Did “The Masked Singer” shuffle up the run order of these episodes? We’re not sure how else to explain a spooky Halloween-seeming episode airing the day before Thanksgiving.
Nick Cannon said that tonight’s winner joins Harp and The Lambs in next week’s semifinals, so they didn’t go back and edit that dialogue to clarify that the semifinals is actually airing tomorrow night — yes, as in on Thanksgiving! Maybe it’ll have an Easter theme.
The way these themes have been working, though, the theme itself has become a huge clue as “Fright Night” has to have some meaning for the last two new masks of the season, Scarecrow and Sir Bug-a-Boo. Both came out to battle last week’s newcomer who stole the crown, Snowstorm.
It was a night of fun performances, Nick getting genuinely spooked by some of the dancers’ masks, and the second-ever self-elimination as one contestant removed themselves from the competition with a message for the show — and Ken, in particular.
The first self-elimination, of course, was when Mickey Rourke suddenly yanked off his own Gremlin mask following his Season 4 performance before anyone had a chance to really say or do anything. It was one of the weirdest moments on a show that is more weird than not.
Let’s jump right in with this week’s masks. And don’t worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking, 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 Nicole Scherzinger 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.
(“Devil with the Blue Dress On,” Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels) Sir Bug-a-Boo has one of the most awkward costumes to move around in and it definitely limited what he was able to do. Add to that the crazy arm extensions and this was visually just bizarre. That said, we still don’t think this kind of performance is anywhere near his wheelhouse, nor is singing. He’s got an okay voice and can mostly carry a tune, but it’s more that he looked like he was having fun out there.
Guesses: We’re not saying it was intentional, but Sir Bug-a-Boo’s altered voice was giving Shaquille O’Neal’s voice all over the place. We weren’t getting that after he started singing, but it was eerie listening to him talk through his clues package.
In those clues, he shared his big break which came when he was up against some of the most “monstrous names” in the industry for a competition. He never expected it, as only one would “get out” with a job, but that one turned out to be him.
He then said his work went on to earn a permanent place in pop culture, which had us thinking of Tony Todd from “Candyman” for some reason — the mind goes unexpected places. He said that he told the world he wasn’t afraid of anything, but that was a lie, as he’s terrified of the dark.
Visually, we saw a film reel, suggesting a cinematic connection, and a red phone with three question marks in place of the number buttons (or dial), as well as a spooky specter. There was also a shot of him possibly signing a paper contract with a pen before panning up to a full moon to end on.
Anothing thing that has us thinking perhaps Todd is the fact that the panel was immediately thinking basketball player because Sir Bug-a-Boo is a lot of man underneath that costume. And the original Candyman stands at 6’5″. Could a crazy whim be right? Could we be better than the panel at this game?
Is it possible to be worse? Considering Sir Bug-a-Boo’s shoulders look about the same height as Nick’s, who’s 6’0″, it could indeed be that we’re just as bad as the rest of the panel.
The on-stage clue was what looked like a fish tank full of slime that Jenny had to stick her hand in to find a framed photograph of a younger Nicole. “You and I have jammed together,” Sir Bug-a-Boo told her, “So I’m just smiling and laughing under this costume here.
Jenny pondered the green slime and the question marks on the phone to think of the line, “Who you gonna call?” Throw in the film reel and the ghost and she found herself thinking of “Ghostbusters” star Ernie Hudson.
Ken went a little too on-the-nose with his Jordan Peele guess, because of the phrase “get out” in the clues. Nicole, though, took it to Lil Rel Howery, who she did “Drop the Mic” with. She also considered “American Idol” legend Randy Jackson, considering his competitive show past.
The internet really wasn’t sure about this one, either, though a few found themselves hoping that maybe it’s “Ghostbusters” theme maestro Ray Parker, Jr. under there. Other names tossed around included Craig Robinson, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, and even Mike Tyson, while still others were picking up that Shaq vibe, too.
(“Abracadabra,” Steve Miller Band) Scarecrow put on a very fun show. She’s got a raspy voice and didn’t try to do too much with it, but still sounded good on the track. There’s a natural charm to what she does, making us think of an older performer who’s definitely comfortable entertaining a live crowd.
Guesses: Speaking of the mind going unexpected places, as soon as Scarecrow started singing we pictured Susan Sarandon in our head. Scarecrow talked about a wild career, saying she made “fans scream” while earning critical praise. That said, she “had to bend over backwards” to get the Academy to recognize her work.
With that mention, she was handed and held a literal golden globe, so was it the Oscar or the Globes — or maybe both? She said she’s turned heads in her career, and has aven sang on Broadway. But ultimately, she traded the red carpet for green pastures and animals, currently living with over 100 rescues.
Visual clues included a cardboard sign with an “X” on it over a pumpkin, two “Masked Singer” security dancers with bunny ears and dalmatian ears to reference all those animals, as well as a sign that read, “Wes Craven Was Here.” She signed off by saying, “See you in your nightmares, Ken.”
When Nick called for a clue, a green-faced witch cackled and laughed up with the panel before running off. “The clue is staring you right in the face,” Scarecrow told the panel. She again targeted “Dear Little Kenny,” asking him “which” celebrity he thinks she is.
Ken started throwing out witch movies, which got Jenny to shout out Bette Midler, but Robin picked up “Witches of Eastwick” and landed where we started, throwing out Susan Sarandon. Jenny, though, wondered about Anjelica Huston from “The Witches,” or “Fatal Attraction” star Glenn Close.
