'The Masked Singer': White Tiger won't get his paws on the trophy; former football star is cut

Spoiler alert! This story contains details from the April 1 episode of "The Masked Singer," including the identity of the eliminated celebrity.

It's no April Fools' joke – Wednesday's "Masked Singer" gave viewers two hours of the singing competition.

The "Super 9," made up of the top three contenders in Groups A, B and C, battled in front of guest panelist "Snoop Dogg." OK, so it was really a brief prank, in celebration of April Fools' Day, where the rapper was impersonated by host Nick Cannon's friend Eric (no last name given).

"We doing this all episode, y'all," Cannon warned of jokes to come. "Just know, it's April Fools'; anything can happen."

The panel was on its own this episode – leaving all of the detective work to Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke.

Before individual performances began, bonus clues were give about each group. Those from Group A – Kangaroo, Turtle and White Tiger – have a combined 15.4 million Instagram followers. The top finishers of Group B – Banana, Frog and Kitty – have each been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Group C – Astronaut, Night Angel and Rhino – have seven Grammy nods among them.

After each group performed, the contestant with the least votes was subject to elimination.

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Turtle

Clues: Turtle came out of his shell a little bit in his clue package, revealing he was approaching the competition like "a method actor." He also shared he is "not a dancer" and weighs 160 pounds.

Giving his super clue, Turtle held up a comic book titled "The Amazing Adventures of Shellboy," priced at $10.13. He said, "This is not another teeny clue."

After singing "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood, Turtle let the panel know he's "not known for just one thing."

Guesses: What multi-talented stars did the panel think of? For Thicke, Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees came to mind. Similarly, Jeong pictured Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell, and Scherzinger thought of Drew's brother and bandmate, Nick Lachey. McCarthy guessed actor Chris Evans.

Kangaroo

Clues: This contestant is ready to hop to it. "I came here to show my strength and bounce back after being vilified by kanga-rumors of my past," she said, adding that she's "been put through hell this past year, and this performance is my response."

Kangaroo's super clue was a small kangaroo. "All right, dolls," she said. "Do you know who I am now?"

After singing Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice," the challenger revealed she's "never lived in Australia."

Guesses: McCarthy suggested it could be model/entrepreneur Amber Rose, while Scherzinger guessed singer LeAnn Rimes. Thicke believed it might be artist India.Arie.

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White Tiger

Clues: White Tiger copped to his inexperience in his clue package. "When I first got here, I'd never sung in front of a crowd," he said. "I didn't even know what an 8 count was."

For his super clue, White Tiger showed off his floss dance skills, then pretended to shoot a basketball into the air: "Swish, swish."

He went purr-vocative with his song choice, selecting "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred.

And as it turns out, White Tiger is more than just bite or brawn. "I'm brains," he said. "I even wrote a best-selling book."

Guesses: Jeong suspected Houston Texans' defensive end J.J. Watt could be in the outfit, but McCarthy eyed another athlete, retired New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski. Scherzinger thought of actor Joe Manganiello.

White Tiger received the least votes in Group A, putting him in danger of elimination.

Kitty

Clues: The fierce feline spoke of issues with her self-image. "My mind only saw darkness and ugliness when I looked in the mirror." She said she initially even felt out of place at "The Masked Singer."

Kitty delivered her super clue with help from Tree, a costume featured in Season 2 worn by Ana Gasteyer. "I'm not going to make this complicated," said Kitty. "Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year. Ring any jingle bells?"

After showcasing her vocals with Céline Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," Kitty revealed another clue: "I was not dreaming when Robert Redford helped me to get my very first role."

Guesses: Scherzinger selected fashion designer Nicole Richie, while McCarthy threw actress Vanessa Hudgens' name in the mix. Thicke suggested actress Emma Roberts could be Kitty, and Jeong thought of singer Avril Lavigne.

Banana

Clues: "When I first got here, I was just a party boy looking for a good time," Banana shared. Then he really bought in. "But, man, a traumatic injury from my past made me forget the lyrics in my second performance." He added, "But I rallied the next go-around."

Banana re-acclimated to the "Masked Singer" stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama."

