Masked Singer Finale: Did Goldfish or Gumball Win It All? -- And Which Teen Idols Are Under Their Masks?

Actually, make that two chances as each of them took the stage twice tonight to sing for the top prize, with the panel zeroing in on one of them, and the other leaving them mostly scratching their heads.

By the end of the night, one of them would be crowned the Season 11 winner. But even more importantly, both of them would finally be unmasked, ending weeks and weeks of anticipation.

Oh, and it turns out they've shared the stage together before this show and one of them has an unexpected connection to Nick Cannon -- so there's also that. What are we waiting for?

Let's jump right in with this week's mask. And don't worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking(s), 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 Rita Ora first. We do this because we love ... to torture you.

("Latch," Disclosure f/ Sam Smith) Gumball hit like something out of an a cappella group by the close of this, complete with beatboxing and electronic vocal modulation done entirely by his voice. And that voice! He continues to impress week after week with his high-soaring range, beautiful vibrato, and the sweet richness of his tone. Sam Smith is a powerhouse vocalist and Gumball took this on with ease.

Guesses: In his last clue batch, Gumball shared that he's been on TV for nearly two decades now nonstop, but it's this that he's truly passionate about. In fact, he hopes to continue singing (without a mask) no matter how this journey turns out.

For the Semifinals, Gumball first offered up a bonus clue with a video snippet of a white wolf. In his clue package, he shared that while music was his first love, he had to give it up to be taken seriously in Hollywood.

Now, he's taking his passion back and trying to show his kids that their dad never said no to any adventure -- and neither should they. His on-stage clue was a crop of cheerleaders, with Gumball saying they remind him "of a role that changed this Gumball's life forever."

His insecurities and imposter syndrome on this show took center stage in Gumball's Quarterfinals clue package. He wondered if his doubts about his deservingness to be here are why he wound up in a Smackdown.

As for new clues, he revealed that he's a former athlete, while his on-stage clue phone call was from his wife. "Hi Gumball, it's your wife, Mrs. Gumball. I'm just so proud of you and watching you on that stage reminds me of your time spent off-Broadway. You're really back in your element and I am just so excited to watch. Go bring home that Golden Mask. I love you."

For his Group B Finals clue package, Gumball revealed he's been struggling with what sounds a lot like imposter syndrome. He said he almost didn't do the show, believing he wasn't up to par with the likes of past winners Piglet (Nick Lachey), Cow (Ne-Yo) and Queen of Hearts (Jewel).

He said that as his family moved around a lot, he'd find himself trying to do anything to make friends when he'd land in a new place. And yet, he felt completely out of place on the stage, always feeling like he was pretending to be something he's not.

He said he has no formal training and no education, so even when success found him, he'd find himself questioning and doubting his worthiness to receive it. Visual clues included a yellow sports car with an "X" on the hood, a football, and the arcade game with the aforementioned contestants competing against him.

"Sticky & Sweet: Ken's Greatest Hits" was his on-stage vinyl clue, with the record label reading, "Kenspiration." Gumball explained, "Well, Ken, one of the funniest jobs that I've ever been a part of, you were involved as well."

Gumball's wife was the main topic of his second clue package, with him sharing that she was this angel across the room when he first met her and they envisioned their future together. She was then hit with a medical diagnosis which changes how her future looks, leaving them with a major decision to make. They decided to live large and explore this world.

Visual clues in the package included a "Prom King" sash, crescent moon, a globe used to knock down three bowling pins, and angel wings and a halo when he talked about first seeing his wife … and how he still sees her.

Carnie Wilson returned to ask all the right questions with Pussycat Dolls' "Don't Cha," to which Gumball added, "Well don't you wish you could have starred with Channing Tatum like me." He added a little groove dance, which immediately evoked Magic Mike.

"For me, it's the Tin Man. When you met him, he was a little rusty, maybe just like me." That's what Gumball said when asked which Oz character inspired him the most. In his clue package, he opened up about his rocky road to stardom.

That included shockingly getting booed off the stage at a talent competition ... for winning! He said that he'd always known he wanted to be on the stage, he just couldn't figure out his path. Cue montage of playing drums, guitar, beatboxing, dancing, maybe even singing.

