Masked Singer Recap: Five New Masks, One Iconic Supermodel Revealed

Five new masks hit the stage with performances ranging from probable music industry legend to … well, not that. Like the first group, this one has two strong contenders for the crown right out of the gate, but only one will make it to the finale.

We also saw one of the biggest and craziest costumes in Hydra, which could house two singers, or maybe three. The costume has three heads, but that could be a misdirect. In fact, the judges still weren’t sure how many people were in the costume even after Hydra performed.

Joining them on stage were the high-energy Armadillo, classy Lemur, showstopping Ringmaster and huggable Miss Teddy. Who has what it takes to make it to the finale? And who didn’t even have what it took to make it through this hour?

And just when you thought Ken Jeong’s guesses couldn’t get any worse, he started dropping some of the most ridiculous guesses of all seven seasons, culminating in what Robin Thicke declared his best guess of all time. Was it redemption for Ken?

Let’s jump right in with this week’s masks. And don’t worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking, we're going to make you power through the terrible (and occasionally good) guesses made by our illustrious panel of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger first. We do this because we love ... to torture you.

Along with the panel’s guesses, we'll be sharing some internet speculation, too, so if you don't want to be potentially spoiled (because they are very good at this), you may want to skip past the guesses sections.

(“Tell It to My Heart,” Taylor Dayne) Miss Teddy might just be the first legendary season of the season. She commanded that vocal performance from the start with such a rich, full sound. She sounded like a grand dame of soul or R&B or gospel (or all three!) who’s maybe gotten a little older, but is still a master of her craft. There was showmanship, confidence and enough playfulness in the song to say this is someone who knows what they’re doing.

Guesses: For her clue-mercial, Miss Teddy was hawking a “Ted Bed,” which she compared to trash on the other side (a bed with a literal trash bag for a pillow. She described herself as someone who reinvents herself all the time.

Imagery included a laughing face emoji on a director’s chair, a butterfly emerging from a cocoon (which fits with reinvention/rebirth theme), and image of Santa and a pillow fight staged in gospel gowns behind her as she did her pitch thing.

Miss Teddy got to giggling, which was adorable, as Robin and Nicole started arguing over who had the bigger vibe. She definitely has a voice that sounds totally unique, and as she’s clearly a pro in the industry, it’s possible both have crossed paths with her.

She told Nick that she thought the world needed the biggest and warmest hug. Jenny connected the gospel to the movie “Highway to Heaven” and some songs about sleep to land on Jill Scott. For Robin, though, CeCe Winans came to mind with the gospel connection, at least until she started singing.

Then, he thought maybe it was Cece Peniston, hearing the song “Finally” in his brain. Nicole was feeling that, but also considered that maybe it could be Loretta Devine … but Loretta’s voice is higher and more pure sounding than that.

The internet hasn't quite nailed this one down yet, though they're definitely on the same track as the panel and us, thinking this is a legend of the industry. We saw names like Mary J. Blige, Nicole Byer, and some love for Devine. But the name that cropped up most often is Jennifer Holliday.

Considering her "Dreamgirls" past, and her career maneuvering through Broadway, R&B stardom, acting and even -- yes -- gospel. And her name could be enough of a tie to the Santa Claus, as one of the biggest holidays in the Western world. We dig the guess.

(“Hey, Soul Sister,” Train) Hydra was a pure comedy performance, with minimal effort at actually trying to fool the audience that any of the three are professional singers. Still, they appear to have great rapport and played off one another well, with lots of in-jokes playing off the lyrics. We heard a scratchy voice, a voice a little swallowed in the nose like Kermit the Frog and one that was actually fairly decent at singing.

Guesses: The clue-mercial package was all about triple-mint gum for bad breath, but it was the images that really stood out. We saw a shark, that same bull graphic we saw earlier this season (now on a beach ball), and a set of skis that read Miami with an exclamation point.

A magic 3-Ball showed them the fortune, “Ask Your Amigos,” while there was an ATM behind them at one point. And tin the end, joking about bad breath, they said, “Especially you, Ken.” Does that mean they know him from comedy circles?

Robin didn’t mean to “drag on” (dad joke!) but he wasn’t totally convinced there were three different people in the costume, thinking it might just be two. “Would you like to step inside and found out?” they asked Nick when he asked if three heads are better than one.

Our first instinct was stepping inside the ring, a reference to perhaps boxing, MMA or even professional wrestling, but Jenny thought of puppeteers. It’s not Kermit, though, because he’s already been on the show!

