The Masked Singer Double Elimination Boots Icons of ’90s Music, Groundbreaking ’10s Sitcom

It was all or nothing for Buffalos, Ship, and Woodpecker as The Masked Singer’s Group A singers reach their final — and only one of them can advance to the quarterfinals before we meet a whole new batch next week!

If not, it would be a double-elimination, as only one singer could survive and make it to the quarterfinals in a couple of months. In the meantime, Buffalos, Ship, and Woodpecker needed to do all they could to survive two rounds of competition here!

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie Address Past Feud As They Reunite for New Series

View Story

The “Soundtrack of My Life” theme brought out emotions from the panel and from the contestants, hiding their tears behind their masks. Their heartfelt and impactful stories helped shape who they’ve become as superstars.

But who are they? And which of them advanced to the quarterfinals? As Nick would shout, “you know what to do!”

Let’s jump right in with this week’s mask. And don’t worry, before we get to the unmasking(s), we’re going to make you power through the terrible (and occasionally good) guesses made by our illustrious panel of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora first. We do this because we love … to torture you.

Along with the panel’s guesses, we’ll be sharing some internet speculation, too, so if you don’t want to be potentially spoiled (because they are very good at this), you may want to skip past the guesses sections.

FILLER

Group A Top 3

(“High Hopes,” Panic! at the Disco) It was a balance between experienced confidence and youthful bravado on either end as Ship laid it down vocally and with so much fantastic attitude in the opening lines, Buffaloes maintained their consistently strong vocals, and Woodpecker was giving everything. She moves and bounces in a way that you only see in someone very young and very confident, if not bordering on cocky. She’s feeling herself at this point. We’ll see how all three feel after their solo performances.

ABC

DWTS 5th Judge: Did Eric Roberts, Reginald VelJohnson Survive Double Elimination as New Frontrunner Rises?

View Story

ROUND 1: Soundtrack of My Life

Ship

(“Because the Night,” Patti Smith Group) Ship sailed smoothly into these vocals effortlessly, though she didn’t quite have as much aggression in her interpretation as the original. That said, she’s so seasoned and aware of her range and her voice, she did not make a wrong move. Just as we were hoping she’d give herself a vocal moment, she pushed that final chorus higher and put a stamp on a very confident and strong performance.

Guesses: Ship shared that she felt connected to Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” because she, too, felt shipwrecked and lost at one point in her life. She described her existence as “broke” and “living off of a $2 burrito,” with one half for lunch and the other for dinner.

Then, though, she signed on to sing backup on an international tour, showing a rowboat as she talked about it. A photo of John Wayne was also featured, while on stage we got a letter written, “Congrats on the Best New Artist win! You are a true leading lady. -LeAnn ’98.”

“This note is from one of the most treasured moments of my career. And it meant the world to receive such recognition from such a talented woman like LeAnn Rimes,” Ship explained. Later, when asked what she’s discoverad about herself on this journey, Ship added, “I’m such an introvert, this is reall stressing me out. But I have to say, I’ve been watching this show with my daughter, and we love you, and thank you so much for having me here. I hope to go all the way.”

For Footloose week, Ship opened up about her own high school experience, sharing that she was quite the mover and shaker in her teen years. She was a cheerleader, class president, and even got voted prom queen. But a serious injury left her sidelined and in a boot for a year.

It was at this point that she turned to music, particularly the family piano. She used it as her therapy, she explained as we saw her opening a red, heart-shaped window. She also represented her foot injury with a medical boot and a pair of white cowboy boots, while we also saw a raven before she dropped the classic phrase, “knocking on heaven’s door.”

Her massive on-stage clue came out as a wall of lockers. Inside one was a shot of Kevin Bacon from Footloose beneath Whoopi Goldberg beneath Melissa Etheridge. Ship explained, “I’m three degrees of Kevin Bacon” through her connection to Etheridge.

Season 6 winner Queen of Hearts (a.k.a. Jewel) had the honor of being the Masked Ambassador for Ship, who shared that her life has changed from “angry to serene on a dime” after a rapid start to her career. She said she had “massive hits, made history,” but then lost control of it.

She felt completely forgotten for years before reclaiming her career, and in fact, finally enjoying the career she always wanted. But that career is unlike this stage, with Ship admitting this is scary because it’s “uncharted waters.”

Jewel, though, thought that was reason enough to do it, encouraging Ship to “steer towards your fears head on, just like we did all those years ago together.” She said that by doing so, she’d be “unsinkable.”

Along the way in this first clue package, we saw sculptures in an art museum, a plane, a clock on it set to approximately 11:35, a $15,000 Wanted poster, and an old TV with antenna crossed to make an “X.” Is that for Generation X, X Factor, or maybe even the X-Men? Her on-stage gift was a sparkly cowboy hat.

Rita considered the raven and Sarah McLachlan’s “Blackbird.” “But there would be sad puppies in the clue package,” Jenny quipped before Robin started tossing out familiar guesses before circling back to McLachlan’s piano prowess. Ken, meanwhile, again tried to twist the bird into a Sheryl Crow.

