Double Elimination Reveals Iconic Child Star, Reality Show Champ

That’s right, with Poodle Moth already scoring the coveted Ding-Dong-Keep-It-On Bell, there are no saves, either. Beets, Gumball, and Seal entered the night wanting that last spot … and only one of them kept it on.

It was a shocking double elimination that left Jenny’s mouth literally hanging open long enough that Ken could have crawled right into it. Let’s just say that with at least one of tonight’s unmaskings, neither the panel nor Nick Cannon had any clue who it was.

The theme was “Soundtrack of My Life.” The competition was brutal. The mask we thought was going to win this group, and possibly the whole season … did not do that. But at least we know who it was now, though that’s small consolation.

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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(“It’s My Life,” Bon Jovi) This could almost be a factor in the voting tonight because Gumball really went for it, hitting a Broadway-style high note about halfway through the piece. He showed the most versatility, offering smooth vocals and grit in equal measure throughout. Seal was almost all grit, and he certainly poured it on for his solo part, while Beets kept things smooth and pure, like all of their performances thus far. The overall result was a whole lot of fun, and some evident talent on display.

(“One Moment in Time,” Whitney Houston) Beets came out and made a strong case for moving on with an incredibly powerful duet. Their voices complement one another beautifully and they have such strength and control. It’s smooth and yet so impactful you catch yourself holding your breath when they really go for it. On top of that, the performance had so much heart, you can tell how much music means to them in expressing who they are and how they fell.

Guesses: With the “Soundtrack of My Life” theme, Beets started thinking about fatherhood, sharing that they’re in different places with it. One of them as a child who’s mimicking everything they say, while the other is teaching theirs to drive.

They also opened up about pre-fatherhood jitters, with one saying he didn’t think it would ever happen for him while the other realized the impact of every decision he makes. Visual clues included a knight in armor and an analog clock set to 1:42 and Banana Splitz (David Foster & Katharine McPhee).

On stage, their vinyl record clue was “Fresh Beets with Nick,” with “A Wild Night” on the album itself. “Nick, always good seeing you,” one of the Beets replied. “We should grab a drink together again sometime soon.” Nick’s response was, ‘That just confused me because I had no idea I knew the Beets.”

The duo talked about how different they were from one another this time around, but said they just embraced their individuality and it worked. One described himself as a “ladies man,” while the other said he was a “tough guy.”

They talked about their decision to team up being the best thing, and they’re still touring — or “on the menu” they said, as they showed one. This followed an airplane ticket and what appeared to be mistletoe.

Season 2’s Black Widow Raven-Symoné (and one-time Cheetah Girl) came out to sing their on-stage clue, which was SWV’s “Weak” — this one even got the crowd singing along; talk about an iconic track. “We made our audience weak on the knees on Broadway,” Beets shared.

Their biggest Oz-spirations are Dorothy and Toto because of their “loyalty as friends.” Our first instinct when they started singing was Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, then we started wondering about the Damons Wayan, but can any of them really sing this well?

The clue package said that for them, home is wherever they were together. They noted that at one point they had 40 million eyes on them, while a picture of a radio was on the screen One gifted the other the book Beeting the Odds, which led to card playing and the two of hearts.

They also described one another as the one with the “big ol’ brain” and the one with the “unbeatable heart.” On stage, Toto came out as the clue. “Like Toto and Dororthy, we’re the best of friends,” Beets explained. “And we’re pretty good co-stars, too.”

Rita shifted from previous actor guesses to consider some of the Boyz II Men members, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris. Ken switched things up, too, picking Josh Groban and Brian McKnight. He tied Banana Splits to the duo’s collaboration, which David Foster produced.

Robin went with the tight harmonies to land on Dan + Shay, but all of them missed out this week on the most likely guess — which they’ve said before — and the X/Twitter-sphere’s favorite pick since they first opened their mouths, American Idol pals Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.

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(“It’s Tricky,” Run-DMC) Seal is definitely not a singer, as we heard last week, and he’s not much of a rapper, either. He struggled to balance breathing and getting the lyrics out on time, but it’s also clearly he’s just here to have fun and maybe show this playful side of him. Here’s hoping he goes no further, though, as he’s outmatched on both sides.

Guesses: This week, Seal shared that he was labeled a “bad boy” when he got his start as a child in Hollywood, and the label has stuck. He said there are actually a lot of misconceptions out there about him and he partly did the show because he wants to show other sides of himself to people.

