The premiere of ‘The Masked Dancer’ series reveals the identity of the disco ball

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

The “Law & Order” SVU star and OG rapper was the first celebrity to be unmasked on the new “Masked Singer” twist (scroll down to watch), but he told Variety that he was reluctant to to do the show.

“I said [my manager]”Yo, my dance days are over,” Ice-T said. ‘I used to have breakdance, but now I can [just] breakdance in my mind. My legs do not move at the same speed … I used to do martial arts so I could kick you in the head. Right now I’m throwing the same kick and aiming it at your head, it’s probably going to hit you somewhere in your pocket. The height is no longer there. ”

Nevertheless, Ice-T said his daughter is a big fan of ‘The Masked Singer’, and he thought that since Li’l Wayne and Busta Rhymes did ‘Masked Singer’, that would be fine. “Some of my peers have been on the program already. I respect that, “he said.

On ‘The Masked Dancer’, Ice-T danced in the Disco Ball costume to ‘Uptown Funk’, by Bruno Mars. Although the clue package even shows that Disco Ball poured a glass of iced tea (and pointed to a shark fin – ‘Vin’ is the name of his ‘SVU’ character) … none of the panel members found out.

“Someone said Quincy Jones, and I was, damn it, Quincy Jones is like 86!” he said. ‘But other than that, they could see I was black, that was one thing. But it’s harder than the ‘Singer’ because you get nothing, you just have to watch someone move. I do not really know how they are going to choose someone. At least with the ‘Singer’ you get an idea. But these programs for me are just fun and I think it’s like watching celebrities and celebrities just for fun, and I think it looks good. ‘

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

“It’s not that hard – until you put on the 20 pound head,” he said. ‘And it’s just breaking out, and not breaking your ass on television. You can fall really easily with this great costume. So I tried to dance really hard, but just not to fall. Because if you fall on national television now, you become a meme. You will fall for the rest of your life! I kind of worked it 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 named Smokey Robinson, Paula Abdul guessed Ving Rhames and Ashley Tisdale thought it could be Lionel Richie.

Ice-T also hopes to surprise his daughter, who would watch Sunday’s premiere, without knowing that her father was in the program. “The reason I did it was mainly that my daughter had to watch the show and see her bug,” he said.

For ‘The Masked Dancer’, the show boasts a different theme song, as well as ‘Women in Black’ (instead of ‘Singer’, ‘Men in Black’) which accompanies the participants.

But the biggest differences come from the clues, which are reinforced for ‘Dancer’, as well as ‘Word Up’, in which each participant says a one-word clue for their identity in their real voice.

The panel members also each ask a question to the chosen celebrity before reporting 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 ten celebrities who have collected more than 38 million albums worldwide, 20 Emmy Awards, 20 Grammy nominations, 10 World Dance titles, five New York Times bestsellers, four Olympic gold medals and three Broadway awards. performances. ”

“The Masked Dancer” goes on January 6 after the usual Wednesday at 8pm in the time slot.

‘If Ice-T is a disco, you know someone can be in the damn costume. Anyone, ”Ice-T said. ‘They just showed you that’ hey, we’re far here, we can go anywhere. We had Ice as an appetizer so you can know you have a problem choosing the rest. ”

Here were the other participants and their performances on the evening one:

Hammerhead

Dance: “Everyone,” by Backstreet Boys
Word on: “Dramatic”
Vote on: ‘As a shark, I’ve always killed it. I’m a workaholic. But things have never been easy for me. I made them happen. I became famous almost too quickly. That early fame, it felt great at the time, but then it started to feel like my best moments were behind me. I went away from who I was and then switched to who I think everyone wants me to be. I just realized I’m not happy. So I now visit everything I missed. By swimming away from what is easy, and swimming to everything that scared me in the past. I pumped the brakes where my life was headed. Moving backwards is how I move my life forward. To remain hungry for learning, for love and for life. ”
Guess shots: Carrot Top, Joe Jonas, Zac Efron

Tulip

Dance: “Fergalicious,” by Fergie
Word on: “Triple”
Vote on: ‘Hey guys, I thought I would have nothing in this video to talk about. But then I found this gem. I don ‘t want it to sound like one of the good guys. But when I grew up, I was constantly teased. “I’m allergic to you.” “You smell like dirt.” “OK, bloomer.” My confidence tumbles. But I tried my best not to get trolls in my head. I packed my things and found a new sunny place to call home. People relaxed with the weird stuff about me. For the first time, I felt like I could really breathe and be myself. Tonight my dance is dedicated to everyone who is trying to find their place in the world. After all, we are all together on this. ”
Guess shots: Charli D’Amelio, Ariana Grande, Heather Morris

Cricket

Dance: “Jump (for my love),” by the Pointer Sisters
Word on: “Fulfill”
Vote on: ‘Honestly, I never thought I would do a show like this. Me, Cricket, dance? Not at all. But I’ve always bet on myself. I had to try it. I was quite happy in life. But when it comes to love, I always felt like I was getting punk. I needed support, a foundation to stand on. But then it was love at first sight. I hit the jackpot and we became the best power pair. She was my rock and I was her apprentice. She taught me the art of balance. Tonight I’m ready to jump to my love. ”
Guess shots: Ryan Reynolds, Jim Carrey, Ian Ziering, Ashton Kutcher

Exotic bird

Dance: “Con Calma,” by Daddy Yankee and Katy Perry feat. Snow
Word on: “Score”
Vote on: ” Deep within the secluded tropical terrain we find a bird species in their natural habitat, at the top of a racetrack. ‘Hey, who said that? Go out here. This is my story. I’m an exotic bird, and here are a few things about me. As you can probably see, I’m a little competitive. I started as a teenager. I was lucky enough to win big pretty quickly. But it was certainly not easy after that. I felt very attacked because I lost, because of my relationships, even just because I was a big bird. But I’m not going to let those who are ashamed control my life. Win or lose, I will keep flying. ‘
Guess shots: Hope Solo, Jennifer Hudson, Venus Williams

Read more:

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

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

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

And here’s Ice-T’s unmasking: