Who Won The Masked Singer 10? Who Was Unmasked? Finale Recap and Live Blog
Tonight, The Masked Singer WINNER will be crowned and awarded the Golden Mask. Follow us as we live blog the performances and results.
Nick Cannon is host, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger sit on the judges panel.
The Masked Singer 10 finalists are: Donut, Cow, Sea Queen and Gazelle.
The show opens with the four finalists singing a group number of “What I Like About You” by the Romantics.
Cow
Clues: He’s friends with the panel. He thought the Cow costume would lead them off the scent. He’s tried to change up the way he dances and sings. The cow is a tribute to his beloved mother.
Performance: Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson – Cow is so good, he could win. He’s the full package: Dancer and singer and master of the stage. And again an AMAZING DANCER. HOLY COW the panel shouts. The cow keeps smacking Nick. He was a fan of the show forever. “This is already a dream come true.” Robin guesses Ne-Yo. Nicole guesses Usher. Ken guesses Usher. Jenny guesses Billy Porter. Nicole and Jenny are all “At first I thought Ne-Yo….” They know Cow is Ne-Yo, they don’t want to say it! Usher is a dumb guess, because he’s about to play the biggest stage in the world–the Super Bowl, while Ne-Yo is in a slump and needs the publicity.
Gazelle
Clues: She earned the “ding dong keep it on bell” from the panel. Deer are meaningful to her because of someone she lost. She has a deer tattoo with flowers, and feels the costume is perfect for her. She has connected to her inner Goddess.
Performance: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol – Her tone and vibrato are very pretty. Her phrasing is ordinary though. She’s probably not a recording artist first. Still, she’s pouring herself into the song. It’s sweet. Ken is so glad that he used the bell. “You earned it. Your best performance.” Jenny guesses Ashley Tisdale. Nicole guesses Gina Rodriguez. Ken guesses Constance Wu. He’s convinced it’s his dear friend. Is she really that dear? Because that’s not it. I suspect the panel will not guess this one correctly.
Sea Queen
Clues: She finds the costume to be cumbersome and claustrophobic. The show has stretched her as an entertainer. She’s the first wildcard to make it into the finale in Masked Singer history
Performance: Rescue Me by Fontella Bass – Sea Queen is one of those celebrities whose vocals are so identifiable, one wonders why she’d even try to hide who she is. This is obviously Macy Gray. And while she’s complaining about the costume–she competed in the UK version first! She drops the mic to conclude. Nicole guesses Macy Gray. Ken guesses Macy Gray. She was a guest on I Can See Your Voice, a show that Ken produces and hosts. Robin guesses Macy Gray as well. I MEAN C’MON EXACTLY.
Donut
Clues: Donut might win on the tail of his tragic backstory, his wife’s recent passing. He’s the Danny Gokey of The Masked Singer.
Performance: You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker – More songs about his wife who died. This is FOX and I wouldn’t be surprised if Donut, who is most likely Dukes of Hazzard star and MAGA dude John Schneider, wins. I’m rooting for Cow. But we’ll see. He’s crying at the end. And now the panel wipes away fake tears. His wife wanted him to do the show, he explains tearfully. Nicole guesses Engelbert Humperdinck (again). Robin thinks it’s Tom Jones, who lost his wife last year. Jenny guesses John Schneider. Ken doesn’t guess, but delivers a big heartfelt speech about how they are along for the emotional ride.
First unmasking (RESULTS)
The votes have been tallied. The first singer unmasked in the season finale is…Sea Queen! She’s too weird for the audience. Final guesses. Ha ha. The judges say it ALL TOGETHER MACY GRAY. “There is no gray area, Robin declares. Also when the celebrity is so obvious, there’s no point in keeping them in the competition. And of course it is MACY GRAY Robin and Macy go way back, he says. “She is the purest form of an artist.” Ha ha. She tells her fans “Don’t take no s— off of no one.” She sings out with her song “I Try.” She’s so weird. But a great singer! Oh well ON TO THE NEXT REALITY SHOW. She’s done a ton of them.
