The Masked Singer returned on Wednesday for a fantastical night of cartoonish fun! This week, the show brought back last week’s still-standing contestants — and a new wildcard contestant — who left it all on the stage in their shot at the coveted Golden Mask trophy.
Helmed by host Nick Cannon and overseen by stalwart panelists Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger, Wednesday’s exciting episode was themed all around the animated family comedy Trolls Band Together.
This week, fans got another chance to see The Anteater, The Candelabra and The Donut belt out some iconic hits yet again, before meeting the wildcard known as The Cuddle Monster.
The Anteater was the first costumed contestant to hit the stage, and the talented crooner convinced the panel that he’s definitely a professional singer through his emotional and surprisingly moving performance of “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys.
“Amazing. Soulful! I mean, you could feel the journey that he’s been on, and you could really feel the pain in his voice, the vulnerability,” Thicke marveled at The Anteater after his number. “I thought that was a very soulful, beautiful performance.”
The Candelabra lit up the Masked Singer stage next and brought her diva vibe and iconic voice to blow the audience away. The golden songstress belted out “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo, which got the panel grooving.
“That was a beautiful song choice, and you could really tell that music is your medicine,” Scherzinger shared after the impressive performance. “And you hear that pain and you feel that struggle and the heart through your performance, so thank you so much.”
The Donut was the next to take the stage, after presenting a heartbreaking clue package in which he revealed that he recently lost the love of his life, and is trying to keep going. So the panelists were already choked up before he started his performance of “I Do (Cherish You)” by 98 Degrees. The audience was weeping by the end of the emotional performance.
“Wow, that was so powerful and so beautiful. I think we all, you know, I lost my father, and I think we’ve all lost somebody very important to us around this point in our lives,” Thicke said. “I really– I understand what you’re feeling, what you’re going through. And that song choice, your vocals, you just got us all. You got us all. It was beautiful.”
The final act of the night was a brand new wildcard contestant, The Cuddle Monster! This massive, super furry crooner showed off his charisma with a fun, engaging performance of “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” New Kids on the Block.
“This is what The Masked Singer is all about: having fun!” Ken shared after the free-spirited routine.
After all the songs were sung, it was time for the audience to vote on which two contestants should move on in the competition, and which two should have to face off in a Smackdown round to determine their eventual fate.
Once all the votes were cast and counted, The Candelabra and The Donut automatically advanced. Meanwhile, The Cuddle Monster and The Anteater were pitted against one another in a musical Smackdown duel that saw each of them putting their own twists on “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake.
While The Cuddle Monster gave it his all, The Anteater was the clear winner. After the panel made their final guesses, it was time for The Cuddle Monster’s brief time on The Masked Singer to come to an end. The engaging performer revealed himself to be none other than NBA great Metta World Peace.
“It was an amazing experience,” he shared with Cannon after unmasking. “I love the character and the chakras. I was asking them to make it more Zenful, you know?”
The Masked Singer airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
Check out the gallery below for a look at every single contestant who has ever had to “take it off” throughout the history of the show!
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