The Masked Singer returned tonight for the ninth episode of the season, and the race to unmask the winner was tighter than ever. The mystery celebrities appearing on the hit FOX singing competition have had the detective panel—comprising Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora—somewhat stumped all season long, and tonight, they returned to try to guess the identity of yet another person.
Last week’s unmasking stunned the detectives
During last week’s episode, the detectives hopped aboard the “Crazy Train” to celebrate their own personal OzzFest in honor of Ozzy Osborne. The late singer’s daughter, Kelly Osborne, was a special guest on the panel, lending her backstage knowledge to the befuddled detectives, as she’d previously appeared on the show during Season 2 back in 2019.
High Voltage, Galaxy Girl, Eggplant and Pangolin were the mystery celebs on deck, tasked with taking on beloved rock tunes, a couple of which were originally performed by the aforementioned “Godfather of Heavy Metal.” Following the solo performances, Pangolin and Galaxy Girl were voted safe by the detectives and the audience. From there, High Voltage and Eggplant had to compete head-to-head in the “OzzFest Royale,” which required the masked singers to perform a duet of “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath.
As always, the final decision was left to the detectives, who selected High Voltage as the winner, eliminating Eggplant from the competition. McCarthy Wahlberg thought Eggplant’s true identity might be Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon, Jeong guessed Rick Springfield and Osborne was torn between two possibilities: Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi or Alice Cooper. Upon their unmasking, the mystery singer was revealed to be actor Jack Wagner, best known for his roles on General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful and Melrose Place—whom none of the detectives guessed.
With his elimination, the star joined David “Big Papa” Ortiz, The Chrisleys, Tiffany Haddish, Tone Loc, Taraji P. Henson, Claudia Oshry, Teddi Mellencamp and Billy Ray Cyrus as the Season 14 singers unmasked thus far—with another set to join them tonight.
You can check out our full live recap of the last episode here.
This week’s theme and singers
This week, the competition embraced a more cuddly side with a Care Bears theme. The returning masked singers included High Voltage, Pugcasso, Crane and Pangolin.
Pangolin
The animal-themed masked singer opened the show with a high-energy rendition of “What a Feeling (Flashdance)” by Irene Cara. During the introduction, Pangolin brought out a “colossal clue,” which was actually a clip from singer Christina Perri—the very celeb McCarthy Wahlberg had guessed the previous week. Perri confirmed that the masked singer was not her, leaving the detectives confused.
Following the performance, the detectives were on their feet, applauding Pangolin’s “voice” and “charisma.” Jeong believed the masked singer might be Meghan Trainor, based on her friendship with Perri. McCarthy Wahlberg thought they might be Jennifer Nettles, following a “waitress”-related tip. Meanwhile, Ora was confident they were Vanessa Carlton off of a “1,000” clue.
High Voltage
Next up was the robot-themed masked singer, who gave an electric performance of “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter—pun intended. For High Voltage’s “colossal clue,” the detectives were shown a man in a cowboy hat riding on a horse. The detectives believed this might potentially be a hint toward the Dallas Cowboys.
After High Voltage wrapped up their song, Ora applauded “the joy” they brought to the stage, with the other detective concurring. Thicke believed they might be Dax Shepard, thinking the cowboy clue tied into his show The Range. Jeong guessed Travis Kelce and was immediately greeted with boos from the crowd. Ora warned that she thought her guess might be as out there as Jeong’s, believing they might be John Rich of the country duo Big & Rich.
Pugcasso
“Dream” by The Cranberries was the song of choice for Pugcasso, who first took to the stage to give the detectives his “colossal clue.” The pup artist’s hint was an Olympic torch, with the detectives believing they might be either an elite athlete or a musical artist who performed at the opening ceremony.
Jeong told Pugcasso their performance was his favorite of the night, and the mystery celeb further explained their clue, saying they were, indeed, “part of the Olympics.” McCarthy guessed they might be Gavin DeGraw, given his career feats, while Ora believed they might be Jason Mraz. Jeong stuck to his metaphorical guns, keeping with his guess from last week: Pat Monahan, the lead singer of Train.
Crane
The bird-themed masked singer was the last to take to the stage for the solo performances, performing their rendition of “Good Luck, Babe” by Chappell Roan. When it came to their “colossal clue,” they showed a man in football gear proposing, and also confirmed that they’re not Ashanti, whom Thicke has guessed twice.
The detectives loved the vocals, and Crane further clarified their clue, saying they “just kicked off [their] next chapter with a major win.” Jeong immediately guessed they were Taylor Swift, given the clue, and immediately got booed again. Meanwhile, both Ora and McCarthy Wahlberg strongly believed they might be Normani.
Who was eliminated?
Following Pangolin’s performance, the audience and detectives voted for their two favorite performances of the night, saving Crane and Pugcasso. This meant High Voltage and Pangolin had to perform in a “Care Bears Royale,” singing a duet of “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters.
While both masked singers gave the song their all, the detectives ultimately chose to save Pangolin, eliminating High Voltage by default. Upon their unmasking, High Voltage was revealed to be former soccer player Alexi Lalas.
When is the next episode?
The next episode of The Masked Singer—the semifinals—airs on FOX on Wednesday, March 18, at 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll be right back here to recap everything live for you!
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