The Masked Singer 9 Week 9 Recap: Space Night!
The Masked Singer season 9 continues with Week 9 theme Space Night, featuring Nick Cannon as host, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger on the judges panel.
Three costumed celebrities will perform for the studio and judges panel votes. A celeb will be unmasked in the middle of the show. The remaining two celebrities will go head to head in a “Battle Royal.” The winner will move on to the quarterfinals. Last week’s winner and two new celebrities will compete in the LAST episode of the LAST round of the season for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The final wildcard spot was given away last week. Two celebrities WILL go home this week. Next week, The Masked Singer will feature the remaining six singers in a clip show, “The Supreme Six.” In the following episode, the three Wildcards will compete for one spot in the quarterfinals.
Tonight’s celebrity costumes are returning champ Dandelion, in addition to UFO and Lamp.
Dandelion
Clues: An apple and a “wanted” sign. Plus, her dog! Space is meaningful to her. Santa with a laugh emoji.
Performance: Starlight by Muse: Dandelion accompanies herself on piano! That has only happened, one time before, when David Foster played piano for Katharine McPhee as part of a duo costume, Banana Split. She doesn’t stay at the piano long. Dandelion has to work the stage. She was better singing the classic “Over the Rainbow” last week. She’s out of her depth somewhat on a rock song. On stage clue: “Space Star.” She says, “The theme tonight is perfect for me, because I’ve had plenty of experience with space.” Robin guesses Sara Bareilles. Jenny guesses Milla Jovovich. Ken guesses Alicia Witt.
Lamp
Clues: Captain Nicole. Senior Yearbook. Energy drink. She was a teen star who locked lips with several fan favorite teen heartthrobs from the 90s.
Performance: Venus by Bananarama – Lamp is an OK singer. With tuning, she could probably record pop music. She sings on pitch, but has no range. She’d flop singing a more technically difficult song. Daphne Zuniga delivers the clue. She appeared in the movie Spaceballs. She is also an old friend of Robin’s. “Cover Girl” is the clue. Lamp says, “Let me spell it out MAXIM.” She covered the lad mag Maxim. Nicole guesses Alyssa Milano. Jenny guesses a bunch of actresses. Robin guesses Ali Larter.
UFO
Clues: New England. Tiara. RIP Queen Victoria. A sewing machine. Brooklyn Bridge. GG Time to Sing. I “heart” IT.
Performance: Yellow by Coldplay – She sings with a trembly little pop voice. Her tone is very ethereal. She could have hit big notes on the chorus, but she’s either holding back or big notes aren’t her thing. She’s got a bit of a country twang. She works the audience after the performance. The on stage clue is delivered by real astronaut Mike Massimino. He sent the first tweet from space. “Planet Wide” is the clue. “I don’t like to brag, I’m not just known in America, but the whole galaxy,” she says. Ken guesses Kendall Jenner. Jenny guesses Gigi Hadid. Robin guesses Kya Gerber.
1st Unmasking
The audience and panel voted. The first celebrity leaving the competition tonight is…Dandelion! OK. Dandelion should have been the last one standing. Crazy. Final guesses. Jenny: Milla Jovovich. Ken: Alicia Witt. Robin: Sara Bareilles. Nicole: Zooey Deschanel. And the Dandelion is….Alicia Witt! Ken got it CORRECT! And the Vanessa Williams guess was a bust. She stumped a ton of people, except Ken who always guesses wrong. She should have made it at least to the Battle Royale. Lamp kinda sucked.
Battle Royale
Lamp and UFO will sing the same song in their own styles. Afterward, the panel picks the winner. First, Lamp sings “Rocket Man” by Elton John. Her delivery is talky and pitchy at the same time. A more difficult song UNMASKS her vocal limitations. UFO is next. Her version is slower. She varies the phrasing and throws in an adlib. She’s got this. Dandelion is a better singer. But OK.
2nd Unmasking
And the night’s champion heading to the quarterfinals is…UFO! Lamp will be UNMASKED. Final guesses. Jenny: Melissa Joan Hart. Robin: Melissa Joan Hart. Nicole: Melissa Joan Hart. Ken: Michelle Williams. As if she’d even spend two seconds thinking about this show, let alone appearing on it. And indeed, Lamp is Melissa Joan Hart from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She did it for her kids, and a chance to overcome her fear of singing.
