Scissors wins The Masked Dancer 2022

Scissors wins The Masked Dancer 2022

The final of The Masked Dancer reached its dramatic conclusion tonight and Scissors was crowned the champion of the 2022 series.

The panel - Peter Crouch, Davina McCall, guest Dawn French, Oti Mabuse and John Bishop (in for Jonathan Ross) - oversaw proceedings as this series' case came to a thrilling close.

After finding out they were the winner, Scissors was unmasked and revealed to be Glee superstar and dancer Heather Morris.

Heather told host Joel Dommett: "I was a dancer for Beyonce, I danced with her, I was one of two back-up dancers in [Single Ladies].

"I have had the best time. Seriously, this has made my heart so full."

She added: "My kids at home, I have two boys, we are huge Masked fans. My oldest, during the pandemic, would make masks himself... when I got the call for this, hands down, of course I'm going to do this, my kids will be in awe of me."

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Scissors Q&A 

Why did you decide to take part in the show? 

My kids and I have been watching the US versions since the beginning. They are obsessed with the show. They have made multiple masks that we have in our closet. I really did it for them. I’m down for doing anything so dancing in a fun costume was a challenge for me and I was just excited for that part of it. 

Are you a fan of the US version?  Why did you want to take part in the UK version? 

I’m a dancer so definitely The Masked Dancer appealed to me. 

The panel often commented on how great your figure was, was it hard not to react to those compliments when you were in the costume?

They gave me so much confidence, almost as much as my husband flatters me. I felt so good about myself, because you stare at yourself in the mirror and you’re like, ‘I’m a mum now, I could lose 5 pounds, I need to work out every day’. Granted I’m dancing and I teach here in the US but there are always things that you want to change about yourself. It felt so good to hear. I wanted to lift off my Scissors head and say, ‘thank you so much’ and then put the head back on!

How did you find the costume?

For me the costume was a huge part of the decision process. I chose Scissors because it was slim fitting and was spandex. The head was the only restriction, which it genuinely was. You heard the judges make jokes about the big side ear which made me laugh because it was so true. When we would choreograph in rehearsal it was all about this big random side thing [on the mask head]. We had to switch positions so that I was in a non-standard hold for the ballroom [to accommodate it]. 

With the Scissors head was it more difficult to do pair dancing to dancing on your own?

The head was definitely its own character. It was the topic of conversation the whole time.  We just didn’t know what was going to happen [when rehearsing each dance] with the head.  In partnering we would have to switch the hold but it's not like The Masked Dancer is a competitive dancing competition [the panel] were not like, ‘The hold was off, we’re deducting points.’

Are you trained in all dances or do you pick up choreography very quickly?

I did Dancing With The Stars here in the States. I did it a few years back, so I learned a lot about Ballroom then. Ballroom to me was so foreign and different. I’ve never been good at following someone's lead. I'm like, ‘I’m going to do this, I’m a strong woman’, so ballroom was never my forte but I definitely learned a lot from Dancing With Stars. 

Did you pick up any UK traits whilst filming like drinking tea? 

You guys didn’t get me on the tea, I’m not much of a tea drinker. I definitely really miss waking up in the morning, walking downstairs from my flat and grabbing an espresso shot.  Here I have to get in my car, I have to drive to the coffee shop. The coffee shops aren’t as cool and swanky as they are in the UK. Coffee shops in the UK are the jam. I miss that a lot.  Let's also talk about your style and wardrobe. I have memos in my phone about what I loved about my life in London. Everybody's shoes were so fantastical, I was in awe of everybodies’ shoes, so I went and bought three pairs. 

Did you tell any of your friends and family that you were taking part in the show?

My husband had to know and my mum came out to help because we have two kids so she had to be aware of what was going on. So it was just them two. Nobody else knew, but my friends knew I’d done something, so they would ascost me and say, ‘When are you going to tell me [what you’ve been filming?]’. So it's finally here and I get to tell them. It's not a secret anymore. 

