The Masked Singer Reveals Sitcom Queen -- As Wrong Mask Goes Home, But Ken Was Right Again?!

And then there were four, and four who could actually sing! The Masked Singer Group A charged on with Buffaloes, Ship, Showbird, and Woodpecker once again taking the stage for already the toughest night of the competition so far. There were no obvious duds left in this group -- sorry John Elway -- as Kevin Bacon and Footloose took over the show. The soundtrack from the '80s classic provided the music, Kevin Bacon himself sent in some video inspiration, and the artists provided the entertainment. They also continued to hone their guesses, though Ken refuses to let go of his awful Willow Smith guess for Woodpecker. But he was also right about Elway, so maybe we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the goofiest panelist. Let's jump right in with this week's mask. And don't worry, before we get to the shocking 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. ("Footloose," Ken Loggins) A little lounge singer in his delivery, but the song was definitely in Robin's wheelhouse and he was clearly having a little fun getting to show off his pipes -- which he rarely gets to do on this show, oddly enough, considering how often Nicole Scherzinger and Rita have been spotlighted for their singing. He's still got that sweet falsetto and set a light, fun tone for the night. ("Let's Hear it for the Boy," Deniece Williams) Showbird had a bit of a squeak heading into that first chorus, which confirms her story that she's returning to a first love but not a seasoned singer who's been honing her craft for years. She does have a strong, if unpolished voice, with her stage presence lacking for the same reasons. It's all pleasant enough, but even those first falsetto moments showed she's really stretching herself. If she committed to this, we could see her cleaning up these little things and really soaring. Guesses: For her second week, Showbird shared her love story, which it turns out it someone she used to have as an old friend. When they reconnected, sparks flew and they're part of what's encouraged her to stretch herself creatively and reconnect with her passion for music. Visual clues included a purple cupcake, old-fashioned radio mic, and a vanity table of costume jeweled rings. Her on-stage clue was a hip-hop playing music box, which got Showbird grooving right along with it. "That's more my vibe because back in '94 I was part of a hip-hop empire," Showbird explained. Her Week 1 Masked Ambassador is frequent guest panelist and one-time "singer" Joel McHale, who conceded Showbird is out of her element on this show. She agreed completely, describing herself as a tomboy nerd who loved Lego and Comic-Con growing up. She always thought her life would be more humble and low-key, but instead she bares her soul in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, "unlike Joel here." We also saw an Advanced Singing 401 book, a golden gavel, glittery boots, and lots of costumes, which always makes us think stage performer. Her on-stage gift was popcorn, which could refer to the MTV Movie & TV Awards' Golden Popcorn bucket? That last clue had Ken's jaw dropping, with his immediate guess of Yvette Nicole Brown, who starred with him and Joel McHale on Community. He tied the music box to YNB having been signed to Motown Records by Michael Bivins as part of the "East Coast Family." And she recently got engaged. Jenny, liked the guess, but had one of her own. Instead, she took the purple cupcake to The Color Purple and the word "empire" to land on Taraji P. Henson, which Rita guessed last week. This week, the purple had her thinking maybe it was Prince collaborator Sheila E. The internet was definitely picking up what Ken was putting down, though, when it came to Yvette Nicole Brown, as they've been on the Community star's trail since last week's premiere. If anyone should recognize his old costar, it's Ken -- and if he were to not recognize his old costar … well, imagine the embarrassment! ("Almost Paradise," Mike Reno & Ann Wilson) Ship definitely has a seasoned, professional voice. She was effortless with so much power and passion throughout this piece. There was a richness in the tenor of her voice which really stands out, as does its mid-range tempo. It's clear she's been doing this for a long while, though her prime era on the charts may be behind her. Guesses: 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 presid

Moderated by Tomas Kauer Moderated by Tomas Kauer
Oct 3, 2024 - 17:00
The Masked Singer Reveals Sitcom Queen -- As Wrong Mask Goes Home, But Ken Was Right Again?!

Ken Jeong is off to a pretty wild start, settling on the correct guess for the second week in a row as The Masked Singer's Group A contenders battle it out on a Footloose-themed night with four great performances -- before the wrong act gets booted.

And then there were four, and four who could actually sing! The Masked Singer Group A charged on with Buffaloes, Ship, Showbird, and Woodpecker once again taking the stage for already the toughest night of the competition so far.

There were no obvious duds left in this group -- sorry John Elway -- as Kevin Bacon and Footloose took over the show. The soundtrack from the '80s classic provided the music, Kevin Bacon himself sent in some video inspiration, and the artists provided the entertainment.

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They also continued to hone their guesses, though Ken refuses to let go of his awful Willow Smith guess for Woodpecker. But he was also right about Elway, so maybe we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the goofiest panelist.

Let's jump right in with this week's mask. And don't worry, before we get to the shocking 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

Robin Thicke

("Footloose," Ken Loggins) A little lounge singer in his delivery, but the song was definitely in Robin's wheelhouse and he was clearly having a little fun getting to show off his pipes -- which he rarely gets to do on this show, oddly enough, considering how often Nicole Scherzinger and Rita have been spotlighted for their singing. He's still got that sweet falsetto and set a light, fun tone for the night.