Visual clues included a heart on a ship’s mast, a calendar for July 2024 with Friday circled. His on-stage clue was the album “Sealed with a Kiss: A Tribute to Jenny,” with “House Call” on the record. Seal added, “Oh yeah, baby! It’s always fun hosting you for a change because you’ve hosted me so many times. And especially when it’s at my place!”

In his first week, Seal told us that he was “mistakenly perceived as a wild child,” but was actually not. Nevertheless, he is well known from our “screens, radios, or posters tacked up on your walls.” A poster he showed featured Seal with vampire fangs.

He shared that he was part of “one of the most famous groups in the world,” while additional visual clues included a stuffed polar bear, treasure chest, a lab set, and drivers license.

His on-stage clue was “BO$$” by Fifth Harmony, as performed by Raven-Symoné. He contextualized it by saying, “It’s easy to be confident when you have a boss like Steven Spielberg.”

With this week’s clue pointing directly at Jenny, she again considered the clues last week pointing toward Corey Feldman. This week’s clues certainly only added to that, with the ship from Goonies. The new Friday clue could tie to Friday the 13th.

Plus, she’s hosted him on her show many times, though when Nick asked if she’d ever been to his house, she replied very pointedly, “That story is for a different show!”

Robin liked Jenny’s guess, but still considered perhaps it could be Macaulay Culkin. Robin went with Real Love Boat host, and former child star, Jerry O’Connell. As he and Rita flirted, Robin dropped what Ken declared “the pun of the year” when he said, “I think he’s trying to seal the deal.”

But he didn’t, though, because the cluemaster Jenny is on the right track. It took them a little bit to warm up to it, but with each subsequent clue, Corey Feldman was looking more and more the likely culprit — plus, Seal acts just like him!

(“Carry On Wayward Son,” Kansas) Gumball did not hold back, belting for all he was worth on this one … and it turns out he’s worth a lot (despite what he may think). This was one incredible vocal performance filled with passion and grit. We worried about him going solo on a song driven by harmony, but he found his moments and took us soaring with him. This was a powerhouse moment for him.

Guesses: For his Group B Finals clue package, Gumball revealed he’s been struggling with what sounds a lot like imposter syndrome. He said he almost didn’t do the show, believing he wasn’t up to par with the likes of past winners Piglet (Nick Lachey), Cow (Ne-Yo) and Queen of Hearts (Jewel).

He said that as his family moved around a lot, he’d find himself trying to do anything to make friends when he’d land in a new place. And yet, he felt completely out of place on the stage, always feeling like he was pretending to be something he’s not.

He said he has no formal training and no education, so even when success found him, he’d find himself questioning and doubting his worthiness to receive it. Visual clues included a yellow sports car with an “X” on the hood, a football, and the arcade game with the aforementioned contestants competing against him.

“Sticky & Sweet: Ken’s Greatest Hits” was his on-stage vinyl clue, with the record label reading, “Kenspiration.” Gumball explained, “Well, Ken, one of the funniest jobs that I’ve ever been a part of, you were involved as well.”

Gumball’s wife was the main topic of his second clue package, with him sharing that she was this angel across the room when he first met her and they envisioned their future together. She was then hit with a medical diagnosis which changes how her future looks, leaving them with a major decision to make. They decided to live large and explore this world.

Visual clues in the package included a “Prom King” sash, crescent moon, a globe used to knock down three bowling pins, and angel wings and a halo when he talked about first seeing his wife … and how he still sees her.

Carnie Wilson returned to ask all the right questions with Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha,” to which Gumball added, “Well don’t you wish you could have starred with Channing Tatum like me.” He added a little groove dance, which immediately evoked Magic Mike.

“For me, it’s the Tin Man. When you met him, he was a little rusty, maybe just like me.” That’s what Gumball said when asked which Oz character inspired him the most. In his clue package, he opened up about his rocky road to stardom.

That included shockingly getting booed off the stage at a talent competition … for winning! He said that he’d always known he wanted to be on the stage, he just couldn’t figure out his path. Cue montage of playing drums, guitar, beatboxing, dancing, maybe even singing.

Visual cues included a horse-drawn chariot, a heart around the “American South,” and Mississippi in particular, as well as a black spider dropping on a red-and-white mushroom. His on-stage clue arrived via flying monkey carrying a heart clock.

“At the end of the day, Tin Man always had the heart of a superhero, and I actually might, too.” Rita wondered if he was hinting at The Boys and its Southern boy from Texas, Chace Crawford.

