The Masked Singer Group B brings Dust Bunny, Bluebell, Goo, Wasp, and Chess Piece to the competition as Joel McHale and Nikki Glaser join the madness for a "Sports Night" theme before the judges are surprised by the unmasking of a famed TV sidekick.
"The most entertaining and unnecessary show on TV" returned Wednesday night as The Masked Singer introduced five brand new singers and Group B began their push toward the quarterfinals.
Comedian Nikki Glaser -- who dropped that glowing statement above -- was joined by frequent guest Joel McHale in the one-time-only role of sideline commentators for the "Sports Night" theme, which kicked off with a high-energy sing-off between Robin Thicke and Rita Ora. Wait, which show is this again?
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View StoryGroup B introduced us to some interesting new masks, including Bluebell, Chess Piece, Dust Bunny, and Wasp, which has to be one of the most versatile costumes we've ever seen for movement. This character was jumping all over the place. Contrast that with Goo, who could barely stomp around in that enormous costume.
Once again, though, TMS delivered on the vocals with four out of these five singers really bringing stellar moments to their performance. But on a show that's as much about entertainment as it is about singing, we couldn't rule out the weaker singer because they were easily the most entertaining performer out there.
With no Battle Royale and five new performances to get through, there's hardly any time to waste before someone gets unmasked. But who?
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.
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View StoryFILLER
Robin Thicke v Rita Ora
("Rock You Like a Hurricane," Scorpions) Taking a note from The Voice, the resident singers on the panel, Robin Thicke and Rita Ora, went head to head with a great duet filled with high notes (from both) and a great sense of fun, as they never took off those boxing robes. Ken Jeong was in Ken's corner, while Jenny McCarhty hammed it up on Rita's side. All in all, it was the perfect way to tap into the theme and have some fun.
GROUP B PREMIERE: Sports Night
Wasp
("Rock Your Body," Justin Timberlake) Wasp wanted to make sure that we knew he could sing with a little a cappella run at the end of the piece. He came out hyped with energy in a costume designed to move and he did not stop moving for a moment through this performance. The vocals were strong, the presence was strong, this guy sings and moves like a natural performer, for sure.
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View StoryClues & Guesses: The Wasp's Masked Ambassador is Ne-Yo (a.k.a. Season 10 winner Cow), who said, "I think it's about time for my boy the Wasp to enter this game. I've known him since he was fresh on the scene and he gained huge success by taking my words of wisdom. I think he's got what it takes to snag the Golden Mask trophy, just like I did in Season 10."
Wasp then opened up about growing up in a tough neighborhood, saying there's no reason he would have made it out. "But I learned to dig deep and fight," he said, sporting a pair of boxing gloves. He then said that his career blew up to the "biggest screens and stages in the world." Ne-Yo said he had the ladies swarming.
Other visual clues included a shot of Mars and a lightbulb over Ne-Yo's head while talking about his words of wisdom. For Sports Night, the singers brought an athletic shoe from home to represent their life. Wasp's honeycomb themed basketball shoes left him saying, "Fresh kicks help me stay on my game."
Rita wondered about the "biggest stages and screens" remark to consider Broadway and Taye Diggs. Jenny, though, mused about the Mars clue to land on someone who was close to Ne-Yo early in his career, Bruno Mars. Robin considered Jason Derulo as someone with that kind of range and performance energy.
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View StoryChess Piece
("Believe," Cher) Chess Piece was a little shaky at first, as if they were trying to modify or mask her voice, but wow did they find their way about a third of the way through, landing with a gorgeous soaring note. There was pathos and performance from someone who definitely loves a stage. We were getting drag queen vibes throughout this (and the clue package), based on the dramatics of the overall performance, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Clues & Guesses: The Masked Ambassador for Chess Piece is none other than "comedian and international pop sensation" Nikki Glaser (a.k.a. Season 8's Snowstorm). Nikki calls Chess Piece the "most fashion-forward friend," who said she "love a fashion moment," but never thought she'd be on the show.
Chess Piece went on to say she'd felt like a pawn "with no protection" at times, while pounding on a small combination safe. She said she was doubted her whole life, had to make bold moves across the board to "secure my crown, and that leading role that changed my game."
During this statement, Chess Piece went behind a red rope to stand alongside shots of Goldfish (Vanessa Hudgens), Sun (Leann Rimes), Night Angel (Kandi Burruss), and Queen of Hearts (Jewel). There was also a red carpet and a cutout of a pair of red lips … so red is definitely the vibe.
On the stage, the nearly-as-tall-as-Nick Chess Piece said, "Since I was a kid, people have been telling me that I can't sing, that I'm tone deaf, that I should stop, but I love singing, so I keep doing it." The shoe clue was a pair of green tennis shoes with Chess Piece adding, "In the first round of the match, it's love serving love."
Jenny got excited about this clue, guessing that maybe this is Serena Williams. Ken thought the red carpet and even the chess piece character was perhaps pointing to Regina King, but Rita thought about someone she'd done America's Next Top Model alongside, a really outspoken star, who wears red lipstick, Ashley Graham.
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View StoryBluebell
("We Belong," Pat Benatar) Bluebell had an unexpected voice, as it sounded more seasoned than her youthful energy and stage presence. More importantly, though, it sounded beautifully controlled, with a wonderfully unique grit in it. This is someone with a gift for singing, and if she doesn't do it as her main career, well she should consider leaning into it (or back into it) more.
Clues & Guesses: The first thing that happened was Bluebell feeling very "touchy-feely" with Nick, which is often a clue in itself. Her Masked Ambassador is Kelly Osbourne (a.k.a. Season 2's Ladybug), who said that her friend Bluebell is all too familiar with "tabloid fodder." They've even made headlines together.