Visual cues included a horse-drawn chariot, a heart around the "American South," and Mississippi in particular, as well as a black spider dropping on a red-and-white mushroom.

His on-stage clue arrived via flying monkey carrying a heart clock. "At the end of the day, Tin Man always had the heart of a superhero, and I actually might, too."

The panel went down their list of guesses with one wrong selection after another, including Robin Thicke deciding to join Jenny McCarthy's Derek Hough guess. As for Rita, she's been circling he right answer thinking about Taylor Kitsch from Friday Night Lights -- which is so close! -- but then she threw a curve ball with the random Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

("Heart of Glass," Blondie) Goldfish again seemed just a smidge outclassed by her song choice. She doesn't have quite the edge for this or last week's Alanis Morissette, and rather than make it her own, she tried to push herself there. This vocal just made her sound young. She's got a great instrument and a lot of power and heart when she sings, so we're not sure why she keeps trying to rock out and lose that connection.

Guesses: The last clues for Goldfish revealed that she comes from a working class family with no ties to Hollywood, leaving her to think she should have had no chance of making it. She said she's gone from not being good at expressing herself to really finding that voice on a journey of self-discovery.

She also revealed that she has no kids … yet. She's looking forward to sharing this journey with them someday. It's meaningful to her, too, because she always saw herself as an actor first, so she's really enjoyed the chance to shine as a singer.

For the Semifinals, Goldfish teased us with a raccoon before opening up about living in a fishbowl and a life she never really sought. She always envisioned herself a pediatrician instead of a celebrity. But alas, it's the price of following her dream.

This is why she makes an effort to live a more private life now. She also shared that Goldfish has brought out her sillier side, while noting she wants to put this show's trophy "next to my others." Her on-stage clue was Season 10's Anonymouse (Demi Lovato), with whom she said she goes way back.

Growing up a child star left her feeling a lot of pressure, Goldfish said in her Quarterfinals clue package. She made it clear she was a young child who grew up in front of the world. She felt that pressure to be "perfect," but white she fell short there, she did learn resilience.

Her ringing phone call on-stage was a man's voice. "Hey Babe, I'm so happy to see you thriving in this competition, but honestly, I knew you would all along. You never back down from a challenge and you absolutely love to perform live. The Golden Mask Trophy has got Goldfish's name all over it. So proud of you, Baby."

After getting emotional, she shared that the message was from "a very sexy man who I love dearly, if you couldn't tell by the voice."

Goldfish broke our hearts last time with the story of her "number one supporter," who passed away the day before her debut in her "dream role." She almost didn't carry on, but instead decided to honor him and "perform for the one seat that wasn't filled."

Visual clues included a wizard's hat an an island map with a question on it. Her panel connection was with Ken: "You're ridiculous and you have so much heart and I love it so much. You obviously haven't changed since the last time we worked together."

For Transformers Week, Goldfish talked about having her heart broken in Hollywood, and how hard it is to move on when you have to see your exes everywhere. Her breakups were so high profile that run-ins with her exes are TikTok fodder.

She said she'd always hoped to be married young like her mom, suggesting that things haven't worked out that way. Visual clues included a Christmas-themed snow globe (or at least it was a fir tree and a house), with a police siren when she picked it up.

She also swatted off a flying bat at one point, while Bumblebee told us she famously pours her heart, soul and tears into her work.

In her first clue package, Goldfish said that she was an "overnight splash," but that put all eyes on her, making her feel like she was living in a fishbowl. Not just eyes, though, but their expectations, she added while holding a literal jar of hearts.

She said she was then faced with a choice, to either play it safe or "dive into deeper, darker, edgier waters." So she chose the latter, swimming against the current and breaking the mold. That sounds to us like someone who was able to shake off the public's first perception of her and evolve creatively.

Additional visual clues included a ship's helm, two lipstick kiss marks (one smaller than the other), a glass slipper, and a jar of hearts. A gold record hit the stage, which had Goldfish saying, "Let the record show that gold is my lucky color."

Once again, the panel made their way through some of their previous guesses, with Rita Ora again landing on "my friend" Vanessa Hudgens, which is absolutely who this is! We speak with the confidence of the inter-sphere backing us.