Can you watch the series in the US? And have any of your friends guessed it's you?

No. My friends haven’t had access to the series. There are links on YouTube, but it's hard because I want my friends to see it too. 

Some of the costumes have clues on them, did your costume have any clues hidden?

Not on my personal costume. However, during one performance the backing dancers were dressed as hairsprays which had the letter B on them, for Beyonce [in reference to Heather being one of Beyonce’s backing dancers for Single Ladies]. The judges missed it at first but when they finally got it, they thought I was Kelly Rowland! 

When we did one particular number myself and the backing dancers held clack fans. I kept one of them! The dancers had on the rainbow outfits and had the clack fans with Pride [written on them] which was representation of the LGBTQIA+ community and what Brittany S Pierce represented. 

How did you find the secrecy aspect of the show?

The whole secrecy of the show in the first week was so difficult. It's very hard not to say hi to the other contestants, we’re in hoods and completely covered up. With my kids it was super difficult because they are such big fans so I really wanted to tell them but now I’m so excited to show them because they are going to think that I am the coolest mum in the world.  I cannot wait to see the costume heads that they’ll make. With all that said, I love secrets. I am the biggest secret keeper and if anybody tells me a secret it's locked and loaded forever.  So for me it was great because I love to keep secrets so I didn’t have any problems with anybody else except for my children who are aged 9-years-old) and 6-years-old.

What did you think of your mask, your overall look and the character you got to play? 

My Scissors mask immediately gave me the most positive feeling. The love for her was instant; there were no second guesses. I immediately fell head over heels for her.

Do you have a signature dance move?  

Scissors’ signature dance move was a criss cross of the arms, and I loved a good rock paper scissors bit with host Joel Dommett.

Does the mask/outfit give you the confidence to dance like no one’s watching?

Actually it feels quite the opposite for me. I love the game of keeping the panel and audience guessing, but I’ve danced my whole life and really rely on my face and expressions.

Were there any nerves when you first performed as your character or did being hidden inside the costume make you feel more confident? 

Absolutely! Nerves are so normal! They always come about in new experiences. I would actually be quite worried if I wasn’t nervous.

Have you seen some of the other costumes? If so, other than yours do you have a favourite? 

I loved Odd Socks. It was so cute but it looked dreadfully hot!

Did you have any nerves and would you be as confident dancing without the mask on?   

Actually, it was very nerve-racking to dance with a mask on because a number of things can go wrong simply by not being able to see and it feels lopsided!

Did you have a game plan to trick the panel, whether by clues or your moves?

I did have a plan, my trick was to keep the American accent, but I added a southern twang.

What are your thoughts on the panel and what did you think of their feedback and guesses? 

The panel cracked me up every week! I loved hearing their guesses! One that was eerily close though was Ashley Roberts because her and I actually went to the same dance studio in Arizona!

Who would be your own personal dream performer to see behind one of the masks? 

I wish Bear Grylls would do it because he would kill it, lol. I feel like he dominates everything else he does, why not this right!

If you could wear your mask and costume just one more time what occasion would you choose to wear it to? 

Oh my goodness, HALLOWEEN obviously! Who wouldn’t ? 

Did you have a favourite routine that you did throughout the series?

I had so many favourites. The choreographers were so gracious and we got to choreograph the routines together. It felt so good to be in the studio choreographing with the team. I’m so grateful that I got to do that. I felt that I got to be creative as well as performing. 

We Don’t Talk About Bruno was a blast, it was such a fun concept. I loved Wannabe, I’ll never forget that choreography, we had so much fun doing that dance. The solo contemporary dance I did, I have not danced contemporary since I was young, so that was refreshing and beautiful to do. I loved seeing the panel latch on so well and that they were emotional about it especially because I was wearing a giant Scissors costume. 

How did you feel when you won?

