Controversial Anchor Leaves Panel Stumped

Fresh off a Smackdown victory last week, Lizard was looking for redemption, while the ladies inside the Clock and Poodle Moth costumes seemed to sail through the competition. Could they repeat the feat this week?

The theme was definitely going to be a challenge for everyone, as it was TV themes. Now, this includes kitschy themes like that of Gilligan’s Island — like the panel performed –but there are also popular hit songs that themed television shows, like the one this very show uses (and so did CSI: Crime Scene Investigation).

Once again, the group proved very capable in bringing entertainment to the stage, with nary a g’awful voice in the bunch. We’re not saying they’re all world-class vocalists, but they’re all more than capable of holding their own — and especially on this quirky lineup of songs.

Let’s jump right in with this week’s mask. And don’t worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking(s), 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 Rita Ora first. We do this because we love … to torture you.

Along with the panel’s guesses, we’ll be sharing some internet speculation, too, so if you don’t want to be potentially spoiled (because they are very good at this), you may want to skip past the guesses sections.

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(Gilligan’s Island Theme) It was silly and … well, it was silly. Ken took the lead in a silly skit that definitely sounded pre-recorded as the panel took on four of the iconic roles from the classic 1960s sitcom. It set up what should be a night of ridiculous nostalgia as Group C also tackles television themes.

(Good Times Theme) Clock is a soul legend, there’s no doubt about it. She oozed class and effortless vocals throughout this performance. It’s like Aretha Franklin; even when she’s not trying, there’s so much power coming through. The panel is right to call her a queen, because she is definitely among them.

Guesses: This newest “TV-themed” batch of clues talked about her ups and downs in life, which apparently included failed marriages — though she is grateful for her kids, of which there may be two based on a Clock family photo.

She said that she’s laughed and cried, but “always been renewed.” At this point, she was looking at a newspaper with the message, “It’s always her time to shine,” on it. Another visual clue was a piggy bank, a motor, and a map with the “MIssissippi River Trail” labeled.

Clock also admitted that she’d been broke at times in her life, during which she always appreciated the free things in life, just as she’d learned to appreciate the good and the bad times.

Jill Whelan, Vicki from The Love Boat, brought out her on-screen clue, which was a massive ship. “Well love, and boat. Two things that combine to make a hit, something I know firsthand.”

All the clues in the first week pointed to a disco diva who managed to survive the era. She talked about having the whole world dancing from dusk ’til dawn while we saw a giant disco ball and said that everyone knew her name. Then, trends changed, years passed and she felt “frozen in time.”

As such, she said that she reinvented herself and achieved massive success again. At this point, she was spinning a golden globe. She even said that she enjoyed a career highlight of singing for the president.

A prominent visual clue in the package was when she cradled a baby, while her on-stage clue was some bars from Billy Joel’s “Vienna” played live on piano. “Vienna is all about seizing the day, and I actually have a day in my name!”

Robin wondered if it wasn’t maybe Love Boat guest star Stephanie Mills. Jenny, though, recalled Isaac’s love interest on the show was played by the multi-talented Debbie Allen, who won a Golden Globe for Fame. Ken, though, shifted from his last week guess of Diana Ross to Good Times Penny actress Janet Jackson. He was immediately booed, while Rita tried to “turn him off” with a giant remote control.

Online, Bette Midler was the runaway favorite guess last week, but this week’s clues through social media for a loop. Suddenly, a new guess emerged that’s starting to gain some traction. Born in Mississippi and she had a huge hit in the late ’70s disco era, could it be Thelma Houston? Oh, and she did perform for President Obama, so…

(“Unwritten,” Natasha Bedingfield [The Hills Theme]) Poodle Moth might have bitten off a little more than she was prepared for as she left the first chorus line unfinished — was it a breath control issue? She also wasn’t as strong in her lower register, but she definitely has a beautiful and compelling tone. This was a much more subdued performance, but she still managed to inject some emotion into it.

Guesses: For her TV-themed clue package, Poodle Moth talked about being abandoned by her father, and even writing him letters that were always sent back “Return to Sender.” She said that she finally wrote one to herself: “You are enough.”

