Fox’s reality singing competition series, which features famous contestants wearing elaborate costumes to hide their identities as they perform for a panel of judges, returned with a new crop of stars, including a Boston sports legend who is better known for his hits off the Green Monster instead of wearing monster costumes. In the first celebrity unmasking of the season, the person wearing the Googly Eyes getup turned out to be World Series hero and Hall of Fame member David Ortiz.
Big Papi unfortunately didn’t earn enough votes from the judges and the audience to make it through to the next round after his performance of “Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon. However, host Nick Cannon noted Ortiz’s monster-style outfit was “the biggest costume” that the show’s ever had, with Big Papi admitting on the broadcast that wearing it was “a straight up workout.”
“I don’t need to go to the gym for about a month,” joked Ortiz. “But it was so much fun.”
The celebrity judges, consisting of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora, nearly all chose former Red Sox stars as their final guesses before the big reveal (except for McCarthy Wahlberg, surprisingly, who guessed Derek Jeter). Thicke ultimately guessed Pedro Martinez, Ora went with Manny Ramirez, while Jeong correctly picked Big Papi.
“I got something for them: Daa Yankees lose!” Ortiz told the judges after the reveal, poking fun at the Yankees-themed guess.
Prior to Ortiz’s performance on Wednesday night, his Googly Eyes persona teased his true identity during an introduction video, which offered clues like a poster with the words “monster hits.” The clip, styled like a job interview, also featured Googly Eyes offering references to a potential employer from famous pals like “Bacon, Krasinski, Tucker,” noting, “those guys have my back.”
Big Papi isn’t the first Boston sports star to appear on “The Masked Singer,” as his former Red Sox teammate Bronson Arroyo competed in season 12 wearing the Sherlock Hound costume. Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, meanwhile, was revealed as the celebrity in the White Tiger outfit way back in season 3.
Matt Juul can be reached at [email protected].
