The debut of the series ‘The Masked Dancer’ reveals the identity of Disco Ball

It’s been 36 years since Ice-T’s debut in the movie “Breakin ‘” – but he briefly relived those poppin’ and crashing moments on Sunday night in Fox’s premiere episode of “The Masked Dancer”.

“Law & Order” SVU “star and rapper OG was the first celebrity to be unmasked in the new” Masked Singer “spin-off (scroll down to watch), but he told Variety that he was hesitant at first to do the show.

“I said [my manager], ‘Hey, my dance days are over,’ ”said Ice-T. “I used to break dance, but now I can [just] breakdance in my mind. My bones are not moving at the same speed … I used to do martial arts, so I could kick your head. Right now I throw the same kick and aim it in your head, it will probably hit you somewhere in your pants pocket. The elevation is simply no more. “

Still, Ice-T said his daughter is a huge fan of “The Masked Singer” and he realized that once Li’l Wayne and Busta Rhymes had done ‘Masked Singer’, it would be okay. “Some of my colleagues have already been on the program. I respect that, ”he said.

In “The Masked Dancer”, Ice-T danced with the Disco Ball costume to the sound of “Uptown Funk”, by Bruno Mars. Even though the track pack showed Disco Ball serving a glass of iced tea (and pointed at a shark fin – “Fin” is the name of his character “SVU”) … none of the speakers noticed.

“Someone said Quincy Jones and I was like, damn it, Quincy Jones is 86 years old!” he said. “But other than that, they could say that I was Black, that was one thing. But it’s more difficult than ‘Singer’ because you can’t get anything, you can only see someone moving. I really don’t know how they are going to choose someone. At least with ‘Cantor’ you get some kind of track. But these shows are just fun for me and I think it’s like watching celebrities and acquaintances having fun, and I think it’s looking good. “

Ice-T said he immediately started learning choreography when he came to the production of “The Masked Dancer”. But then came the fantasy, which he said did not help his movements.

“It’s not that difficult – until you put 20 pounds on your head,” he said. “And it comes down to liking, not blowing your ass on television. You could really fall very easy with this great costume. So I stopped trying to really dance to just walk and try not to fall. Because now, when you fall on national television, you become a meme. You will fall in love for the rest of your life! I kind of found out. In the end I did some freestyle moves. I just went out to have fun. “

Brian Austin Green thought it was LL Cool J, Ken Jeong was called Smokey Robinson, Paula Abdul thought it was Ving Rhames and Ashley Tisdale thought it could be Lionel Richie.

Ice-T also hopes to surprise his daughter, who would be watching Sunday’s premiere without knowing that her father was on the show. “Mainly the reason I did this was so that my daughter would watch the program and watch her attack,” he said.

For “The Masked Dancer”, the show features a different theme song, as well as “Women in Black” (instead of “Men in Black” by “Singer”) accompanying the contestants.

But the biggest differences come from the tracks, which are expanded to “Dancer”, as well as “Word Up”, in which each competitor says a clue of a word for his identity, in his real voice.

In addition, each panelist asks the eliminated celebrity a question before making their final guess.

This season’s costumes include Zebra, Tulip, Sloth, Exotic Bird, Cotton Candy, Cricket, Disco Ball, Moth, Ice Cube and Hammerhead.

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. “

“The Masked Dancer” changes to its normal schedule on Wednesday at 8 pm on January 6.

“If Ice-T is a disco ball, then you know that anyone can be in the goddamn fantasy. Anyone, ”said Ice-T. “They just showed that ‘hey, we’re right here, we can go anywhere. We put Ice as a game to let you know that you will have trouble choosing the rest. ‘”

Here were the other contestants and their performances on the first night:

Hammerhead

Dance: “Everybody,” by the Backstreet Boys
Word Up: “Dramatic”
Voice-over: “As a shark, I always killed him. I am a workaholic. But things have never been easy for me. I made them happen. I became famous almost too quickly. That initial fame was great at the time, but then I started to feel that my best moments were behind me. I had moved away from who I was and then turned into who I thought everyone wanted me to be. I just realized that I was not happy. So now I’m visiting everything I’ve missed. Swimming away from the easy and swimming towards everything that used to scare me. I put the brakes on the road my life was taking. Now, going backwards is how I move my life forward. Get hungry to learn, love and life. “
Panel guesses: Carrot Top, Joe Jonas, Zac Efron

Tulip

Dance: “Fergalicious”, by Fergie
Word Up: “Triple”
Voice over: “Hey guys, I thought I wouldn’t have anything to say about this video. But then I found this gem. I don’t want this to sound like one of those stories of good guys and bad guys. But growing up, I was teased all the time. – I’m allergic to you. – You smell like dirt. ‘OK, bloomer.’ My confidence fell. But I tried my best not to put trolls on my head. I packed my things and found a new, sunnier place to call home. People were relaxed with the strange things about me. For the first time, I felt that I could really breathe and be myself. Tonight my dance is dedicated to anyone trying to find their place in the world. After all, we’re all in this together. “
Panel guesses: Charli D’Amelio, Ariana Grande, Heather Morris

cricket

Dance: “Jump (For My Love)”, by the Pointer Sisters
Word Up: “Accomplished”
Voice over: “Honestly, I never thought I would do a show like this. Me, Cricket, dancing? No way. But I always bet on myself. I had to try it. I was very lucky in life. But when it came to love, I always felt that I was being punished. I needed support, a base to support myself. But then, it was love at first sight. I got lucky and we became the most powerful 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. “
Panel guesses: Ryan Reynolds, Jim Carrey, Ian Ziering, Ashton Kutcher

Exotic bird

Dance: “Con Calma”, by Daddy Yankee and Katy Perry feat. Snow
Word Up: “Scored”
Voice-over: “’Right at the bottom of an isolated tropical terrain, we found a species of bird in its natural habitat, at the top of a race track.’ Hey, who said that? Get out of here. This is my story. I’m Exotic Bird and here are some things about me. As you can probably tell, I’m a little competitive. I started in my teens. I was lucky enough to win very quickly. But it was definitely not easy after that. I felt very attacked, for losing, for my relationships, even for being a bird. But I am not going to let these shamers control my life. Winning or losing, I will keep flying. “
Panel guesses: Hope Solo, Jennifer Hudson, Venus Williams

Read More:

How Ellen DeGeneres inspired ‘The Masked Dancer’ and why Paula Abdul is her secret weapon

‘The Masked Singer’ finalists LeAnn Rimes, Aloe Blacc and Nick Carter marvel at the program’s impact on their careers

End of ‘The Masked Singer’ reveals Sun as the winner: here’s the identity of the last three celebrities

And here’s the unmasking of Ice-T: