It was basically a parody of country music as “The Masked Singer” celebrated the genre with a lot of fringe, cringeworthy line dancing and “YEEHAW!”s from everyone.
Still, it did make for a fun final round for Group B, as Fairy (who defeated Squirrel last week to take the crown) defended against newcomers Macaw and possibly the season’s most adorable costume yet, Axolotl.
The night also featured some fun guest stars delivering on-stage clues, including Bill Engvall, Robert Woods and Deana Carter. Once again, Group 2 did not disappoint in giving us a tight race to the final moments. Okay, one of the three seemed likely to go first, but the other two were neck and neck.
With the panel having wasted the Ding Dong Keep it On Bell for Gargoyle in Week 4, there was no extra saves tonight. That meant one singer would be crowned the Group B winner and move on to the next round and two — yes, two! — singers would be unmasked.
Let’s jump right in with this week’s masks. 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 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.
(“Angel from Montgomery,” Bonnie Raitt) Fairy really delivered a heartfelt vocal on this that sounded authentically country. She didn’t do anything mind-blowing with her voice, but she delivered the lyric and the sentiment beautifully. She’s definitely got a solid voice with a great tone and perfect pitch, so she’s no stranger to singing.
Guesses: After a bunch of clues about her life growing up in the world of celebrity, and having a famous dad, Fairy revealed this week that she’s good friends with Linda Ronstadt, and that the singer has been rooting for her since she was just 13 years old.
She also added the new clue of a Fairy’s Tale book with a blue ribbon on it, while re-emphasizing the black panther, basketball, police badge and silver Christmas tree clues, hanging a fresh ornament on the latter.
Fairy revealed that she first sang this particular song at 11 years old, but this was her first time doing so on a stage — and this time she’s grown to understand the lyrics she was singing. Bill Engvall of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour brought out her on-stage clue. It was 21 (a Queen and an Ace) in Blackjack.
“I know something about winning, and with this hand, I could really take you to school,” said Fairy. Is she revealing that she’s maybe one of those celebrity card sharks we see on televised poker tournaments?
After Nick admitted he wasn’t sure who this was, Ken decided to go with a “more realistic” guess than the Angelina Jolie that got him heartily booed last week. He elicited a fresh round of boobirds by throwing out Jennifer Aniston.
More seriously, Nicole wondered if maybe this self-proclaimed “nepo baby” was daughter of Stevie Wonder, Aisha Morris. But then the authenticity of the country voice had her shift gears to consider Mickey Guyton. Nick knows Mickey and couldn’t reject the idea outright.
Robin, though, circled back to Fairy charging kids to see her famous dad and found his way to Lori Harvey, daughter of “Family Feud” host Steve Harvey. But the internet has been circling another talent that’s been around even longer in Holly Robinson Peete.
Holly’s dad was the original Gordon on “Sesame Street,” which would defintely be enough for the neighborhood kids to want to meet him. The police badge could represent her breakthrough role in “21 Jump Street,” while she went to school with Sean Penn, Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez. The clues are lining up — even being friends with Linda Ronstadt!
(“Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” LeAnn Rimes) Axolotl had a fun stage presence, but she was right in her clue package to prepare us for the fact she’s not the best singer. She was okay at staying in tune and carrying the rhythm, and she was definitely having fun, but it’s clear singing is not what she’s famous for.
Guesses: While singing may not be her forte, it might just be that of the man she married (or at least got romantically involved with). After detailing a rough upbringing, including a struggle with an eating disorder and bullying so bad she had to switch schools, Axolotl said she fell in love with a song that helped pull her out of it, and then the man who sang it.
He encouraged her that the only way to make life perfect is by building yourself up rather than tearing yourself down. Some phrases she used quite pointedly included “all that,” “a part of your world” and “perfect 10” … so we’re getting Nickelodeon, “Little Mermaid,” athlete vibes. Sure, that works!
As part of the imagery, her bullies looked like beekeepers with nets, there was a steer cave painting on a wall, she had pom-poms at one point, and a raw steak on a plate when she opened up about how she basically stopped eating. She then rang what looked like a boxing ring bell.
Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods brought out her on-stage clue, which came in the form of the number 2.3 million on a black football helmet. “That’s how many people watch me when I work,” said Axolotl. “And that’s just on a Monday.” Is she part of “Monday Night Football” or even “Monday Night Raw,” as Robin mused?
He went there because he heard “total divas,” which has obvious WWE connections, too. He tied the steak to “Raw,” thinking this could be either Nikki or Brie Bella. They’re certainly entertainers. Ken was all over this, thinking the same thing. But, neither could reconcile the ring with the musical note in it, or that musical clue.
Nicole, however, was leaning more toward the gold bell being for a gold medal and maybe this is Olympic legend Simone Biles, or McKayla Maroney or really any other really petite athletic gymnast.
Jenny took the clues in a slightly different direction, while staying in the world of wrestling. Alexa Bliss is as petite as Axolotl, and she’s been open about transferring schools due to bullying, as well as struggling with an eating disorder when she was a teen. She’s also married to singer Ryan Cabrera.
Twitter was all over this guess, too, with all the wrestling fans quickly IDing who they were certain was underneath that costume — when they weren’t marveling at this costume or wondering what this creature is. Did we mention her earliest wrestling persona was a cheerleader inspired fairy character, which could even tie the pom-poms in. It’s a pretty good guess!
