The Identity of the Hammerhead on 'The Masked Dancer' Was Actually Pretty Obvious
Updated Feb. 17 2021, 11:53 a.m. ET
Well, we definitely didn't see that one coming. On Jan. 27, fans found out that the dancer behind the Hammerhead mask was none other than Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino! Keep reading to see who fans initially predicted.
Who’s the Hammerhead on The Masked Dancer? The Moth? The Sloth? The guessing game is afoot as the new reality competition, a spinoff of the hit show The Masked Singer, debuts on Sunday, Dec. 27, on Fox.
“The Masked Dancer will feature celebrity contestants shaking their tail feathers, while covered from head-to-toe in elaborate costumes and face masks, leaving audiences to guess their identities,” Fox says in its description of the show. “Costumed celebrities will be joined on stage by masked partners and back-up dancers, as they perform a series of dances together; spanning from hip-hop to salsa, jazz to tap dancing and more.”
Fox continues: “When it comes to dance styles, the sky is the limit. Each week, a series of clues will be sprinkled throughout packages, costumes and routines, leading the panelists one step closer to figuring out which famous faces are free-styling behind the masks.”
Fox has been dropping clues about the Hammerhead and other contestants via Instagram.
To hype up the new show, Fox has been teasing viewers with clues about the dancers’ secret identities. The Hammerhead clue, for example, reads, “I bought someone I love a car for Christmas and it Jingle Bell ROCKed.”
The Cotton Candy’s clue? “One year, I took a CHRISTMAS VACATION on the ocean for the holiday.”
The Parrot offers this hint: “I love to shake my tail feather off. These hips don’t lie.”
And the Disco Ball says: “This fast and furious Disco Ball loves to breakdance.”
Fans already have guesses about the Hammerhead's identity on 'The Masked Dancer.'
Along the way, Instagram users have dissected each clue, hoping to get a jump on The Masked Dancer’s celebrity panelists: Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale.
For that Hammerhead clue, for example, check out the capitalized “ROCK” and the shark’s buff physique — and note how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson just bought his uncle a new car for Christmas.
The capitalized “CHRISTMAS VACATION” in the Cotton Candy’s clue, meanwhile, has some followers thinking the Cotton Candy is actually Juliette Lewis or some other actor from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Other clues seem too easy, though. The Parrot’s “hips don’t lie”? Shakira has a hit song called “Hips Don’t Lie,” of course.
And the Disco Ball being “fast and furious” breakdancer could mean it’s an actor from the Fast and Furious franchise. Vin Diesel, by the way, filmed a breakdancing tutorial in the 1980s.
The panelists are having fun with the show.
It’s clear The Masked Dancer’s celeb panelists are enjoying the mystery contestants’ performances — and they get to show off their own dance moves, too. Paula Abdul joked to E! News that she “got her groove going” on the show and started “dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld.”
Brian Austin Green, meanwhile, told Extra that the contestants’ actual dance ability doesn’t really matter. “It kind of reminds me of Halloween, how fun it is when you put on a costume and you go out and you act like an idiot because it’s a license to,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 actor said. “That’s exactly what this experience gives you.”
The Masked Dancer premieres on Sunday, Dec. 27, after the NFL game, around 8 p.m. EST on Fox, before moving to its regular time slot on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. EST.