“You know who is my leading lady?” Ken asked, to which Jenny interrupted earnestly to reply, “Jenny McCarthy.” He went on to guess VMA’s Best New Artist Alanis Morissette, who wrote “Firefly” for Jewel. The problem, though, is that Alanis has a very distinctive voice, Ken … and that ain’t it!

Rita went into the Best New Artist Grammys category to find Norah Jones, while Jenny was thinking Joan Osborne briefly before winding her way to the guess the internet’s been circling since day one. Paula Cole has a Best New Artist Grammy, too, coming just a few years after she joined Peter Gabriel’s world tour as a backup singer, replacing Sinead O’Connor.

Brainstorm Media

How Julia Stiles, Heather Graham Fight Scene Sparked Surprise Pregnancy Reveal (Exclusive)

View Story

Woodpecker

(“Put Your Records On,” Corinne Bailey Rae) Woodpecker brought her strongest vocal performance of the season just when she needed it, offering a velvety tone that caressed the opening verse. There was a milky throatiness we’ve not heard from her before. In the chorus, we got some falsetto and hints of range. She still performs like an amateur, with some moments that aren’t as dynamic vocally and in stage presence, but she’s grown a lot in just three performances.

Guesses: For the “Soundtrack of My Life” theme, Woodpecker channeled the strong women in her life, including two grandmothers and an aunt, who she said all lived under the same roof with her at one time. While talking about her grandma listening to her own records, we saw a turntable, South American on a globe, a cheeseburger, and a picture of Regina Hall.

When asked what she wants to say to her Masked Singer superfan grandma, Woodpecker replied, “Oh Grammy, I am so grateful to have you in my life. I hope I am making you proud in this tight corset!” Her time capsule clue was [[XXXXXXX]].

In Week 2 we learned that Woodpecker’s hero is … Woodpecker. This apparent former child celebrity talked about growing up in the spotlight and getting scrutinized for everything from wanting to kiss a boy to wear heals or — oh my! — using curse words.

Some of her visual clues included a tiny brown briefcase, a yellow rubber duckie, and a director’s chair. Her on-stage clue for Week 2 was Kevin Bacon’s shoes from Footloose. She explained, “Another bird from The Masked Singer family, and mine, shares their stylish obsession with shoes with me.”

Season 11’s Miss Cleocatra (a.k.a. Jenifer Lewis) was Woodpecker’s TMS ambassador, who had love for an artist she’s known since the start of her career. She called her a mogul and “chic CEO,” touting she even became friends with Beyoncé.

Woodpecker shared that she was taught the only doors that open are ones you knock on, “so I knock on them all.” Her goal now is to be the youngest billionaire, proving along the way that there’s nothing she can’t do.

Visual clues included an SAT answer sheet, gate sign reading “Family,” and red sports tape reading “Next.” Her on-stage clue “Ambassador Gift” was a “World Record” plaque, suggesting she might have one of those, too!

Rita thought of a “hustler, like me,” landing on Letitia Wright, who’s a multi-hyphenate with her own production company. Ken admitted he doesn’t know who it is, so he went with Willow Smith, while Jenny wasn’t super confident in her Regina King. Nick didn’t’ say he knew who it was, but was getting that younger vibe from her.

That latest on-stage clue definitely helped Robin out, who tied the cheeseburger to Good Burger 2 and a social media star who famously wears glasses in a lot of her TikToks, Liza Koshy. Ken, though, considered the globe to possibly refer to a Golden Globe and presenter Regina Hall, who presented Best Comedy to Quinta Brunson.

Jenny, though, wondered about the previous “Family” clue and the child star hints to find her way to Tatyana Ali from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But the internet is skewing younger than all of those guesses, though many are so close to what they’re thinking. She did star in Good Burger 2, and she was on a family sitcom, but it was black-ish, and we’re growing more and more convince that this is Marsai Martin — who’s also pretty known for her spectacles.

Getty/NBC SNL

Howard Stern Criticizes Maya Rudolph’s SNL Kamala Harris Impression: ‘There’s Too Much at Stake’

View Story

Buffalos

(“Bittersweet Symphony,” The Verve) Buffalos did a great job of arranging this vocal into three-part harmony, while sharing leads and having their moments. We were definitely digging the choreography, as well, which only further proves that these boys have been at this for a while and definitely know how to share the spotlight and complement one another as performers and singers.

Guesses: The trio chose The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” for their third performance because they connected with that bittersweet feeling. In their clue package, they opened up about losing a guiding light that inspired them as they were breaking through after they lost him suddenly.

They said that they sang together while laying him to rest and thought that might be it for them, but they know he’d want them to continue. Visual clues in the package included a Dead End sign, a ringing bell, and camouflage umbrella.

“We’ve been in this industry for a very long time,” one of them said on stage after their performance. “We’ve gained a lot and we’ve lost a lot. The beautiful thing is, we’re here right now sharing our story with you.” The other two circled around him in support as he got emotional.

The on-stage clue was a t-shirt that reads “Halftime Show,” with the explanation, “This halftime t-shirt has aged over time, like us, but we can tell you this performance was in front of one of the biggest audiences in the world.”

