Season Four of the world-wide television smash The Masked Singer aired Wednesday night and the show wasted little time showcasing some of the amazing talent signed on for this season. This season will consist of 16 contestants vying for the Golden Mask and it is the job of judges Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger to determine their true identities through their performances and clue packages.
As a huge fan of the show from the first episode, I thought I would spend a little time recapping each episode of the new season as it reaches its way to crowning a new winner and presenting the coveted Golden Mask trophy.
If you have ever watched the show in past seasons, then you already know how strange and bizarre the show truly is. Each celebrity’s identity is safely guarded through presidential-like measures and the very detailed costumes they don for the show. On paper, the Masked Singer seems like a fever dream, but in some weird way actually works and connects with a wide audience.
On the season premiere, we are introduced to the first five celebrities through their new alter egos. The Sun, the Giraffe, Popcorn, the Dragon and the Snow Owls represent 5 of the 16 characters of season 4, which includes 46 Grammy nominations, 23 platinum records, 10 Hall of Fame appearances, an Olympic gold medalist, 281 million records sold, five Super Bowl appearances and four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
First up was The Sun and boy did she not disappoint. The Sun tackled Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” with great power and confidence, easily setting the stage for what’s to come this season. Her clue package gave some great clues into who could be hiding behind the Sun. Clues included a reference to the Disney movie Frozen and a pair of hiding Mickey Mouse ears. The Sun said that her character reflects who she actually is.
The all-star panel of judges made some excellent guesses into the identity of the first contestant including Idina Menzel and Katherine McPhee and some not so great ones like Demi Lovato and Madonna. My initial thought is that this person is definitely a professional singer that has some serious pipes and without really taking the clues in to consideration I’m leaning towards LeAnn Rimes as the voice behind the Sun.
The tallest contestant in Masked Singer history at least by costume standards is up next. The Giraffe will certainly tower over the rest of the competition but time will tell if he does so with talent as well. The Giraffe rapped along to Black Eyed Peas “Let’s Get It Started” and did a good job keeping up with the flow of will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo. It’s pretty apparent by this first performance that the Giraffe is not a professional M.C. and the judges agreed.
The clue packages showed that he has had an up and down career, has been the butt of many jokes and at some point crashed and burned. The Giraffe did say to host Nick Cannon that he was happy he didn’t have to focus on his vocals for this performance. Ken Jeong had what could be considered the worst guess in the shows history. Dr. Ken was adamant that the Giraffe is none other that country legend Garth Brooks. Robin Thicke’s guess of Vanilla Ice while very wrong is at least in the same universe as the rest of us.
The early clubhouse leader is easily Popcorn. This pint sized powerhouse delivered a finale like performance with her take on Pink’s “What About Us.” Immediate Tina Turner vibes were on display the second Popcorn began to sing. I don’t really feel the 80 year-old legend is behind the mask of Popcorn but I would be extremely happy if she was. I mean, who doesn’t love Tina Turner? Her clue package had a very Sex and the City vibe with clues tying her to New York City plus gold hoop earrings, a gold fish, tiger, a plate of meatloaf and a “Proud Merry-Go-Round.” The judges quickly picked up on the Tina Turner similarities with Nicole Scherzinger believing Mary J. Blige is behind the mask. Oh, remember when I said Ken made the worst guess in show history earlier? Well, he outdid himself with his guess of Carole Baskin as Popcorn. I think a lot of us would like Dr. Ken to prescribe us some of what he’s smoking. I like the Mary J. guess, but I also feel it could be other powerhouse singers like Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson or ‘80s icon Taylor Dayne.
Hands down the easiest contestant to decipher in all four seasons of the show was Lil Wayne as the Robot on season three. From the first note it was obvious to everybody but the judges that Weezy was behind the mask. In last night’s episode there was another one that was nearly impossible to get wrong and this time the judges didn’t let it pass them by for the most part.
The moment the Dragon began to swagger onto the stage you knew he was someone who isn’t new to performing and once you heard his voice there was no doubt on who he was. From the moment “Don’t call it a comeback” came from the mouth of the Dragon while he rapped LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” it was evident that it was Busta Rhymes. Flip Mode Squad has entered the Masked Singer. I was so 100 percent sure on who the Dragon was that I don’t remember anything about his clue package. Nicole and Robin both knew it was Busta Bust from the beginning while Jenny gave a good but wrong guess of DMX and Ken was…well…Ken. There is no way in hell Michael Phelps can flow like that.
For the first time in show history, we were presented with two contestants competing together in the Snow Owls. The duo completely blew everyone away with their powerful rendition on A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera’s “Say Something.” There is obvious chemistry between the two so the question becomes are they brother and sister or husband and wife. Clues in their package include “Jam-A-Lot”, a pearl in a clamshell plus references to one being a prankster and this being a family reunion. The clues did not help me at all but my initial thought was that it could be dancing siblings Julianne and Derek Hough. The judges seem to have a better grasp on this one than myself. Jenny McCarthy believes it’s Donnie and Marie Osmond behind the costumes and Robin going with Amy Grant and Vince Gill after picking up on the numerous Christmas references in their clue package.
After the five performances, it was up to the judges and studio audience to vote for their favorite with the singer with the least amount of votes being unmasked and sent home. To much disappointment but little surprise, it was the Dragon that was eliminated. And as nearly everyone suspected, it was none other than Busta Rhymes behind the mask.
Season four of the Masked Singer is looking to be the strongest season yet and over the next few weeks we will meet the remainder of the performers including Baby Alien, Broccoli, Crocodile, Gremlin, Jellyfish, Lips, Mushroom, Seahorse, Serpent, Squiggly Monster and Whatchamacalit. The season premiere was full of incredible performance with the ladies leading the way. Popcorn and the Sun are the early favorites but there is a long road ahead before someone is awarded the Golden Mask.
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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