TV’s favorite guessing game returns tonight with the Season 8 premiere of “The Masked Singer.” Famous faces hidden inside outrageous costumes will sing for panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger in hopes of winning the Golden Mask trophy. Host Nick Cannon returns to emcee another cycle of wild and wacky fun.
Each episode will feature several jaw-dropping performances by intricately disguised celebrities, but for the first time ever, only one contestant will move on from each episode. The studio audience will vote for their favorite, and the singer with the least amount of votes will unmask mid-show! That celebrity will get a front row seat in the “Masked Singer” VIP section to watch the rest of the competition and the second unmasking.
Next, the Top Two singers face off in a Battle Royale performance of the same song. The winner will be crowned the King or Queen of “The Masked Singer” and move on to the next week’s episode against new competition, and the other will unmask! The three finalists left standing after each round will compete in the Semi-Finals.
Below, read our minute-by-minute “The Masked Singer” recap of Season 8, Episode 1, titled “A Royal Season Premiere” to find out what happened Wednesday, September 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite costumed characters on Fox’s reality TV show and who you think has what it takes to win the entire competition.
Keep refreshing/reloading this “The Masked Singer” live blog for the most recent updates.
8:00 p.m. — “Previously on ‘The Masked Singer’!” In the Season 7 finale, Firefly won the Golden Mask trophy and removed her mask to reveal singer and actress Teyanna Taylor. Ringmaster (Hayley Orrantia) was the runner-up and Prince (Cheyenne Jackson) was third. But enough about last year — let’s get started with the first performance of Season 8!
8:02 p.m. — 26 celebrities have been plucked from their star-studded lives, stripped of their fame, good looks and private jets. Now they’ll sing for their lives under the mask. But this season there’s a whole new twist. Each week, only one secret celebrity will move on as King or Queen. Who will be unmasked and who will reign supreme? Let’s go!
8:05 p.m. — First up is the Harp. She walks out like a luxury diva, draped in gold and pulling her strings behind her. The angelic instrument can’t believe she is here on premiere night, but she says life has a funny way of putting you exactly where you need to be. When she was a teenager she auditioned for the biggest show in the world. It was her dream, but she didn’t fit the mold and was turned down. She was devastated but she knew she needed to keep going. It was her uniqueness that led her to the opportunity of a lifetime and she became an idol for anyone who feels like an outsider. The “No’s” in her life made her stronger, but she’s not taking “No” for an answer tonight. Throughout Harp’s clue package we see her audition for judges and get turned down. Then we see that she was cast in the lead role of some type of production, perhaps Broadway, and receives bouquets of flowers from someone dressed in a witch’s or wizard’s hat.
8:10 p.m. — Tonight the Harp is singing “Perfect” by Pink. She has a gorgeously rich tone with just a slight rasp. The power in her voice is spine-tingling and she’s definitely poised to be one of the front-runners this season. Jenny already thinks Harp is headed straight for the finale and Nicole is “in awe.” Nick asks her what accomplishment in her career she’s most proud of. She responds, “The award I won for my acting. Actually, the one for my singing. Actually the one for my comedy because I got to share that with my besties.” This leads Robin to name Queen Latifah, which is a terrible guess. The Harp sounds nothing like that. Jenny thinks of “American Idol” contestants Jordin Sparks and Fantasia, but they won the show and the clues clearly said Harp was rejected. Ken guesses Jennifer Hudson. All of their guesses are wrong, wrong, wrong. If I had to make a guess based off one performance, I’d say Harp is Amber Riley from “Glee.”
8:15 p.m. — Next to the stage is the Hedgehog. This character looks hilarious and has the most obnoxious little grin. In his clue package Hedgehog has a British accent and says it’s so special to be on “The Masked Singer,” but this isn’t his first big premiere. Some say the show is mad, but it’s one of the more normal things he’s ever done. Hedgehog has been naked in Playboy! He’s a part of one of the biggest groups of all time. They’ve sold out the Hollywood Bowl, the Sidney Opera House and he’s even been part of the Olympics. Hedgehog not only has a cult following, but a celebrity following that includes Bradley Cooper, Jimmy Fallon, Kate Beckinsale, Tina Fey and Elon Musk. He wants to sing us a little song and give us a big laugh, just like he did that one time with the Queen. Visual clues throughout the package included a neon sign reading “Club Hedgehog,” a snake, a man playing guitar, a parrot and a knight.
