Fox
SPOILER WARNING: Don’t read any further if you haven’t seen Season 9 Episode 6 of The Masked Singer which aired March 22nd on Fox.
You better be ready, be ready… Jump! From The Masked Singer. 21 Jump Street actor Holly Robinson Peete was one of the other two celebrities unmasked in Wednesday’s The Masked Singer. Also out is WWE star Alexa Bliss, who made headlines just this week for revealing she had been diagnosed with skin cancer and recently had a procedure for it.
For Axolotl, panelist Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg got it right and named Alexa Bliss (real names Alexis Kaufman and Alexis “Lexi” Cabrera). Robin Thicke suspected Nikki Bella. Ken Jeong thought it was Brie Bella. Nicole Scherzinger picked McKayla Maroney.
As for Fairy, nobody guessed Robinson Peete. Scherzinger chose Tracee Ellis Ross, McCarthy Wahlberg thought it was Corrine Foxx, Thicke chose Lori Harvey, and Jeong chose Jennifer Aniston.
As in the previous season, “The Masked Singer” has again adopted a “Champion of Masked Singer” format. Three costumed celebrities will appear in each episode, but only one will win and compete again the following week. After each round, three finalists compete in the semi-finals.
This means that one contestant is revealed mid-episode and the top two singers go head-to-head in a “battle royale.” After Bliss was first revealed to be an axolotl, Fairy and Macaw were left to face off with Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Fairy received fewer votes and was revealed to be Robinson Peete. Macaw moves on to next week’s episode.
Joining Holly Robinson Peete as the Fairy and Alexa Bliss as the Axolotl are Lele Pons as the Jackalope, Malin Akerman as the Squirrel, Michael Bolton as the Wolf, Grandmaster Flash as the Polar Bear, Debbie Gibson as the Night Owl, Howie Mandel as the Rock Lobster, Sara Evans as the Mustang and Dick Van Dyke as Gnome as the celebs unmasked this season.
It was Country Night, and the episode featured country star Deana Carter, comedian Bill Engvall and NFL star Robert Woods, each providing a special clue for the Macaw, Fairy and Axolotl (respectively).
New this season is “Ding Dong Keep It On”. In the new variant of the competition, panelists have an opportunity to save a singer from impending elimination, but the bell can only be rung three times in the first three rounds. These three singers will then face each other in a special episode in a battle to resume the competition. There was no ring on Wednesday.
The Masked Singer goes into Season 9 with 21 contestants including Mustang, Axolotl, California Roll, Dandelion, Moose, Gargoyle, Jackalope, Doll, Polar Bear ‘, ‘Night Owl’, ‘Rock Lobster’, ‘Gnome’, ‘Macaw’, ‘Squirrel’, ‘Wolf’ and more to be announced. Tim Chappel is this season’s costume designer.
Season 9 contestants “have a total of 28 Emmy nominations, six Grammy wins, 10 gold albums, four Golden Globe nominations, five medals, 26 books, two Tony Award nominations, five Lifetime Achievement Awards, four stars on Hollywood Walk of Fame and 95,231,000 total record sales.” Season Nine introduces brand new themed episodes including ABBA, New York, DC Superheroes, Sesame Street, 80s Night, Movie Night” and more.
Here were the contestants and their performances on night six:
Fairy, “The Masked Singer” (Michael Becker/Fox) Pete Dadds
The Fairy (HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE)
song: “Angels of Montgomery” by Bonnie Raitt
Panel advises: Jennifer Aniston, Aisha Morris, Mickey Guyton, Lori Harvey
Notice: (From comedian Bill Engvall) Blackjack (21). “I know something about winning. And with that hand I really could take you to school.”
Voiceover Pack: “It feels so good to get the league title last week. Linda is a dear friend, so I had to do her song justice. She has supported me since I was 13. Music is a big part of my life and I enjoy every second I’m on stage. But two new challengers want to send me home. I say bring it with you. I’m so excited that tonight is country night. There’s something about country music that sticks to your ribs. Tonight I’m singing a song I loved as a little girl by an artist I still look up to. It’s a real classic in my book, like this new clue. [A book that says ‘Fairy’s Tales.’] Any ideas?”
previous song: “You’re No Good”, by Linda Ronstadt
Previous panel guesses: Tracee Ellis Ross, Angelina Jolie, Rashida Jones
Nick Cannon and Axolotl, “The Masked Singer” (Michael Becker/Fox) Pete Dadds
Axolotl (ALEXA BLISS)
Song: “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” by Leann Rimes
Panel guesses: Nikki or Brie Bella, Alexa Bliss, Simone Biles
A notice: NFL star Robert Woods holds a helmet that reads “2.3 million.” “So many people watch me work, and that’s just on a Monday.”
Voiceover Pack: “I’m so excited to be a part of your world as an axolotl at Country Night. axo-what? I had to google it too. It’s a bite, but she’s very cute and rowdy, just like me. But although I am now convinced of all this, it took me a long time to get here. As a child, I was bullied so much that I had to change schools. They made me feel so small and I let their words eat me up so much that I stopped – eating. I’m almost withered. Until one day, in my darkest moment, I heard a song that helped me recover. I fell in love with the voice and eventually with the man. He helped me see that the only way my life was going to be a perfect 10 was to build myself up instead of tearing myself down. Now I’m definitely not the best singer to ever take this stage, but I promise I’ll embrace my inner diva and have the most fun. Xo xo!”
Macaw, “The Masked Singer” (Michael Becker/Fox) Pete Dadds
Macaw (WINNER)
song: “Live Like You’ll Die” by Tim McGraw
Panel advises: Elijah Wood, Zayn Malik, Doug Robb
Notice: Country singer Deana Carter delivered a silver medal. “It wasn’t until I left the nest that I found what I was looking for.”
Voiceover Pack: “I’m so excited to become the macaw because he’s everything I’m not. Flashy, confident and he sings country songs. Even though I’ve been performing since I was young, it definitely didn’t start as a passion. My dad bribed me with quesadillas to perform at our Mexican restaurant. And finally I spread my wings on bigger stages. But the pressure of always being the good son scared me so much. But somewhere along the journey of melted cheese and panic attacks, I learned to take breaks and reset. What started out to make my parents happy turned into what really brings me joy. This is the year I decided to be brave not only on stage but in my own life. So this feels like the perfect opportunity to show my new found courage.”