March 25th 2024.
ITV has made the decision to cancel a popular reality series, The Masked Dancer, after it struggled to compete with the BBC's hit show, Strictly Come Dancing. The spin-off series of The Masked Singer made its debut in 2021, with Joel Dommett as the host and a panel of judges including Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan, and former Strictly professional Oti Mabuse.
The first season of The Masked Dancer was won by Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, who was disguised as Carwash. Other notable contestants included Kelly Brook, Craig Revel Horwood, Zoe Ball, and Eddie the Eagle. Due to the show's success, it returned for a second season in 2022. However, it was announced last year that the show would be put on hold due to the coverage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Now, two years after its last airing, ITV has decided to permanently cancel the show.
According to a TV insider, the show was always a bit of a tough sell for the network. "ITV took a chance on the concept, as it had clearly resonated with the public with The Masked Singer," they shared with The Sun. "However, they made the mistake of changing the format from a nightly show to a weekly one, airing on Saturdays. This put it in direct competition with Strictly Come Dancing, which is a tough rival to beat."
Similar to its predecessor, The Masked Dancer featured celebrities in elaborate costumes, with viewers trying to guess their identities. However, instead of singing, the contestants had to showcase their dancing skills. In the most recent season, Glee star Heather Morris took home the trophy as Scissors, beating out Adam Garcia, known for his role in Coyote Ugly, who was disguised as Onomatopoeia.
After her win, Heather, who has been married since 2015 and has two sons, shared that her kids were the reason she decided to participate in the show. "My children are huge fans of the franchise, and they were the ones who convinced me to sign up," she revealed. "I have had the best time on this show. It has brought back my inner child, and I feel like I'm dancing on stage again."
Although The Masked Dancer will not be returning, fans can still look forward to a sixth season of The Masked Singer. The show continues to be a huge success for ITV, and they have no plans of ending it anytime soon. The Agency has reached out to ITV for a comment on the cancellation of The Masked Dancer.
For those who are still interested in watching the show, The Masked Dancer is currently available for streaming on ITVX. And for any celebrity stories, videos, or pictures, please feel free to contact the entertainment team at The Agency via email or by calling 020 3615 2145. They would love to hear from you.
On a side note, viewers were shocked by Kevin Hart's performance on The Masked Singer, with some calling it the "worst performance in history." And in another surprising moment, Alex Brooker revealed that the show's producers were initially worried about his "offensive" costume choice.
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