So she wondered if it’s a duo, perhaps it’s “The Muppets’” Statler and Waldorf. But if there’s three, the skis had her thinking of “The Big Lebowski.” But we don’t think this is Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, though that would be one helluva a reveal!

Ken took the personal shout-out, and the “Amigos” in the clue package to maybe tie to one of his favorites (that he hopes every year is on the show), Martin Short. Chevy Chase worked with him on “Community,” and he was Land Shark on “SNL,” connecting that image. Could it be Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short.

If it were just two, then Ken could still be close, as Martin and Short have had a close career for years now both touring together and starring together, alongside Selena Gomez, in “Only Murders in the Building.” Could it be just them?

The Twittersphere is definitely on board with "The Three Amigos" as a guess. A twist on this, though, was speculation that maybe it's the entire "Only Murders" cast, with Chase not in there (we still think it could be just Martin and Short). But there were others hopeful -- and delusional -- that maybe, just maybe, this is the Jonas Brothers.

Another popular guess, which would align with the theory that maybe there are only two in there, is Penn & Teller. Would Teller actually sing while inside a costume, even though he never speaks as part of their act?

(“The Climb,“ Miley Cyrus) Ringmaster knows her way around a song. That was a very impressive performance, with lots of power and range. She knows how to play to the crowd as well, so this isn’t her first time under the big top. There was a youthfulness in her energy, her song choice and the way she approached, but not as young as the clue package had us thinking. Still, we think she’s been singing professionally for some time.

Guesses: Right away, we were getting that same youthful energy that JoJo Siwa gave us when she was on as her cereal clue-mercial began. Not only did she sing Miley, but Cyrus featured in the package, embedded in the state of Montana, suggesting Miley’s most famous role.

We also saw a tic-tac-toe board with an X in the middle, which could suggest this person is either famous from TikTok, or has a huge following there, as well. We saw a Golden State Class C driver's license, and a Sweet Southern bottle of booze … so Southern California?

Ringmaster dropped a big clue when asked how it felt to be there. After thanking everyone for having her, she told Nicole, “It’s good to see you, again.” Nicole wasn’t totally confident in her answer, but “Hannah Montana” was Disney Channel and “drivers license” was huge for Olivia Rodrigo, and she was born in CA. Could it be her?

Robin, though, wondered if Southern could refer to Texas and her album “Golden Hour” on his way to guessing Casey Musgtraves. Ken, though, had one more terrible guess in his arsenal, wondering if it could be fellow Texan Kelly Clarkson, but her legs aren’t that slender. Everyone in the audience shut him down -- it didn’t even sound like Kelly!

“Kelly can sing, so that’s not a bad guess, Ken,” Nicole offered helpfully, but Nick shut that down immediately. “Yes, it is!” he corrected. We then gone one final bonus clue as John Oates called her a star.

Twitter had all sorts of horrible guesses going for this one, tossing around random names like Nicole Kidman and Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, like everyone doesn't know those last two voices instantly.

Other more reasonable guesses included Victoria Justice and Sabrina Carpenter, with Emily Osment emerging slightly in the lead with more guesses than anyone else. But there is by no means any confidence or consensus on the platform.

(“I Feel the Earth Move,“ Carole King) Lemur is definitely not a professional singer, as she had a tendency to just bounce on her feet or move very little side to side during her performance. Her voice, too, was a bit tepid. She lost the timing a few times, and the notes more than that. But there was also a recognizable richness to her voice. It wasn’t awful, but it’s definitely not pro-caliber singing.

Guesses: Lemur was very playful and confident when she came out, dancing with Nick, but was clearly more self-conscious and nervous when she performed. Her clue package started with a rotary phone, which could be as simple as a clue to her age (not TikTok generation).

She was hawking Nocturnal Eye Cream in her clue package, which included a sun with sunglasses and a flower crown, an acoustic guitar lamp, a copy of “Hart Magazine,” and a rock very obviously rolled off of a desk, suggesting perhaps the magazine Rolling Stone.

She also promised the product was vegan and cruelty free, which could have just been a clue-mercial joke, or it could have been a clue that she’s also those things. She told Nick she likes to think she has experience dazzling an audience: “I like the lights, camera, and action.”

That could suggest that she’s a movie or television actress, as opposed to a stage performer -- which would be backed up by her obvious discomfort and uncertainty about what to do with her body during that performance.

