Tonight, season 3 of the wacky singing competition, The Masked Singer premieres on FOX after Super Bowl LIV.
SIX celebrities will perform in crazy costumes. ONE will be unmasked by audience vote before the special episode ends. After the contestants are presented, with clues, they will perform a song. Then, it’s up to the audience to guess who is behind the mask.
Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke sit on the panel, while Nick Cannon hosts and is an executive producer.
There are 18 celebrities competing. We’ll meet the first six tonight, aka Group A, including Llama, Miss Monster, Robot, White Tiger, Kangaroo and Turtle!. The competition will proceed in rounds. Six celebrities will compete for three weeks in 3 sets, leaving 9 celebrities to compete for the win.
The Masked Singer will resume it’s regular time slot on Wednesday Feb 5 at 8 pm ET/PT.
Jamie Foxx is the guest judge tonight. He’s dressed up in a Fox mask. Ha. He says season 2 ruined his life with everyone thinking he was the celebrity behind the Fox costume. Of course, it ended being winner Wayne Brady.
White Tiger is first!
Clues: “Ready to meet your next champion?” says White Tiger. “My entire life I’ve sought out perfection.” He says, “I’ve got a giant career full of accomplishments.” Tiger walks through the halls of a high school. But when he imagines singing on stage he’s “A big ole scardy cat.” Tiger won an award: Ultimate champion for clam shucking.” He says, “But it’s been awhile since I did something that scared me. So I’m here to conquer yet another challenge.” His fans are his motivation. “I don’t want to let them down. Flash to a photo of the founding fathers “Four score and 7 years ago…” He’s ready to get in the ring and smash the competition. “Let’s party,” he says.
Performance: Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice – He’s rapping. Not a singer at all. I have a feeling this is an athlete. The dancing is pretty comical. He is TOTALLY NOT A PERFORMER for a living. Tiger feels POWERFUL in his new costume. “Like I could conquer anything. I don’t want to take it off.” Nicole is already obsessed. “Tiger got moves, Tiger got everything.” Ken thinks it’s someone from Boston–John Cena maybe. Jamie calls the song a “white homie” theme song. “Just a little ahead of the beat!” He guesses Gronk from the Patriots. That actually sounds reasonable. Jennifer guesses Aquaman’s Jason Momoa.
Internet consensus: White Tiger is Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. He retired from the New England Patriots last season. “Four score and 7 years ago” adds up to 87, Gronk’s jersey number. Clams are a New England thing. And, Gronk owns a party bus, so. Probably him!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LJY_Lc0g5M
Turtle:
Clues: “At the starting line of my career I was surrounded by other hungry newcomers,” says Turtle. He and security are at the starting line on a track field. The guards are wearing bunny ears. “It felt like everyone around me was fighting tooth and nail for the dream.” Turtle watched as many of those stars “burned too brightly, too quickly and then fizzled out.” Turtle polishes a surfboard. “I’m a turtle because I’ve always taken this step by step. Slow and steady wins the race. Now, I feel like I’m ready to break out of my shell.” Turtle grills burgers on the field. “After years of preparation, I would love to make a big splash.” One of the guards is shriveled up on the ground holding a blanket like a baby, while Turtle steps over him. He holds a medal at the end.
Performance: Turtle sings Kiss from a Rose by Seal. He’s not a bad singer. He could be an actor that can also sing. Jamie yells “Boy Band.” Maybe! He finished with a lovely flourish, handing a rose to an audience member. Seems like a thing a boy bander would do. Ken calls him a “frontrunner.” Jenny thinks it’s somebody she and her husband knows, because he’s cooking a hamburger? And Wahlburgers? That’s a stretch. Ken jumps up to say it’s Jenny’s husband Donny and she instantly goes in for the strangle. Robin guesses Joey McIntyre, while Nicole thinks it may be an actor who can sing like Zac Efron.
Internet Consensus: Turtle is pop singer/actor Jesse McCartney. He was in a boyband called Dream Street and played a surfer in the TV show Summerland. Fun fact: Jesse co-wrote the Leona Lewis megahit “Bleeding Love” with Ryan Tedder. I can see the “slow and steady” clue. Jesse kept out of trouble and has done more behind the scenes via voice work and songwriting than folks might know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XIJqH1SkjM
Llama
Clues: “Me me me me mix it up,” says Llama. “Good morning, Nerd Herd. You’re listening to The Wool, where we’re all cool, no bull.” Llama plays radio station DJ, spinning records, talking into a mic. “I’m here for one reason only, to have a laugh. And what’s funnier than a Llama?” A statue of a fat Buddha sits on the table. Two sets of cards, a Jack and Ace –clubs and hearts–flash by. “You may call me a joker, but I’d like to get serious for a minute.” He pulls a “Sounds of Seattle” album out of a bin to queue up on a turntable. The song he chose, gets him in the mood for romance, (She Bangs? OK then), he says as he plays out that famous clay scene from “Ghost.” He signs off, “Llama out!”
