“The Masked Dancer” is keeping us guessing in more ways than one. Group A performed on the season 1 premiere on December 30 but has not been seen since. Group B was showcased in the episodes on January 6 and 13. Finally, with episode 4 on January 20, we are getting a second look at the four remaining celebrities in Group A who are disguised as Cricket, Exotic Bird, Hammerhead and Tulip.
We’ve repeatedly rewatched their debut on the premiere of this spin-off of “The Masked Singer.” And we’ve scoured all of the clues to date given on social media, including Instagram. We are now confident we can tell you the true identities of the four contestants who are competing on the playoff including the real identity of Cricket. Remember, he was the hit of episode 1 with his toe-tapping performance of “Jump (For My Love)” by The Pointer Sisters.
Forget the guesses by the three of the four judges on the panel (Paula Abdul, Ken Jeong and Ashley Tisdale) that Cricket is Jim Carrey, Ashton Kutcher or Ryan Reynolds, We think that the fourth panellist, Brian Austin Green, got it right that the Cricket is Ian Ziering, his “90210” co-star. Don’t think we are right? Well keep reading for our rationale.
SEE ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: The Exotic Bird is …
There were plenty of references to their 1990s primetime soap sprinkled throughout the video, including a shot of a a $90,210,000 grand prize. The one word that we heard the Cricket say in his real voice on episode 1 was “accomplished.” Like Brian, Ian has kept busy in the two decades since the series ended, including a starring role in the hit “Sharknado” TV movie franchise.
In 2007, Ziering made it to to the semi-finals on season 4 of “Dancing with the Stars.” So we know he can learn complex choreography. And, as Brian mentioned, Ian did a stint back in 2013 with the Chippendales dance troupe in Las Vegas; again, there were a slew of clues about Sin City.
SEE ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: The Hammerhead is …
Finally, here is a recap of the voice-over that accompanied the first clues video for Cricket: “Honestly, I never thought I would do a show like this. Me, Cricket, dancing? No way. But, I’ve always bet on myself. I had to give it a try. I’ve been pretty lucky in life. But when it came to love, I always felt like I was getting punked. I needed support, a foundation to stand on. But then, it was love at first sight. I hit the jackpot, and we became the ultimate power couple. She was my rock and I was her apprentice. She taught me the art of balance. Tonight, I’m ready to jump for my love.”
SEE ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: The Tulip is …
We will only find out if Ian Ziering is the Cricket when he is unmasked. This will only happen if he loses a match-up or wins the show. Do you think we are right about the true identity of the Cricket? Sound off in the comments section with your best guesses.
GROUP B
SEE ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: Cotton Candy is …
SEE ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: The Sloth is …
SEE ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: The Zebra is …
Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on Fox. You’ll compete to win eternal bragging rights and a spot on our “The Masked Dancer” Season 1 leaderboard. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
