The Masked Singer 11: American Idol season 2 fan favorite duo ‘Beets’ All?
The Masked Singer season 11 Group C final airs on Wednesday (May 1). TWO celebrities will be unmasked with a third moving on to the quarterfinals. And you can BET the duo pairing Beets will emerge victorious. But I say that partly out of bias as a die hard American Idol fan. Because surely SURELY y’all realize by now that Beets are season 2 winner and runner-up respectively, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken!
If you weren’t convinced of Beets identities before, take a listen to a preview from the upcoming episode. The theme is “Soundtrack of My Life” and the two perform Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time.” Every American Idol coronation single–particularly those from the FOX years, which featured corny lyrics and big booming key change–owe a debt to this 1988 hit from Houston. Unsurprisingly, she performed the hit at the 1988 Olympics.
Listening to the Houston classic harkens back to those confetti filled American Idol finales. Interestingly, 2020 winner, Just Sam, chose to sing “One Moment in Time” for her recent debut on the big Idol stage after Covid protocols interrupted her journey.
But take a listen to those voices! Clay, in particular, is unmistakable. The two harmonize seamlessly, because Clay and Reuben have been singing together for years, after their 2003 run on the show. They spent a year on the road last year celebrating their 20 year American Idol anniversary. The two also performed on the 2023 American Idol finale to mark the anniversary.
The CLUES fit!
This week will be Beets 3rd appearance on the show. For their first performance last month, Beets covered Michael Buble’s “Home” for Wizard of Oz night. Then last week, for Girl Group night, they performed an energetic performance of Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited.”
Lastly, can’t forget the clues: Here is a sampling of the clues that point to Beets identity:
- The two note their deep friendship several times.
- “For a moment we had millions of eyes on us. Forty million of us.” The American Idol season 2 finale had about that many viewers.
- “And even when the world seemed to be trying to pit us against each other, we’ve always had each other’s back.” Clay and Ruben were the front runners for the win. “Beeting the Odds” points to the fierce betting markets at the time. Ruben vs Clay was really a thing!
- “We work so well together, his big ole brain and his unbeatable heart”
- “All we need now is to find the nerve to “turnip” on that stage….It will be like going back to our roots.” Literally! Clay and Ruben performing AGAIN on a Fox competition show 21 years later.
- “I am the feisty one” says one, clearly Clay who is the extrovert to Ruben’s subdued introvert.
- “Like Dorothy and Toto we are the best of friends. And pretty good co-stars too” Which refers to them appearing together on American Idol and on stage in various tours over the years.
- Beets say they are “still touring hitting the town.”
- “We made our audience week in the knees on Broadway” The two mounted a Broadway Christmas spectacular a few years ago. Also, Clay starred in the Broadway production of Spamalot.
Hilarious, ridiculous judges guesses
The judges have not even come close to guessing their identities yet. Rita Ora is convinced they are comedians “pretending” to be good singers (!?!). Robin Thicke guessed Brooks & Dunn, the country duo. No. Will somebody on the panel, including Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy finally guess them this week?
Beets competition are Gumball and Seal (rumored to be Scott Porter and Corey Feldman, respectively) It’s not even arguable–Beets are the best singers left and SHOULD advance to the next round. Tune in Wednesday, May 1 at 8 pm on FOX to find out if they make it!