She said that she was scared the first week, as she doesn’t find it easy to put herself out there. Now, though, she uses her talents to help other kids find their answers, she said while opening a jar of fireflies.

Additional visual clues included a sailboat model, a postcard with a cat on it (and a cat stamp), a vintage telephone, and a picture of the theater masks of the Muses of Comedy and Tragedy.

Her on-stage clue came from Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, appropriately from The Hills, who introduced their clue by mentioning Gilmore Girls and then having a choir sing its theme, Carole King’s “Where You Lead.” Poodle Moth explained, “I have a very special connection with Gilmore Girls that hits very close to home.”

While holding a black cowboy hat in the first clue package, Poodle Moth said she’d always told herself she wasn’t pretty, funny, or talented enough to make it. And that’s how she wound up helping others achieve their dreams. Finally, though, she took that first step toward her own dreams and got discovered.

Additional visual clues included an American flag on a black book cover, and a candelabra with six candles in it, though along with Chinese lanterns and street lights, this could have all just been about her being a moth.

We also learned that only one Venezuelan Poodle Moth has ever actually been found (and it was not sampled) making it truly one of a kind, like this Poodle Moth. Her on-stage clue was batted just shy of the panel, but was a baseball emblazoned with the message, “OPRY.”

“I felt like a big shot when I performed at the Grand Ole Opry,” said Poodle Moth.

Melissa McCarthy, who starred on Gilmore GIrls, was Ken’s latest guess, with Jenny confirming that she can sing “as her cousin.” So Nick asked her, “Is this your cousin?” to which she said no. Her guess was lead Lauren Graham, with the letters tying to her published letter.

Robin was also thinking this was an actress, tying to Nashville (and Nashville) from a previous clue, who also happens to be best friends with Graham, thinking it could be Connie Britton under there.

Once again, the internet is all over the place on this one, with even absent Nicole Scherzinger picking up some guesses. But one that’s standing out a bit and gaining some traction is This is Us star, and singer, Chrissy Metz (though there is still some love for Lauren Graham). We’ll let the sleuths below share their homework!

(Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Theme) Lizard didn’t have much of anywhere to go on this classic cartoon theme, but he was definitely grooving to the beat and delivering it with as much panache as he could. It’s a character piece, which meant his voice was on full display. He’s got a silky tone with a buttery smoothness to it that Robin said he definitely recognized.

Guesses: As it turns out, on TV-themes night we learned that Lizard almost had an entirely different career. He grew up obsessed with cartoons and drawing all the time, which landed him a job offer from Disney (without saying Disney). He said he turned it down, which left his dad frustrated, because he wanted to perform.

Visual clues this week included “#1 Dad” on his father’s portrait, cowboy boots and a great Lizard drawing that maybe he actually drew. On-stage, Scooby-Doo himself represented, with Lizard saying, “A dog actually helped me reach an even bigger audience.” As in Snoop Dogg?

In the first week, this former ladies man and bad boy wasn’t quite what his “better known hits” represented. Instead, he said he tends to see people for who they are inside. Still, his “superstar shenanigans” almost cost him the love of his life.

It was at this point, he said, that he had a “premonition” that she was pregnant, which turned out to be true. Now, his focus is on being a good husband and “cool dad.” Visual clues included a heart-shaped red lollipop, a red crab on what looked like ice cream, and a red ornament with a lizard on it.

His on-stage clue came out as a tiny remote-controlled taxicab with a note on it that reads, “Billboards.” Lizard explained, “I’ve had a number one billboard and I’m not talking about Times Square.”

Ken is still thinking this is Michael Bivins, with the dog clue referring to his documentary, which featured Snoop Dogg, and the boxed action figure being a New (Edition) toy. Jenny brought the Ray-J guess back, with his song “Wait a Minute” tying to the wall of clocks, and the fact he’s cousins with the D-O-double-G.

Rita and Robin said they thought they had it figured out during last week’s Smackdown based on the vibrato and overall vibe of his performance. Rita thought the dog might refer to the movie Snow Dogs, with the cowboy boot referring to his “Wild Wild West” duet with Will Smith. Their guess is the same as the internet’s, Sisqo!

