TV Ratings: 7-Day Season Averages for Every 2019–20 Broadcast Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Low, Elaine (January 8, 2020). "What to Expect From The Masked Dancer, Fox's New 'Masked Singer' Spinoff". Variety. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d Maas, Jennifer (January 8, 2020). "How 'The Masked Dancer' Went From Being a Joke on 'Ellen' to a Real Show at Fox". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Fox Looks to Avoid Post-Super Bowl Pitfalls With The Masked Singer". Adweek. January 31, 2020. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  16. ^ Ng, Philianna (January 7, 2020). "'Masked Singer' Spinoff, Masked Dancer, Is Coming to Fox". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Lynch, Jason (January 7, 2020). "Fox Orders Masked Singer Spinoff, The Masked Dancer, Produced by Ellen DeGeneres". Adweek. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  18. ^ White, Peter (January 22, 2020). "TCA: A-List Talent, Future-Gazing, Deals & Reboots Or What We Learned At The Winter Press Tour". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  19. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 7, 2020). "'The Masked Dancer' Series a Go at Fox". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020. ...the network has handed out a straight-to-series order for The Masked Dancer, based on the popular segment on The Ellen Show.
  20. ^ a b White, Peter (September 21, 2020). "The Masked Singer: Fox's Rob Wade On How The Mystery Singing Competition Got Back On Stage". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  21. ^ White, Peter (October 13, 2020). "Fox's The Masked Dancer To Shoot This Weekend With Health & Safety Protocols & Virtual Audience". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020.
  22. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 7, 2020). "A Puzzle Without All the Pieces: Broadcast Networks Scramble to Program an Uncertain Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020.
  23. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 13, 2019). "'The Masked Singer' to Air in the Fall and Spring — and After the Super Bowl". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  24. ^ "CTV is Home to The Masked Dancer, With a Special Premiere December 27" (Press release). Bell Media. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020.
  25. ^ Yang, Rachel (November 4, 2020). "The Masked Dancer reveals costumes in first teaser". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  26. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (November 12, 2020). "The Masked Dancer Reveals Ice Cube Costume (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  27. ^ Piester, Lauren (November 25, 2020). "Meet The Masked Dancer's Moth, Discoball and Hammerhead in New Promo". E!. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "(MDA-101) Premiere - Everybody Mask Now!" (Press release). Fox. Retrieved December 28, 2020 – via The Futon Critic.
  29. ^ Lauren Huff (December 4, 2020). "All The Masked Dancer costumes, including Miss Moth, Hammerhead, and more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  30. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 30, 2020). "Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.27.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  31. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 8, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.6.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  32. ^ Pucci, Douglas (January 21, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: "This Is Us" Winter Return on NBC Tops Overall Raw Lifts". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  33. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 14, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.13.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  34. ^ Pucci, Douglas (January 27, 2021). "NBC Dramas are Four of the Top Five Gainers Among Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  35. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 22, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.20.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  36. ^ Pucci, Douglas (January 31, 2021). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: '9-1-1' and '9-1-1: Lone Star' Season Premieres Are Two of the Top Three Adults 18-49 Gainers". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  37. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 28, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.27.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  38. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 4, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.3.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  39. ^ Pucci, Douglas (February 17, 2021). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: '9-1-1: Lone Star' Boosted by '9-1-1' Crossover to its Largest Live+3 Total Audience Since Series Premiere". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  40. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 11, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.10.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  41. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 19, 2021). "Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.17.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  42. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 1, 2021). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: ABC Is No. 1 Net for 2nd Straight Week Among Adults 18-49 with 'Bachelor' as Week's No. 1 Show". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
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