TheOrator.Press TV Review Special: The Masked Dancer ~ June 2021

Groundbreakin’ TV Guessin’ Game Show, The Masked Dancer, Unmasks Timeless Talent And Proves Ageism Is Well Past It’s Sell By Date!

The Winner

Olympic Gymnastic Champion Louis Smith Proves Himself To Be A Natural Winner Yet Again As He Wins ITV’s “The Masked Dancer” 2021.

This Makes His Second Win of A Prime Time Saturday Night Family Entertainment Show. In 2012 He Won Strictly Come Dancing With Italian Bella, Flavia Cacace.

Earlier The Same Year He Also Won A Bronze Medal At The Summer  Olympics.

The Show

The Masked Dancer Is The Sister Show To The Masked Singer Which Premiered In The UK January 2020 And Ran Till February 2020 And Saw A Second Series Run From December 2020 And Run To February 2021. Each Series Was Won By Nicole Roberts And Josh Stone Respectively. The Masked Dancer Followed In May This Year Startin’ Over The Second UK May Bank Holiday Weekend On Saturday May 29^th 2021 And Run To The Followin’ Saturday, June 5^th 2021, In Some Impressive Fast Track Programmin’ (Which Added To The Intensity & Enjoyment of The Show).

Both Titles Are Self-Explanatory, Except To Say The Masks Are World Class Works of Art & Costume Design And The Music Is Fabulous. Different Performances Are Staged Durin’ Each Episode And A Judgin Panel And The Audience Has Fun Tryin To Guess Who The Dancer (or Singer) Is. They Vote One Performer Out Each Episode Until Leavin’ The Last Talent Standin Out of 12 Contestants.’ He or She Who Lasts Longest Is The Winner. To Add To The Drama, Occasionally There Is A Nail-Bitin’ Double Elimination!

The Prize

The Sheer Joy & Intrigue of Takin Part And Beatin’ The Competition. The Winner’s Trophy. Braggin’ Rights. And A Monumental Boost To The Winner’s Show Business CV & Fresh Career Opportunities. And A Whole New Social Circle (Which May or May Not Be Handy Durin’ A Pandemic).

The Masked Dancer Contestants First Series May Sat 29 – June Sat 5 2021

1. Scarecrow: Actress Tamzin Outhwaite – Brava Bella!
2. Zip: 2nd Runner Up Take That Member Howard Donald. He Told This Mornin’ After The Show That Forward Preparation In Anticipation Helped Him Get It All Zipped Up Nicely.
3. Lama: Zoe Ball – This Former Ladette & Modern Day DJ Still Loves Dancin’ About, Which Is Clearly Keepin’ Her In Great Shape & Fightin’ off Old Age. She Still Looks As Young  As Back In The Day
4. Beetroot: Ditta Von Tease – Naturally This Burlesque Beauty Gave A Cast Iron Performance
5. Frog: Kelly Brook Came Along By Leaps & Bounds Throughout The Show
6. Flamingo: Louise The Eternally Fabulous Singer From Lewisham Was Pretty In Pink
7. Knicker-Bocker-Glory: Craig Revel Horwood –  “S-e-v-en!” The Notorious Strictly Come Dancin’ Judge Was The Seventh Contestant Eliminated From The Dance Contest. Strictly’ Colleague & Dance Expert Oti Walked The Walk As A Judge & Guessed It Was Him After Recognisin’ is Craig’s Stroppy Strut, Despite His Creamy Dreamy Get Up! His Reveal  Was A Lesson In How To Remove A Mask & Be Dramatic & “Fab-u-lous” In The Process
8. Beagle: Christopher Dean What A Tail’ To Tell. He Was in The House (But Never The Dog House)! The Hound Dog Was Lookin’ Good But It Was Soon Time For “Walkies!” But There’s Clearly Lots of Life Left In This Old Hound Dog Yet.
9. Lizard: Jordan Banjo Artistic Activist & Bafta Nominee Was The First To Leave. In Style & With Pride Though, As Bafta & Fortune Favours The Brave (Bafta Awards on Next Day!)
10. Carwash:  – Louis Smith Was The Winner. He Cleaned Up Good. Bright. Shinny. Polished.
11. Rubber Chicken: – Eddie The Eagle – This British Olympian Is Still Bein’ Egged On & Still Goin Strong. Especially After Hollywood Came Along!
12. Squirrel: – Bonnie Langford 1^st Runner Up. From Child Star To Exceptional TV Revival In EastEnders. Hats off To Her. Bonnie By Name Bonnie By Nature.

