The Masked Singer returned on Wednesday, and ET is following along throughout the entire hour-long episode to break down all the biggest moments, best performances and most revealing clues.
Fox’s smash hit reality singing series brought back the four remaining singers from Group B for the group’s championship round. This week, The Banana, The Kitty, The Taco and The Frog are battling it out and try to stay in the game. The final three will move on to the “Super Nine,” and one singer will be going home.
All the while, the show’s beloved panel of celebrity “detectives” — including Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy, as well as special guest panelist (and former Masked Singer champion) T-Pain — will do their absolute best to deduce the contestants’ clandestine alter egos while fans at home keep their eyes peeled for all the smallest and most revealing clues.
The fun kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, and you can watch and follow along as we delve into the glorious madness and bizarre, captivating chaos that is The Masked Singer!
(Note: Live Blogging kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT)
The Taco Just Can't Help Himself
This week, The Taco went for another golden oldie with a performance of “I Can't Help Myself” by the Four Tops that showed another side of his vocal range.
Flanked by two dancing, bizarrely inflated chefs, The Taco has an undeniable chemistry, even when his voice isn't necessarily as strong as some of his competitors.
“This is what the show is all about. You connect with the audience, everyone loves a taco and everyone loves you,” Ken says, after telling his fellow panelists that he thinks The Taco is definitely a comedian.
As for The Taco's friendship bracelet clue, he presents it to Nicole, and the bracelet itself says “KISS.”
“Not to be corny, but when I saw you in person, you were perfect!” The Taco shares.
Panelists' Guesses:
Nicole guesses Barry Manilow.
Robin says Howie Mandel.
Jenny (who admits to having kissed both Barry Manilow and Howie Mandel) suggests Jerry Springer.
The Taco then brakes format a little by speaking to the panel after their guesses and sharing an inspiring message of love and acceptance.
“I think that, for all of the silliness, what this show really shows is that you shouldn't trust first impressions,” he says. “We all go out into the world wearing masks of some kind of another, and it's to our mutual benefit to look a little deeper and be nicer to each other.”
Then, in a conversation with the Masked Singer cameras backstage, The Taco reveals, “The reason I gave Nicole that particular bracelet, had less to do with an actual kiss.”
The Taco — NEW CLUES!!
The Taco:
– Says, “So, here's the deal — I'm loving this secret adventure! This week, while I'm gassing up my tank, they let me spill the beans to a famous friend full of enthusiasm, who you all know!”
– We see a restaurant menu with the word “MEnu,” and the 'ME” are in glittery red ink.
– The Taco's “Famous Friend” says, “How much do I love taco? Well, I'm sticking my face in a wafting seafood platter for him. That's love.” The friend's face is obscured by a multi-tiered tower of shrimp, lobsters and other crustacean finger foods.
– Says, “We both have something extremely personal in common. We both help people when they get knocked down. When life hits them in low places. And we always find the humor in everything.”
– We see a big bowl of what appear to be baked beans.
– The Famous Friend says, “It's all about the laughs.”
– We see a washboard hanging on a wall.
– The Friend says he and The Taco share something else as well: “We both love our children.”
– The Friend says, “Our little shrimps, I'm sure they'd be just as proud as I am to see their role model, Papa Shrimp Taco, in the limelight, doing what he does best: Entertaining you, America!”
– The Friend says, “Cheers!” while pouring some whiskey from a cup into the seafood platter tower.
The Kitty's Got a Broken Heart
This week, The Kitty's old-timey burlesque vibe gets the Wild West treatment with a Western-inspired performance of Miranda Lambert's “Mama's Broken Heart,” that features dancing cowboys, sultry cat dancers, and a whole lot of energy and passion.
“That was amazing!” Jenny marvels after the number.
“The performance was amazing! I feel like I know you, I feel like I know your voice,” T-Pain shares. “The singing was amazing and I can't wait to see more.”
While Group A made Valentine's Day Card clues a few weeks ago, this week the Group B singers were tasked with making friendship bracelets that double as bonus clues.
The Kitty gives her bracelet to Robin, and the band itself says, “Fireworks.”
“I gave this to you because the first time we met was lit!” The Kitty says.
Panelists' Clues:
T-Pain says it could be Christina Ricci (based on the “seeing ghosts” clue, as she was in Casper and The Addams Family, although Wednesday Addams doesn't see ghosts, but that's not the point).
Ken suggests it's Kristen Bell.
Jenny (behind a giant blow-up photo mask of Ken's face) suggests it's Haylie Duff.
The Kitty — NEW CLUES!!
The Kitty:
– Says, “Last time, I wore my heart on my fur, and the panel loved it!”
– Says, “Speaking of people who love me for me, my BFF is here to dish out some kitty gossip. Best Felines Forever!”
– Her “BFF” apparently lives in a mansion. She's costumed with a long neon-green wig that covers her face and gives off a Rapunzel vibe.
– The BFF says she's known The Kitty since they were little and that “she didn't have a ton of friends and got bullied at school for being weird. But for me, that's always what made her special.”
– We see a jewel-encrusted Fabergé egg resting on a table.
– We see some ornate candelabras.
– Her BFF says, “Whether she's writing poems or directing horror movies we would star in, she's always had a flair for the dramatic.”
– Her BFF says, “I'll never forget that one day in class when she said she could see ghosts and scared one girl so badly that Kitty got detention.”
– Her BFF says, “She may have the voice of an angel, but it's her dark side that will help her slay the competition.”
Clue-Filled First Number
Before the individual performances, all four remaining Group B singers hit the stage, one at a time, to perform a cover of Backstreet Boys' “Larger Than Life.”
During the performance, a number of “Bonus clues” pop up as on-screen graphics, and give up some decent info on who might be under the masks.
Bonus Clues:
The Kitty: “I'm here to seal the deal!”
The Banana: “What's more inspiring than doing laundry?”
The Taco: “I've enjoyed a lot of salsas in my time.”
The Frog: “I've opened doors for the biggest artists.”
A Famous 'Masked Singer' Star Returns to the Panel
As Nick says at the start of the episode, “Tonight's show is all about friendship.” And while he was referring to the episode's clue packages — which will introduce us to some costumed friends and family members, just like with Group A a few weeks ago — the sentiment also applies to tonight's special guest panelist!
After taking home the Golden Mask trophy at the end of season 1, The Monster himself, T-Pain, is sitting down with the core four to share his best guesses.
ALSO, Nick specifically says to “be sure to look for some clues during the performance,” which is something sorta new.
The Group B Championships Are a Go!
After a brief introduction featuring the four remaining singers (which felt like it would have some bonus clues, but almost certainly didn't), this week kicking off, and soon we'll be saying bye to one of the final four from Group B, and the three remaining singers move on to the Super Nine!
Let's get this show on the road! We can't wait to see what this week has in store in regards to clues, because The Kitty could still be almost anyone.
Last week, fans had to bid farewell to the fifth star to get the axe this season during the second week of Group B performances when The Mouse got voted off.
After the panelists made their final guesses — and surprised everyone by a correct and (nearly) unanimous consensus — The Mouse removed her delicate and ornate mask and revealed herself to be the iconic songstress Dionne Warwick!
Check out the video below for more on this wild season of The Masked Singer.
Jordyn Woods Responds to 'The Masked Singer' Kangaroo Speculation (Exclusive)
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