Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard share why they think they got booted off ‘Masked Singer’

So far, Season 11 of “The Masked Singer” has been one fun and thrilling season.

After Ne-Yo’s Cow took home the Golden Mask trophy last season, the latest contestants and their outlandish costumes continue to sing their hearts out for a chance to with the champion title.

Season 11 of “The Masked Singer” consists of Rita Ora, who joined the panelists’ desk and replaced Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Robin Thicke. Nick Cannon returns as host.

In the May 1 episode, The Beets, AKA Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, left the competition along with Seal, who was Corey Feldman. A day after their unmasking, the former “American Idol” stars joked to TODAY.com that they were “offended” the panelists didn’t guess who they were.

Studdard won Season Two of “American Idol” in 2003, while Aiken was the runner-up. Though they originally competed against each other on the show, 20 years later, they regularly reunite and even went on tour last year. Despite their fame, not one of the four panelists guessed it was then under The Beets costume.

Among the guesses before their unveiling were Dan + Shay, “Modern Family” stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse, and R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo.

“K-Ci & JoJo was kind of a shocker because, I maybe sound like one of them, but I know Clay doesn’t,” said Studdard.

Aiken was surprised to hear names like Brooks & Dunn and Dan + Shay be brought up, but understands why the panelists would think so.

“I think the problem was they were clearly trying to think of established duos, and I think what was sort of brilliant about Ruben and I doing this together was that we are certainly identifiable to America with each other, right,” Aiken said. “We’re certainly not an established duo. That’s what really threw the judges off because they kept trying to think, ‘Who is always together?’”

Clearly, they can sing, added Aiken, when discussing their “American Idol” days.

“I just said to Ruben, we clearly got further on ‘Idol’ because of our physical beauty,” he said, while Studdard laughed. “And with having that covered up, that must be it, because clearly we can sing.”

Aiken noted that they didn’t look at the show as a singing competition, saying, “It’s not about voices because most of the people there are not singers.”

“It’s about the moving and silliness and playfulness. We certainly could not move around in those costumes like Gumball could,” he continued, explaining how they didn’t get to choose their costumes and felt restricted on stage.

Studdard added that “people don’t know what to expect when you walk out as a root vegetable.” However, he said, “It was a really good time.”

As Gumball advanced to the next round, Aiken joked that he’s “thick-skinned now” from his “Idol” days.

“Maybe it’s because I’m so used to losing things,” he cracked. “I’ve never considered it to be that we had lost anything. I think it was just a fun show.”

See below for every celebrity revealed on Season 11 of “The Masked Singer.”

Who was the latest celebrity eliminated?

It was a double, well triple, celebrity unmasking during the May 1 episode of “The Masked Singer.” During “Soundtrack of My Life” episode, viewers saw two contestant and three stars total eliminated, as Seal and The Beets duo left the competition.

Seal in Episode 9

Who was under the mask? Corey Feldman

Before the unmasking, Ora guessed that it was Jerry O’Connell and Jeong thought it was Haley Joel Osment, while McCarthy-Wahlberg and Thicke believed it Feldman.

The “Goonies” star said that being the Seal was “the great character I’ve ever played.”

The Beets in Episode 9

Who was under the mask? Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard

When it came time to guess who the Beets were, Thicke believed it was Dan + Shay, McCarthy-Wahlberg said it was “Modern Family” stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, Ora believed it was Gnarls Barkley duo CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse, and Jeong was adamant it was R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, which made Cannon laugh.

“Are you kidding?!” Ora said, as the rest of the panelists were shocked.

After being fooled by the “American Idol” alums, Studdard said he had “a good time” on the show.

“We love being compared to some of the people you guessed,” Aiken told the panelists.

Who are the Season 11 contestants?

Ten new contestants — and some wildcards — form part of the latest season. The new season premiered on March 6, with a surprise unveiling.

The Book was the last performer of the episode, singing “So Sick” by Ne-Yo. But before the panelists could guess who was under the mask, Book unmasked himself to be Kevin Hart.

“This is a prank!” Hart shouted. “You had no idea. You had no idea that I’m coming here, Nick. And guess what, Nick? Guess what? It’s nothing you can do about it!”