(“Live Like You Were Dying,” Tim McGraw) Macaw had a slight timidness in his vocals and performance, but it also looked like he was really pushing himself to his fullest to embrace this moment. Vocally, he was solid on the track with some nice nuances to his voice. If he is a professional singer, we’d think maybe as part of a group or a background singer. He was solid, but this wasn’t a leading man type of performance.
Guesses: It turns out Macaw has been performing (though not necessarily as a singer) since he was really young, saying that his father used to bribe him into it with quesadillas. He was pushed into performing at a local Mexican restaurant. Was he a dancer? Musician?
In fact, it turns out that his parents were a bit part of what got him into entertainment, though the pressure of trying to please them and “be the good son” left him overwhelmed and having panic attacks. Ultimately, though, he said what started as a way to make them happy ultimately brought him “glee.” Was that a pointed use of that word?
He also talked about melted cheese, had images including dolphins and a jar of salsa, while talking about how he learned to finally take breaks and reset when needed. He also said that this is the year he’s decided to be brave both on stage and in his life, with this show a big part of that.
Deana Carter came out with Macaw’s on-stage clue, representing for country music — why did no one sing “Strawberry Wine”? She even offered Macaw a chance to open for her on the road, without even knowing who it is! Wouldn’t that be awesome if she followed through and his being brave opened a new door.
Her clue is a silver medal that looks kind of like a sun. To explain, Macaw said, “It wasn’t until I left the next that I struck gold.” Jenny wondered if that meant he left his group, which would validate our own theory that his voice sounded like someone who hasn’t been singing lead.
Robin went out on quite a limb, tying the dolphin to “Flipper” star Elijah Wood aka Frodo Baggins of the Shire and “The Lord of the Rings.” Jenny, thinks the silver medal is the Moon Person from the VMAs, landing on Zayn Malik, former One Direction member. Could the arrows be that?
Nicole went a little wild with her guess, too, wondering if this could be Hoobastank lead singer Doug Robb. “I think that guess was stank,” Robin said, but Nicole wasn’t having it. “You just said Frodo!” He then threw out Elijah Wood being in “The Good Son,” another line from the package, to back up his still tenuous guess.
The internet, though, was thinking Macaw might just be “American Idol” alum — and runner-up — David Archuleta, or Lonestar’s Richie McDonald. Those were their most dominant guesses, but it was also based mostly on the voice.
She had a great energy and was a lot of fun up there, but it still often comes down to overall singing ability. In that regard, Axolotl just can’t compete with two people who sound like they’ve actually sung on a stage before. She’s adorable and has great stage presence, but she cannot pull off the vocals.
The voting audience and panel agreed, sending Macaw and Fairy into the Battle Royale to square off, while Axolotl had to “take it off” — after the panel delivered their final guesses. Would Jenny talk herself out of the likely correct answer?
Robin Thicke: Nikki BellaJenny McCarthy: Alexa BlissKen Jeong: Brie BellaNicole Scherzinger: McKayla Maroney
The only drawback to this elimination was that we only got to see such an adorable costume perform one time. We have many reasons we hate this new format, but this is definitely one of them. We don’t get a chance to really revel in these great costumes for weeks at a time before someone takes it off and reveals it was, indeed, Alexa Bliss underneath it.
She shared that appearing on the show was helping her conquer her crippling fear of singing in front of people, so she was proud of herself for fighting through the tears and having her moment. She then urged people to do something every day that scares them, because she did that today and had so much fun.
(“That Don’t Impress Me Much,” Shania Twain) Fairy took to this song like a woman who knew a thing or two about being disappointed in a man. She had just the right amount of sass in her delivery, nailing both the vocal and the attitude like she was born to this genre. Macaw sounded infinitely stronger and more in command of his vocals here, putting a smooth R&B vibe on the track. It didn’t necessarily fit the tone of the song, but he certainly sounded more polished and professional on it.
Once again, the Battle Royale threw everything up against the wall. While Fairy had the right tone and attitude for the piece, Macaw seemed to have the more impressive and dynamic instrument to work with there. Her stronger connection to the song paired with his stronger vocal range and ability but weaker connection made this a dead heat in the end. If we had to pick someone.
This time, it was just down to the panel, and we again found ourselves wondering what happens if they were to actually tie on a vote. This one was so even, it could legitimately happen. We’re a sucker for intent and emotional connection, so we were leaning Fairy, but we had a sneaking suspicion Macaw might get it. And he did, with Macaw taking the crown and sending Fairy in for an unmasking.
Robin Thicke: Lori HarveyJenny McCarthy: Corinne FoxxKen Jeong: Jennifer AnistonNicole Scherzinger: Tracee Ellis Ross
Fairy’s body language said it all with Ken’s terrible guess. She was really hoping he’d maybe come through, but she almost collapsed in embarrassment for him when he dropped his Aniston guess. Look, Ken, she’s just not going to do this show. Oh, and neither is Angelina.
Instead, the internet was on the right track — a track the panel never seemed to explore at all — with Holly Robinson Peete revealed as the fantastic multi-talented artist beneath the mask. As Nick pointed out, it was particularly poignant that she won last week’s “Sesame Street” night as her dad Matt Robinson was the first Gordon on that show.
She talked about how she’s always been a “closet singer,” even singing the theme songs for her shows “21 Jump Street” and “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.”
“The Masked Singer” continues with “80s Night” next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
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