The Masked Singer Makes Last Elimination Ahead of Season 12 Finale — But Where Was Rita Ora?
The stage is officially set for the Season 12 finale of The Masked Singer.
Wednesday’s episode found the remaining three contestants — Buffalos, Strawberry Shortcake and Wasp — competing for just two spots in next week’s grand finale, ending with a reveal that none of the judges saw coming. (Millennial viewers, however, were considerably less surprised.)
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Unfortunately, Rita Ora had to miss this week’s big reveal. As host Nick Cannon announced at the top of the episode, the Descendants: Rise of Red star was “under the weather,” but is expected to return for next week’s finale.
Strawberry Shortcake kicked off the semifinals with an emotional performance of Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me,” followed by the Buffalos with their take on everyone’s favorite continental anthem, Toto’s “Africa.” And Wasp may have been the last contestant to take the stage, singing the crap out of Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” but he was the first sent to safety, guaranteeing him a spot in next week’s finale.
This left Strawberry Shortcake and the Buffalos to battle for the other finale slot, albeit slightly differently than we’re used to seeing. For the first time in Masked Singer history, the Battle Royale and Smackdown were fused to create the “Smack Royale,” an absolutely godless musical melee set to One Republic’s “Counting Stars.” Once the carnage was through, the Buffalos were sent through to the finale, eliminating Strawberry Shortcake.
And who was revealed to be underneath that adorable red mask? Why, none other than AJ Michalka, Disney Channel rocker-turned-sitcom star.
Did you guess Strawberry Shortcake’s identity correctly? Which celebrities do you think are under the Wasp and Buffalos costumes, and which of them do you think will be crowned the winner next week? Read on for a breakdown of everything we know about this season’s contestants — including their various identities — then drop a comment with your finale predictions below.
BLUEBELL (Natalie Imbruglia!)
The Group B Finale spelled the end of the road for Bluebell, who turned out to be singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia!
BUFFALOS
CLUES | What we thought was a single Buffalo turned out to be three, as introduced by Nick Lachey, who claims that one of the Buffalo is always the center of attention at his Super Bowl parties. One of the Buffalo grew up poor and practiced his craft at bus stops, before eventually getting his big break (“it was game on!”) at a cattle call. The so-called “national treasure” went on to star in two of the biggest sitcoms of all time. Visual clues included Betty White and Vanna White on a slot machine, and a crown.
Episode 2 explained that the Buffalos were “rebels” who “found each other along the trail.” They’re funny, they’re corny and they’re apparently rich. As one Buffalo explained, “We’re a little tired right now, because we’re busy using this tractor to mow lawns all around town.” Visual clues included a game of poker and a bottle of poison.
In Episode 3, the Buffalos revealed that they had a fourth member of their group — “a real MacGyver, too, always fixing stuff.” Unfortunately, they lost him suddenly. “Everything we do is for him,” they said. Visual clues included a bell and a Dead End sign.
OUR BEST GUESS | The internet is convinced that Boyz II Men is under those Buffalo costumes, but do the clues really line up? Allow us to throw in another option: Cedric the Entertainer, an original member of the Kings of Comedy (hence the crown). Not only did he share the screen with Betty White during a crossover between The Soul Man and Hot in Cleveland, but he also appeared in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s play American Buffalo. Could the other two Buffalo be Cedric’s fellow Kings of Comedy, Steve Harvey and D.L. Hughley? They did also mention suddenly losing their fourth member, just as the Kings suddenly lost Bernie Mac in 2008. And think about it, Bernie Mac…Gyver? Tell us we’re not crazy!
CHESS PIECE (Laverne Cox!)
There was never a Doubt in our mind that the Chess Piece was Laverne Cox, and our suspicions were confirmed when she was unmasked after being eliminated in Episode 5.
DUST BUNNY (Andy Richter!)
It was one and done for Dust Bunny, who was eliminated shortly after his first (and only) performance, revealing himself to be… Andy Richter.
GOO (Kobie Turner!)
After leaving us completely stumped all season, Goo was finally unmasked in the quarterfinals on Dec. 4, revealing himself to be… Kobie Turner!
ICE KING (Drake Bell!)
The readers were right! Miley Cyrus Week proved to be the Ice King’s undoing, at which point he removed his crown (and mask) to reveal himself as… Drake Bell.
LEAF SHEEP (John Elway!)
Leaf Sheep — which is a real creature, if you’re brave enough to Google it — was revealed to be NFL great John Elway in the Season 12 premiere.
MACARON (Bethany Hamilton!)
Macaron’s time in the competition was short but, fittingly, sweet. After just one performance in Episode 7, the cookie crumbled, revealing herself to be… Bethany Hamilton!
ROYAL KNIGHT (Jana Kramer!)
Royal Knight fought a valiant battle, but she was ultimately bested in the Group C finals, revealing country singer (and former One Tree Hill star) Jana Kramer under all that armor.
SHERLOCK HOUND (Bronson Arroyo!)
Sherlock Hound exited the competition on Thanksgiving as the runner-up of Group C, revealing himself to be… former MLB star Bronson Arroyo!
SHIP (Paula Cole!)
Ship nearly made it to the quarterfinals, but those pesky Buffalos knocked her off course, exposing her as ’90s songstress Paula Cole.
SHOWBIRD (Yvette Nicole Brown!)
One of the more obvious Season 12 contestants, Showbird was revealed in Episode 2 to be none other than Ken Jeong’s Community co-star Yvette Nicole Brown. We’re just glad he finally guessed her correctly — that could have been embarrassing.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE (AJ Michalka!)
She gave it her all, and she did berry well in the competition, but Strawberry Shortcake was eventually eliminated in the semifinals, revealing herself to be… AJ Michalka!
WASP (Mario?)
CLUES | Ne-Yo has known the Wasp since he first arrived on the scene, and he apparently made it big by taking Ne-Yo’s “words of wisdom” to heart. Wasp grew up in a tough neighborhood, but learned to dig deep and fight, leading to him perform on the biggest screens and stages in the world. Visual clues included boxing gloves, a popped heart balloon and the planet Mars. “Fresh kicks help me to stay on my game,” Wasp teased.
Wasp grew up in a house with a dozen family members, but without his father in his life, Wasp felt directionless. After he became successful, he reconnected with his father, who finally said how proud he was. A crab also served as an additional visual clue. “Every minute I’m out there, I take my live performances to new heights,” he teased in Episode 5.
He admired his mother, his protector, for his entire life. But as he got older, he saw cracks in her armor — and couldn’t save her when she faced her darkest battle yet. Visual clues in Episode 6 included a stethoscope and a treasure map. “Just like this bill, I’ve also hit a million,” he teased when presented with a million-dollar bill.
OUR BEST GUESS | OK, hear us out on this one — could Wasp be R&B singer Mario? Not only did Ne-Yo write one of Mario’s earliest hits (“Let Me Love You”), but the popped heart balloon in Wasp’s clue package could also be a nod to his biggest song (“Just a Friend”). As for the planet Mars, that could be referencing Mario’s 2020 EP Closer to Mars. As for the biggest stages and screens, Mario’s career has included roles in movies like Step Up and Freedom Writers, and he played Benny in Fox’s production of Rent: Live.
WOODPECKER (Marsai Martin!)
Woodpecker was eliminated in Episode 3, revealing herself to be black-ish star Marsai Martin.
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