Warning: This article contains spoilers for the first episode of The Masked Dancer.
The Masked Dancer has said goodbye to its first celebrity contestant, and it turns out they aren’t exactly a stranger to dancing on primetime telly.
On Saturday night, The Masked Singer’s dance-centric spin-off show launched on ITV, with the series set to air over continuous nights for the next week.
It was punk rock reptile Viper that the judges decided to send home in the first show of the series, with the first unmasking taking place after his elimination.
Imagine viewers’ surprise, then, when Viper revealed himself as none other than Diversity performer Jordan Banjo.
Yes, the Britain’s Got Talent winner (and actual professional dancer) was the first to be given the axe, which did not go unnoticed by him when he spoke to the judges after his unmasking.
When asked by the panel who he’d told about his involvement in The Masked Dancer, Jordan joked: “The only one who knows is Ash [Diversity leader and Jordan’s brother, Ashley Banjo]. And I was the first to be kicked out so he might sack me!”
He later told ITV that “part of me was gutted” to be the first star eliminated from the contest, but added that he was also “relieved” at having his time on The Masked Dancer cut short.
Judges Mo Gilligan and Oti Mabuse had guessed that Jordan could be behind Viper’s snake-y mask, while others suspected it could have been former Love Island star Tommy Fury.
Saturday night saw the first six of the incognito stars taking to the Masked Dancer stage, with Zip, Knickerbocker Glory, Beetroot, Llama, Scarecrow and the now-axed Viper all strutting their stuff.
Still to perform in Sunday’s show are Squirrel, Carwash, Flamingo, Rubber Chicken, Frog and Beagle.
The Masked Dancer continues at 7pm on Sunday night on ITV.