Kelly said that Bluebell had overnight success, while Bluebell looked at a TV script for "Episode 1204: Bluebell of the Ball," but with that fame came gossip. Bluebell said that as she blew up, her alleged relationships with rock stars, billionaires, and royals took over. And yet, she didn't find "true love" until recently.
Visual clues included Bluebell rocking out on blue guitar with a phoenix sticker on it and ripped blue jeans, which Kelly added "cargo pants" and "crop tops" to after Bluebell said, "I'm kind of having a moment." That was her reason for doing the show. Her on-stage clue was a pair of blinged out roller blades, with Bluebell explaining, "I try to roll with the situation, but I always rock it out."
Ken was getting rockstar vibes from Bluebell, which led him to guessing Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless, tying it to the 'Garden Gossip' clue, as well as the TV script, for her time on Gossip Girl. She also dated Jack Osbourne.
Rita reached back to her native country for the song "Burn" to tie in with fire on the guitar -- which looked like a phoenix to us -- Ellie Goulding. Robin was thinking about Paris Hilton's world, but then pivoted to Leighton Meester after the GG connection was explored.
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View StoryDust Bunny
("Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond) Dust Bunny is an extremely entertaining personality and performer but he's … not a singer. This was more of a feel-good moment on a song full of audience participation than an actual performance. Everyone was having a great time with this, and had the audience loving it -- but is that enough?
Clues & Guesses: Dust Bunny was immediately chasing Nick around with a duster from the moment he came out. His Masked Ambassador was 98-year-old Dick Van Dyke (a.k.a. Season 9's Gnome). Dust Bunny then revealed singing as a "secret ambition" while we saw an "Earthquake Zone" sign.
He said that as a rookie fresh in the biz, his "super important job" was making coffee for the real movers and shakers. He then waved a checkered flag while talking about his big break, when he was asked to stand in to check the lighting, finding out he had a face for TV -- while holding a bloody white mask similar to Michael Myers of Halloween fame.
There were framed portraits of Anne Hathaway, David Bowie, and Marlon Brando as co-stars of Dust Bunny, though he said no one's ever seen the Brando footage. Dick then added that he was also a Dust Bunny co-star.
Gathering up all the streamers on the floor after his performance, Dust Bunny quipped, "This place is a mess; I feel right at home!" His clue kicks was a pair of ice skates, which Dust Bunny explained, "My attitude in this competition is to burn through it in a blaze of glory!"
Ken stood up because he knows "exactly who this is," taking the "blaze of glory" to Talladega Nights and Will Ferrell. Jenny liked the movie title half of Ken's guess, but instead thinks it might be John C. Reilly. Rita noted the classic TV host mic Dust Bunny was holding, and that list of costars, and wondered if maybe it was Jay Leno, who's interviewed a lot of different people.
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View StoryGoo
("Lose Control," Teddy Swims) Goo doesn't necessarily perform like he's a professional singer, but what an incredible instrument he has. There was so much heart and emotion in this performance, we were moved even before he slipped into an effortless falsetto, dropped that smooth vibrato -- let's just say, we're gah-gah for Goo.
Clues & Guesses: First of all, we have to acknowledge how enormous Goo is, with his shoulders appearing to be at the very least even with Nick Cannon's 6'0" frame. That fits with his Masked Ambassador, Keenan Allen (a.k.a. Season 9's gargantuan Gargoyle) talked about how, like his journey, this will show a softer side of Goo.
The mask himself then dropped a football hint right away while showing a fishing tackle box and talking about how he wanted to "tackle everything" that came his way while growing up. Was sensitive when he was younger about tough days at school that left him in tears, but found inspiration when his brother started playing guitar.
We saw a train pulling a car filled with disco balls, as well as a French horn while he talked about becoming a "music nerd" involved with an a cappella group and music lab, even winning awards for his efforts. On stage, we got to see music cleats, with Goo adding, "For me, you may want to focus on the sole of the shoes."
Ken got very excited to consider John Batiste, who won an Oscar for Soul, who has a lot of jazz influence in his music. Rita wanted to know what Robin thought, he considered the tackle box clue as a tie to country music and found Shaboozey. Rita, though, thought of Soul Train Award multi-winner Khalid.
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View StoryUNMASKING 5
With no Battle Royale to save them, it was down to who had a weaker night after that one moment to shine. Three of these masks really shined bright, while we thought it was a bit more inconsistent from Chess Piece. But that ended so strong, and even with the inconsistency, it was still stronger than Dust Bunny.
An incredibly charismatic and fun presence, there's just no comparison between Dust Bunny and the other four singers. But we also know the studio audience sometimes just likes to be entertained, and he definitely did that. So which way did they go?
They rewarded actual quality singing, which was bad news for Dust Bunny. But before he could be swept away for good, the judges made their final guesses.
- Robin Thicke: Chevy Chase
- Jenny McCarthy: John C. Reilly
- Ken Jeong: Will Ferrell
- Rita Ora: Jay Leno
Nobody on the panel was feeling particularly about their guesses, and neither were we. This was a tougher one than usual because it's obviously not someone who's a singer -- so the voice was absolutely no help at all.
The Dust Bunny ended up being unmasked as comedian and actor Andy Richter, to the surprise of the panel. When Nick said nobody knew who was under the mask, Andy quipped it's because "they were going too high on the call sheet. Everything that I was in, I was a little bit lower."
The Masked Singer continues with Group B as we shift to a "Sports Night" theme next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.