He also steered the panel away from guessing he was an act featured on a Blue Collar Comedy Tour. "I can tell you this: Blue collar has many, many meanings," he said. "When I say 'blue collar,' I'm a funny guy, but I'm not stand-up funny."

Guesses: McCarthy mentioned singer Bret Michaels, and Jeong and Scherzinger were in sync with country artist Brad Paisley. Thicke guessed Mr. "Achy Breaky Heart" Billy Ray Cyrus.

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Frog

Clues: Frog once again praised "Masked Singer" for igniting his zeal for performing. "On that stage, the passion for performing I've lost over the years has been toad-ally reinvigorated," he shared.

A knight's armor served as Frog's super clue before he took the stage to put the hop in hip-hop, performing "Jump" by Kris Kross. Frog also revealed, despite his smooth moves, he's "not a trained dancer, at all."

Guesses: Jeong thought of "Thong Song" singer Sisqó, and Thicke once again brought up artist Omarion. McCarthy placed her bets on rapper Romeo Miller, formerly known as Lil' Romeo.

Will Banana split? He received the least Group B votes, sending him into the bottom three.

Night Angel

Clues: This participant equated her time on the show with being on "Cloud 9," and is enjoying being in the spotlight solo. "Helping others for so long has made spreading my own wings feel incredible," she said.

A child's tricycle served as her super clue, which Night Angel admitted wasn't a simple puzzle to solve. "I know you want an easy clue, but not tonight. I'd rather cruise on by you with a tricky one," she said.

After Night Angel blessed the audience with Andra Day's "Rise Up," she revealed she's "not just a voice," and that she's also "a mogul."

Guesses: Thicke put his money on singer Tamar Braxton, while McCarthy picked "Almost Doesn't Count" singer Brandy. Jeong believed it to be actress Tisha Campbell.

Rhino

Clues: Rhino spoke of not being able to be himself.

"Earlier in life, I tried to be what everyone wanted me to be," he said. "I became comfortable playing a role."

He said suppositions that he played sports for a living were off base. "It's funny the panel thinks I'm an athlete because of my size," he said. "Music has been my passion since I was a child." In fact, Rhino has appeared on the Billboard charts and said it's possible viewers have one of his albums.

Is he hoping to hit the "Masked Singer" jackpot and take home the gold mask? Rhino's super clue was a slot machine.

"I'm not nearly as tall as you think I am," Rhino assured the panel after singing "What a Man Gotta Do" by the Jonas Brothers.

Guesses: Scherzinger suspected country artist Vince Gill, and Thicke thought of Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan. McCarthy tried to hit it out of the park with former New York Yankee Derek Jeter.

Astronaut

Clues: Astronaut said he longed to "blast away labels that have been imposed on me." After experiencing some turbulence in his career, he "was forced to start over, but negativity made it difficult to launch again."

Astronaut's super clue was a record with a map of the world at the center of it, that appeared to break, possibly indicating he has shattered a world record.

After a lively performance of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," Astronaut revealed that he's "never had traditional voice training."

Guesses: McCarthy thought it just might be singer David Archuleta, and Jeong suspect former *NSYNC boy bander J.C. Chasez. Scherzinger wondered if it could be Ryan Tedder, the lead singer of OneRepublic.

After the three from Group C performed, Rhino was revealed to be in jeopardy.

The elimination

It turns out Banana and Rhino are safe, and White Tiger King has no chance to get his paws on the golden mask trophy. Though, apparently, he has some championship rings at home to console him.

In their final guesses Thicke and McCarthy guessed Gronkowski, while Scherzinger went with wrestler John Cena. Jeong kept his earlier guess of Watt.

Jeong was at least in the ballpark, or shall we say, football stadium, and Thicke and McCarthy were right on the money. White Tiger was revealed to be the one and only Gronk.

"I've always loved dancing and my dance moves were always one of a kind," he said. "I wanted to learn how to sing, and also I really wanted to learn how to dance."

"It's no wonder you've accomplished so much in your life and career and why you're so beloved, because your spirit and your personality (are) so infectious and every week you were a fan favorite and beloved," said Thicke.

"We loved you," McCarthy seconded. "I hope you felt it."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Masked Singer' recap: White Tiger is eliminated from 'Super 9'