                                                                              The Final & Semi-Final

The Performances

Everyone Was Fabulous. The Show’s Vibes Were Great, With Just A Sense of Funny, Happiness And Magical Mystery. Perfect Programmin’ For The UK As It Nears The End of A Pandemic Which Has Bought So Much Sadness, Misery And Destruction. It Gave The Nation A Large Dose of First Class,Top Quality, Family Entertainment. Indeed Numerous Contestants Remarked How The Misery of The Pandemic Was A Factor In Decidin’ To Take Part In This Playful Production.

Especially Notably Is How Much The Physicality of A Person Forms Part of Their Identity. This Was Especially Highlighted By Craig & Oti, As Oti Recognised Craig’s Walk Despite His Fancy Dress & “Fab-u-lous” Performance, For Instance. And Essentially That Illustrates The Whole Essence of The Show. Do We Know Who We Think We Know.

The Similar Personalities

As We Looked Into The Ages Gentlemen & The Ladies We Noticed Similarities In The Times of Year They Were Born And It’s Interestin To Note How Many of Them Sharin The Same Star Sign Havin’ Been Born Around The Same Time. Happy Coincidence or Does This Indicate It Takes A Certain Type To Love The Limelight Irrespective of Age?

The Girls

1. Squirrel     Bonnie Langford     – 56 (1^st Runner Up (Born July 22nd)
2. Scarecrow Tamzin Outhwaite  – 50 (Out 9th)  (Born Nov 5th)
3. Frog          Kelly Brook             – 41 (Out 8^th)   (Born Nov 23rd)
4. Lama         Zoe Ball                   – 50 (Out 6^th)   (Born Nov 23rd)
5. Beetroot    Ditta Von Tease      – 48 (Out 3rd)   (Born Sept 28th)
6. Flamingo   Louise                    – 46 (Out 2^nd)  (Born Nov 4th)

Frog’s Legs Strike A Pose With A Little Point of The Toes

Girl Power 

The Week Followin’ The Finale Tamsin Outhwaite Appeared On The Lorraine Show & Remarked How Pleased And Proud She Was of The Fact That Women In Their 50s Includin’ Herself (As A Runner Up Amongst The Ladies ) Did So Well In The Show. In Fact Her Dance To Ed Sheeran’s Song ‘Perfect’ Moved People To Tears And Was Our Favourite Dance of The Show, After ‘September’ (Originally Sung By Earth Wind & Fire). 

Zoe’s Pose In The Publicity Photo (Above) Just Exudes Her Zest for Life Which She Bought To Every Performance.    

The Star of The Show Just Happened To Also Be As The Oldest Female Contestant In The Show. At 56 She Scored The Highest Position Out of All The Women, Comin Second To Louis, And We Would Dare To Venture She Was One of The Fittest & Most Flexible (With Howard’s Body Bendin’ Makin Him A Notable Contender For That Crown). People Repeatedly Speculated That Bonnie Was Various Different Women of Much Younger Years, Based On Her Movement, Dance Ability, Overall Agility And “Sass.” Guesses Included Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix, Alesha Dixon The Former Strictly Come Dancin’ Winner And Now BGT Judge, Her Fellow BGT Judge Amanda Holden, And Emily Attack, Former I’m A Celeb Contestant.

Bonnie Is Incredible And A Great Example of How To Age Spectacularly Well. She Was Followed By Actress & Presenter Tamsin, 50, And The Youngest Contestant, Model & Presenter Kelly, 41. Together They Were The Top Three Female Performers.

Other TV Executives May Need To “Get Real” And Reflect That Times Are A Changin.’ We Don’t Care Who’s Agein’ (Especially After Covid) We Just Want People To Truly Live & Give What They Have To Give. Which, In This Case Is Cleary A Whole Lot of Talent. Society Clearly Values “Variety”. Not Just Youth.

