High School Musical Star Wins Masked Singer Season 11
Originally appeared on E! Online
One High School Musical alum just graduated to become The Masked Singer's season 11 winner.
During the Fox competition series' May 22 season finale, Goldfish and Gumball battled it out for the title of top singing star after outlasting 14 other mystery celebrities with their vocal chops.
For Gumball, he noted the competition has allowed him to shine in ways he's never been able to before in his career.
"The experience has been unreal and it's been wonderful to show what I am capable of musically," the actor shared with the judges. "I've been on TV for almost two decades non-stop, and yet being here, I feel like I've finally gotten to show who I really am."
Goldfish echoed her competitor's sentiments.
"I have loved being able to swim into new territories as the golden girl on this stage," she admitted. "As a little girl I was never really great at expressing myself. It's not really something I grew up around. But lately, I have been on a journey of self-discovery and being here I've been able to express myself so freely."
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"I come from a working class family that has no connection to Hollywood whatsoever, so there's no reason I should have made it," Goldfish added. "But I'm proof that with enough love, hard work and dedication, you can truly do anything."
The contestants then each treated viewers to two final performances. Gumball wowed fans with covers of Sam Smith and Disclosure's "Latch" and Styx's "Renegade" while Goldfish impressively belted out Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John.
So, who ultimately won The Masked Singer season 11? It was Goldfish, who was revealed to be former Disney star and High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens!
While Robin Thicke previously guessed her to be Hilary Duff and Ken Jeong was sure it was Nicole Scherzinger, ultimately Rita Ora and Jenny McCarthy correctly guessed Hudgens was behind the fishy face mask.
"It's honestly the most incredible thing ever," she said of her Masked Singer experience. "I've just been so excited to take this mask off and stare into Rita's eyes and be like, ‘Girl, this is why I couldn't hang out with you.'"
Vanessa added that being Goldfish gave her "the freedom to purely just do something that I love."
"It's been so long since I've been able to do that," she continued. "It makes me so emotional because I really do love it so much. It fills my soul—truly."
Keep reading to find out which celebrity came in second place in the Gumball costume, plus look back at all the stars who were previously unmasked during season 11 of The Masked Singer.
Book: Eliminated Week 1
The Book was revealed as comedian Kevin Hart, who only competed on the premiere episode March 6 to prank pal Nick Cannon.
Afghan Hound: Eliminated Week 2
Chrisley Knows Best star Savannah Chrisley was the first actual contestant sent home during the second week.
Spaghetti and Meatballs: Eliminated Week 3
Restaurateur Joe Bastianich said "ciao" to the competition after being revealed as Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Lion: Eliminated Weed 4
TV host Billy Bush entered the competition as a wild card during week four but was abruptly eliminated.
Lizard: Eliminated Week 5
Sisqo, singer of the 2000 mega-hit "Thong Song," was unmasked as Lizard during week five.
Lovebird: Eliminated Week 6
The Bachelor alum Colton Underwood was behind the Lovebird costume and was sent home during Transformers week.
Koala: Eliminated Week 6
Introduced as a wild card contestant during week six, retired football star DeMarcus Ware was eliminated and unmasked as Koala.
Ugly Sweater: Eliminated Week 7
Music icon Charlie Wilson was behind the Ugly Sweater mask and was sent home during week seven's double elimination.
Starfish: Eliminated Week 7
The Office alum Kate Flannery was unmasked as Starfish during week seven's double elimination.
Miss Cleocatra: Eliminated Week 8
As Miss Cleocatra, Sister Act star Jenifer Lewis made a triumphant return to the stage nearly two years after her harrowing accident, in which she fell 10 feet from a balcony while on a trip to the Serengeti in Africa.
Seal: Eliminated Week 9
Just one week after joining the show as the season's final wild card contestant, former child star Corey Feldman was unmasked as Seal.
Beets: Eliminated Week 9
In a jaw-dropping double elimination, American Idol alums Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard were unearthed as the duo behind Beets.
Poodle Moth: Eliminated Week 10
This is Chrissy Metz! The This Is Us star was unmasked as Poodle Moth during the quarterfinals.
Clock: Eliminated Week 11
Clock was revealed to be legendary singer Thelma Houston.
Gumball: Runner-Up
Hart of Dixie and Friday Night Lights alum Scott Porter nearly took home the title, but ultimately came in second place during the May 22 season 11 finale.
Goldfish: Winner
Former High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens won season 11 as Goldfish!
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