Who Is The Zebra? ‘The Masked Dancer’ Prediction + Clues Decoded!
FOX Reading Time: 5 minutes
The first season of The Masked Dancer has been a pleasantly fun surprise, with lots of energy and entertaining performances. And none have brought the heat quite like the Zebra! In a frill-adorned costume, this black and white animal is decked out from head to toe.
The clues have obvious nods to boy bands and some Latin background, but are those real or just diversions? And who is under the mask? Our prediction and the decoded clues are below!
The Zebra’s Clues on The Masked Dancer
The Zebra’s first clue package started with him on set, with a film clapperboard/slate board reading “BONG JOON-HO” and “ROGER DEAKINS.” Zebra is sitting in a car with the license plate “154-128.” He comments, “To be honest, you haven’t seen me in a while.” He’s been out of the limelight, but flashes a bronze medal with a “3” on it. Zebra says he “grew up in a rough neighborhood,” leading to street fighting. An “11” appears on the screen and a car with “OS” written on it. He reminisces on his teenage years with a bunch of boy band references. We then see a dancing hot dog. He says “fast forward all these years and now the President knows my name” as a “ZEBRA FOR MARE” poster is shown. Then, he’s seen reading a magazine with a Zebra on the cover.
RELATED: FULL RECAP OF THE MASKED DANCER PREMIERE
The Masked Dancer also has a new twist! Each contestant can say one word in their real, undisguised voice. His “Word Up” clue was “comeback.”
More Zebra Clues on The Masked Dancer
Zebra’s next clue package starts with him saying his first performance gave him the “taste of adreneline” he’s been missing since his “golden promotion to ZEO.” His mission is to help others. We see “Dad’s Appliance Repair” then a UFO on Facebook live with “U.F.C” written on it appear on his computer screen. His childhood was “hard, surrounded by poverty and crime.” We see him blow up a record. Zebra explains, but also he “always had love” and shows cinnamon to the camera. He is seen in photos fighting and with another zebra with pink glasses on. Then, Zebra grabs onto a sword and a fish latches onto his ear. He closes by saying “if I can channel the love, I’ll come out on top.”
Popular Guesses
The panelists have predicted that Zebra could be Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Pitbull, Kevin Richardson from The Backstreet Boys. Because of all the boy band clues, many popular guesses online also revolve around boy bands. We’ve seen predictions for AJ McLean, Jordan Knight, Justin Jeffre from 98 Degrees, and members of One Direction. But most seem to agree with the Ricky Martin guess or Mario Lopez!
Our Prediction for The Masked Dancer Zebra
Now this one is going to throw you for a loop! Despite all the boy band guesses, we don’t think the Zebra is a boy band member. Our investigation into the clues actually took us in a completely different direction. So based on that, we’re predicting that the Zebra is…
Oscar De La Hoya!
You read it right, not a boy band member but a world famous boxer! And here’s every clue explained. Many clues pointing to someone of Latin heritage, including the song choice, his voice, and the Instagram clue mentioning “Feliz Navidad.” We also saw a number of clues referencing the name Oscar. Starting with the clapperboard/slate board in the opening, which mentioned two Oscar-winning names. Then, we saw a hot dog (like Oscar Mayer) and a car with “OS” written on it.
WATCH: OUR RECAP OF THE MASKED DANCER SEASON 1 PREMIERE
Zebra mentioned growing up in a rough neighborhood and talked about fighting. Oscar De La Hoya grew up in East LA and is clearly a fighter! He mentioned the President knows his name, and Oscar contemplated running for President against Donald Trump before the 2020 election. The “154-128” on the license plate in the clues is a nod to the different weight classes Oscar has fought in over the years. We also saw a medal, an allusion to his Olympic Gold Medal, and an “11” which references his 11 world titles. The magazine clue also makes sense because Oscar De La Hoya recently bought three of the biggest boxing/wrestling magazines. And his “Word Up” clue, comeback, is a direct hint at the comeback he has teased he will be making in early 2021.
More Clues Explained
The “ZEO” clues all point to Oscar being the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. He even said he got a “golden promotion,” a direct reference to the company he created. The UFC clue is an obvious nod to his fighting background. He also holds two Guinness World Records, explaining when he blew up a record in the clues. The cinnamon Zebra held up could be alluding to “Canelo,” which translates to cinnamon in Spanish, and is one of the fighters who was contracted by Golden Boy Promotions. Lastly, the Instagram clue said his favorite Christmas song is “Feliz Navidad,” which makes sense because Oscar De La Hoya speaks Spanish!
Is Oscar De La Hoya The Masked Dancer Zebra?
Do you agree with our prediction? Are there any clues or connections that we missed? Let us know and we will continue to update this article throughout the season!
For more costume reveals from The Masked Dancer, visit the pages linked below.
TULIP | CRICKET | EXOTIC BIRD | HAMMERHEAD | SLOTH | COTTON CANDY | MOTH
