Masked Singer Recap: Iconic Bravo Legend Climbs Out of Legal Mess for Epic Unmasking

By the end of the night, it was time to close the chapter on one TMS journey, sending Mad Scientist Monster, Nessy, or Yorkie home. Two of them move on to next week's Lucky 6 show where they'll compete against Boogie Woogie, Coral, Paparazzo, and Pearl.

The Battle Royale also returned, meaning we got the chance to hear some of these voices a second time as they go head-to-head for a coveted spot in the next round.

From The Supremes to REO Speedwagon, The Knack to Justin Bieber, these masks delivered powerful anthems -- and for one of them it was their final power note.

We also learned that the Golden Ear trophy is back, meaning the panel is competing among themselves for the most right guesses. As it stands, Robin is in the lead with three correct guesses, followed by Jenny and Rita with two each, and Dr. Ken tied with guest panelist Casey Wilson with just one.

Who got it right this week? We will say that someone did, but we're not going to give even that much away right now. You want to find out, you know what you have to do!

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.

("My Sharona," The Knack) We have to give it up to all three of these vocalists because they really delivered a high-energy performance. We're a little surprised that the least physical of them on the stage is the one who not only has the easiest costume to move around in, but has spent much of the season so far putting performance over voice. This time, Yorkie appeared to focus on her voice, and let her hips do most of her physicality. Nessy and Mad Scientist Monster are still the stronger singers, but all three of them really delivered on this one.

("Stop! In the Name of Love" The Supremes) Yorkie took on a huge challenge when she thought she could sing like Diana Ross -- and she can't. Honestly, we're not sure what she was trying to go for here, because this performance was about as checked out physically as the intro number, though she at least added some awkward choreography. Maybe she was going for earnest sincerity, as we definitely got that in the vocals. It's not the strongest voice, but she delivered this song with a tender sincerity.

Clues & Guesses: For Decades Night, Yorkie shared that she chose the 1960s as the decade her mom fell in love with her dad. But after she was born "a few years later," he ditched the family. As a result, her mom taught her to harden her heart, leading people to call her cold in later years. Now that she's suffered her own heartbreak, she gets her mom's sentiment.

Visually, we saw a leash (you keep love on a short one) with keys hanging off of it, and a judge's gavel, suggesting possible legal troubles. Her '60s clue from the time machine was an album reading "Show Dog." She said, "Yeah, I'm a show dog. I'm part of one of the biggest TV shows out there."

Yorkie told us she knows all about boy band scandals in her second package, as she said she was adored when she first hit the scene until a scandal left her paying for someone else's choices. Someone she loved was dragged through the dirt in the news, gossip sites, and everywhere else.

As a result, she had to rebuild her own self "step by step" to come back stronger. Along the way, we saw a "peach?" pie, gingerbread house, and billboards. Then, Chris Kirkpatrick returned to the stage to shoot a t-shirt to Jenny, who read, "Touring Up My Heart," wondering if Yorkie has been on a comedy tour. The panel was loving her antics.

"Well, my life has been a comedy, and a tragedy, but right now it's real good. Yeah, I've been around," Yorkie explained. "All around the world."

Without giving much away at all in her first clue package, Yorkie shared that she's fashion-forward, sassy, and -- yes -- popular! As we saw a mouse on what looked like a classic cardboard party hat, Yorkie talked about how she's been through a lot of "crazy stuff" in her life.

"One minute you're hot, the next it's your time to go," she said while holding an oversized diamond ring. Throughout it all, she said that she's had music, which rescued her in her "darkest hours." We also saw a stack of poker chips as she talked about having some bite to her, which has helped her catch rats.

When asked who the real Yorkie is, she replied, "Well, I was down bad, but then a lovely lady in Beverly Hills adopted me and now I'm wearing Chanel and eating caviar."

Robin took the new "biggest TV show" clue to a Full House star who's had some legal issues for his Lori Loughlin guess. Ken pivoted from last week's Teresa Giudice guess to land back on Kyle Richards, at least letting us know that he's probably in the right franchise -- if online guesses and our own speculations are accurate.

Jenny, who is an unabashed and admitted Real Housewives fanatic dropped an even stronger guess in Erika Jayne, who's certainly been in some legal and love entanglements of late thanks to her estranged husband Tom Girardi, after he was found guilty of embezzlement and wire fraud.

Her father also notably abandoned the family when she was just nine months old, leaving her mother to raise her alone. Plus, Erika has appeared on Lip Sync Battle and as Roxie Hart in Chicago, which could be the kiss in an earlier clue package? And then there's that being adopted by that "lovely lady in Beverly Hills" comment, which surely refers to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Vocally, this one feels more right, too, while Yorki's line, "the price of poker has completely changed" possibly tying to the poker chips clue, as well as her recent documentary, Bet It All on Blonde.

("Love Yourself," Justin Bieber ) Mad Scientist Monster dropped a sweet falsetto on us toward the end of this performance, which only further highlighted his vocal talent and confidence in his own abilities. He's such a country star in how he delivers a note and a song, connecting emotionally even in a ridiculous costume. This was again purely authentic, beautifully sung, and heartfelt. We were definitely in our feels with him on this one.