Ken wondered if maybe the music clues in the package could indicate this is someone who was married to a rock star, like Heather Locklear or Jerry Hall. But he was thinking bigger, offering up another terrible guess with Jennifer Aniston, who dated John Mayer and endorses skin care products. Nicole, though, threw out the name Goldie Hawn, with the flower crown perhaps referencing her film, “Cactus Flower.”

Robin agreed in spirit, but the silly dance with her knees had her thinking maybe Molly Shannon, but then he went with Melanie Griffith, tying the sunglasses to her daughter’s “50 Shades” role, and the Nocturnal to her “Night Moves” film. Nicole then threw him an assist, as Melanie also played Roxie Hart in “Chicago,” which could be the Hart Magazine clue.

There was a lot of uncertainty about Lemur on Twitter, too, with the general consensus being that this is a middle-aged or older woman, with some starting to throw out "Real Housewives" as possibilities -- some of them do think they can sing!

Other guesses just endorsed some of the same things the panel said. Our favorites are those who parrot what the panel side in explaining why they think that. And we're sorry, but how dare you disrespect Diana Ross like that?! Mostly, it's just proof that they're all over the place here and have no idea.

(“Secret Agent Man,“ Johnny Rivers) Armadillo is not a singer full stop periodt! But he has a high kick with that right leg and he know how to use it! He bopped and bounced his way around the stage like your uncle feeling his jam, giving a pretty flat, but scratchy, vocal performance. It was not good vocally, but he has a confident charm about him.

Guesses: The color red was all over this otherwise black-and-white clue-mercial, with red rocks at the top (Red Rocks Amphitheater is probably a bit of a stretch), as well as red hot dogs, red hamburger meat in a literal beef cake, and a red child’s bow and arrow set. Then we saw a not-red pair of sparkling sunglasses.

While selling Armadillo Scrubs, Armadillo referred to himself as soft on the inside, suggesting the costume is symbolic of how he sees himself. He also suggested he cares about how others see him, while revealing that he sometimes snuggles up with his lady.

It was all about action vibes, from the action star quality of the package to his spy-themed performance to all those high kicks. Armadillo told Nick he was “born on a mountain and raised in a cave / scrapping and singing is all I crave.”

Ken Jeong went with the most obvious action star of them all who definitely had a high kick on “Walker, Texas Ranger” with Chuck Norris. But Nicole was instead thinking of Erik Estrada from “CHiPs.” But Jenny’s beefcake thought was Vin Diesel, keeping his head shiny with those scrubbers.

“Vin Diesel and Erik Estrada,” Nick laughed. “All you guys just made Ken sound like a genius.”

Surprisingly, The Rock emerged as a strong choice online for Armadillo, which is terrible for two reasons. For one, Dwayne Johnson is enormous and Armadillo is not. For another, The Rock actually has a lovely singing voice ... Armadillo does not. Thankfully, for as many who threw out the guess, there were just as many who shut them down.

Other guesses was saw thrown around included Jean Claude Van Damme, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Mickey Roarke (who's already done the show), Jeremy Renner and our favorite guess because we so badly want it to be true, Mr. T. Will we all be high-kicking ourselves when he's unmasked?

Miss Teddy and Ringmaster are bona fide music superstars, so there should be no reason they’re even part of the discussion tonight. It gets a lot more murky when you consider Hydra, Lemur and Armadillo. None of them were vocally stellar, so it might come down to who was more entertaining -- or who the audience is most curious about.

Hydra had an enjoyable playfulness in their performance, playing up the comedy side of it to overcome their lack of vocals. It made for a stronger overall experience with them on stage. And Armadillo had a more energetic stage presence, so our pick to go would be Lemur, as she just looked uncomfortably out of her element up there.

After the audience and panel vote, it looks like they agreed with our sentiment, making Lemur the first mask sent packing from this second group of the season.

• Robin Thicke: Melanie Griffith
• Jenny McCarthy: Pamela Anderson
• Ken Jeong: Christie Brinkley
• Nicole Scherzinger: Goldie Hawn

Jenny came up with the best celebrity married to a rock star guess with Pamela Anderson (which we were thinking after she performed), but we have to give it to Ken for redeeming himself with a solid guess.

Christie Brinkley also portrayed Roxie Hart in “Chicago,” she was married to musician Billy Joel and the red convertible on the cover of Hart Magazine could be a reference to “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”

But were either, or any of them right? Big congrats to Ken for pulling it out in the end as it was Christie Brinkley revealed under that mask. The guitar lamp was actually a reference back to National Lampoon, too, as she very carefully explained to Robin.

“The Masked Singer” continues Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.