The Masked Dancer review: New ITV series is even more bizarre than The Masked Singer with ramped up clues
From the dance routine, to the song choice and even the stage design, The Masked Dancer takes the fun of The Masked Singer to another level, writes Grace Henry.
I would never have thought ITV could deliver a show more bizarre than The Masked Singer following two successful series on the network, that is, until RadioTimes.com received a preview of sister show The Masked Dancer.
Very similar to TMS, the new series sees contestants dancing around in some peculiar disguises while sharing some clues about their true identity, as The Masked Dancer judges and us at home try to work out who's behind the mask.
However, where TMS is crazy, this is even crazier - and it's very enjoyable, if you ask me!
This time round, the guessing game has been made even more interesting and so much harder, with us not being able to hear The Masked Dancer contestants' voices, except for at a later stage in the competition where we'll hear the contestants undisguised voice only once.
As a result, the clues have been ramped up to help us try and work out which celebrity is hiding behind each disguise.
And when I say there's clues everywhere, they're everywhere - in the songs, in the stage design, in the dance routine, VTs and so on. Even the back up dancers will have you questioning whether their outfit or prop might have something to do with who Carwash or Beagle is.
The Masked Dancer takes the fun of the original series to a whole other level, with the characters really getting to move about and show us what they're working with.
Davina McCall recently revealed the costumes have been amended for the dancing series to allow for "physicality", saying: "The costumes are amazing but they are slightly different to The Masked Singer because they have to be able to achieve some kind of physicality. They need to be able to move basically."
And it definitely shows!
Where contestants admitted to struggling with movement on TMS due to the size of their costumes, there's no issue on TMD, with contestants flipping, kicking and really working it on the dance floor. Added with the incredible stage designs and clue packages, it makes for a really entertaining performance.
Then we have the judges and the show's host, Joel Dommett, who are back and on top form as they adjust to the new format. Dommett especially has upgraded his puns for the new series, and you may even laugh at a few of these ones!
Meanwhile, Ross is back with his outlandish yet hilarious guesses, which we'd be lost without as wild as they sometimes are (yes, we're still not convinced Mary Berry would sign up for any of these Masked shows, Jonathan!)
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McCall is her usual detective self, jotting down lots of notes and really getting into the clues as she throws out some stellar guesses, including some iconic showbiz names. And it looks like Mo might be taking a leaf out of her book, revealing ahead of the series he found it a lot harder to guess the celebrities on the new series.
As for new judge Oti, well, she's just hilarious as she steals the other judges' guesses (mainly Mo). For someone with so much dancing experience, you'd think she'd have sussed out who everyone is from the moment they take their first step, but viewers will be delighted to see that it's just as difficult for Oti as it is for the others, and all of us who are playing along, which makes it even more enjoyable, us all being in it together.
If you thought The Masked Singer was great, which I most definitely did (I have the WhatsApp chat to prove it) then you'll love The Masked Dancer. It's exactly the same, but just with even more clues.
The Masked Dancer begins on Saturday 29th May at 7pm on ITV and ITV Hub - here is when you can expect The Masked Dancer final to air. For something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
