Masked Singer Premiere Delivers Incredible Frontrunner, Shocking Twist -- Before NFL Legend Unmasks

It also returned to a more traditional format -- at least, that's how it looks for now -- with no Wild Cards and no wonky structure. We met the first five singers in Group A, and we'll follow them for awhile before doing it all over again with Groups B and C to find our Group finalists.

This allows us to spend a little more time with each group, getting to know the stories of the people under the masks. It was those early seasons that followed this format that resonated most with fans. Let's see if a return to this format can connect, as well.

With this season's lineup, we were teased that they collectively have 21 Grammy nominations, 14 Emmy nominations, 202 film appearances … and 5 know Taylor Swift. And one of them will have a Golden Mask Trophy in just a few months time.

In this premiere, we were introduced to some of the most intricate (Ship) and bizarre (Leaf Sheep) costumes we've seen yet. There was also a huge surprise in store with Buffalo, while Showbird and Woodpecker both helped prove that actual quality singing is back in the mix on The Masked Singer.

This season, each contestant also gets a Masked Ambassador, which is a previous contestant they share a connection with. These ambassadors also got the honor of introducing the singer they're connected with. This week, that meant we got to see Nick Lachey, Jenifer Lewis, DeMarcus Ware, Joel McHale, and Jewel again. It's always nice to be reunited with friends!

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.

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.

("Who Can It Be Now?" Men at Work) Yet another song that fits the whole theme of the show, Rita came out with the same enthusiasm she had just to be here last season, but she also looked great and sounded great. There was a sultry depth to her voice that was at times sinister and at times alluring. She's got great pipes, knows her range, and set the stage for what hopefully will be a night of fun performances by hitting just the right tone of mystery.

("(I Just) Died in Your Arms," Cutting Crew) Buffaloes had everyone fooled through the clue package, even, with a sense that this was a single performer. In truth, there were three Buffaloes who took the stage one by one, but what a trio! Those harmonies were magical, those voices were each powerful and well-honed instruments. This is definitely a group of singers who've got years of experience, and have performed together extensively. Beautiful, rich tones and just a pleasant and easy aural experience listening to them.

Guesses: Season 5 winner Piglet (a.k.a. Nick Lachey) shared a seemingly singular Buffalo's story in his first clue package, talking about his rough upbringing in "roach-filled beds at night." During the day, he practiced at a bus stop. When Buffalo talked about catching his big break at a cattle call, we saw images of Betty White and Vanna White.

From that auspicious beginning, Buffalo went on to travel the world and star in two of the biggest sitcoms of all time. Nick came back to call Buffalo a "national treasure," as well as the center of attention at his Super Bowl parties. Additional images included a poster of a football player at that bus stop and Buffalo holding up a film reel.

Buffalo's closing line was, "Just you wait," which evokes Hamilton. Their-on-stage clue was a Crown, which sent Jenny to wondering if Season 5's Yeti (Omarion) had reassembled B2K for another run at the title -- or maybe this is the rest of his crew? Rita, though, went from B2K to "more legendary" with Earth, Wind & Fire.

Robin wasn't feeling that, but instead was considering either the Jonas Brothers, or perhaps even the other three members of 98 Degrees. The immediate most popular guess online was Boyz II Men, who are a trio these days, as well as a few other stray guesses.

("Flowers," Miley Cyrus) Woodpecker has a lot of confidence and a solid singing voice, but she doesn't use it or the stage like someone seasoned to it. We don't think she's a professional singer, but rather a multi-hyphenate who has this as more of a background talent to all the other things she may do. The song definitely suited a similarly low timbre to her voice, making for a strong first outing.

Guesses: Season 11's Miss Cleocatra (a.k.a. Jenifer Lewis) was Woodpecker's TMS ambassador, who had love for an artist she's known since the start of her career. She called her a mogul and "chic CEO," touting she even became friends with Beyoncé.

Woodpecker shared that she was taught the only doors that open are ones you knock on, "so I knock on them all." Her goal now is to be the youngest billionaire, proving along the way that there's nothing she can't do.

Visual clues included an SAT answer sheet, gate sign reading "Family," and red sports tape reading "Next." Her on-stage clue "Ambassador Gift" was a "World Record" plaque, suggesting she might have one of those, too!

Ken took that world record to the youngest artist with a Top 20 single in the US and UK, Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair." Rita, though, was thinking it could be Cardi B before landing on Halle Bailey as someone who knows Queen Bey.

Robin's guess was Keke Palmer, before thinking it was someone "more in the JoJo Siwa world." But the X/Twitter-sphere was thinking more of someone in the "blackish" world, landing quickly on Marsai Martin and staying there. They're so confident, they even started bringing receipts.

("I Like It, I Love It," Tim McGraw) Leaf Sheep is probably a very nice guy. What he's not is a singer. It was simply atrocious. There's not much more to say about it. It's the drunk guy at karaoke having a great time while everyone else groans and waits for it to end -- only without the drinking.

Guesses: After marveling at just how over-the-top and ridiculous this rolling costume was, Season 11's Koala (a.k.a. DeMarcus Ware) came on as Leaf Sheep's Masked Ambassador, calling him the "GOAT" and insisting his "glory days are still ahead," while revealing they run in the same circles. That suggests someone that people might have said the opposite about, that they're in his past.

Leaf Sheep then all but confirmed that by saying he's more "sluggish" now than when he was in his prime, saying that at one time he "made a total splash, scored headlines, topped the country's charts," and "even revived a franchise." That's a whole lot for one career!