See who has officially been announced below. TODAY.com will be updating this post with the new costumes and after the unmaskings.

Book in Episode 1

Who was under the mask? Kevin Hart

Hart surprised the judges when he decided to unmask himself before the judges got a chance to guess who he was. However, it was pretty easy to guess who was under the ask.

Afghan House in Episode 2

Who was under the mask? Savannah Chrisley

Chrisley told TODAY.com that she was hesitant to do the show but then took the chance to have fun.

“When the opportunity came my way, I at first hesitated. But then I was like, ‘You know what, this is my ‘Yes’ time! Stop saying no to things because you’re uncomfortable and say yes because you’re uncomfortable,” she explained. “And also I just knew that my parents would be able to watch this. So they would get to still be a part of our journey and life. So that’s the main driving force behind me saying yes.”

Spaghetti and Meatballs in Episode 3

Who was under the mask? Joe Bastianich

On the March 20 episode, the panelists guessed that it was Stanley Tucci, Guy Fieri, Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay — and they were all wrong.

The “Master Chef” star, who performed “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel, stumped the panelists when he was unmasked. He told the audience that “singing is a passion for me” and thanked everyone who let him perform and be a part of the show.

“Thanks for everyone who has supported me in my music,” he said.

Wildcard Lion in Episode 4

Who was under the mask? Billy Bush

All the panelists guessed incorrectly, believing it was either Andy Cohen, Seth Meyers, Anderson Cooper or Ryan Seacrest.

“Jenny, you should’ve known that,” said Ora, to which McCarthy-Wahlberg said, “I should’ve known that.”

“I’ve interviewed everybody,” Bush said, with McCarthy-Wahlberg adding, “Billy, I had no idea you sing like this.”

Bush replied, “Im not a great singer... If you can’t get them with the lips, get them with the hips.”

The Lizard in Episode 5

Who was under the mask? Sisqó

The Lizard was eliminated halfway through the episode. In their final guesses, Ora correctly guessed it was the “Thong Song” singer and Thick agreed. Other names that panelists guessed included Ray J, D’Angelo and Michael Bivins.

“My family loves the show and every time we saw a season, everybody would always say, ‘Hey, that’s got to be Sisqó,” the artist said about why he did the show. “When I got an opportunity to do it, I seized it and it’s been really fun.”

The Lizard, he said, had to embody the spirit of the Dragon, which is commonly known as his nickname.

Koala in Episode 6

Who was under the mask? DeMarcus Ware

The former football defensive end was the wildcard and under the Koala mask. Terry Crews, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe or Michael Irvin were the names the panelists guessed it could be.

Lovebird in Episode 6

Who was under the mask? Colton Underwood

The former “Bachelor” star was behind the Lovebird mask. Before his unveiling, the panelists guessed it could be Josh Duhamel, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

McCarthy-Wahlberg was the only panelist who correctly guessed it was Underwood.

Ugly Sweater in Episode 7

Who was under the mask? Charlie Wilson

Before the singer and musician known as Uncle Charlie was unmasked, the panelists took their best guess at who it could be.

Jeong believed it was Al Green, Ora thought it was Smokey Robinson, McCarthy-Wahlberg guessed Aaron Neville, while Thicke correctly guessed it was Wilson.

Starfish in Episode 7

Who was under the mask? Kate Flannery

“The Office” star was the one behind the starfish costume. The panelists threw out names like Kate McKinnon, Amy Schumer and Lisa Kudrow before finding out who the star under the mask was.

Cleocatra in Episode 8

Who was under the mask? Jenifer Lewis

Before the “Black-ish” actor was unmasked, the panelists believed it was Roberta Flack or Loretta Devine, while Jeong correctly guessed Jenifer Lewis.

“Yes, baby, you were right,” Lewis said, greeting the audience. She explained that she decided to do “The Masked Singer” because she had taken “a long break” and wanted to be back on stage.

“It was fun, I had a blast,” she said.

Goldfish

Gumball

Clock

Poodle Moth

This article was originally published on TODAY.com