'The Masked Dancer' Reveals This Olympic Gymnast as the Winner for Season One

“The Masked Dancer” concluded this week with the last three contestants being unmasked. The Cotton Candy was the last dancer to be unmasked, and it turned out to be an athlete.

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, “The Masked Dancer” season finale aired with three contestants remaining. The Tulip, the Sloth, and the Cotton Candy were the last three contestants.

The Tulip came in third place, and when it was unmasked, Mackenzie Ziegler, 16, appeared from beneath the costume. Only judge Ashley Tisdale was able to guess the “Dance Moms” star’s identity correctly.

Paula Abdul, another judge and panelist thought the flower was Liza Koshy. Judge Ken Jeong guessed that the dancer was Lucy Hale, while actor Brian Austin Green thought it was Sabrina Carpenter.

The contestant who came in second place was the Sloth. The character was unmasked as “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer and ballroom champion Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Abdul and Green both guessed correctly that the Sloth was the Broadway dancer while Jeong incorrectly predicted that it was actor Channing Tatum and Tisdale thought it was Hugh Jackman.

That meant Cotton Candy was crowned the winner of the first season of “The Masked Dancer.” When the person was unmasked, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas was unveiled!

Douglas somehow managed to beat seasoned dancers like Chmerkovskiy to take the crown. The athlete was a member of the Fierce Five gymnastics squad at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

“The Masked Dancer” is actually a spin-off of the US version of South Korea's “The Masked Singer.”

Tisdale correctly guessed the Cotton Candy was Douglas because of her obvious experience in gymnastics. The judge had also named Simone Biles, while Abdul also guessed correctly later.

Jeong made a close prediction by guessing that it was Michelle Kwan, another Olympic athlete. Douglas compared her Diamond Mask Trophy win with her two-time Olympic wins, stating:

"It's definitely up there. I would say it's neck and neck, to be honest."

“The Masked Dancer” is actually a spin-off of the US version of South Korea's “The Masked Singer.” The original show was a hit in the US with four seasons in less than two years!

Actor and comedian Craig Robinson hosts the spin-off. While “The Masked Singer” has featured 12 to 18 celebrities in all its seasons, “The Masked Dancer” started with only 10.