Then there were three, and we’re feeling pretty confident about the identities of two of them heading into “The Masked Singer” Season 2 finale.
The internet feels like they’ve got all three on lock, and they may well be right. One thing is absolutely certain, though, and that is the fact that Flamingo, Fox and Rottweiler have each turned in stellar performances all season long.
As the last woman standing, Flamingo has blossomed into a strong and powerful performer with incredible moves and stage presence. It’s been a journey of confidence for her, as you could feel her nerves early on.
Fox was the polar opposite, coming out like a tour de force and like he has something to prove. A consummate performer throughout the season, he’s showcased an impressive vocal range and diversity coupled with crazy dance moves and overall presence. The guy is a born performer.
For Rottweiler, it’s all about the voice. He commands the stage but not with choreography. Instead, he ropes you in with one of the strongest voices the competition has ever seen, able to belt incredibly powerful notes and serenade with dulcet tones.
Any of the three would be worthy winners for the global phenomenon of a show, but in the end, there can only be one. Who will it be?
Tonight, the Season 2 winner is crowned, but 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 Nicole Scherzinger first. We do this because we love … to torture you.
FOX
Fox worked in a breakdown in the middle of this jam, even rapping some of the panel’s guesses as to his identity. But we’re not sure the song was doing him any favors at this stage of the game. It just wasn’t quite enough up or down, and going first he really needed to come out strong.
Guesses: Did you notice “Wayne Brady” was the only name he said first and last in his rundown. In a touching speech, he credited the show for rejuvenating his joy in entertainment, which was beautiful. Could it sway votes his way?
Robin is standing by his Wayne Brady guess, which the internet fully supports, but for Ken and Jenny, they can’t get past Jamie Foxx as a very on-point guess. Ken did a good job of tying all those superhero clues to his show “Beat Shazam,” considering the movie “Shazam!”
Clues about winning duels and writing his own story certainly fit with some of the improv games from “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” and we still hear Wayne Brady, so we’re sticking to our guns on that one.
FLAMINGO
Flamingo chose a great song to showcase grit, soul and energy all in one number. “Proud Mary” shifts gears about halfway through and becomes a real jam, and she was able to spotlight her overall performance ability on top of killer vocals.
Guesses: Still the most challenging contestant left on the show, the internet is so certain it’s Adrienne Bailon that it’s hard to ignore them. We’d love for it to be Paula Abdul, but would be stunned if she was even capable of sounding like this vocally.
Jenny read the clues to Adrienne, as well, with Nicole fully backing her play. Even Robin backed down his Fantasia guess, even though he confessed he doesn’t really know Adrienne’s voice. Ken, though, found his own path and wound up at Fergie, which is about as good as our Paula fantasy.
ROTTWEILER
Rottweiler absolutely brought every bit of it to his performance of Sia’s “Alive.” Like Flamingo, he chose a great song to really showcase every side of his voice and he slayed. This dog is here to win, and with that performance, he might just do it. He certainly deserves to.
Guesses: Seriously, any fan of “American Idol” knows this voice. It took a few performances to solidify in our ears, but now all we hear is Chris Daughtry. His new clues about not being able to forge his own path fit with every other early “Idol” contestant, who had their image shaped by the show.
Nicole and Robin, though, are still going with Darren Criss, which is not true. Luckily, Ken knows “exactly who this is,” except that he doesn’t at all. This is not Dave Franco. Jenny went with Jason Mraz, and we don’t think any of them are right, which should make for a fun reveal.
UNMASKINGS
3rd Place – Flamingo
On the night, Flamingo gave a second-place performance (behind Rottweiler) but overall for the season, we can see why the Fox might have more love from the studio audience. Of course, are we to believe these people were there for the whole season?
The bottom line is she was fantastic and had such a journey of growth, it seems a bit of a disservice to see her here. Perhaps Fox’s tears — he did cry more than her — gave him the edge. Could he then win?
Final guesses from the panel included Adrienne Bailon (Jenny, Nicole, Robin) and Jessica Simpson (Ken), but we’re going to line up with the majority of the panel and the internet.
And that’s exactly who it was, as Adrienne Bailon stood revealed, despite flat-out denying she was on this show a few months ago.
2nd Place – Rottweiler
Honestly, we think Rottweiler should have taken this whole thing. That voice is undeniable, he’s touched hearts and really blown us and the panel away week after week.
We kind of think the fact that Fox broke down this week emotionally, and Rottweiler didn’t, spelled the difference. Ironically, if Rottweiler is who we think it is, cockiness was a big part of why he didn’t win “American Idol,” too, and perhaps that’s how he came across here a little bit.
The panel guessed Darren Criss (Nicole, Robin), Jason Mraz (Jenny) and Dave Franco (Ken — terrible guess). But obviously, this is Chris Daughtry. No one else sounds like that.
And guess what? It was totally Chris Daughtry and we’re heartbroken that he came up just short for the second time in his reality career. At least he jumped up two notches from his fourth-place finish on “Idol.”
Winner – Fox
This was an emotional journey for Fox, who really wanted to prove that he was a vocalist outside of the myriad other talents he’s more known for. It’s touching in that we know how much it means to him to prove himself, mirroring T-Pain’s journey as Monster in Season 1.
Ken still thinks it’s Jamie Foxx (Ken, Jenny), but Nicole and Robin reasoned their way to Wayne Brady, which lines up with the internet and our own final guess.
Yeah, Wayne Brady just won Season 2 of “THe Masked Singer” and he’s a worthy champion. One of the most multi-talented people on the planet, it’s exciting how much showcasing his vocal talent meant to him. And he really did.
_”The Masked Singer” is coming back even sooner than expected, with Season 3 kicking off after the Super Bowl on February 2 … which means a huge audience for that one!_
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