‘The Masked Dancer’: ‘Office’ Alum Craig Robinson to Host ‘Singer’ Spinoff

Fox has the show just for you for those who think Dancing With the Stars is too easy because the celebrities can see while dancing. The network announced a new spin-off of The Masked Singer called The Masked Dancer, where celebrities will dance while wearing the intricate costumes The Masked Singer has become known for. The series is inspired by a segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and will be hosted by the former The Office actor Craig Robinson.

In The Masked Dancer, the stars will be dancing in masks and costumes that hide their identities from the audience and the judge’s panel. Masked partners and back-up dancers will join them. The dance styles will include tap dancing, jazz, salsa, hip-hop, and more. Like The Masked Singer, the audience and judges will get a few hints about each contestant during every episode. The Masked Dancer competitors have a combined total of “38 million albums sold worldwide, 20 Emmy Award wins, 20 Grammy Award nominations, 10 World Dancing titles, five New York Times Best-Selling Author titles, four Olympic gold medals, and three Broadway show appearances,” according to Fox.

The judge’s panel includes Paula Abdul, Ashley Tisdale, The Masked Singer veteran Ken Jeong and former Masked Singer contestants Brian Austin Green. Guest judges and the premiere date will be announced soon. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television and Fox Alternative Entertainment. The original Masked Singer is based on a South Korean show of the same name. The series is now in its fourth season and airs Wednesday nights on Fox. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program.

“We’ve begun filming The Masked Dancer with incredible new talent on both sides of the mask, and can’t wait to share the series with viewers,” Rob Wade, President, Alternative Entertainment & Specials, Fox Entertainment, said in a statement. “Craig Robinson is hilarious as always in his role as host, and Ken, Brian, Ashley, and Paula are the perfect blend of personalities to lead our awesomely weird world of masks into a whole new genre!”

Robinson is best known for playing Daryl on The Office and recurred on Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Doug Judy, the “Pontiac Bandit.” His movie credits include Dolemite Is My Name, Morris From America, This Is The End, and the Hot Tub Time Machine movies. Robinson hosted Last Comic Standing Season 7 for NBC in 2010.