'The Masked Singer' Season 7 premiere's accidental unmasking: 'He just sang his head off!'
On Wednesday’s The Masked Singer premiere, host Nick Cannon declared Season 7 “the most bonkers season yet.” That remains to be seen — after all, the rumored controversial appearance by Rudy Giuliani, which was leaked by Deadline and TMZ weeks ago, did not air on the premiere, as those outlets had previously reported. (Maybe that was just industry gossip, or maybe Fox decided to pull the plug on Rudy’s appearance due to the massive backlash.) But Season 7’s kick-off episode was indeed bonkers — and it was definitely the series’ most technical-issue-laden episode, with one contestant losing her breath and another literally losing his head.
Season 7’s theme is “The Good, The Bad & The Cuddly” (when and if Giuliani appears, we can assume he’ll be in that middle group), and the performances by two singers from Team Good, Firefly and McTerrier, didn’t go exactly as planned. (Side note: By this seventh season, Fox is clearly running out of character names. Along with McTerrier, this season also features Queen Cobra, Frog Prince, Space Bunny, Baby Mammoth, Miss Teddy, and Thingamabob, who’s apparently a “distant cousin” of Season 2’s Thingamajig.)
When the Firefly sang, for the first time in Masked Singer history the show had to pause, after she suffered a mid-performance coughing fit and required immediate medical attention. As for McTerrier, he powered through his cover of Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” unscathed, but afterwards he tripped due to his mask-impaired vision, causing his furry Scottie-doghead to become dislodged and fall to the floor. “This is a first. … He just sang his head off!” quipped Nick, as a panicked McTerrier shielded his face and the judges turned their backs and averted their eyes, so that McTerrier’s identity wouldn’t be prematurely revealed before a stagehand could refasten his head.
Of course, no one questioned how McTerrier’s head fell off so easily, when a contestant’s de-masking is usually a tedious, Cannon-assisted struggle that drags on for what feels like 10 minutes while the Who plays in the background and the audience chants, “Take it off, take it off, take it off!” But mere minutes later, the episode went through the belabored motions of that exact dramatic process, when McTerrier was eliminated and officially unmasked.
The judges had guessed it was Mike Myers — a logical conclusion, given his “If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap!” singer and an axe-murder clue — or maybe Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, because this scruffy, commando-under-the-kilt dude had “Flea energy.” But it turned out to be Food Network star and pastry chef Duff Goldman, who went on the show to amuse his 2-year-daughter. Hopefully his kid got a good laugh from his accidental-unmasking snafu.
And so, The Masked Singer Season 7 is definitely off to a bonkers start. Let’s check out the premiere’s other performances — the good, the bad, and the cuddly — below, and let the guessing games begin again.
Thingamabob (Team Cuddly), “Wanted Dead or Alive”
Wednesday’s premiere was brimming with arena-rock tunes, and I have to say, Thingamajig’s cousin did the family legacy proud, belting his fiery Bon Jovi power ballad with gusto. I’d assumed Thingamabob was an athlete like his predecessor, NBA player Victor “Thingamajig” Oladipo, but I think this guy’s a pro vocalist. He showcased a big set of lungs and a surprisingly soulful tone.
The clues: We saw the “Hotel California,” a fishing tackle box, Nick Cannon’s old short-lived Masked Singer character the Bulldog, an eagle, a bell, and a charity donation box. This creature was described as “one of a kind” who was “taken from his natural habitat and now has to fend for himself,” and he said he “grew up with rock music” and it “transformed” him.
Judges’ guesses: James Hetfield, Chris Jericho, Terrell Owens.
My guess: Chris Jericho is a smart guess. He’s an athlete who sings in the established metal band Fozzy, and the tackle, bulldog, and bell all seem like wrestling-specific clues. The other clues don’t quite add up, but I’ll agree with Jenny McCarthy on the Jericho guess for now.
Cyclops (Team Bad), “My Sacrifice”
Of course one of this season’s Team Bad villains would go with a Creed song! Heh. He did a solid job with it though, with a rugged rasp that sounded like it belonged to a professional country/rock singer. “That performance was lit!” Jenny exclaimed.
The clues: We saw a compass pointed towards the Southeast, a turtle wearing a cowboy hat, and a comic book. He said he’s “always cast as the villain” and is proud of that, since he “always identified more with monsters than heroes.”
Judges’ guesses: William Zabka, Danny McBride, Rob Dyrdek.
My guess: I think this might be Kid Rock, who lives in Tennessee, had a song called “Cowboy” … and is most definitely a proud villain these days.
The Ram (Team Bad), “I Want You to Want Me”
He may be a member of Team Bad, but I just have to root for a guy that covers Cheap Trick. His vocals were hardly at a Robin Zander level, but Nicole Scherzinger gushed, “I love the commitment, the conviction, and the confidence!” This bad boy might be Nicole’s token Season 7 crush.
The clues: We saw a theater sign advertising Hamlet and MacBeth, a toy horse, a piggy bank that said “quarter return” (one of several seeming football references), and a “Papa Ram” who the Ram has been “following in his hoofprints” his whole life. He came across as a sex-symbol type with an hunky, muscular build, and he said he was accustomed “to telling stories under these lights” and “lots of boos and cheers.”
Judges’ guesses: Jim Harbaugh, Matthew Stafford, Peyton Manning.
My guess: It’s some footballer-turned-sportscaster who’s dabbled in acting. Peyton was a QB for the Colts and the Broncos (hence the horse clue) and his dad is former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, so he seems like a good guess for now.
Firefly (Team Good), “Ain’t Nobody”
After that above-mentioned false start due to her medical scare, this “fighter” returned to the stage for a haunting, semi-a cappella Chaka Khan cover that reminded me a bit of Roberta Flack. Her stellar effort earned the first standing ovation of the season (atop the judges’ desks!) and had Robin Thicke proclaiming her the best performer of the night, predicting, “I think she’s gonna be hard to stop all season.”
The clues: We saw a program guide for the Apollo Theater, a framed photograph of Tyler Perry, a Statue of Liberty figurine, and an old-fashioned crooner’s microphone stand. The Firefly said she’d been performing all her life, and Jenny noted that this petite winged creature had “dancer’s legs.”
Judges’ guesses: Alicia Keys, Aisha Tyler, Monica.
My guesses: Monica isn’t a bad guess, but this could also be Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” duet partner Brandy Norwood; both are amazing vocalists and showbiz lifers, and both have ties to Tyler Perry. (Their historic Verzuz battle took place at Perry’s studio.) But I think it could also be New York/New Jersey-bred Lauryn Hill, who competed on It's Showtime at the Apollo as a teen. The Firefly sure does sound like Lauryn, and she was technically tardy for this performance, which is very on-brand for Ms. Hill.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Rudy Giuliani's 'Masked Singer' reveal spurs judges Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong to storm off set: Report
Ken Jeong on his biggest 'Masked Singer' guessing fail: 'I'm not only shocked, but embarrassed'
Nick Cannon on quitting 'America’s Got Talent': 'One of the best decisions I ever made in my career'
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