The Masked Dancer is an upcoming American reality competition television series set to premiere on Fox on December 27, 2020. Craig Robinson will host the show, and Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale will act as panellists. Like The Masked Singer‘s format, celebrity contestants will wear head-to-toe costumes and face masks that conceal their identities but will perform alongside a “masked partner” in different dance styles. The show began as a recurring segment on Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show which spoofed The Masked Singer. In pre-production since January 2020, filming was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Actor and comedian Craig Robinson will host the show. The Masked Singer panellist and comedian Ken Jeong, entertainer Paula Abdul, actor Brian Austin Green (who performed as “Giraffe” on The Masked Singer‘s fourth season), an actress and singer Ashley Tisdale will serve as panellists. Actress Mayim Bialik will serve as a guest panellist in at least one episode.
The Masked Dancer first started as a segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2019. Mystery celebrities that appeared in the Ellen segment.
On January 7, 2020, it was announced that FOX had ordered a full series of the segment, with Ellen DeGeneres serving as an executive producer for the series.
Production on the series began the weekend of October 16 amid the coronavirus pandemic. It was filmed at Red Studios Hollywood, where season four of The Masked Singer had filmed, with the same safety protocols in place.
On October 28, 2020, it was announced that Craig Robinson will serve as host of the series, with panellists Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, Ken Jeong (who serves as a panellist on The Masked Singer and served as both a mystery celebrity and panellist for the Ellen segment of Dancer), and Ashley Tisdale.
On November 10, 2020, it was announced that the series will premiere on December 27, 2020