Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Dancer's Group B Finals round. Read at your own risk!
After going in to The Masked Dancer as a longtime fan of The Masked Singer, I'm now out on the other side confident that there's something special about the new show. The concept at first glance may seem like a phoned-in spinoff to the casual observer, but after the latest mind-blowing reveal, I'm convinced this spinoff will shock viewers more than its predecessor ever can.
The latest episode featured The Moth getting sent home. Moth didn't get the same kind of love as Cotton Candy, Zebra, and Sloth, so she was sent packing. The real shock came during the guesses in which the panel tried to sniff out a contestant who was involved in the White House, had major tabloid attention, and dark times. Popular guesses were Kathy Griffin and Monica Lewinsky, but it was someone that even when Brian Austin Green guessed it, I would've never assumed in a million years. Instead, the mask came off, and it was none other than current child rights activist and former headline news subject Elizabeth Smart.
Anyone who was at least in middle school by the time of the 2000s probably knows who Elizabeth Smart is, and her shocking story of being kidnapped at age 14 and held captive for nine months before her escape. With that said, I never expected to see her on The Masked Dancer and would rank the shock of her reveal beyond even The Masked Singer's wildest reveals. In hindsight, the reveal makes perfect sense, so what is it about The Masked Dancer that makes the clue guessing that much harder?
Personally, I think singing is the thing that gives The Masked Singer contestants away more than anything. With The Masked Dancer keeping regular speaking out of its show, viewers are forced to rely on clues, and to The Masked Dancer's credit, the writers really found a combination of clues that made it sound like there were a few viable people. Personally, I was pretty dead set on Kathy Griffin and couldn't believe Brian Austin Green when he suggested it.
Another positive is that while it's obvious whether someone can or can't sing, dancing can be more subjective. Perhaps this is why the series has already amassed a deep roster of random talent, including Law & Order: SVU's Ice-T and Bill Nye The Science Guy. What do these two have in common with Elizabeth Smart? Not much, beyond the fact that they were on Season 1 of The Masked Dancer together. This show may be the ultimate challenge for The Masked Singer fan looking for a real challenge, and I know that has raised the appeal of this spinoff for me so far.
The Masked Dancer airs on Fox Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest happening in the franchise and more television and movie news.
