Latest ‘Masked Singer’ Episode Brings 6 New Stars—and Everybody’s Talking About the Bear
*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
Last week’s episode of The Masked Singer made for quite an exciting hour of television as Group B's remaining competitors battled for three spots in the show's Super Nine. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Taco, who we know now was Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron. Tonight, we’re finally introduced to our final batch of contestants (Group C), including Rino, Swan, Bear, Astronaut, T-Rex and Night Angel (?!). And let us tell you, they did not disappoint.
The night started off with the Night Angel (no pun intended) who revealed she’s a little bit dangerous and a little bit sweet, before giving a powerful performance of “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Jon Bon Jovi. Up next was the Bear who apparently has been both “hunter and hunted” and is finally coming out of hibernation. She chose to sing “Baby Got Back,” by Sir Mix-A-Lot and did we mention she’s also a mom? Then came Astronaut (who by far has the coolest costume in our opinion), revealing that he’s eager to explore new territories, which makes us think he’s definitely not a professional singer. Astronaut gave a touching rendition of “You Say” by Lauren Daigle and impressed judges with his vulnerability.
Next was the T-Rex who said she was discovered by someone and put into a group of some sort. The contestant is clearly younger with high energy as was evident in her performance of “So What,” by Pink. Rhino followed and opened up about being center stage from a young age. His clue package included bikes, motorcycles and butterflies. So, yeah, we’re stumped. Finally, we were introduced to Swan who kept things classy while doing some ballet in her clue package. She opted to sing “Fever” by Peggy Lee.
And, now, the results. After the judges and audience voted for their favorite performers of the night, Bear was eliminated and revealed herself to be Former-Governor Sarah Palin. We can’t make this stuff up, people.
After tonight’s episode we are totally at a loss for words. We thought we had some solid guesses for Group C, but after the unmasking of Sarah Palin, we’ve decided anything is possible and we need more clues before we feel confident in any of our guesses.
Instead, we are taking the time to theorize about the voting methods of the show. Fans of The Masked Singer have been inquiring about the process since season and actually have come up with a theory that makes sense. The question lies with the fact that music legends (like Chaka Khan and Dionne Warwick from this season) seem to get kicked off way before they should, while less talented characters make their way to the end. So, what's going on with the voting?
Unlike other competitions where at-home viewers can vote, The Masked Singer asks its live in-studio audience to vote for their favorite competitor. It’s important to note that they are voting for their favorite instead of the person they think should be eliminated (as in the least-talented).
Because of this, maybe it’s the recognizable voices that fail to get votes because the audience already knows who they are and therefore don’t need more clues to figure out their identify. And it seems Dionne Warwick would even agree. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly she stated, “When there’s a distinctive voice that is recognized, you can only go so far because I guess that’s the gist of the show itself.” Which makes sense considering this isn’t necessarily a talent-based program.
However, this theory hasn’t been the case for all eliminations. For instance, for the premiere of this season, viewers were shocked to discover that the Robot was non other than Lil Wayne, who was eliminated not because they recognized his voice, but for some other undisclosed reason. Hey, with a show like this, anything is possible.
The Masked Singer returns on Wednesday, March 18, at 8 p.m. PT/ET on Fox.
