It’s been a long time since Ice-T’s film debut in the film “Breakin'” — yet he quickly remembered those poppin’ and lockin’ minutes Sunday night on the debut scene of Fox’s “The Masked Dancer.”
The “Law and Order” SVU” star and O.G. rapper was the principal VIP to be exposed on the new “Masked Singer” turn off (look down to watch), yet he revealed to Variety he was reluctant from the outset about doing the show.
“I told [my manager], ‘Yo, my dancing days are over,’” Ice-T said. “I used to breakdance but now I can [just] breakdance in my mind. My bones aren’t moving with the same speed… I used to do martial arts, so I could kick you in your head. Right now I throw that same kick and aim it at your head, it’s probably going to hit you somewhere in your pant pocket. The elevation just ain’t there no more.”
Regardless, Ice-T said his girl is a major aficionado of “The Masked Singer,” and he figured that since Li’l Wayne and Busta Rhymes had done ‘Masked Singer,’ it would be OK. “Some of my peers have already been on the show. I respect that,” he said.
On “The Masked Dancer,” Ice-T moved in the Disco Ball outfit to “Uptown Funk,” by Bruno Mars. Despite the fact that the hint bundle even indicated Disco Ball setting out a glass of frosted tea (and highlighted a shark balance — “Fin” is his “SVU” character’s name)… none of the specialists sorted it out.
“Someone said Quincy Jones, and I was like, damn, Quincy Jones is like 86!” he said. “But other than that, they could tell I was Black, that was one thing. But it’s harder than the ‘Singer’ because you don’t get anything, you just get to look at somebody move. I don’t really know how they’re going to pick anybody. At least with the ‘Singer’ you get some kind of clue. But these shows to me are just fun and I think it’s like watching celebrities and known people just have fun, and I think that’s a good look.”
Ice-T said he promptly began learning movement when he showed up at “The Masked Dancer” creation. Yet, at that point came the ensemble, which he said didn’t help his moves.
“It’s not that hard — until you put that 20 pound head on,” he said. “And it just breaks down to like, not busting your ass on television. You could really fall real easy with this big costume on. So I went from trying to really dance hard to just kind of walking it out and just trying not to fall. Because now when you fall on national television, you become a meme. You’ll be falling for the rest of your life! I kind of worked it out. At the end I did some freestyle moves. I just went out to have fun.”
Brian Austin Green idea it was LL Cool J, Ken Jeong named Smokey Robinson, Paula Abdul speculated Ving Rhames, and Ashley Tisdale figured it very well may be Lionel Richie.
Ice-T additionally plans to amaze his girl, who was set to watch Sunday’s debut without realizing her dad was on the show. “Mainly the reason I did it was to have my daughter watch the show and watch her bug out,” he said.
For “The Masked Dancer,” the show flaunts an alternate signature tune, just as “Women in Black” (rather than “Singer’s” “Men in Black”) going with the candidates.
In any case, the greatest contrasts come from the pieces of information, which are amped up for “Dancer,” just as “Word Up,” in which every competitor says a single word sign to their character, in their genuine voice.
Likewise, the specialists to each ask the casted a ballot off VIP an inquiry prior to signing in their last supposition.
This current season’s outfits incorporate Zebra, Tulip, Sloth, Exotic Bird, Cotton Candy, Cricket, Disco Ball, Moth, Ice Cube and Hammerhead.
The show promotes a cast of 10 VIPs that have “amassed more than 38 million albums sold worldwide, 20 Emmy Award wins, 20 Grammy Award nominations, 10 World Dancing titles, five New York Times Best-Selling Author titles, four Olympic gold medals and three Broadway show appearances.”
“The Masked Dancer” moves to its standard Wednesday at 8 p.m. time allotment on January 6.
“If Ice-T is a disco ball then you know anybody can be in the damn costume. Anybody,” Ice-T said. “They just showed you that ‘hey, we’re way over here, we can go anywhere. We had Ice as a starter so that lets you know, you’re gonna have a problem with picking the rest.’”
Here were different hopefuls and their exhibitions on night one:
Hammerhead
Dance: “Everybody,” by Backstreet Boys
Word Up: “Dramatic”
Voice-over: “As a shark, I’ve always been killing it. I’m a workaholic. But things have never come easy to 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 had departed from who I was and then shifted into who I thought everyone wanted me to be. I just realized I wasn’t happy. So now I’m visiting everything I missed out on. By swimming away from what comes easy and swimming toward everything that used to scare me. I pumped the brakes on where my life was headed. Now, moving backwards is how I move my life forward. Staying hungry for learning, for love and for life.”
Panel guesses: Carrot Top, Joe Jonas, Zac Efron
Tulip
Dance: “Fergalicious,” by Fergie
Word Up: “Triple”
Voice-over: “Hey guys, I thought wouldn’t have anything to talk about in this video. But then I found this gem. I don’t want this to sound like one of those good guy, bad guy stories. But growing up, I was teased all the time. ‘I’m allergic to you.’ ‘You smell like dirt.’ ‘OK, bloomer.’ My confidence tumbled. But I tried my best not to get trolls in my head. I packed up my things and found a new sunnier place to call home. People were chill with the stranger things about me. For the first time, I felt 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’ve always bet on myself. I had to give it a try. I’ve been pretty lucky in life. But when it came to love, I always felt like I was getting punked. I needed support, a foundation to stand on. But then, it was love at first sight. I hit the jackpot, and we became the ultimate power 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: “‘Deep within the secluded tropical terrain, we find a species of bird in their 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’s a few things about me. As you can probably tell, I’m a little competitive. I started as a teenager. I was luck enough to win big pretty quickly. But it definitely wasn’t easy after that. I felt attacked a lot, for losing, for my relationships, even just for being a big bird. But I’m not going to let those shamers control my life. Win or lose, I will keep flying.”
Panel guesses: Hope Solo, Jennifer Hudson, Venus Williams