By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
The Masked Singer returned for its eighth season. It is the most competitive (and probably cutthroat) season yet. For the first time in show history, there will be two celebrities who will be forced to unmask by the end of each episode. During the premiere, two entertainment legends, William Shatner (Knight) and Eric Idle (Hedgehog), were sent packing. Another singer forced to unmask was the Hummingbird but the episode ended before we learned their identity.
In addition to Hummingbird’s identity, Masked Singer headed to Las Vegas for its first theme night of the season. Entertainment superstar Donny Osmond, who portrayed Peacock in the show’s inaugural season, joined the panel as a guest panelist. Did the Harp keep her crown, or did two other undercover celebrities snatch it from her? Also, did Donny or any of the panelists (Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg) correctly deduce the eliminated performers’ identities? Read on to find out!
The episode began with the Hummingbird’s true identity as Chris Kirkpatrick!! The panel praised the *NSYNC member before the Peacock himself, Donny Osmond, did a medley of “The Greatest Show” and “Viva Las Vegas” to kickstart Vegas Night! After Nick acknowledged the Harp, Panther danced his way onto the stage. His pre-performance package included a basketball, Beyonce, “defense,” and “Panther’s Creed” video as clues. I thought it was Dennis Rodman behind the Panther mask. Nicole loved the Panther’s soulful vocal tone. A contortionist delivered two clues to Jenny -> “Global victory.” Ken thought it was Sam Richardson, while Jenny guessed Brian McKnight and Lamar Odom. Nicole rounded out the guessing with Billy Porter.
As the Blue Man Group tried to put makeup on Nick Cannon, the Pi-Rat made its debut. The clues included Hollywood, “dinner for dummies,” “late laugh,” and revealed that they performed in Vegas many times. They tackled Sir Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock.” Donny Osmond was immediately shocked by the Pi-Rat’s voice, while I gravitated towards veteran Vegas entertainer Carrot Top. Donny declared Pi-Rat an entertainer and stated that he was not a dancer before Pi-Rat “insulted” Marie. After the duo made up, Carrot Top delivered a clue. Ken thought it was Robert Smigel, while Nicole thought it was Terry Fator because of AGT. However, Donny suggested Jeff Dunham!
The show’s reigning queen, The Harp, returned to defend her Masked Singer title. Her latest clues included 3-D glasses and a CD titled “Night Night.” She sang Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” and Amber Riley again gave me chills! It was an epic performance! Jenny loved that the Harp showcased her soul in the performance. A clown juggler threw Nicole a clue that said “collaborator,” and Harp hoped to collaborate again. Nicole guessed Amber Riley, while Jenny thought it was Ashanti. Meanwhile, Robin added Yvette Nicole Brown into the mix.
Once Donny Osmond, the audience, and the other panelists voted to send two singers in the season’s first Battle Royal. The Harp and Panther prepared to perform; we had to say goodbye to Pi-Rat! Donny guessed Jeff Dunham, while Ken Jeong doubled down with Robert Smigel. Nicole also doubled down her guess with Terry Fator, and Robin added Dana Carvey into the mix. Jenny concluded the guessing with Steve Carrell before changing it to Carrot Top. Donny was right, Pi-Rat was Jeff Dunham!
As Jeff Dunham went to the VIP section, Nick revealed that Harp and Panther would sing the same song in a different style. Then, the panel would decide who would continue in the competition. Panther chose to sing a rock version of “Born to Be Wild,” which was epic! While Harp infused soul into her performance of “Born to Be Wild.”
The panel declared that the Harp would continue her reign as we had to say goodbye to the Panther. Jenny thought it was Lamar Odom, while Nicole doubled down her guess of Billy Porter. Ken thought it was Sam Richardson and tricked Donny into guessing Andre Drummond. However, Panther was MONTELL JORDAN!
