‘The Masked Dancer’ episode 4 reveals cricket’s identity

Brian McKnight wondered when he might get a call to appear on “The Masked Singer”. But when it came, it was more for the spinoff series “The Masked Dancer”.

“I’m sure I’m not the only ‘celebrity’ without a quote sitting at home watching these shows go on, saying, ‘How come I didn’t get the call for this? Have people forgotten me? McKnight told Variety. “So when you get the call you’re like ‘yeah, I’m gonna do the masked dancer!’ ‘

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

Although he is a well-known artist, known for hits such as “Back at One” and “One Last Cry,” McKnight admits he doesn’t have a lot of dance expertise. “I spent all of my time as a kid learning to play musical instruments,” he says. “I never thought dancing would be part of what I did, so I never focused on it… Dancing, I kind of move on stage, I belittle myself a lot on stage. I sort of dance, but not really. Doing complete dance moves with choreography was a difficult task for me.

While pursuing “The Masked Dancer,” McKnight said his main concern is not appearing silly. “I think it’s a common theme with people of all ages,” he said. “No one wants to look stupid.”

McKnight said he takes the secret of “The Masked Dancer” seriously, only telling his wife. “It was hard not to tell the children, the parents,” he says. “We said, ‘we’re going to do this thing and we’ll be back and we don’t know when. Someone’s going to watch the dog. So they’re all going to be very surprised tonight.

Overall, he called the experience “out of the ordinary. They really do a great job. No one on this set knows who the celebrities are. We test for COVID every other day to make sure we are safe. The way they do the show and the showrunning, it was really unlike anything I’ve ever seen, having done a bunch of TV shows in my day. Going on stage, the production value is insane. For someone who’s on a stage all the time to have all these bells and whistles at the same time, it’s just mind-boggling.

As for the sequel, McKnight and musician Dave Koz are planning a Valentine’s Day-themed virtual concert on February 13. Beyond that, with the COVID-19 pandemic still limiting concerts to a minimum, McKnight said he enjoys taking a break from touring. .

“I’m going to tell you that taking this hiatus over this past year – because I’m coming on the anniversary of my last show that I did – has been wonderful,” he said. “I don’t think I would have ever taken a break. This is probably the first break I’ve taken in 25 years. Which doesn’t mean it would be nice to come back on stage, but it was really good. I think my voice needed it, my body needed it and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Among the panelists, Paula Abdul got McKnight right, Ken Jeong named Michael Phelps, Brian Austin Green guessed Ryan Lochte and Ashley Tisdale thought it was Ashton Kutcher. Guest panelist Rob Lowe also chose Lochte.

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

“The Masked Dancer” includes the “Word Up” feature, in which each candidate says a word about their identity. McKnight’s first “Word Up” was “Completed” 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. Elizabeth Smart as a moth, Bill Nye the scientist as an ice cube, and Ice-T as a disco ball were previously unmasked.

The show boasts a cast of 10 celebrities who have “amassed over 38 million albums sold worldwide, 20 Emmy wins, 20 Grammy nominations, 10 global dance titles, five best-selling author titles. from the New York Times, four Olympic gold medals and three Broadway appearances. “

Here are the other contestants and their performances in Episode Four, “Group A Playoffs – So you think you can hide yourself?”:

Exotic bird

Dance: “Latch”, by Disclosure feat. Sam smith
Word Up: “Number one”
The panel assumes: Janet Jackson, Jordyn Sparks, Kate Hudson, Megan Thee Stallion
Voice off: “Every day that I’m on stage is a good day. Last time, my confidence was overflowing. But this was not always the case. Right before the biggest opportunity of my life, I got really sick with wild bird flu. I could barely 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 did. This is your gift. And now it’s up to you to decide if you’re going to share it with the world. This moment will define who you are for the rest of your life. With his support I came out and served something legendary. Like my mom told me, those hips don’t lie. Tonight my performance is the roller coaster time of my life. These dance steps are so hard, pushing and pulling me in different directions. But with every beat of the song I hit, I’ll be more fierce on my own.
Previous dance: “Con Calma”, by Daddy Yankee and Katy Perry feat. Snow
Previous word Up: “Note”
The previous panel guesses: Hope Solo, Jennifer Hudson, Venus Williams

Hammer head

Dance: “Blinding Lights”, by The Weeknd
Word Up: “Heartbreaker”
The panel assumes: Ryan Seacrest, Joe Rogan, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
Voice off: “The best part of this experience is being here on my own terms. And last time around, 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 so much more. I have diapers. Years ago, when I first walked into the public eye, I had a chance, a chance. I didn’t want to get lost. But I kind of did. I gave up my dream of being a lawyer. I was depressed, like I was locked in a cage. Eventually, I realized that in order to be successful, I had to embrace both sides of me. My fun side and my disciplined side. And this performance is a combination of the two. Fear is no longer a factor for me, although the dance steps are really difficult. I finally found my purpose in my situation. Hammerhead, outside.
Previous dance: “Everyone”, by Backstreet Boys
Previous word Up: “Spectacular”
The previous panel guesses: Carrot Top, Joe Jonas, Zac Efron

Tulip

Dance: “Champs d’or”, by Eva Cassidy
Word Up: “Princess”
The panel assumes: Sarah Hyland, Hayden Panettiere, Kristen Bell, Charli D’Amelio, Simone Biles
Voice off: “The last time you saw me, I tapped, like there was no tomorrow. I felt like a rock star. The hardest part of this competition is keeping quiet for everyone I know. Especially to my best friend. We were very competitive. I could see she was good at everything. I wanted everyone to see me the same way. Finally, we realized, why waste time arguing? TikTok, am I right? Today, day and night, she is always there for me, through my struggles. And whenever I feel frozen in place, she’s there to beat me. And she taught me that in order to connect with people, I have to be vulnerable and show emotion. Which is very different from my first performance.
Previous dance: “Fergalicious”, by Fergie
Previous word Up: “Triple”
The previous panel guesses: Charli D’Amelio, Ariana Grande, Heather Morris