The Masked Singer recap: Cluedle-Doo and Yeti unmasked, leaving panel stunned

Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Masked Singer season 5 episode 12.

Tonight, The Masked Singer semi-finals iced out a contestant the panelists all thought could have won the entire competition. Yeti, the last remaining Wildcard contestant, was unmasked after a surprising elimination and Cluedle-Doo's own reveal.

Perhaps it was the song choice, as Yeti's cover of Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" was fun but didn't possess the same show-stopping flair as that time he rollerbladed while delivering a beautiful rendition of Justin Bieber's "Lonely."

After his performance, Yeti ushered in the show's first clue drop. Guest panelist Darius Rucker picked up a parachute bag addressed to Nicole Scherzinger, which had a little surfboard reading "Santa Monica."

Scherzinger heavily relied on the three stars in Yeti's clue package to guess he was Marques Houston (three members in his group Immature) or his cousin J-Boog because he has three kids (he actually has five). Meanwhile, Ken Jeong guessed Bieber as Yeti hinted at a complicated relationship with his father. Rucker connected the North Pole clue to Sisqó, who appeared in the film Snow Dogs and released a children's book called Sisqó's Perfect Christmas.

Black Swan took the stage next to sing Dan + Shay's "Tequila." Afterward, Jeong praised her ability to "take us on this emotional journey" week after week.

Her clue drop, labeled "celebrity VIP," went to Robin Thicke, whom she said she bumped into once at an afterparty.

Because of the maple leaf image in Black Swan's clue clip, Jeong proceeded to name every Canadian songstress he could think of "off the mind grapes" (Dr. Ken, everyone). Jenny McCarthy also showed off just how fast she could veto his predictions.

"Shania Twain?" Jeong said.

"Nah," McCarthy responded.

"Celine Dion."

"Nah."

"Anne Murray," Jeong said, before offering the first Bjork of the season.

The other panelists had more informed guesses. Thicke suggested Carly Rae Jepsen, who's Canadian and has a song called "Party for One" (Black Swan was shown with a No. 1 name tag). Rucker thought Black Swan could be Alanis Morissette, "No. 1 female singer of the '90s." That teed Thicke up for an expected-but-nonetheless-welcome joke.

"Wouldn't that be ironic?" the singer asked, referencing the Canuck's classic track.

"Don't you think?" Rucker perfectly responded. We got some Morissheads in the house, apparently.

Chameleon then came up to perform "Oh Boy" by Cam'ron featuring Juelz Santana, and he got the panelists and crowd (real and fake) pumped up.

Rucker received the parachute clue, which was attached with a small snake pin. Chameleon said he got to share the stage with Rucker and "Phoenix was there." The country star responded that he did recently see the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald in Phoenix.

McCarthy had a different idea, proposing Riff Raff. She was very proud to list off all his songs that she knew (including a track with "brick" in the title, which is what Chameleon hinted at). Though, in 2021, that may not be the flex she thought it was. Sorry Mr. Raff.

Jeong picked another rapper who's put out a song with "brick" in the title: 2 Chainz, who's featured on the track "Brick on My Face."

The final performance (or was it?) was Piglet singing Lewis Capaldi's "Bruises." It was a lovely, sincere ballad, yet I could not help but laugh at the Piglet's little propeller on his hat spinning the entire time.

His clue drop was a poker chip for McCarthy, who said he'd "go all in for you, especially for charity."

She did not go in a poker direction at all, instead noting that the llama in the Piglet's clue segment was a nod to Drew Carey, who wore that costume in season 3. And since the contestant has exuded boy bander vibes the entire season, she made the case for Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey's brother and 98 Degrees bandmate.

Jeong said Good Charlotte's Joel Madden, after remarking that the singer's wife Nicole Richie was in The Simple Life, the phrase Piglet said in his package. And thanks to an assist from Thicke, he also padded his argument with the spider in the clip (a.k.a. Charlotte in Charlotte's Web). Rucker guessed his fellow country musician and Friday Night Lights actor Tim McGraw, as the Piglet's segment was country-themed and mentioned football.

Before host Nick Cannon could announce which of the four contestants was leaving, Cluedle-Doo hijacked the episode for one final showing. He sang Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" and dedicated his parachute giraffe clue to Jeong, adding that the two were around animals together.

The comedian came up with Kevin James, as they were both in the movie Zookeeper. Rucker agreed with Jeong, while Thicke said Jamie Foxx. Scherzinger agreed, quipping that she took out "a second mortgage out" on her house to drop more money into the Jar of Shame. McCarthy took a different path from everyone else to say Cluedle could be Akon.

Cannon unmasked the clue-meister to reveal ... Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block!

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

McCarthy was floored seeing her husband — literally. The panelist had to sit down and her hand was shaking. There's probably a chance she recognized his voice, but the TV personality put on a heck of a show to convince us otherwise.

"I can't believe it!" McCarthy said after the unmasking.

At last, it came time to reveal who came up short, after the audience and panelists voted.

Yeti was eliminated, and the panelists genuinely looked surprised, saying that they thought he was going to win the entire season. Even Cannon, who doesn't always weigh in on the reveal, said he believed the abominable showman could've nabbed the top spot.

Yeti was unmasked and revealed to be ... Omarion!

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Thicke scored a point toward the Golden Ear, as he was the only panelist to write down Omarion for his first impression guess. And kudos to him for sticking with his gut. EW also had Yeti nailed — the clues about berries, popped corn, and a stuffed panda were some of the most helpful hints. Omarion's last name is Grandberry, he appeared in a Kellogg's Corn Pops commercial as a kid, and dropped an album called Pandemonium with his group B2K. Check out our full clue breakdown here.

Jeong stuck with his Bieber first impressions guess, Scherzinger switched from Jason Derulo to Mario, McCarthy switched from Mario to Ne-Yo, and Rucker maintained his earlier Sisqó prediction.

There's only one episode left, and fans will find out whether Black Swan, Chameleon, or the Piglet will be crowned the winner of season 5. All three will be unmasked by the end of the finale next week.

Check out our daily must-see picks — plus news, celeb interviews, trivia, and more — in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.

Related content:

• Yeti on his shocking Masked Singer reveal and why he wants his character to do Star Wars next

• Who is Black Swan on The Masked Singer? All the clues it's this R&B and pop singer

• All the clues that Chameleon on The Masked Singer is rapper Wiz Khalifa

• Who is the Piglet on The Masked Singer? All the clues it's this famous boy bander

• The Masked Singer season 5 reveals: See every unmasked celebrity contestant