Second unmasking (RESULTS)
Cow and Donut are SAFE and will perform one more song. Gazelle is eliminated and will be unmasked. Final guesses: Robin: Ashley Tisdale. Jenny: Ashley Tisdale Ken: Constance Wu Nicole: Gina Rodriguez. And Gazelle is Janel Parrish from Pretty Little Liars! While the panel blew it, the internets knew! Singing is Janel’s first love. And now, she finally feels like a singer. She apologizes to Ken for not being Constance. He still doesn’t regret saving her. She apologizes to her family over lying about being on the show. She sings out with “On the Radio.”
Donut
Clues: He looks back on his Masked Singer journey. He’s had five number one songs. His late wife wife said, “But nobody knows that you sing!” It’s why she suggested he go on The Masked Singer. “Every performance has been a love letter to her,” Donut says.
Performance: Drift Away by Dobie Gray – The song evokes the 70s–the era in which Donut was likely most famous. “Play me some truth guitar,” he yells. he winds up behind the judges panel with the dancers. The audience chants “DONUT DONUT DONUT.” Donut shares what winning would mean to him, “I could really really use some joy in my life right now. Winning would bring me joy,”
Cow
Clues: Cow also looks back on his time on the show. He’s won Grammys, but didn’t have the opportunity to accept them in Prime Time. He wants to thank his mom. He feels like The Masked Singer appreciates him. He’s singing a song that he helped bring to life. Hm.
Performance: Take a Bow by Rihanna – From Wikipedia: Producers: Stargate, Ne-Yo. There you go NOT USHER. Of course Cow will sing a song he actually produced beautifully. HE BETTAH WIN Y’ALL. Jenny calls him a “legendary artist.” Cow says, “This has been absolutely a dream come true. Winning The Masked Singer would be the icing on top of a very beautiful cake.”
Winner REVEALED
This winner of The Masked Singer season 10 is COW! Donut can go on Fox and Friends tomorrow and cry about losing.
Final Donut guesses: Robin: Tom Jones. Nicole: Engelbert Humperdinck Ken: Tom Jones Jenny: John Schneider. Robin says he likes Jenny’s guess. Good, because she is correct. And Donut is….John Schneider. Nick reveals that he and John are friends. John says he’s a theater brat and has always considered himself a singer. When Jenny finally payed attention to the clues, she says, she guessed it. Ken says Dukes of Hazzard was his favorite show growing up. He emotionally thanks John, who shares that his wife passed in February of this year. John starts crying. He advises people to let the people you love know it. He sings out with “Hooked on a Feeling.”
Winner unmasked
Nick feels stupid now. Because he insisted Cow COULD NOT BE Ne-Yo. Final guesses: Robin: Ne-Yo Nicole: Ne-Yo. Oh, he produced Nicole’s records. Ken: Usher NOPE. Jenny: Billy Porter. NOPE. Ken got three correct in Season 10, Nick notes. And Cow is….Ne-Yo. Of course. The crowd is chanting “Ne-Yo, Ne-Yo, Ne-Yo.” He grew up in a houseful of women, where he learned the strength of a woman. “My mother has been my rock.” Ne-Yo sings out with his song “Miss Independent.”
The real reason (probably) Ne-Yo competed on The Masked Singer
Ne-Yo is one of the biggest stars to compete on The Masked Singer. At this point, he needs some image rehab after a spate of bad publicity.
Recently, he made comments that were critical of transgender youth and affirming care for children. Then he apologized for the comments. The next day, he retracted the apology, saying it came from a publicist. He may be dropping by Fox and Friends too. Still, he deserved to win.
Also, earlier this year, Ne-Yo had to pay a 400k fine after the SEC charged him with promoting crypto currencies without disclosing that he was being paid.
And lastly, his wife Crystal filed for divorce from the singer in 2022, accusing him of fathering a child with another woman. Previously he competed as The Badger on the UK version of The Masked Singer (2020-2021) He finished as the runner-up to Joss Stone. Reputation rehabilitation, ya’ll.