I was honestly so shocked and it feels so long ago now. It doesn’t feel like it did then, now it feels, ‘Yes I won the masked Dancer I’m so excited.’ But then it was, ‘Wait, what?!’ I was definitely shocked and I was surprised to find out who my competition was because I’m a big fan. I was surprised to see who everybody was, Adam and Bruno. I competed in front of Bruno and he judged me on Dancing With The Stars, it’s such a small world! Definitely shocked. This isn’t a competition show, it's about so many other things. These other characters were really selling it and having fun with Joel. You just don’t know how the audience sees it, what they like and what song they love that week so it was fun and exciting and surprising.

What went through your head when Joel called your name? 

When Dawn had kind of guessed my name I feel like she really got me. I wasn’t nervous that they were going to guess me. I was just waiting and when it finally did I was like, ‘Yes!’

Are you a competitive person?  Were you in it to win it?

I’m only competitive with myself, I’m not much of a competitive person with other people. I grew up in a group competitive setting, it was always, we can do this as a group. I was never much never much of a soloist, until I got much older. From the beginning I was just excited all these people were doing [The Masked Dancer] for the fun of it. There was no hope or wish that I was going to win, it was just like, ‘Let's have the best time’. I’m just competitive with myself, I’d go to my dressing room and meditate and be like, ‘You just have fun out there Heather, don’t take it too seriously.’

Glee was such a huge show for us in the UK, do you still feel you have a strong fanbase over here?

The UK just has a different energy and feel from the US with a fanbase and it doesn’t feel so obsessive. It's such great support and a lot of my fans I keep in touch with on social media.  The fans are great, any excuse to come over to the UK again and live there and bring my family also, to experience it. I’d do whatever, I walk across the stage and be Joel’s henchman I don’t care what it is!

Have any of your UK fans guessed it was you?

Oh yes. The tweets came about half way through [the series] and there were a lot of Brittany S Pierce clue packages and the superfans just knew immediately. They were tweeting me, like, ‘Hey Scissors we know it's you.’  Luckily I'm not active on twitter so me being silent wasn’t crazy.  They definitely knew right away. When you’re watching at home the clues can seem hard but when you know who the person is, you're like, ‘How do you not get that!’

What did you think of the other performers?

The other performers blew me away. I'm such a fan of the entertainment industry in general, the props, the stage, the costumes, everything from top to bottom shocks me and gets me so excited. So watching the series on TV, it's such a fun show. All of it makes me excited.   Watching the other performers and their costumes, Odd Socks had so much going on and Prawn Cocktail also had a big costume. I was in awe of everything, the choreography, the concepts, the ideas that they came up with. 

Did you think you’d make the final?

I took it week by week. I was away from my family so I didn’t know what to expect. I was having a blast living in London for a couple of weeks. I got to travel and I took the train everywhere so my hope was that I got to stay and enjoy London more and feel more like I live there. I had no idea, I couldn’t gauge it. Especially because you’re in those costumes so you think you’re connecting with the young person in the audience who is a fan of your Masked Dancer character, but you don’t know how the rest of the audience feels about you.  You hope that you relate enough fun and energy that the person in the back row likes you. 

When you were out exploring London were you worried why fans might think you were here in the UK?

Funnily enough I didn’t get approached a lot. I really went out and about and saw so many sights. My good friend came and visited for a week and we went and did a lot of sightseeing.  I lived the life whilst in the UK. Funnily enough I had a comicon in Liverpool and that’s where I got to meet all my fans and it was an excuse to be in the UK. It was set up before I got asked to be on the Masked Dancer, so it was the perfect distraction. I was with Matthew Morrison at the time as he’d come to the UK for Comic Con also. When I asked him if he wanted to hang out after the event, he said that he was going to Blackpool because Oti Mabuse has a show there and he asked if I’d like to go. I made my excuses because I knew the second she saw me that she would have guessed it and would just throw the whole thing off. I dodged a bullet. I kept my cool but it was a close call. 

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