Ken, though, started rattling off all the star power women from the “Scream” franchise until he finally mentioned Jenny McCarthy, which seems unlikely considering she’s sitting right there, but he was making his way to Parker Posey, who he starred in a film with — and she’s definitely targeting him.
The internet wasn’t super confident in their collective guesswork, but there were two names that kept coming up more than any other. The clues certainly seemed to fit, too, so maybe it’s “The Exorcist” star Linda Blair … or Jane Krakowski? Or it’s neither, and it’s someone like Kimberly J. Brown, Linda Hamilton, or Michelle Pfeiffer.
(“Sweet But Psycho,” Ava Max) Snowstorm kept this one in a safe range, but really did deliver another solid vocal. We still don’t think she’s a professional singer, but she is a professional performer who’s got a respectable singing voice. There’s a nice tone there that’s well suited to a song like this, though we’d have liked a little more inflection and passion in the performance.
Guesses: We got repeats of some of last week’s clues like the “Speed Dating” banner, that comic book cover, roasted chestnuts and a “Welcome” mat with TV cameras on it. She also added a new clue this week in the package, a framed picture of a white house.
Her on-stage clue was “Ken Jeong in a box,” as Nick quipped, but not really. It was a “Dangerous” doll all wrapped up in bandages in a glass box looking disturbing wit glowing eyes. “Nick, that’s not one of your kids?” Snowstorm asked him.
“Safety first. Always read the warnings,” Snowstorm told the panel about her clue. “Now you can think of them as clues to keep the monsters away.” Jenny is thinking “Real Housewives” and found “Halloween” star Kyle Richards.
But Ken went straight to Lisa Rinna, which Snowstorm had a joke seemingly in the chamber for. “If I was Lisa Rinna, are you sure my lips would fit under this?” she asked him, cementing last week’s theory that this is a quick-thinking roast comedian.
Nicole went on a long journey past Olivia Rodrigo and took the house picture to reference a carpenter and then mentioned Jesus, making Snowstorm wonder if that was her guess, before finally getting all the way to Sabrina Carpenter.
The internet, though, landed pretty quickly on “Comedy Central Roast” staple Nikki Glaser, who definitely is built like this, has jokes like this, and even has this vocal cadence and delivery. It’s hard to listen to Snowstorm talk after thinking of Nikki Glaser and not hear it constantly.
Of the three, this feels like a brewing showdown between Scarecrow and Snowstorm, with Sir Bug-a-Boo left out in the cold. He just didn’t have what it takes vocally to compete with the ladies, and we still believe that’s what this is supposed to be about. He also didn’t deliver in showmanship, either, so it wasn’t working on all levels.
In a shocker, though, Scarecrow said she came on to celebrate the show and what it’s done for family entertainment before announcing that she wants to bow out of the competition and unmask herself. “These two competitors are the real deal,” she said. “I just came to bother Ken.”
And with that, Scarecrow self-eliminated.
Robin Thicke: Susan SarandonJenny McCarthy: Glenn CloseKen Jeong: Parker PoseyNicole Scherzinger: Jamie Lee Curtis
Nicole even mentioned the “head turning” line from the clue package, but still didn’t land on the real scariest movie of all time, “The Exorcist” and its terrifying child star, Linda Blair. She then explained why she did the show.
“Let me tell you what you do for me and for the world,” she said. “You take us out of what is a most difficult time in history right now for one hour a week of entertainment. I deal with animals being abused, thrown away on the streets.”
She said that their love and hearts heal her of the pain she endures as she tries to go out into a seemingly dark world and spread some joy and light herself and considers them family. She also said she came to bother Ken because he’s always bothering everyone, and to promote the Linda Blair World Heart Foundation.
(“Somebody’s Watching Me,” Rockwell) Snowstorm delivered another fairly safe performance, but one that sounded confident nevertheless. She has a sweet spot in her voice and she knows how to use it when she can stay right there. Sir Bug-a-Boo surprised us on this one as that limited vocal range of the song actually helped him sound stronger here than he did in his original performance. He actually has a tenderness in his voice that’s quite pleasant.
Ultimately, though, our money was still on Snowstorm as it felt like she delivered more consistently throughout the night. This Battle Royale was basically a tie by our standards, so we have to look back on their first performances. But is that what the panel did?
As it turns out, it’s exactly what they did, setting up an all-female semi-finals — which is pretty exciting on its own. The women came to represent and now Snowstorm gets to move on to battle it out with Harp and The Lambs to see who’s going to win the Golden Mask trophy.
It also means that it’s time to find out who’s inside that incredible awkward Sir Bug-a-Boo costume. This was a difficult one as he sounded different both times he performed and the costume hides so much of his build and size you’re left with almost nothing to work with. And yet, Nick was positive he knew who it was.
Robin Thicke: Keenen Ivory WayansJenny McCarthy: Ernie HudsonKen Jeong: Jordan PeeleNicole Scherzinger: Randy Jackson
Well, Jenny was probably the closest with her guess, but we were certainly left feeling a little bad that we were so harsh on him. All those “Ghostbusters” clues were spot-on but it wasn’t a cast-member but rather the iconic theme song artist himself, Ray Parker Jr.
He said he was actually drawn to the show when he heard his name guessed for Bobby Brown’s Crab last year and saw his face superimposed. He had so much fun, too, that he was disappointed to be leaving and already asking for another costume to come and do it all over again.
“The Masked Singer” continues with a special Thanksgiving Semi Finals at 8 p.m. ET Thursday before coming an end next Wednesday at 8 p.m .ET on Fox.
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