Frankly How Fabulously Refreshing. This Is A Family Show With A Tantalizin’ Twist. It’s Middle Aged Grown Ups In Fine Form Havin Fun & Entertainin’ Everyone With Great Music, Great Vibes, Great Production Values & Exemplary Social Values, Provin’ It Can Be Done. In fact This Proves Prime Time Television That Isn’t Ageist, Sexist or Racist Is So Much Better & Has So Much More To Offer.

These First Series Contestants (And Surely There Must Be A Second Series) Show That Age Is Just A Number And Past Age Discrimination So Wryth In The Business of “Show” Needs To Be Eradicated Quick Smart. This Applies For Everyone, But Especially As Previously Applied To Females, Who Have Suffered From It Way Too Long. Let’s Embrace That Good Old Entertainment Word “Variety” And Actually Have A lot More of It Across The Board When It Comes To Human Chronology. It’s Only Fair & Reflective of Today’s Reality.

And We Hope More Film & Television Executives Have The Courage & Class To Embrace This Development. There Is A Huge Market For It. Although, In Terms of Pure Quality Entertainment Value, We Must Admit They Will Be Hard Pressed To Follow This Class Act.

The Fact That It Had Notoriously Tough Judge From Strictly Come Dancing Actually Dancing, Smilin’ &| Beamin’ Shows How Great A Programme It Is. Well Done Bandicot TV & The Argonon Umbrella. We Just Hope They Can Maintain This Gold Standard. Because if They Can The World Is Their Oyster (…And Maybe Lobster Too!)

As With The Phenomenal Success of The Disney Marvel Movie Black Panther, The Success of This Show Proves That Previous Show Business Prejudices Are The Only Thing That’s Well Past Their Sell By Date & Utterly Undesirable.

The Boys

1. Carwash Louis Smith              – 32 (Winner) (Born April 22^nd) 
2. Zip Howard Donald                 – 53 (2^nd Runner Up) (Born April 28^th)
3. Knicker Boxer Glory Craig Revel-Horwood – 56 (Out 7^th) (Born Jan 4th)
4. Beagle  Christopher Dean  – 62 (Out 5^th)  (Born July 27th)      
5. Chicken Eddie The Eagle       – 57 (Out 4^th) (Born Dec 5^th)
6. Lizard  Jordan Banjo                -32 (Out 1^st) (Born Dec 31^st)

We Have To Admit Our Favourite Contestant Promo Photo Is Zip, AKA Howard Donald From Take That. We Love That He Seemed To Just Let Rip And Clearly Enjoy Havin’ The Stage All To Himself For Once. Good For Him.

Appearin’ on ITV’s This Mornin’ The Week After The Show’s Finale He Revealed That To Help Control Anxiety He Was Feelin’ (Partly Due To The High Level of Isolation Imposed By The Show’s High Security & Confidentiality Standards) He Started Preparin’ His Body Early And Practicin’ A Couple of Weeks Before The Show So As To Raise His Confidence Levels And Avoid Showin’ Himself Up. It Clearly Worked. On Comin In As 2nd Runner Up He Said “I’m so made up that I made it to the final, I got a bronze medal.” As 2^nd Runner Up, He Along With Winner Louis Smith, And Strictly Judge Craig Revel Horwood Were The Top Three Men.  

“I’m So Made Up That I Made It To The Final, I Got A Bronze Medal.”

Second Runner Up Howard Donald As Zip!

 The Boys Were Banded’ Together From Age Thirties To Sixties 

The Youngest Age Amongst The Men Was 32. And At Aged 32 Louis Smith Progressed To Be The Winner of This Spectacular Show.

However Also The Youngest Age Amongst The Men Was 32 Year Jordan Banjo of Dance Group Pioneers ‘Diversity’. At 32 He Happened To Be The First Man Voted Out. This Once Again Proves That At Either End of The Spectrum, ‘Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number’.

Thirty Years Older Than Both of Them, And The Oldest Contestant Overall At 62, Was Ice-skatin’ Legend Christopher Dean, Who Held His Own & Stood His Ground Appearin As The Loveable Hound ‘The Beagle.’ Rest Assured This Old Sea Dog Can Still Shake His Tail Feather & Has Still Got Moves.