Performance: “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin. Hm. I don’t think he’s a singer. He can sort of carry a tune, but he’s flat nearly all the way through the song. “You’re like the Jay Z of Llamas says Ken. Nick notes his “strap on bootie.” He adds, “His a** got wheels!” Jamie is sure he’s a DJ. Robin guesses Joel McHale. He’s from Seattle! Ken agrees! Howard Stern and David Spade also come up as guesses.
Internet consensus: Llama is Jack Black or Drew Carey. Drew is part owner of the Seattle Sounders. Also, while the playing cards could refer to Jack Black, Drew lives in Las Vegas part time. I would say whoever it is, he’s definitely a comedian. This is where I remind y’all that clues usually avoid direct references to what the celebrity actually does for a living.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYMQfx8kvWc
Miss Monster
Clues: “When you become famous, people want you to look or act a certain way. They forget that you start off as just a shy little monster.” A pink skeleton key is tagged “FUN.” She says this as she primps in front of a stage mirror. “It didn’t take long for me to be misunderstood.” Monster walks the halls of a pink high school. She opens up a locker containing photos of Monster from season 1. She stans him! “HE MADE ME FEEL,” she says. “He wrote his story IT WAS FIRE!” Hm. “Will you still love me without knowing my name,” she asks.
Performance: Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt. This voice sounds VERY FAMILIAR. Is Miss Monster season 3’s classic diva? She can sing for sure. The judges are on their feet. Ken calls the performance “energetic.” He heard a southern twang and guesses Dolly Parton UHM NO. It’s definitely an older legendary SOUL artist, like former contestants Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. Jenny guesses Mary J. Blige. Nicole guesses Dionne Warwick. Jamie calls her a Queen and notes her DIVA moves, that he believes Dolly would never do.
Internet Consensus: Miss Monster is Chaka Khan. The clues point to two songs “I Feel For You” and “Through the Fire.” Plus that VOICE. These legendary divas are so easy to unmask!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfhPNDr8z8s
Robot
Clues: Robot says the perfect Masked Singer combines “one part creativity and one part ???” He relates to robots because Robot has “always felt the need to put on a tough outer shell.” He adds, “I think that makes me come across as inhuman, and it stunted my potential.” He’s had his fair share of fame, but he’s “here to tip the scales and show that I can be relatable to everyone.” He adds, “I really do have a heart, and a lot of love to give I love this costume. It’s like the Robot in the classic 60s TV show, Lost in Space.
Performance: Are You Going to Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz. Hm. Robot isn’t a singer. His tone is super monotone and he talks his way through parts of it. “I never done nothing like this before,” he says. Nicole likes his tone. Because of the crash imagery, Jenny thinks it might be a prankster like Johnny Knoxville. Jamie guesses Steve O. Nicole guesses fighter Floyd Mayweather.
ROBOT WAS ELIMINATED TONIGHT! See below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86RNfeLDeZQ
Kangaroo
Clues: She’s a survivor. She recently lost somebody who “held my family’s heart together.” She says, “by my own admission, I found myself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.” There is a quick shot of a gramophone and a sign that says “Outback.” She insists, “I’m going to do what Kangaroos do best, bounce back.” She adds, “I have to fight for my family and show them that bullies never win.” Kangaroo finishes her clue package with a dedication: “To all you survivors out there, this one’s for you.”
Performance: Dancing on My Own by Robyn. Kangaroo provides the big emotional moment of the night. It’s the best performance of all six. She’s obviously a pop singer of some sort. Kangaroo is REAL. Dang, she sounds familiar. Robin calls the performance “cathartic.” Her story touched Jamie’s heart. “This year I’ve had no other option than be vulnerable.” She believes the costume will help get her “superpowers” back. Jenny guesses Jordin Sparks. Hm. I don’t think so. Nicole guesses Kelly Rowland. Robin guesses Iggy Azalea. Kangaroo is very tall!
Internet Consensus says Jordyn Woods from Life of Kylie??? Her father died, and there was some scandal with the Kardashians. Plus, her dad was a sound engineer, hence the gramophone. IDK. Other guesses include Kesha, Paris Jackson and Kylie Minogue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpsMM4UX9Uw
The audience votes. And the masked singer with the least amount of votes is…The Robot! Aw. My fav costume. SADS. Judges last guesses: Nicole: Floyd Mayweather Jenny: Johnny Knoxville. Jamie: Steve O Robin: Sean White Ken: Flavor Flav (???)
AND THE ROBOT IS LIL WAYNE!!!! OK. I was sure Robot was not a music artist. Wow. Honestly, I wish he had lasted longer. Dang. Lil Wayne has had a complicated life, including a stint in jail. The multi-platinum selling rapper chose the robot costume for his kids. They like the show. Ha ha. Robin did five songs with Lil Wayne and he still had no idea who was behind the Robot mask.
- The video game controller in Robot’s package is a clue to Lil Wayne’s XBox commercial
- The fire truck in Robot’s package is a clue to Lil Wayne’s hit single “Fireman.”
- Lil Wayne’s records have gone platinum over and over again.
JAMIE FOXX NEEDS TO BE A JUDGE EVERY DAMN WEEK. His guesses are smart and he’s funny as hell.