Their second clue package saw the trio describe themselves as rebels who found each other along the way never really cared what other people said about them. It emphasized that they’re funny — while suggesting some might think they take themselves too seriously — and that they’re rich. Like, way rich.

Their bar-set package included an emphasis on three beer mugs, a game of poker, and a black “poison” bottle. Their clue came out as a mini-“Motown” tractor. “We’re a little tired right now because we’re busy using this tractor to mow lawns all around town,” they explained.

Season 5 winner Piglet (a.k.a. Nick Lachey) shared a seemingly singular Buffalo’s story in his first clue package, talking about his rough upbringing in “roach-filled beds at night.” During the day, he practiced at a bus stop. When Buffalo talked about catching his big break at a cattle call, we saw images of Betty White and Vanna White.

From that auspicious beginning, Buffalo went on to travel the world and star in two of the biggest sitcoms of all time. Nick came back to call Buffalo a “national treasure,” as well as the center of attention at his Super Bowl parties. Additional images included a poster of a football player at that bus stop and Buffalo holding up a film reel.

Buffalo’s closing line was, “Just you wait,” which evokes Hamilton. Their-on-stage clue the first week was a crown.

Jenny was picking up some B2K vibes, but instead took the bell to the Liberty Bell and Boyz II Men, who did perform at a Super Bowl Halftime Show. The internet has been leaning more toward the Boyz, but there’s still a contingency who think it might be Bell Biv DeVoe, leaving this the most undecided mask yet!

Ken, though, said it’s definitely not Boyz II Men because he knows “exactly who this is.” He then dropped Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, which had Nick literally falling out. Rita’s Black Eyed Peas guess wasn’t much better because they do not sing like that. Girl, please!

Getty

Why JoJo Siwa Spent Morning on Her 21st Birthday Crying — And How Famous Friend Saved the Day

View Story

UNMASKING 3

A tougher road this week, but it more than likely comes down to Ship and Woodpecker. Buffalos outperformed them both, and pulled heartstrings at the same time! There’s no way this studio audience would dump them after something like that.

As for the ladies, we still think Ship is more polished than Woodpecker. So even though we suspect they’ll both go home before the end of the night, at this stage, it felt more like a Woodpecker exit for us, though we do know these young audiences like a young artist. So we wouldn’t be surprised to be surprised.

But we weren’t surprised, as the audience agreed with us, sending Ship and Buffalos into the Battle Royale round and Woodpecker back to the nest.

Robin Thicke: Liza KoshyJenny McCarthy: Tatyana AliKen Jeong: Quinta BrunsonRita Ora: Keke Palmer

We’re pretty sure the panel missed the mark on this one, losing focus on a lot of the clues and that body language. We think the internet has been on the money with this one since the beginning and it’s actually black-ish child star all grown up, Marsai Martin. And that’s exactly who it was!

Marsai shared that she’s been watching The Masked Singer since the beginning, calling it “amazing.” She went on to add, “Honestly, singing has just been out of my comfort zone for the longest time, so I think to be able to be behind the mask and become this certain character, this certain facade, in a way, it’s so fun and exciting.”

TikTok

Anne Hathaway Apologizes For Being ‘Dismissive’ To Same Reporter Who Called Out Blake Lively

View Story

ROUND 2: Smackdown

Ship v Buffalos

(“Go Your Own Way,” Fleetwood Mac) Ship strained her range a bit and didn’t quite nail it as strongly as she surely intended, but still gave a very strong performance, very much in the style of the original. This register is right in her wheelhouse and she definitely sounded comfortable on the track. Buffalos continued to make their case for just winning the whole damned thing (even though we’ve only met a third of the contenders) by absolutely making the song their own, rearranging it into a classic R&B jam with silky smooth vocals. This was butter melting down our ear canals, much like they probably were doing all through the heights of their career.

Getty

Jennifer Lopez Gives First Comments on Ben Affleck Divorce: ‘It Feels Lonely, Unfamiliar, Scary’

View Story

UNMASKING 4

As much as we love Ship, with all that power and poise and grace up there, she had the bad misfortune of landing in a group with Buffalos. In the end (for now), there can be only one and that one has to be Buffalos.

There was no “bullshp” from the panel — who were the only ones to vote this round — as they quickly made it official, sending Buffalos into the quarterfinal, and Ship back home to enjoy the show with her daughter.

Robin Thicke: Amy LeeJenny McCarthy: Paula ColeKen Jeong: Alanis MorissetteRita Ora: Sarah McLachlan

Ken and Robin had the worst guesses based on voice alone as Alanis has a far more distinctive sound and Amy has the capability to go higher more confidently. Of the remaining two guesses, Paula Cole was lining up more with the clues and her overall vocal vibe was definitely more what we were hearing — plus, the internet finally landed on this same guess.

Did Jenny get her first right guess? “Ken, am I gonna break your streak?” she asked her fellow panelist, before that’s exactly what happened. At least Ken was gracious about it.

Paula shared that the whole idea of the show makes her uncomfortable, but then she thought, “There’s so much possibility when you pick up your bravery and you do something outside of your comfort zone. And so I pushed myself, and then it’s just fun.”

The Masked Singer shifts to Group B for a “Sports Night” theme next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.