Clues & Guesses: In his latest clue package, we learned how Mad Scientist Monster -- or MSM as we're calling him -- has loved and lost in his life. He shared how he "didn't do it alone," but with different theories on life, they ultimately went their separate ways, which he ultimately learned was the right decision. Is he talking about love or a professional partnership?

He also talked about how the 2010s were very good to him, as he won every award possible (except for a Nobel). We saw a cowboy hat, the Sun (LeAnn Rimes) mask, a silver pickup truck, and got the message that not everyone will love you in live -- a lesson he learned -- and that's okay, too.

His 2010s Time Machine clue was The Masked Singer Season 4, with Mad Scientist Monster sharing, "I've performed with someone from Season 4." Could it, again, be LeAnn Rimes? How about Aloe Blacc, Nick Carter, Tori Kelly, Chloe Kim, Taylor Dayne, Paul Anka. Dr. Elvis Francois, Lonzo Ball, Clint Black, Lisa Hartman Black, Bob Saget, Wendy Williams, Mark Sanchez, Brian Austin Green, or Busta Rhymes? Man, that was a fun season!

For "Boy Band Night," MSM opened up about falling in love with his wife, from the moment they met passing a bowl of cranberry sauce at a friendsgiving celebration.

As he told the story of their love and eventual marriage, we saw a grandfather clock with seasons passing across its face and a thumbs up, a sand castle, and a massive cruise ship. He also tickled a pic of Piglet (Nick Lachey) backstage.

His Nick Cannon T-Shirt Cannon t-shirt read both "BTS" and "BSB." MSM explained, "It's an honor to have won the same award as both Backstreet Boys and BTS."

In his first package, we learned MSM almost didn't wind up in whatever field he's in now, where he says he's "changed the world." Instead, he was on the way to being the best in a different field, getting scouted and nearly breaking out.

But it all fell apart when everyone was wanting to recruit him, leaving him sidelined and costing him his chance at glory. But he reacted to that setback with a pivot that showed him his purpose. Along the way, we saw "Fast" on a radar gun for clocking speed, and a fish tank, along with all his experiments in the lab.

"You know what?" he said on stage. "This is so important to me because it gives me an opportunity to reintroduce myself to fans in a way that they've never seen before."

Ken said he was considering Braid Paisley, who has collaborated with LeAnn Rimes multiple times. But, Jenny countered, "Braid Paisley is not, like, 6'5"," and she's right. MSM is one big boy! She tossed out Blake Shelton, who had Tori Kelly as a Voice advisor on that show.

The panel is still pretty stumped, while the internet has been circling a few names (with no love for our well-documented Brett Young guess). But this week's clues add fuel to one of their favorite guesses that isn't Scotty McCreery or Joe Nichols. Instead, Brian Kelley has certainly had the experience of a huge breakup when he and Tyler Hubbard disbanded Florida Georgia Line in 2022 after a decade of dominance.

Like Young, Kelley was a baseball player in college and was even scouted by a few professional teams before he shifted his focus to music. Even more specifically, in regards to his clue about how he met his wife, Kelley and his wife met at a Thanksgiving dinner where they were dating two siblings -- only reconnecting later and forming their own relationship. Oh, and he's 6'3".

("Can't Fight This Feeling," REO Speedwagon) Nessy has got the pipes! This is a big song to tackle and he proved more than up to the power required to really dig deep and belt it out. He didn't go for every high note, instead rearranging a few parts downward to suit a range that maybe doesn't soar quite that high. But it was all done artistically, tastefully, and it didn't detract at all from a powerfully beautiful moment.

Clues & Guesses: The 1980s was the decade of choice for Nessy, who talked about rocking REO Speedwagon out of his own boombox. He shared that he once toured with the band, who taught him about how to express love through lyrics. Now, he said that "Valentine's Day is practically my Super Bowl."

Along the way, we saw a boombox, a bee, treadmill, and a snowman, while his mention of mullets suggested he might have rocked one then. His '80s Time Machine clue is a cassette reading "Bieber & Puth." Nessy explained, "They're just a couple of kids who famously covered my music. And I got to score some cool dad points."

For "Boy Band Night," Nessy came out and shared that he had a pretty direct rivalry going with one boy band in particular, *NSYNC. Not only were they battling for record sales and on the charts, but for air time on MTV's TRL. When Ken called *NSYNC his contemporaries, he quipped, "I'm pretty sure I dropped my AARP card in the bottom of this costume while I was dancing."

Nessy then shared how he finally got to connect with the boys at a celebrity golf tournament, where they competed hard and he played "the worst game of my life." Along the way, we saw Nessy fishing, *NSYNC on a stop sign, a cart with popcorn, gummy worms and (root?) beer bottles. He said that these days he misses the "friendly competition," which is why he's loving being on this show.

His concert merch clue came from the Nick Cannon T-Shirt Cannon, shot by *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick. Chris also shared his vibe was that Nessy was a country singer. The t-shirt itself was Nessy in a heart. "Just like the boy banders, I was also known for my love songs," he explained.

