'The Masked Dancer': Is Oscar De La Hoya the Zebra?

The Masked Dancer revealed the four contestants who are heading into the semi-finals on Wednesday [...]

By Stephanie Downs

The Masked Dancer revealed the four contestants who are heading into the semi-finals on Wednesday night's episode. Cotton Candy, Sloth, Zebra, and Tulip are all going through to the next round of the competition following Exotic Bird's elimination. During the episode, the judges, of course, delivered their guesses as to who the mysterious competitors are. For the Zebra, in particular, some of the judges, including Brian Austin Green and guest judge Mayim Bialik, believe that he's boxer Oscar De La Hoya.

Both Green and Bialik pointed out that the Zebra seems to have the same stance as that of a professional boxer. They even mentioned that the Zebra holds his hands in fists while in a resting position, another sign that he could be a boxer. Given all of the clues, Bialik was especially confident in her guess that the Zebra was De La Hoya. Over the weeks, the Zebra has shared clues such as a T-shirt that read K.O. (De La Hoya has produced more than his fair share of knockouts throughout his career) and the number 1992 (the boxer received a gold medal in the lightweight division in the 1992 Summer Olympics), per Gold Derby. Additionally, this week, he said that he was an author. In 2008, De La Hoyer published his autobiography, American Son.

The other judges' guesses for the Zebra included Connor McGregor, who has also been in the boxing ring in the past, and Barry Bonds. It should be noted that the Zebra has not yet been eliminated. So, his identity remains a mystery for the time being. On the other hand, the identity of the Exotic Bird is no longer a secret. On Wednesday's episode, the Exotic Bird was eliminated, and it was revealed that they were American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Judge Paula Abdul, given her past experience as a judge on the singing competition, correctly identified that it was Sparks. After she was eliminated, the "No Air" singer spoke to TV Insider about her time on the show, and she told the publication that joining The Masked Dancer was all about showing herself that she could actually take on the challenge.

"It was about proving to myself I could do it. I've always enjoyed dancing," Sparks said. "Any time music comes on, I can't help but move, but I also love going to a club every once in a blue moon and dancing the night away. It was nice to be up there and be free. Behind that mask, nobody knew who I was and I could just go out there and do what I wanted to do and not have to worry about people automatically assuming something."

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