(“Love and Marriage,” Frank Sinatra [Married… with Children Theme] Sir Lion doesn’t sound like a professional singer, but he’s definitely a professional performer. He used body language, little sashays and steps, to sell the lyric of the song and himself to the audience. It was a charm offensive from start to finish, and it succeeded.

Guesses: Lion isn’t just well-known himself, he comes from a “well-known pride,” though he never took that for granted. He told us that he had to jump through hoops to become “a ringleader in Hollywood,” as part of his circus-themed clue package.

He said that at one point he rubbed elbows with Toms Cruise and Hanks, but noted the higher you climb, the harder you fall. At this point, we saw a hot-air balloon with Jerry Seinfeld’s face on it, while a photo of 30 Rockefeller Plaza certainly also made us think of NBC. Other visual clues included an anchor and a radio.

He said he learned to land on his feet no matter what, with JoJo Siwa’s T-Rex costume bringing out a bone with the word co-star on it. “I wasn’t in the cartoon, but I’ve co-starred on a different TV show with Betty Rubble.”

Jenny immediately thought of big-screen Betty Rosie O’Donnell, while Robin thought he heard something in the voice and wondered if it was perhaps a news “anchor” from a famous family, Anderson Cooper (son of Gloria Vanderbilt).

Ken, though, took that radio clue straight to Ryan Seacrest, who was an anchor on E! News and Today. Rita, though, thinks it’s someone who hosts their own show, with the “anchor” referring to Bravo’s Below Deck and Andy Cohen under the mask.

The internet wasn’t sold on who is under the mask, but most of them seemed pretty convinced that it’s some sort of comedian. While there were literally dozens of guess out there, the top two were easily Larry David and Michael Richards. But would either do this show?

We were definitely impressed with Poodle Moth and Clock last week, and they didn’t fail to impress this week. That meant we suspected a return visit to the Bottom 2 for Lizard, joined by charming-but-not-a-singer Sir Lion.

It went down just that way, too, with the ladies again sailing through to the next round of the competition. Could it be one-and-done for Sir Lion? Vocally, he’s the weakest of them all this week. But he’s an entertainer and we’ve seen stranger things happen on this very strange show.

(Who Are You,” The Who [CSI: Crime Scene Investigation & The Masked Singer Theme) Lizard did a solid job, though he seemed a little out of sorts on the verse of this one at the start. He never quite sounded completely comfortable with the song, but we got to hear his tone on the chorus, which came through strong. Sir Lion had gravel in this performance that we didn’t hear the first time. Again, he knew he wasn’t going to outsing someone, so he used a lot of personality and vocal flair. Mostly, though, he was all about having fun up there.

This one was closer than we anticipated, with Sir Lion really bringing a lot of entertainment value, while Lizard showed more vocal prowess. If this show is about having a good time, it could really go either way. Lizard was laying the smack down throughout the night, which was fun, while Sir Lion was clearly having a blast.

Our guess, still, was that Lizard would survive — keeping last week’s Top 3 intact and sending Sir Lion to an unmasking in the same episode he premiered. And that’s exactly what happened, as a euphoric Lizard made his way off the stage, leaving Sir Lion to “take it off.”

• Robin Thicke: Anderson Cooper
• Jenny McCarthy: Seth Meyers
• Ken Jeong: Ryan Seacrest
• Rita Ora: Andy Cohen

Jenny guessed that they were all wrong, and she was right. They were wrong. After the unmasking, Rita declared that Jenny should have seen this one coming, and she should have, while Nick declared that the artist formerly known as Sir Lion knows everyone there.

We were definitely feeling like it was someone who’s a regular anchor on some sort of news program, but couldn’t quite narrow it down. We suspected a ‘Today’ connection … and we were right. We just didn’t realize it was such a short-lived ‘Today’ anchor.

Even Jenny conceded she should have recognized Billy Bush, but at least she wasn’t alone in missing this one. “If you’ve never done something that’s a little on the scary side — like, this is scary, no truly, I’m shaking back there — say yes and do it. I had a ball.”

When he talked about that big fall, we couldn’t help but recall his infamous association with Donald Trump and that “grab ’em by the…” — well, you know the one — Access Hollywood tape. That cost him his Today gig, though he has since rebounded and hosts Extra.

The Masked Singer sticks with Group C next Wednesday for “TV Theme Night” at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.