In his first clue package, Nessy had us thinking of celebrities who live somewhere celebrities don't live, with even his neighbors and mailman not necessarily knowing he's the same guy who's that other famous guy. Nessy called himself a "gentle giant" in this first clue package where he said he's a "little mysterious" and intentionally "reclusive" on his acreage.

A radio with a star on it suggests either a musical artist -- we can definitely hear that -- or even a deejay with an amazing singing voice. He also polished a horseshoe, showed off a red card with white lip print, and his family rose from the waters behind him, hinting at a wife and three kids.

Nessy shared, "I took a lot of time off to be with my family. But then being able to come on here and be invited back into the limelight, that really feels good."

When Rita couldn't come up with Darkness lead singer Justin Hawkins' name, Nessy offered that up, showing even more credibility in his artistry, but stood by her Dave Matthews guess. Could it be? "No, it could not be," Robin countered, saying Dave's voice is just to recognizably distinct.

Instead, he's still hearing Daryl Hall -- who Rita doesn't seem to know much about as she said "I guess so, yeah," when Robin said he even sees Daryl as this great love song writer who could have been covered by both Bieber and Puth. Ken is still thinking of Pat Monahan from Train, who does have an REO connection as he and Kevin Cronin have performed together.

While the internet has been struggling a bit on this one, too, with the clue that he competed directly with *NSYNC a bit of a challenge with the otherwise strong Daryl Hall guess, there is a name that's begun cropping up more and more.

Could this be Edwin McCain? Justin Bieber has performed his "I'll Be" extensively over the years, as has Charlie Puth. In fact, McCain gives them both specifically a shout-out for covering that and his other huge love ballad "I Could Not Ask for More" on his official website -- just like Nessy did here. That's a pretty big coincidence -- or is it?

Later, we got a big ducking clue when Season 3's Banana, Bret Michaels, dropped in to tell us he's rocked out with Nessy many times. Did you know that Bret Michaels and Edwin McCain have paired up on stage, including an upcoming show in Tennessee. Edwin has opened for Bret, and they've even collaborated on a song together called "Raine."

Unlike previous groups, this one seems a bit more straightforward to us. Yorki just doesn't have the depth of ability that either MSM or Nessy have displayed across the season. She's a bit more about the performative side of being on the stage than the vocals, while the guys seem like singing is a passion -- and probably the main part of their professional careers.

Of the two of them, though, we would pick Nessy to carry through. He's been a little bit stronger and a little bit more consistent across different styles and genres than MSM. This is a pretty slim margin, mind you, but that's where we stood on the matter. The audience and panel, though, flipped that script and sent Mad Scientist Monster into next week's Lucky 6.

("Hard to Handle," Otis Redding) Yorkie immediately lost us with her "Hey there" opening words, and it did not get better. The Black Crowes offered up an edgier take on this classic years ago, which she appeared to be channeling, but it wound up more like a complete vocal disaster. This was a massive step backwards for her, with timing issues and a total lack of conviction or passion. Nessy immediately understood the assignment and vibe of the original. Just as he's transformed himself from track to track, he dripped some stank all over this one, leaving it on fire from the first note. Grit, range, character, his voice gave us everything and we definitely want more.

We knew Yorkie would be in trouble against either of this week's other finalists, but we did not prepare ourselves for the world-class stomping she just got from Nessy. She might just be a mythical creature after getting whooped like that. She might not have earned Best in Show, but she might just win best personality of the season!

Before the votes were revealed Detective Lucky Duck came out to share that they'd collectively only gotten half of their final guesses right this season of the eight stars unmasked thus far. As motivation, he revived the Golden Ear trophy, last season back in Season 6 to reward the panelist with the most right guesses. So far this season, it's Robin in the lead.

As for this week's final vote, even though we don't get to see the final count, we have to imagine it wasn't even close. This one was just too lopsided, so Yorkie will have to be proud of herself for making it to the Group C Finals, which is impressive enough in itself. She just got outclassed and out-sung here.

Her Crack the Case Clue Case was a pair of thigh high black boots. "These lucky boots are custom made for me," Yorkie explained. "My show boots, they're made for walking, they've got me through a whole lot, wherever I go, even the biggest strips."

• Robin Thicke: Lori Loughlin
• Jenny McCarthy: Erika Jayne
• Ken Jeong: Kyle Richards
• Rita Ora: Paris Hilton

With the Golden Ear trophy on the line, it was revealed that these boots were made to help RHOBH icon Erika Jayne walk out of the competition.

That means the clue expert -- and resident Real Housewives expert -- Jenny McCarthy was right, putting her in a tie with Robin with three correct guesses ... out of nine unmasked celebs. These are our professionals?

"Guys, I'm a funny person. They just don't let me be funny on the other show, okay!" Erika shot at Jenny when she praised her for how much humor she brought to Yorki. "Actually, I have a personality."

She also thought her RHOBH fans would know who she was "in like two seconds," which they absolutely did online. From the first note, fans were like, that's her!

When asked if they missed the clues, Erika said, "No, you got them. You got every damned one of them!" She was particularly (playfully) mad at Jenny for being all over her identity.

The Masked Singer continues next Wednesday with "Decades Night" for the Group C Finals at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.