‘The Masked Dancer’: Miss Moth flutters off stage in big reveal
LOS ANGELES - Wednesday night’s episode of "The Masked Dancer" and the third celebrity unmasking of the season ended with Miss Moth’s elimination, forcing the dancer to reveal herself to the world.
The person behind the mask turned out to be Elizabeth Smart — a woman who, at age 14, was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002. The story gained national attention, and she was found nine months later. Now, she is a child safety activist, speaker and best-selling author.
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Judge Brian Austin Greene was the only panelist judge to correctly guess her identity during the competition.
"Can I say that for what you dealt with in your life, you have been an inspiration to so many people and you’ve done so much good with a really difficult situation, and we need more people like you on the planet and thank you," Greene said.
Smart opened up to the audience, revealing that it was her late grandmother who inspired her to spread her wings and join the competition.
"My grandma actually passed away very recently, but she was so much fun. She never let a moment pass her by, and so when this opportunity came along," Smart shared. "I thought, I live a pretty serious life, and I am going to take this opportunity and just have fun."
The Moth’s "Word Up" clues, which were delivered in her voice, were the words, "inspired" and "Bestseller."
Smart said being on the show forced her to put herself into new areas outside of her comfort zone.
"I feel like I was really able to show a different side to my personality, because most of the time I am really serious, and I am very prim and proper one might say. But this was just fun," Smart said.
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"It has been so much fun being on 'The Masked Dancer' and this journey that it has taken me on. I started where I literally could not dance — had two left feet — to performing on stage. It has been incredible, has been so much fun, has been an experience that I will remember forever," Smart said.
Next week, "Group A" will return with their second dance routines of the season. One celebrity will be unmasked and three will move on to the Super Six.
"The Masked Dancer" features celebrity contestants shaking their tail feathers, while covered from head-to-toe in elaborate costumes and face masks, leaving audiences to guess their identities. Each week, a series of clues are sprinkled throughout packages, costumes and routines, leading the panelists one step closer to figuring out which famous faces are freestyling behind the masks. And when it comes to dancing styles — the sky is the limit.
Don’t miss the big reveals on "The Masked Dancer" on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on FOX.