Visual clues along the way included a quarter -- which, of course, makes you think of quarterbacks -- a guitar pick with "#1" on it, and a seahorse wearing a cowboy hat. So … almost definitely a cowboy-themed football legend: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts? He even got a Hall of Fame trophy as his on-stage gift.

The panel was immediately going for NFL GOATs, with Jenny thinking it must be Tom Brady. Ken, though, went with a number one draft pick to land on Broncos' legend John Elway. Robin, though, noted DeMarcus used to play with the Cowboys and Troy Aiken.

Social media wasn't doing a whole lot better, though they were also distracted with looking up leaf sheep to see how adorable they are. With the singing being so bad, there was very little to go on, so guesses were all over the place.

("Just Fine," Mary J. Blige) Showbird has some pipes, with a natural R&B vibe in her delivery. She didn't seem to have as much breath control and her stage presence itself was extremely limited. So either she's an older artist, or maybe a polished singer who doesn't have a lot of stage experience. Either way, though, Showbird's got quite the voice.

Guesses: Her Masked Ambassador is frequent guest panelist and one-time "singer" Joel McHale, who conceded Showbird is out of her element on this show. She agreed completely, describing herself as a tomboy nerd who loved Lego and Comic-Con growing up.

She always thought her life would be more humble and low-key, but instead she bares her soul in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, "unlike Joel here." We also saw an Advanced Singing 401 book, a golden gavel, glittery boots, and lots of costumes, which always makes us think stage performer. Her on-stage gift was popcorn, which could refer to the MTV Movie & TV Awards' Golden Popcorn bucket?

Ken had reasons for his terrible guess of Jennifer Hudson, tying a microphone to Dreamgirls. Yeah, it was a stretch and nobody was buying it. Rita took the mic to Empire and Taraji P. Henson, whose vocal abilities surprised her on a shared project. Robin, though, speculated Kerry Washington almost blindly. But thanks for playing, buddy!

One good guess that gained some traction online, and was our first instinct as well, was Joel and Ken's Community costar Yvette Nicole Brown. They even quickly started lining up the clues to support their guess.

("Pompeii," Bastille) Ship not only has one of the most intricately gorgeous costumes, she had one of the most artistically present performances. She's not only an incredible vocalist, but she's a true artist, interpreting this song into something her own, rather than just delivering it as written. That's front-runner creativity and vision.

Guesses: Season 6 winner Queen of Hearts (a.k.a. Jewel) had the honor of being Masked Ambassador for Ship, who shared that her life has changed from "angry to serene on a dime" after a rapid start to her career. She said she had "massive hits, made history," but then lost control of it.

She felt completely forgotten for years before reclaiming her career, and in fact, finally enjoying the career she always wanted. But that career is unlike this stage, with Ship admitting this is scary because it's "uncharted waters."

Jewel, though, thought that was reason enough to do it, encouraging Ship to "steer towards your fears head on, just like we did all those years ago together." She said that by doing so, she'd be "unsinkable."

Along the way in this first clue package, we saw sculptures in an art museum, a plane, a clock on it set to approximately 11:35, a $15,000 Wanted poster, and an old TV with antenna crossed to make an "X." Is that for Generation X, X Factor, or maybe even the X-Men? Her on-stage gift was a sparkly cowboy hat.

While our first thought was Tori Amos, just out of nowhere and based on nothing, the panel was at least in the same generation as us … mostly.

Rita took the clock and the wanted poster to "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" singer Cyndi Lauper, but Jenny wasn't feeling that. Instead, she heard Joan Osborne, which was a more popular response. Robin, though, thought that distinct vocal tone could point more toward Enya or Sarah McLachlan.

The internet was along those same vibes, throwing out various '90s music artists, but most of them seemed to be circling Paula Cole, who definitely has that tone and blew up big out of nowhere before quickly coming back down. Aside from Cher guesses, which we will not dignify, Annie Lennox was the second most popular, and that's not bad, either.

What's exciting about this season premiere, compared to the last few, is that there are already a whole slew of solid singers in this group -- rather than us hoping for at least one. We've already got a front-runner to win the whole thing in Ship after that performance.

On the other end, though, there can be only one … right? It wasn't even close this week, with Leaf Sheep in a class his own as not just a subpar singer, but a downright terrible one. Showbird and Woodpecker need some polish, but they've both got pipes. Leaf Sheep … well, he's got a cool scooter under that costume.

After some fake drama -- because we all knew -- it was indeed Leaf Sheep who was marked for the first elimination. So which NFL legend was under the mask, because we're all pretty much on the same page there, too -- except for Rita, who pivoted to a movie star who played a coach.

• Robin Thicke: Troy Aikman
• Jenny McCarthy: Tom Brady
• Ken Jeong: John Elway
• Rita Ora: Billy Bob Thornton

Ken continues his streak of getting better and better at this game with the first right guess of the season as John Elway emerged from inside that monstrosity of a costume. When asked why he would ever do this show, John shot back, "That's a good question. I'm not sure."

He went on to say that while he was out of his comfort zone, he still decided to take advantage of the opportunity when it was presented. To his family he said, "I think all the grandkids are gonna be happy to see Poppy jump out of the Leaf Sheep."

You can check out TooFab's exclusive interview with the unmasked Leaf Sheep (a.k.a. John Elway) below.

The Masked Singer continues with Group A and "Footloose Night" next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.