Episode 4 of ‘The Masked Dancer’ reveals the identity of the cricket

Brian McKnight was wondering when he could get a call to appear on “The Masked Singer”. But when it came, it went to the secondary series “The Masked Dancer”.

“I’m sure I’m not the only ‘celebrity’, in quotes, sitting at home watching these programs unfold, saying, ‘Why didn’t I get the call for that? Did people forget about me? ‘”McKnight told Variety. “So when you get the call, you’re like, ‘Yes, I’m going to play the Masked Dancer!'”

McKnight revealed himself to be the person in the Cricket costume in Wednesday’s edition of “The Masked Dancer”. He was unmasked after dancing “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan.

Although he is a well-known artist, known for hits like “Back at One” and “One Last Cry”, McKnight admits he doesn’t have much experience in dance. “I spent all my time as a child learning to play musical instruments,” he said. “I never thought that dancing would be part of what I was doing, so I never focused on that … Dancing, I kind of move on stage, I’m very self-deprecating on stage. I kind of dance, but not really. Making dance moves complete with choreography was a difficult task for me. “

In continuing “The Masked Dancer,” McKnight said his main concern was not to look silly. “I think this is a common theme for people of all ages,” he said. “Nobody wants to look stupid.”

McKnight said he took the secret of “The Masked Dancer” seriously, telling only his wife. “It was hard not to tell the kids, parents,” he said. “We said, ‘Let’s do this and we’ll be back and we don’t know when. Someone will take care of the dog. ‘So everyone will be very surprised tonight. “

Overall, he called the experience “extraordinary. They really do a great job. Nobody on that set knows who the celebrities are. We are testing COVID every day, ensuring that we are safe. The way they do the show and the showrunning, was really different from anything I’ve seen, after doing a lot of TV shows in my time. Going up on stage, the value of the production is insane. For someone who’s on stage all the time to hear all those bells and whistles at the same time, it’s just stunning. “

As for what comes next, McKnight and musician Dave Koz are planning a Valentine’s Day-themed virtual show on February 13th. In addition, with the COVID-19 pandemic still keeping shows to a minimum, McKnight said he was enjoying taking a break from the tour.

“I’m going to tell you that taking this break last year – because I’m arriving on the anniversary of my last show that I did – was wonderful,” he said. “I don’t think I would take a break. This is the first break I have probably taken in 25 years. Which is not to say it would be nice to get back on stage, but it has been really good. I think my voice needed it, my body needed it and I’m excited to see what the future holds. “

Among the speakers, Paula Abdul agreed with McKnight, Ken Jeong called Michael Phelps, Brian Austin Green guessed Ryan Lochte and Ashley Tisdale thought it was Ashton Kutcher. Guest speaker Rob Lowe chose Lochte as well.

McKnight had previously danced “Jump (For My Love)” by the Pointer Sisters, and in its first episode, the speakers guessed Ryan Reynolds, Jim Carrey, Ian Ziering and Ashton Kutcher.

“The Masked Dancer” includes the “Word Up” feature, in which each competitor says a clue of a word about their identity. McKnight’s first “Word Up” was “Cumplished” and the second “Word Up” was “All-Star”.

This season’s costumes include Zebra, Tulip, Sloth, Exotic Bird, Cotton Candy, Cricket, Disco Ball, Moth, Ice Cube and Hammerhead. Previously unmasked were Elizabeth Smart as the Moth, Bill Nye the Science Guy as the Ice Cube and Ice-T as the Disco Ball.

The show features a cast of 10 celebrities who “have accumulated more than 38 million albums sold worldwide, 20 Emmy awards, 20 Grammy nominations, 10 World Dancing titles, five New York Times best-selling titles, four Olympic gold medals and three performances at Broadway shows. “

Here were the other contestants and their performances in episode four, “Group A Playoffs – So do you think you can mask it?”:

Exotic bird

Dance: “Latch”, by Disclosure feat. Sam Smith
Word Up: “Number one”
Panel guesses: Janet Jackson, Jordyn Sparks, Kate Hudson, Megan Thee Stallion
Voice-over: “Every day that I’m on stage is a good day. The last time, my confidence was overflowing. But, that was not always the case. Just before the greatest opportunity of my life, I became very ill with a wild bird flu. I could hardly breathe. There was only one person who could help me: my mother bird. She said to me, ‘Baby, what you were born with, no one else has. This is your gift. And now it’s up to you whether you’re going to share it with the world. This moment will define who you are for the rest of your life. With her support, I went out and served something legendary. As my mom told me, those hips don’t lie. Tonight, my performance corresponds to the roller coaster moment of my life. These dance steps are so difficult, pushing and pulling me in different directions. But with every beat of the song that I play, I will get more ferocious on my own. “
Previous dance: “Con Calma”, by Daddy Yankee and Katy Perry feat. Snow
Previous word above: “Scored”
Previous panel guesses: Hope Solo, Jennifer Hudson, Venus Williams

Hammerhead

Dance: “Blinding Lights,” by The Weeknd
Word Up: “Heartbreaker”
Panel guesses: Ryan Seacrest, Joe Rogan, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
Voice over: “The best part of this experience is being here on my own terms. And last time, I really wanted to show that I can be the life of the party. But people already know this side of me. So this time, I want to show them a lot more. I have layers. Years ago, when I started to get the public’s attention, I had a chance, a chance. I didn’t want to get lost. But I kind of did. I gave up on my dream of becoming a lawyer. I was depressed, like I was locked in a cage. Finally, I realized that to be successful, I needed to embrace both parts of me. My fun and disciplined side. And that performance is a combination of both. Fear is no longer a factor for me, although the dance moves are very difficult. I finally found my purpose in my situation. Hammerhead, out. “
Previous dance: “Everybody,” by the Backstreet Boys
Previous word above: “Dramatic”
Previous panel guesses: Carrot Top, Joe Jonas, Zac Efron

Tulip

Dance: “Fields of Gold”, by Eva Cassidy
Word Up: “Princess”
Panel guesses: Sarah Hyland, Hayden Panettiere, Kristen Bell, Charli D’Amelio, Simone Biles
Voice-over: “The last time you saw me, I hit, like there was no tomorrow. I felt like a rock star. The hardest part of this competition is keeping it quiet for everyone I know. Especially for my best friend. We used to be super competitive. I could see that she was great at everything. I wanted everyone to see me the same way. Eventually, we realized, why waste time arguing? TikTok, am I right? Now, day and night, she is always there for me, through my struggles. And whenever I feel frozen in place, she is there to cheer me up. And she taught me that to connect with people, I have to be vulnerable and show emotions. Which is very different from my first performance. “
Previous dance: “Fergalicious”, by Fergie
Previous word above: “Triple”
Previous panel guesses: Charli D’Amelio, Ariana Grande, Heather Morris