The Judges & The Guest Judges

The Judgin’ Panel of Comedian Mo Gillingan, Presenter Davina McCall, Professional Dancer Oti Mabuse And Talk Show Host Jonathan Ross Clearly Have Great Chemistry, Which Provides A Super Source of The Entertainment (Especially Come Those Wide-Eyed Moments Durin The Reveals).

By Far One of The Most Sparkly, Dazzlin, And Intriguin’ Guests Thus Far Though Is Mo Gillinghan’s Extremely Well Suited And Booted, Seriously Groomed And Highly Spruced Beard. We’ve Never Seen One Like It & It Captivates Us Every Time. We’d Love To Learn More on That Score. So Mo’ Please Come Say Hello Sometime, We’re Here And We’re All Ears. How Do You Get Showbusiness Sparkle Even Into The Beard?

Meantime On The Day of The Final Oti Announced On Her Instagram That She Has Now Joined The BBC Radio Two Team As A DJ And Was Startin’ Her First Show 3pm – 6pm That Afternoon. How Does She Do It? She Was Nervous But Dancin’ Away Excitedly As Dermot O’Leary Told Her A Good Old Jig Is Great For Releasin’ Nervous Energy. In A Recent Interview With The Mirror Oti Shared How Excited She Was To Get The News That She Had Been Invited To Join The Judgin’ Panel Sayin,

“I Was In My House. I Had A Scarf, I Was Flying It Around. It Was, I Think, The Best Call Of My Life.”

“I Really Was So Grateful To Be Here And On The Panel.”

Dance Professional Judge Oti Mabuse On Takin’ The Phone Call Offerin’ Her A Job As A Masked Dancer Judge

The Guest Judges Add A Touch of Fun & Freshness To Proceedings, Bringin’ Extra Magic To The Show. Here’s A Few That Joined In The Fun.

Liverpudlian Comedian, New Dr Who Companion & All Round Good Egg John Bishop Was Good Fun At The Semi Finals As He Appeared To Be Havin’ The Time of His Life. The Excitement Got So High At One Point He Declared His Brain Couldn’t Take It.

TV Golden Girl Holly Willoughby’s Surprise At Seein Her Cousin Scarecrow In The Final Is Already A Classic TV Moment. At 40 Holly Is Ten Years Younger Than Her Cousin (Who’s Mother Is Sister To Holly’s Husband’s Mum; Whilst Dan Baldwin (Willoughby) Is An All Powerful TV Executive.)

Havin’ Nicole Roberts On The Panel After She Won The Masked Singer Last Year Was A Nice ‘Masked Family’ Touch.

The Umbrella Company

Argonon.Com

In This Age of Social Justice Reform Bandicoot & Argonon Seem To Have Emerged At Pretty Much The Perfect Time. Amen To That! We Salute Them. We Just Hope That They Can Maintain The Very High Standards They Have Set For Themselves And Others. If They Can, Then This Show Is Literally A Game Changer.

The Costume Company

Plunge Creations, Based In Brighton, Design The Costumes And MD Tim Simpson Revealed That The Celebrities Do Are Able To Give Feedback Notes Regardin’ What Moves Their Routines Are Goin To Include And Thus How Manageable or Not They Find The Costumes And Subsequent Alterations Required.

For Instance Comments Like ‘I’m Going To Spin On My Head’, And ‘I Can’t Turn My Head Fast Enough, Because There’s Too Much Weight In The Costume’.”

Essentially, This In No Way Means He Knows Who They Are.

Of Rubber Chicken He Said “It Looks Slightly Horrid, But It’s Really Funny And I Think It Has Got Real Charm. Llama Is Handsome And Dapper — There’s Something Slightly Bridgerton About Llama!  I Don’t Know If The Performer Inside Is Male Or Female, But It Looks Like A Male Llama. And Viper’s Got A Lot Of Punch. It’s A Real Mixture, That’s What Is Nice About It — A Crazy Masked Dancer Family.”

Funny He Mentions Chicken, As Rubber Chicken’s Dance Just Before Their Big Reveal Was The Sweetest Chicken Ever!

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