Paula Abdul said she knew who was under the Popcorn's mask the minute they walked on stage on The Masked Singer
Dec 17th, 2020
Gabbi Shaw, Insider
- Paula Abdul has been a singer and choreographer in Hollywood for over 30 years, and she's also a panelist on "The Masked Dancer."
- She told Insider she knew Taylor Dayne was the Popcorn on "The Masked Singer" almost immediately because of their history working together.
- In fact, Abdul said she guessed the most celebrities right on the first season of "The Masked Dancer," so pay close attention to them when the show premieres on December 27.
Anyone who watches "The Masked Singer" knows that half the fun is trying to guess who is under the mask based on the clue packages, their singing voice, and their general demeanor. But, as any "Masked Singer" fan also knows, it's borderline impossible to guess who's under there sometimes.
However, for "Masked Dancer" panelist Paula Abdul, who has worked for decades as a dancer, choreographer, musician, and reality star, it's apparently not that hard. At least, not for every contestant.
When speaking with Insider as part of her long-standing relationship with Voltaren Gel, Abdul said she knew who was under the Popcorn mask, from season four of "The Masked Singer," almost immediately.
"When I saw Popcorn, I guessed who it was from her walking out - and I knew. Because I choreographed her years ago, I choreographed Taylor Dayne," she said.
Indeed, underneath Popcorn's kernel mask was '80s and '90s star Dayne, most famous for her hits "Tell It to My Heart," Love Will Lead You Back," "Prove Your Love," and "I'll Always Love You."
Abdul has had the longest career of the panelists on "Masked Dancer" (her fellow panelists are comedian Ken Jeong, "90210" star Brian Austin Green, and "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale), and it clearly proved useful during her time on the show. In fact, Abdul told Insider she guesses the most dancers right on this season of "The Masked Dancer," which premieres December 27.
"I mean, I can't even tell you the method to the madness of it. It's just the weirdest things. Some were so easy and some were really difficult," she said.
She added that Jeong, who also appears on "Masked Singer," gave her some advice on guessing.
"He gave some really good advice, like, 'Don't worry, it's OK, if the clues take you in a weird direction,'" she said.
She added, "Don't get caught up on trying to figure out what every clue is - you get multiple names that are thrown out there because these clues absolutely are applicable to different artists. So he's just like, 'Don't overthink it. Just be calm.' If you overthink it, it's going to become extremely difficult."
So pay attention to Abdul's guesses when "The Masked Dancer" starts on December 27. She's the one to watch.