'SNL' veteran is eliminated on 'The Masked Singer'

‘Tis the season, but not for The Masked Singer’s most Christmassy contestant — the majestic, Cousin It-like pile of Lisa Frank rainbow tinsel known as the Tree — who, on an especially Scroogey bonus episode, went home in sixth place this Tuesday. But this show could be the gift that keeps on giving, because the Tree turned out to be Saturday Night Live alumna Ana Gasteyer. So, now that Ana is off on her merry way, she’s free to form a Destiny’s Child/Gemini’s Twin supergroup with Michelle “The Butterfly” Williams, who went home last week. Some viewers might’ve been surprised by Gasteyer’s vocal prowess — she was one of Season 2’s best belters, handling advanced anthems like Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” with ease, to the point where she even outlasted the legendary Patti LaFrickinBelle by two whole weeks. And this Tuesday’s cover of Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” was pretty glorious too. But anyone familiar with Ana’s school-recital SNL skits with Will Ferrell or her new holiday album, Sugar & Booze, wouldn’t be shocked. I do admit that I guessed this one wrong at first. Clues about baking, soup, and Christmas threw me off, leading me to speculate that the Tree was Hallmark Channel movie regular Candace Cameron Bure (who has her own line of cookware) or superstar chef Rachael Ray. The judges actually once thought the Tree was Zooey Deschanel or Martha Stewart. (And I am sure, at one point, Ken Jeong guessed Bjork — even though he was actually in A Christmas Story with Ana!) But eventually it became crystal-Christmas-clear that this was “Delicious Dish” comedienne Gasteyer, a former Weight Watchers spokeswoman who got her first big acting break in the “Soup Nazi” episode of Seinfeld. How delicious and dishy it feels to finally be right! And I must say, it was a totally schweddy-ballsy move on Ana’s part to appear on this zany show. (And I totally want wear her sparkly Tree outfit to all my holiday parties this month. Here is some copycat fashion inspo.) Anyway, if Gasteyer had competed on The Masked Singer Season 1, she likely would’ve made it to the finale. But this season boasts a much more talented crop of actually legitimate vocalists (no dead-weight novelty castings like Tommy “The Pineapple” Chong or Antonio “The Hippo” Brown this time around). Tuesday marked the first time this season that all of the surviving contestants competed on the same episode, and the stakes were high. I still predict the final three — to be revealed on Wednesday’s double-elimination semifinals episode — will be the Rottweiler, Flamingo, and Fox. But it ain’t over till the phat Leopard sings.