GROUP A

Showbird

("Let's Hear it for the Boy," Deniece Williams) Showbird had a bit of a squeak heading into that first chorus, which confirms her story that she's returning to a first love but not a seasoned singer who's been honing her craft for years. She does have a strong, if unpolished voice, with her stage presence lacking for the same reasons. It's all pleasant enough, but even those first falsetto moments showed she's really stretching herself. If she committed to this, we could see her cleaning up these little things and really soaring.

Guesses: For her second week, Showbird shared her love story, which it turns out it someone she used to have as an old friend. When they reconnected, sparks flew and they're part of what's encouraged her to stretch herself creatively and reconnect with her passion for music.

Visual clues included a purple cupcake, old-fashioned radio mic, and a vanity table of costume jeweled rings. Her on-stage clue was a hip-hop playing music box, which got Showbird grooving right along with it. "That's more my vibe because back in '94 I was part of a hip-hop empire," Showbird explained.

Her Week 1 Masked Ambassador is frequent guest panelist and one-time "singer" Joel McHale, who conceded Showbird is out of her element on this show. She agreed completely, describing herself as a tomboy nerd who loved Lego and Comic-Con growing up.

She always thought her life would be more humble and low-key, but instead she bares her soul in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, "unlike Joel here." We also saw an Advanced Singing 401 book, a golden gavel, glittery boots, and lots of costumes, which always makes us think stage performer. Her on-stage gift was popcorn, which could refer to the MTV Movie & TV Awards' Golden Popcorn bucket?

That last clue had Ken's jaw dropping, with his immediate guess of Yvette Nicole Brown, who starred with him and Joel McHale on Community. He tied the music box to YNB having been signed to Motown Records by Michael Bivins as part of the "East Coast Family." And she recently got engaged.

Jenny, liked the guess, but had one of her own. Instead, she took the purple cupcake to The Color Purple and the word "empire" to land on Taraji P. Henson, which Rita guessed last week. This week, the purple had her thinking maybe it was Prince collaborator Sheila E.

The internet was definitely picking up what Ken was putting down, though, when it came to Yvette Nicole Brown, as they've been on the Community star's trail since last week's premiere. If anyone should recognize his old costar, it's Ken -- and if he were to not recognize his old costar … well, imagine the embarrassment!

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Ship

("Almost Paradise," Mike Reno & Ann Wilson) Ship definitely has a seasoned, professional voice. She was effortless with so much power and passion throughout this piece. There was a richness in the tenor of her voice which really stands out, as does its mid-range tempo. It's clear she's been doing this for a long while, though her prime era on the charts may be behind her.

Guesses: 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.

The internet has been circling both Annie Lennox and Paula Cole since the premiere, but they're starting to focus harder on Cole, with some even just about ready to throw down over it!

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Woodpecker

("Holding Out for a Hero," Bonnie Tyler) Woodpecker knows how to sing but she's definitely not a professional in this industry, though she may dabble in it. There was a definite lack of polish on this piece, which didn't nail every note, didn't offer much vocal personality (or vibrato), and didn't quite master its breath control. It's the kind of performance you might get from someone who's very good, but sings with the confidence of someone great.

Guesses: It turns out 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.

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Buffaloes

("Waiting for a Girl Like You," Foreigner) Buffaloes are so silky smooth and confident in their vocal performances, they've even got classic doo-wop background dancing going on as one of them took the lead on this one -- with a polished falsetto -- with the other two offering perfect harmonies. Not only are they great singers, but they've clearly been performing together for a while.

Guesses: 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.

Ken didn't hesitate with his guesses this week, throwing out Bell Biv DeVoe, tying it to their single "Poison." Jenny, though, thought of "Peaches and Cream" star 112 before tiptoeing to Boyz II Men, who had a Vegas residency, which ties with the poker clue.

But Robin did not hear their vocals in there and went further down the TV trail to find Big Time Rush, to tie into that film reel clue and the fact they had a sitcom would tie in with their funny clues this second week. Nick thinks he knows this one, saying, "Everybody up there is really close."

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UNMASKING 2

This week saw a pretty even divide from top to bottom, with Buffaloes and Ship clearly having more experienced and quality vocal deliveries. Showbird and Woodpecker carry themselves and perform more like talented amateurs, when it comes to singing -- or at least someone who's not been honing this particular craft into a tightly-oiled machine.

This week is fun -- and harder -- because no one is actually bad and therefore immediately deserving to go. Of those two, though, we'd give the edge to Showbird, who had a more overall consistent vocal performance. Woodpecker had more enthusiasm, but it knocked her off key here and there and her confidence sometimes outshined her actual vocals.

It turns out the audience and panel did not care what we though about this week's show, though, as they kept Woodpecker safe and instead sent Showbird to the unmasking. We didn't see her as a Group A contender for the finals, though, so we'll allow it.

  • Robin Thicke: Yvette Nicole Brown
  • Jenny McCarthy: Taraji P. Henson
  • Ken Jeong: Yvette Nicole Brown
  • Rita Ora: Sheila E.

Ken is off to an unprecedented start, making it two for two with his guesses on this season (with Robin tagging along). Of course it was the brilliantly talented Yvette Nicole Brown. "I don't know why I'm getting emotional doing this," she said.

"First of all, this is a love letter to Ken; they've been asking me to do this for years," she added. "Singing is my first love and it was hard when it didn't work out so I always said no. But for you, I said I would come and do this. For you."

You can check out TooFab's exclusive exit interview with YNB below.

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