SPOILERS ALERT: Don’t read any further if you haven’t seen Season 7 Episode 5 of The Masked Singer, Masking For a Duel – Round 2, which aired April 6th on Fox.
That’s no illusion, it really was Vegas legends Penn and Teller who were unmasked on Wednesday night’s episode of “The Masked Singer.” Penn Jillette and his silent partner Teller were disguised under the three-headed Hydra outfit. (Scroll down to see the unmasking.)
And yes, it was Teller who did most of the singing – in two different voices, one as himself and one with an aristocratic voice modeled after Rex Harrison in “My Fair Lady”. (In fact, the duo dubbed the voice “Rex.”)
This may be the only time you’ll actually hear Teller — notoriously mute at all Penn & Teller performances — actually speak. According to Jillette – who of course spoke solo with Variety – the decision was made to have Teller sing most of the songs because Jillette’s booming voice is so recognizable.
“My voice is so damaged from being showman trash for years that I only have one voice,” Jillette said. “I’m not able to change my voice even slightly. I sound like me and I talk a lot, so our strategy was to have Teller do most of the vocals to focus on those voices that nobody knows. We also picked songs that we didn’t think would define our age.”
Why did the duo agree to be on The Masked Singer? Honestly, “If someone calls, we answer ‘yes,'” Jillette said. “We are the longest running Las Vegas headliners in history. And we’ve brought about a quarter billion people to our theater here at the Penn & Teller Theater. And we do that by having people see us on TV. So we love doing all kinds of things on TV and we’re not very picky.”
But “The Masked Singer” stood out, he added, because “it’s so playful and so good-natured and so sweet that there really wasn’t a moment’s hesitation in going on the show.” I like the friendliness of this show. So many of your competitive shows seem to indulge in a kind of unnecessary leanness and this show is just happy.”
How was it in that costume? “It was bloody hell,” he said. “But Teller and I spent our time hiding in tight spaces. We’ve cooped our entire careers behind mirrored cabinets and tiny miserable places! The tapping of the foot was unbearable for me. It’s the most elaborate suit they’ve ever made. We were inches away from falling any second.”
Hydra was voted out after performing ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man”; Last week, Penn and Teller sang Train’s “Hey Soul Sister.” This week’s “Mega Clue” pretty much gave away their identity: it was a deck of cards, a revealing clue for the Vegas wizards. “How odd, a deck made up entirely of jokers!” Hydra said.
Had Hydra continued on The Masked Singer, Penn & Teller would have performed Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon next, Jillette added.
In the duel for exposure, Hydra and Armadillo faced off while performing “Walkin’ the Dog” by Rufus Thomas (Armadillo) and “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors (Hydra).
For Hydra, guest panelist Nicole Byer got it right: Penn & Teller. Ken Jeong guessed “Lego Batman” Will Arnett and “Lego Joker” Zach Galiafianakis. Robin Thicke thought it was South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg went from “Sesame Street” with Bert and Ernie. Nicole Scherzinger dated Will Ferrell and John C. Riley.
(Other earlier panel guesses included Statler and Waldorf; “The Big Lebowski” Jeff Bridges/John Goodman/Steve Buscemi; “Three Amigos” Chevy Chase/Steve Martin/Martin Short; the boys from Lonely Island; and Trey Parker and Matt Stone .)
Penn and Teller as Hydra join the roster of unmasked celebrities, which also includes Christie Brinkley as Lemur, Jorge Garcia as Cyclops, Jordan Mailata as Thingamabob, Duff Goldman as McTerrier, and Joe Buck as Ram.
So far, Firefly (“Team Good”) is seeded for the finals.
The Masked Singer entered its seventh season with 15 contestants, divided into The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly. This season’s costumes include THE GOOD: Ringmaster, Armadillo, McTerrier, Firefly, Frog Prince; THE BAD: Hydra, Ram, Jack in the Box, Cyclops, Queen Cobra; THE CUDDLY: Baby Mammoth, Thingamabob, Lemur, Space Bunny, Miss Teddy.
Season 7 contestants have a total of 112 movie appearances, 15 Grammy nominations, eight Emmy nominations, seven Super Bowl appearances, two Hollywood Walk of Fame stars, and two world records.
In another change, the show’s panelists don’t appear to be in contention for a “Golden Ear” trophy based on their first impressions of each masked cast member (which McCarthy won twice, but Scherzinger won last season) this season.
Here were the contestants and their performances on the fifth night:
Ringmaster, “The Masked Singer” Fox
Ringmaster (“Team Good”)
Song: “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj
voiceover: “It was great to hear the crowd go wild at my first performance. Team Good is willing to take this to the end and fool the panel every week.”
Mega note: Guitar and pick marked “90s”. “You should know I’m a ’90s girl, but I’ve been writing songs for as long as I can remember.”
Panel guesses: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Alanis Morrissette, Zara Larson
Previous song: “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus
Previous panel guesses: Olivia Rodrigo, Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson
Armadillo, “The Masked Singer” Fox
Armadillo (“Team Good”)
Song: “I Fought the Law” by the Bobby Fuller Four
voiceover: “I will protect the good with my life! That’s what I do for a living, I kick ass. I can’t wait for the next song because whatever comes my way, I was born ready for it!”
Mega note: Keys and a motorcycle while Leader of the Pack was playing. “So Nick, you’re the one who took my keys to the boar! It’s a shame these guys had to carry my bike out. Looks like it’s dead.”
Panel guesses: Gary Busey, Jay Leno, William H Macy
Previous song: Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers
Previous panel guesses: Chuck Norris, Erik Estrada, Vin Diesel
Miss Teddy, “The Masked Singer” Fox
Miss Teddy (“Team Cuddle”)
Song: “Tell Me You Love Me” by Demi Lovato
voiceover: “I’m going to slow things down a little bit, put some feelings in there… My sole purpose of being here is to make people smile. I really want America to have a hug because we’ve been through so much together. Some people will know my voice, others won’t. But nobody expects me as an artist to sing these songs.”
Mega note: Grammy. “Winning a Grammy was one of the greatest moments of my career. For me, I was petrified as soon as I was afraid. Sometimes you have to go through life without someone by your side. But you learn to get along and you learn how to survive.”
Panel guesses: Gloria Gaynor, Jennifer Hudson, CeCe Winans
Previous song: “Tell My Heart” by Taylor Dayne
Previous panel guesses: Lauryn Hill, Vanessa Williams, Jill Scott, CeCe Winans, CeCe Peniston, Loretta Devine
Watch the Hydra unmasking here:
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