Jenny was hoping for the first ever brother-sister competition on TMS, picking Hudgens' Grease costar Julianne Hough, while Robin keeps falling back on his Hilary Duff guess. Meanwhile, Ken swam his way to guessing Nicole Scherzinger, which would be fun -- but is not right.

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("Renegade," Styx) Gumball seems to have the power to hit any genre with the same confidence, bringing his range and power to a rock anthem. From the haunting opening a cappella segment to his classic rock chorus, Gumball took to this song as naturally as every other, proving he's one of the most versatile artists the show has ever had.

Final Word: "Tonight, that performance was really about my folks. I told you that they had been in a rock band, but they never were really able to pay the bills through their artistry so they worked hard 40, 60, 80 hours a week just to get to the weekend so they could do what they love and perform on the stage. And I realize now why it was so special to them because I know tomorrow I go back to my day job. This has been the time of my life and I'm so thankful and honored to have been on this stage. Thank you."

("Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," Elton John) Goldfish may have gotten in her own head as this season has gone on. We can certainly understand feeling intimidated by Gumball, but it's been remarkable because she was the frontrunner to win for so long, while he started off a little less sure. This, however, is a return to form with a beautifully sweet and heartfelt quality in her voice. That said, she didn't hit those biggest moments with quite enough oomph to really sell them.

Final Word: "This experience has been so incredible and so special for me. And it really surprised me because not everybody knows what I actually do and the fact that you guys have all seen me -- like truly seen me -- for what I love doing, really lights a fire under my little fish tail. Thank you guys so much, it means the world. Truly."

The last couple of weeks have changed our minds as to who should win this competition, as it's felt like our presumed winner all season long, Goldfish, has been sliding down. Alongside that, Gumball has been surging with one incredible performance after another, culminating in back-to-back blowouts tonight.

Our pick to win the season would be Gumball, but we also know Goldfish has been a sentimental favorite since the premiere. And then we found out why they've been so sensational together -- because this wasn't the first time they've been together on stage.

In the end, after a dramatic pause, smoke, lights, red lighting, Nick looking somber, and the panel freaking out … the winner was announced, and it was a huge shocker! We thought Gumball would take this one easily, especially after tonight, but he has to settle for second.

• Robin Thicke: Derek Hough
• Jenny McCarthy: Derek Hough
• Ken Jeong: Taran Killam
• Rita Ora: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

The panel was all over the place with Gumball all season long -- and he took a little longer than usual for the X/Twitter-verse to figure out, as well -- but they were definitely wrong this time. It was definitely Scott Porter, with Rita beating herself up for being right there and letting it go.

He said he was actually amazed at what he pulled off on the show, noting "I don't actually have any legitimate training." He sang on street corners as a teen and auditioned for Disney for two years straight, saying he "couldn't book a role. So I didn't know I could do this until tonight and I'm so glad I did."

Nick then shared that Gumball does so much he even coaches his son Golden's baseball team!

• Robin Thicke: Hilary Duff
• Jenny McCarthy: Vanessa Hudgens
• Ken Jeong: Nicole Scherzinger
• Rita Ora: Vanessa Hudgens

No one had Ken's back on this terrible guess, while Robin stood firm on the guess he's carried for weeks now. He'll be able to let it go soon, though, as it's so very wrong. Of course this is Vanessa Hudgens. All the clues have lined up all season long.

"It's honestly the most incredible thing ever," Vanessa said of her win. "I've just been so excited to take my mask off and stare into Rita's eyes and be like, 'Girl, this is why I couldn't hang out with you.' 'Cause I can't lie!"

Speaking of singing underneath the Goldfish mask, Vanessa added, "I never knew it would give me the freedom to purely just do something that I love and it's been so long since I've been able to do that. It makes me so emotional because I really do love it so much. I don't know, it just-- it fill my soul, truly."

In the end, Nick and the panel al agreed that this was probably their "best finale ever," and we have to agree -- because on so many seasons we could have seen Scott Porter winning (like this one)!

The Masked Singer returns for Season 12 this fall on Fox.