Rita is thinking is an actor, guessing maybe his Bullet Train co-star (if she remembered correctly) Aaron Taylor Johnson. Jenny speculated Derek Hough based on the combination of dance moves and vocals. Certainly his wife has been dealing with a more recent medical situation. She also tied the globe to his show World of Dance.

Ken, though, found himself convinced it might be Taran Killam. Taran’s wife Cobie Smulders was diagnosed with cancer the same year as Ken’s wife. He said there’s no greater joy than performing for the one you love as the spouse of a cancer survivor.

Other than having no idea if Ken had ever worked with her guess, Rita jumped into the deep end anyway and guessed Jack Black. Robin, though, took the football clue to the Kurt Warner film Underdog, and the superhero clues to Zachary Levi.

Jenny, though, was feeling good about her guess, chasing the “X” on the race car to the X-Men movies and James Marsden, who Ken admitted he worked with on the My Little Pony: A New Generation animated movie.

While the panel was all over the place, the internet hasn’t been much better, though we’re feeling better and better about Scott Porter. Last week, his story about his wife’s diagnosis ties in with Scott’s wife Kelsey Mayfield, who was diagnosed with Huntington’s.

The football could represent his role on Friday Night Lights and the X could be his voicework as X-Men’s Cyclops, or Rex Racer on Speed Racer. A few X/Twitter users have been circling this one, too, but he’s definitely got the most people online still stumped.

For this first unmasking, there would be no second chances, no Smackdown, no Battle Royale. So the only right thing to do would be to send Seal home, right? We mean, this one wasn’t even close! We’re over hear sweating it out over who’s more deserving in this group of sticking around out of Beets and Gumball.

Seal isn’t even in the conversation. He wasn’t in the top of the votes, either, as the audience got this one right, ending Seal‘s journey. Honestly, he was better with his gritty, rock sound, so this push into rock-rap wasn’t a smart strategic move, either.

• Robin Thicke: Corey Feldman
• Jenny McCarthy: Corey Feldman
• Ken Jeong: Haley Joel Osment
• Rita Ora: Jerry O’Connell

The more he danced around and flirted and gave off that manic energy with such a signature movement and delivery, the more certain we were that it was Corey Feldman, too … and we were right! Nobody has that growl and that unique physicality of his, plus his “bad boy” image that’s carried him all these years.

“This is definitely the greatest character I’ve ever played,” said the prolific actor. “I love when my face is covered and I can be just as crazy as I want.”

Corey’s message to his fans was that “love wins every time. So keep it positive, believe in yourself, believe in your dreams and make your dreams your reality.”

(“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes) Beets were smooth and effortless, as always, but this arrangement didn’t really do anything to make them stand out. They’re definitely world class at what they do, but in a battle, they really needed to do something magical, and this was just a great performance. Is that enough? Gumball immediately started to take some chances, holding out a sustained vibrato, sliding up into a smooth falsetto and then dropping a bit of rock-and-roll grit into one line. He made this song his own, an interpretation that suited his style — he even wrapped with a modified line for the audience.

We have been Beets fanatics since they first showed up on this show with their incredible voices and their powerful harmonies. But Gumball has been coming alive these past two outings, and this week he found a way to shine brighter against an incredible duo (if we’re all right about who it is). The panel clearly agreed, as they sent him along to the Quarterfinals, leaving the Beets to face the night’s second unmasking.

• Robin Thicke: Dan + Shay
• Jenny McCarthy: Jesse Tyler Ferguson & Eric Stonestreet
• Ken Jeong: K-Ci & JoJo
• Rita Ora: CeeLo Green & Danger Mouse

After Nick again yelled at him, Ken remarked that this is the most upset Nick has ever been at one of his (objectively terrible) guesses. “It’s upsetting!” Nick said. It’s also very, very wrong. Can you go more opposite to K-Ci & JoJo than Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken?

Ruben shared that it was an amazing experience and a lot of fun for the one-time rivals. “We loved being compared to some of the people you guessed,” Clay said. “Boyz II Men was great,” Ruben agreed.

“No K-Ci & JoJo?” Rita asked, getting a laugh from everyone. Alas, this was the end of the road for the Beets, who would have definitely been worthy of the DIng-Dong-Keep-It-On Bell, were it still available.

The Masked Singer heads to the Quarterfinals next Wednesday as Gumball joins Clock, Goldfish, and Poodle Moth at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.