The Masked Singer season 8 premiers with Nick Cannon as host, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger on the judges panel.
A new format means only ONE mask survives every week. At the end of three rounds, three celebrities will compete in the semi-finals for a chance to compete in the semi-final.
Harp
Clues: As a teen she auditioned for the “biggest show in the world.” She didn’t fit the mold and was turned down. Later she got the opportunity of a lifetime. She’s not taking no for an answer tonight. AMBER RILEY I NEVER GUESSED A MASK SO FREAKING FAST IN MY LIFE.
Performance: Perfect by P!nk – Harp is Glee star Amber Riley, y’all. It sounds exactly like her. Body type and mannerisms fit exactly and the clues fit. (American Idol turned her down, later Glee offered her big break.). Not much else to say. Toodles! Clue: She won an award for her acting. She won another for her singing. And then one for her comedy which she shared with her besties. Robin guessed Queen Latifah. NOPE. Jennifer guesses Jordin Sparks or Fantasia. SHE SAID OUTRIGHT THEY TURNED HER DOWN. Ken guesses Jennifer Hudson. LOL AS IF.
Prediction. Harp is Amber Riley. Don’t argue with me. I am right.
Hedgehog
Clues: He speaks with an English accent. Probably fake. “I’ve been naked in playboy.” He’s part of one of the biggest groups of all time, selling a bunch of venues. He has a large fan and celebrity following. He gave the Queen a big laugh.
Performance: Love Me Do by The Beatles – He sings with a big marching band behind him. He can’t sing, so maybe he’s a comedian of some kind. Was he in a movie like Spinal Tap? Hm. The stars of that movie were all Americans, but played fading British rock stars. Clue: He won a Tony and a Grammy. Ken guesses Ringo Starr who doesn’t sing like that. And also, has not won a Tony. Robin guesses Eric Idle Jenny guesses John Cleese or Michael Palin. Nicole guesses Bill Nye.
Prediction: The Monty Python guess makes sense. The Broadway musical Spamalot based on Monty Python sketches, won a Tony and a Grammy. Eric Idle wrote the music, book and lyrics.
Hummingbird
Clues: He knows about competition. It’s in his DNA. He found a Patriotic team. They dominated the superbowl, he said alongside some footballs.
Performance: I Don’t Want to Be by Gavin DeGraw – For an athlete, he’s not a bad singer. He can carry a tune at least. He’s a little nasally. Clue: He cherishes his special awards that are out of this world. They are silver, but don’t mean second place. Ken guesses Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Robin guesses Jennifer guesses Deion Sanders. Rob Thomas or Chad Kroeger,
Prediction: I don’t really know, but there was a big thing recently about Tom Brady taking time off from pre-season practice. TMZ was totally leaning into The Masked Singer being why Brady was absent. But he’s won more than two rings. And anyway, it’s way too on the nose.
Knight
Clues: He was holding out the hosting gig. OK. This dude mumbles and I don’t understand him. He says something about throwing chairs. Knight is maybe a comedian who has hosted stuff.
Performance: Putin on the Ritz by Fred Astaire – He literally talks his way through the song. Knight can’t sing at all. But he is very comedic. Clue: Knight loves all the awards. Ken guesses David Hasselhoff. The Hoff actually sings better than that. Jenny guesses William Shatner. Robin guesses…he doesn’t really make a guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSGcg2dyRXQE!
Time to VOTE The character with the most votes will advance.
RESULTS
The first singer to be unmasked is…Knight! Final guesses: Ken: David Hasselhoff Jenny: William Shatner Nicole: John Lithgow Robin: Weird Al. And the Knight is…William Shatner! Shatner says being the Knight was “HORRIBLE!” But “FUN.” Apparently, Shatner was friends with Robin’s father, Alan Thicke.
The second singer to be unmasked is Hedgehog. Nicole: Bill Nye Ken: Elton John Robin: Eric Idle Jenny: John Cleese. And the Hedgehog is…Eric Idle!
It’s the final result! I SMELL A CLIFFHANGER. It’s 9 pm y’all. Harp aka Amber Riley is The Queen of the Masked Singer.
Hummingbird is eliminated. But we won’t learn his identity until next week. Three unmaskings in a one hour episode felt like too much.
Next week, Harp aka Amber Riley joins two new celebrity masks. After Hummingbird is unmasked at the top of the show, the trio will perform. TWO more celebrities will be unmasked and the King or Queen of The Masked Singer will move on to the last week of the first round.
Thinking about this more–it makes sense to have so many masks only appear on one show. It allows FOX to attract bigger stars who might not want to appear week after week.