8:20 p.m. — Tonight Hedgehog is singing “Love Me Do” by The Beatles. He’s not a very good singer, but the overall production is fantastic. There’s a full marching band backing up this smiley creature, but the Hedgehog is out of his depth compared to Harp. Nicole called the performance “electric” and Robin jokes, “I dug it.” Nick asks Hedgehog which award means the most to him, and the answer is “a Tony and a Grammy.” Ken guesses Ringo Starr or Elton John. The audience aggressively boos him. Next, Robin says actor Eric Idle and Jenny agrees. Nicole thinks this could be Bill Nighy, one of her favorite actors who played a rockstar in “Love, Actually.” I have no guesses for this one.
8:25 p.m. — Up next the Hummingbird struts out in a suit and tie, ready for action. In his clue package he walks out onto a football field and says he’s singing for the kickoff of Season 8 and promises he knows a thing or two about competition. It’s in his DNA. He got his start with the help of Shaquille O’Neal and formed a a patriotic team that felt like family. Together they dominated the Super Bowl. His career has been a revelation, but he’s only human and he’s so nervous to step on the stage tonight. Visual clues throughout this package include a bluetooth speaker, a locker room, blue cleats, a pile of footballs and a scoreboard that says 71-0. Last, one of the men in black is wearing a ring pop on each hand.
8:30 p.m. — Tonight Hummingbird is performing “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw. He actually has a pretty good voice. I don’t think he is a professional singer, but he’s definitely a better vocalist than Hedgehog. He’s not on the level of Harp. As the performance goes on, Hummingbird seems to become more confident with each note. Robin loves the song choice and thinks Hummingbird hit all the notes. Nick asks which golden trophy Hummingbird cherishes the most. He responds, “My special awards that are out of this world. They’re not exactly golden, they’re silver, but that doesn’t mean second place.” Ken thinks it’s Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Robin is thinking Deion Sanders. Jenny goes in a different direction, guessing Rob Thomas or Uncle Kracker (Matthew Shafer). I’m stumped.
8:35 p.m. — It’s time for the final singer, the Knight. He looks like a very small person riding a golden goose. He can’t believe it’s taken him eight seasons to appear on this show. He was holding out for the hosting gig, but Nick keeps having babies and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Knight is Shakespearean trained, he’s on multiple walks of fame and has worked George Lucas. He’s done a great deal, but he’s never thrown a chair on national TV, it was two chairs. He’s never sold a body part for profit, it was a charitable donation. Visual clues throughout Knight’s package include Knight riding his golden goose through the woods, the solar system, two directors chairs, a police badge, a hand that comes off one of the men in black and a cassette tape labeled “Covers.”
8:40 p.m. — Knight is singing “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Fred Astaire. He sounds like an old crooner who knows how to entertain. He’s totally off time, but he has an interesting voice. Maybe he should have rehearsed a bit more. I had hope for him, but he’s just not very skilled. Nicole thinks his tone “is a vibe.” Nick asks what he cherishes more, the big or small awards? He says he has a tiny award from his native country embedded in his chest. Ken demands this is David Hasselhoff. More boos for the doctor. Jenny guesses William Shatner. Robin throws Weird Al Yankovic in the mix.
8:45 p.m. — The votes are in and it’s time for three singers to be unmasked. The first singer leaving is the Knight. The judges give their final guesses: David Hasselhoff (Ken), William Shatner (Jenny), John Lithgow (Nicole) and Weird Al Yankovic (Robin). The Knight slowly pulls off his mask to reveal Jenny was correct. It’s William Shatner!
8:52 p.m. — The night’s second unmasking will be Hedgehog. Before he leaves the judges submit their final guesses: Bill Nighy (Nicole), Elton John (Ken), Eric Idle (Robin) and John Cleese (Jenny). He slowly pulls off his mask to reveal Robin was right! It’s Eric Idle!
9:00 p.m. — The final singer of the night to be eliminated is Hummingbird. But we’ll have to wait until next week to see which mystery celebrity is hiding inside. Cliffhanger!
9:02 p.m. — Harp has been crowned the first Queen of Season 8. She will return next week to compete against two brand new singers.
Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on Fox. You’ll compete to win eternal bragging rights and a spot on our “The Masked Singer” Season 5 leaderboard. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
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