FOX Sloth in the finale of "The Masked Dancer."
During the season 1 finale of The Masked Dancer, Sloth finished in second place. When took off his mask, he revealed himself as a surprising celebrity known for another celebrity dance competition – Dancing With the Stars.
So, who is the Sloth? MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!
Sloth Took Off His Mask, Revealing Himself As…
… Maksim Chmerkovskiy!
Chmerkovskiy, who is an internationally-renowned dancer, rose to fame as the “bad boy” professional dance partner on Dancing With the Stars.
For their final guesses of the season, Paula Abdul and Brian Austin Green guessed Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ken Jeong Guessed Channing Tatum, and Ashley Tisdale guessed Hugh Jackman. Both Abdul and Green were correct with their guesses!
Before Sloth took off the mask, the panelists each got to ask one final question. From their questions, we learned:
– he has hosted a big event.
– he has been seen with his shirt off.
– he has been on the cover of a major magazine.
– he is over the age of 35.
Of his time competing on The Masked Dancer, he said it was “absolutely the best experience. Sloth is my alter-ego now.” He added that the support he got while competing as the Sloth was “unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced.”
It makes sense that the Sloth was such a skilled dancer, and it was really fun getting to see Chmerkovskiy show off a funnier, goofier side of himself under the guise of the Sloth mask.
The finale was not the first time Chmerkovskiy was guessed as the possible celebrity behind the Sloth mask. His name was offered up as a panelist guess in the semifinals, as was his brother, Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Green said he was convinced it was Val behind the mask until he heard the clue about the Sloth’s child.
Sloth’s ‘The Masked Dancer’ Finale Recap
The Sloth’s shadow play clue, which aired during the two-hour finale’s season recap, was a dog.
Sloth’s final clue package of the season was full of hints pointing toward his identity. He revealed that while “dancing isn’t really new for me… this is the first time dancing with a partner where I get to be the student.” He said that, by performing masked, “I’m no longer the bad boy.”
In his package, he said, “let’s maximize the dancing.” It seems like “maximize” was a hint at Maksim’s name!
A street sign for Jump Street and bowling stood out as significant clues. He also referenced “baby sloth,” suggesting he’s father to a young child.
The panelists applauded Sloth’s exceptional final dance to “Ballroom Blitz,” and Paula Abdul said it’s obvious that he’s been professionally trained. The Sloth’s last Word-Up clue was “magical.” The panelists guessed that he might be Hugh Jackman or Channing Tatum. Even the final song choice was a clue to the Sloth’s identity – Chmerkovskiy is best known for his time on the Dancing With the Stars ballroom floor, and he is trained in competitive ballroom dance.
After the Sloth took off his mask and revealed himself at the end of the night, Chmerkovskiy explained that the stethoscope in a previous clue package was because he had an arc on General Hospital. The “Glee” toothpaste was included because he was partnered with Glee! star Heather Morris on Dancing With the Stars.
The Pita bread was a shoutout to his wife Peta Murgatroyd, and the numerous references to his child were shoutouts to their son Shai Aleksander.
The season 1 finale of The Masked Dancer aired on Wednesday, February 17 at 8/7c on FOX.