Deepra Sarkar
Fox’s ‘The Masked Dancer’ is a spin-off of the fan-favorite ‘The Masked Singer.’ And we have to say, the spin-off is no less entertaining than the original one. Since its premiere in December 2020, with celebrities performing spectacular dance routines in the most eye-grabbing costumes, we have been racking our brains trying to figure out the true identities of those behind these masks. The energizing performance delivered by Hammerhead made us even more interested in knowing the face and the name behind those hip-hop moves and the shark mask. So here’s our best guess at who he could possibly be.
Clues About Hammerhead
As soon as Hammerhead stepped on the stage in a funny yet charismatic manner, he had the judges talking. Brian Austin Green immediately said Hammerhead is an entertainer “for sure,” while Ken Jeong joked with the very lovable host, Craig Robinson, to “be careful!” Dressed in red shorts, a yellow tank top, and an enormous golden amulet around his neck, Hammerhead already had the attention of the audience.
As for his clue package, the clip was filled with hints here and there. “As a shark, I’ve always been killing it. I’m a workaholic. But things have never come easily to me. I made them happen. I became famous almost too quickly. That early fame? It felt great at the time, but then it started to feel like my best moments were behind me. I had departed from who I was and shifted into who I thought everyone wanted me to be. I realized I just wasn’t happy,” he said.
He continued, “So now, I’m visiting everything I missed out on. I swim away from what comes easy and straight towards everything that used to scare me. I pumped the brakes on where my life was headed. Now, moving backwards is the way I move my life forwards, staying hungry for learning, for love, and for life.” Some other notable visual hints that stood out included a burger with soup spelling out “TALK,” a mug with Joe written on it, a surf/boogie board with the letter C on it, and finally, a clock counting up from 6:01 to 6:05 am.
Hammerhead’s physique told the judges (and us) that beneath the costume, there might as well be an athlete or a swimmer. Hammerhead proceeded to put out his dance performance on the all-time classic “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by The Backstreet Boys. For his “Word Up!” segment, Hammerhead said the word “dramatic” in an unmodulated voice.
Guesses About Hammerhead:
Packed with powerful and crisp moves, Hammerhead had the judges and the audience grooving along with him. The performance kick-started the show and was applauded by all four judges. Ashley Tisdale was more than confident calling Hammerhead a performer, while Brian Austin Green said that even though Hammerhead did not seem like a trained dancer, he is “an entertainer.” The way Hammerhead pronounced “dramatic” made the judges believe he could be an actor.
Ashley added that he sounded younger and noted how Hammerhead said the word like a surfer. Ken Jeong disagreed, saying it almost sounded comedic, and hence his first-guess was a popular stand-up comedian and actor, Carrot Top. Other guesses from Paula Abdul included Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Joe Jonas, based on the song choice and the choreography. Brian Austin Green threw in the name of Zac Efron, connecting Hammerhead’s multiple surfing clues to Efron’s 2017 movie ‘Baywatch,’ even though Ashley was of the opinion that Efron “is a much better dancer.”
We, however, have to look past the judges’ guesses because we think it is someone else entirely. And our guess, complying with several other viewers’, is that Hammerhead is MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ star, Vinny Guadagnino. Hammerhead’s costume itself, we feel, is a reference to Vinny’s 2012 TV movie, ‘Jersey Shore Shark Attack.’ Besides, he has also guest-starred on MTV’s scripted comedy series, ‘The Hard Times of RJ Berger,’ which could have been hinted at by the burger shown in the clue package. The soup, which spelled out “TALK,” could be seen as a connection to Vinny’s own talk show, ‘The Show with Vinny.”
Plus, the judges took notice of a bulletproof coffee clue that is known to be a part of a keto-diet, and Vinny has been a keto guide for a long time, earning him the name “Keto Guido.” Another fascinating clue we managed to pick up on was on the show’s Instagram account, where Hammerhead said, “I bought someone I love a car for Christmas, and it Jingle Bell ROCKed!” A little deep-dive into Vinny’s profile told us he had gifted his mother a car for Christmas 2019. However, we cannot be sure because, at this point, we do not have other clues, so we must stay tuned to see if we are right!
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