Ice Cube melts away on ‘The Masked Dancer’

After a shockingly good premiere episode that saw Disco Ball unmasked as Ice-T, it’s time to see the next 5 celebrities that will be hitting the dance floor on The Masked Dancer (Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV).

Given what happened in Washington on Wednesday, many of the judges chose to abstain from live-tweeting the episode.

The slinky Sloth

The sloth kicked off the night by dancing to “What I Like About You” by The Romantics. In his intro video, we learned that the Sloth is anything but lazy and has worked hard to get where he is today. There were also references to a doctor, the number 13, a bad accident, and a “Mickey Mouse operation.” Sloth also used toothpaste marked “GLEE.” Immediately, we think it is likely someone who has ties to both Glee and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why?.

After a marginal performance, the performer offered his Word Up! clue (where the dancer is forced to say one word in their real voice) and chose “broadway.”

Paula picked up on the idea that the dancer made an L on his forehead using his fingers (used a lot on Glee) and this confirmed to her that the dancer was Matthew Morrison. Brian Austin Green focused on the doctor’s coat and the Mickey Mouse Club reference and thought it might be a pro dancer like Britney Spears’ ex, Kevin Federline. Ashley Tisdale seemed intrigued by the Broadway clue and thought it could be Jason Derulo who suffered an accident while filming Cats.

Ice Cube hits the dance floor

Next up was the lanky Ice Cube. We learn from his intro video that he lived a privileged life as a child and that while his mother worked at or with the White House. There were also a couple of unclear (at least to us) references to both corn and ballerina shoes which aren’t the first things we would consider pairing. The biggest clues were the numerous references to climate change and the periodic table, indicating that the star was likely some sort of activist.

Ice Cube decided to shake his groove thing by dancing to Postmodern Jukebox’s “Bad Romance.” Gotta say, he looked a little stiff and we immediately had flashbacks to Ice-T’s “moves” last week.

For his Word Up! choice, the dancer said that he was a “90s icon.”  Hmm. Ken immediately believed the dancer was Bill Nye, The Science Guy. Brian Austin Green mused that it could be a Guns N’ Roses band member like Axl Rose or Slash before finally settling on the host of Politically Incorrect, Bill Maher. Paula Abdul went with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Zany Zebra

Zebra was up next and his intro video started with a slate that mentioned Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho. We also learned that Zebra has fallen out of the limelight and grew up in a rough neighborhood. The number 11 was featured along with a car that had the letters OS embossed on it. The Zebra also wore a medal around his neck in the video. Hmm. Your guess is as good as ours. The video also said that there was only one direction for him to go, that he was ready to become larger than life, and that the president knew his name (although, we aren’t entirely sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing).

Our initial thoughts were that he might be a member of a boy band like New Kids on the Block or the Backstreet Boys (“Larger Than Life” anyone?). That was before we heard the song choice of “Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes.

After a wild performance, Zebra said “comeback” as his Word Up! clue prompting Brian to believe that it might be Enrique Iglesias (remember him?!), Marc Anthony, or Ricky Martin. Ken was torn between Pitbull and Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet Boys.

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Flying Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy was up next and her demure presence was a sharp contrast to her rivals. Her intro video put an emphasis on breakfast and the idea that she was a perfectionist who moved in with a new family. Other clues included her feeling homesick along with cupcakes that had big lips on them. In a first, we also got to see some rehearsal footage where Cotton Candy fell from a hula hoop that was hung from the ceiling (an almost too obvious homage to P!nk). She seemed to pull her best Taylor Swift impression by shaking it off and moving forward.

When the music hit, our initial thought seemed to be bang on as Cotton Candy chose “Glitter in the Air” by P!nk as her track. We also appreciated her tenacity as she got back up on the hula hoop and twirled down to the stage before completing a majestic slow dance that confirmed the idea that she was a trained dancer of some kind. After offering up “primetime” as her Word Up! clue in a relatively high-pitched voice, the dancer waited for what the judges would say. Paula Abdul thought that it was Jenna Dewan. Brian stated the obvious and went with P!nk. Ken and Ashley both thought that it was Dancing With The Stars alum Julianne Hough.

Moth takes flight

The final performer of the evening was another tall dancer. Moth easily had the best costume of the night and her video was also the most interesting. The dancer behind the mask admitted that moths often don’t seek out the spotlight and that it just happens to draw them in. She said that this was a metaphor for her life. There was a box of clothes featured as one of the main clues (Tidying Up With Marie Kondo anyone?)  We then learn that the moth lived a regular life until she made headlines with the president and suffered through a traumatic experience. Come on, this one is too easy. It has to be Monica Lewinsky right? We also think that it could be Fox News host Megyn Kelly as well.

The dance itself had a very country flair which is to be expected when the song is “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks and Dunn. The performance was good but it’s hardly fair to the Moth as she had to follow Cotton Candy’s breathtaking aerial display. And yes, that is a sentence we never thought we would ever write.

Moth chose “inspired” as her Word Up! clue and the judges agreed with our initial assessment. Ashley thought it was Megyn Kelly. Paula and Brian both went with Monica Lewinsky (a guess that the Moth didn’t seem too happy about, indicating that the obvious choice might not be the right one). The Moth’s clear denial caused Paula to reassess her choice, choosing Donald Trump’s ex, Marla Maples, instead. 

The elimination

While not as obvious as last week’s, Ice Cube was voted the audience’s least favourite. The judges then made their final guesses but not before a few last minute clues.

Ice Cube confirmed that millions of people had seen him on TV, that he had a big social media following and that he had “more than” a speck of white hair.

Time for the final guesses with Ashley going for former Vice-President Al Gore. Ken suggested that the dollar bills could be a reference to the dancer’s first name and doubled down on his earlier guess of Bill Nye.

Paula decided to change her guess, switching from Anderson Cooper to Tim Dunn from Project Runway. Brian did not divert from his initial path and went all in on Bill Maher.

It turns out Ice Cube was… Bill Nye, The Science Guy and that Ken was right all along! (And if you’ve seen any Masked Singer, you know that’s a true rarity.)

Watch The Masked Dancer Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.

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