On The Masked Singer, anyone can be a contestant – they don't even have to be human beings.
So it's not always easy for the panelists to guess who's under the mask.
These are the most surprising reveals in "Masked Singer" history.
Believe it or not, Kelly Osbourne actually did have a bit of a singing career back in
the early 2000s.
Her dad is, of course, one of the most famous rock stars of all time, so it's no surprise
she gave it a shot.
As a result, The Masked Singer wasn't completely out of her comfort zone.
Nevertheless, her name didn't cross the panelists' minds when the Ladybug took the stage.
Over the course of her run, Osbourne put on a fake Southern accent to hide her real British
voice.
So the panel guessed that American celebrities such as Paris Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, and
Jamie Lynn Spears were underneath the costume.
When she took her mask off, they couldn't believe how far off they were with their final
guesses.
While unmasked, Osbourne admitted that she kind of stumbled into her Southern accent.
"I heard the first word come out of my mouth, I was like, 'They're gonna know it's me!'
and then this accent just came out and I had to do it the whole time."
Osbourne was also relieved her tactic worked out like it did.
As she admitted during an appearance on The Talk,
"I was glad they thought it was anyone but me, because then the shock factor gets lost
if they think that it's you."
The first American season of The Masked Singer in early 2019 proved that the show was no
joke.
It included superstars such as Gladys Knight and Donny Osmond, but the big winner was the
Monster, who was ultimately revealed to be the multi-talented T-Pain.
Despite his musical resume, the panel absolutely failed to figure out his identity.
"T-Pain?!"
"No way!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
The confusion probably had something to do with the fact that T-Pain regularly uses Auto-Tune
in his songs, so a lot of people aren't familiar with what his voice sounds like without any
manipulation.
"I think you proved the world wrong on this show right here on this stage that you are
an amazing vocalist."
Even though nobody on the panel guessed T-Pain, they were still cheering for him when he received
his trophy.
And even though he's a powerhouse vocalist who isn't afraid to show off his natural chops,
he wasn't confident that he'd run away with the competition.
As he admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he chose the silliest looking costume because
he figured he'd be going home early in the season anyway.
As he put it,
"I felt like, if I'm going to embarrass myself, I might as well just take it to the highest
level."
As it turned out, he didn't embarrass himself, but he still took it to the highest level.
R&B superstar Toni Braxton has one of the most distinctive voices in music.
So you would think that The Masked Singer team would've been able to recognize her iconic
vocals from a mile away, even underneath her pink Pufferfish costume.
Alas, not quite.
Right before her unmasking, the panel guessed the likes of Jessica Alba, Monica, and Nelly
Furtado.
But they were proven completely wrong when Braxton's incredibly famous face turned around
and delivered the surprise of their lives.
Jenny McCarthy in particular couldn't believe that the Grammy winner was eliminated so early
in the season.
As the reveal settled in, Nick Cannon noted that he and Braxton both have the autoimmune
condition lupus and that Braxton competed with a face mask underneath her Pufferfish
mask.
"We're each other's warriors.
When he gets sick, I'm his support, and vice versa."
She may have left early, but this warrior will always remain in our most cherished Masked
Singer memories.
The Masked Singer doesn't limit itself to contestants who are known for singing professionally,
as actors, comedians, athletes, and even politicians have taken part.
So we should definitely expect the unexpected, but that doesn't mean that some moments can't
still be completely shocking.
During the third American season, the Bear kicked off her run by rapping to Sir Mix-a-Lot's
iconic "Baby Got Back."
The energetic performance was a lot of fun, but it wasn't enough to avoid immediate elimination.
The panel's final guesses included the likes of Tina Fey, Christina Applegate, and Candace
Cameron Bure.
But they were way off.
Although, in a weird way, the Tina Fey guess was kind of close, as she famously played
the actual celeb, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live.
When she was unmasked, Nick Cannon for one couldn't contain his surprise.
"This might be the most shocked I've ever been on this show."
"Wow!"
The panel was pretty speechless, especially Jenny McCarthy, who declared that she was
"stunned beyond belief."
And they weren't the only ones thrown for a loop, with Vanity Fair calling it "a surreal
reveal" and an NBC News headline positing,
"Sarah Palin's Masked Singer performance on Fox perfectly encapsulated our absurdist reality."
The fifth American season of The Masked Singer had an impressively diverse lineup, as it
featured the likes of Caitlyn Jenner as the Phoenix, the Hanson brothers as the Russian
Dolls, and Wiz Khalifa as the vibrant Chameleon.
But the most wild reveal was that of the Snail, who was sadly the first contestant to be eliminated
that season.
Since Snail's costume was relatively short, the judges assumed that the celebrity under
the mask was sitting down.
Their final guesses included Jay Leno, Ted Cruz, and Billy Crystal.
But then a major plot twist ensued as the large black hat was taken off Snail's shell,
revealing nothing more than an empty hole.
And then, none other than Kermit the Frog popped his head out, and everyone in the studio
completely lost it.
So how did the iconic leader of the Muppets keep his Masked Singer gig under wraps?
As he revealed to Entertainment Weekly,
"I had all of the Muppets sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, but just to be extra safe, when
I went to do Masked Singer I turned off the WiFi, locked the stage door and kept them
distracted by giving them a room full of bubble wrap to pop."
"I am never going to hear the end of this from Miss Piggy."
The Masked Singer is so often completely unpredictable, and that's of course a big part of the fun.
During the fourth American season, the Gremlin did something that no other contestant had
ever done, as he eliminated himself before he could even be voted off.
He announced that he was going to do it because he felt overheated.
Before the Men in Black could even attempt to stop him from revealing his identity,he
took off his head and threw it into the crowd.
And underneath the mask was none other than Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke, who joked
that he took part because he just so happened to be "in the neighborhood."
Robin Thicke then shared that he and Rourke had spent some time together in Miami, though
he was nevertheless unsure if that was really his friend in the Gremlin costume.
Since Rourke unmasked himself, all the other contestants were automatically safe that episode.
A costume designer for The Masked Singer later told Metro that the experience of wearing
the over-the-top costumes can be overwhelming, though she didn't foresee Rourke tapping out.
As she put it,
"I didn't expect him to take it off so soon but it did make for a great, and unexpected,
reveal."
The British version of The Masked Singer has had its own share of surprising moments.
During the second season, the Sausage emerged victorious after showcasing some powerful
vocals week after week.
The panel guessed that Sausage was either Stacey Solomon or Sheridan Smith, but in reality,
it was Grammy winner Joss Stone.
The judges were left with their mouths agape, with Jonathan Ross remarking how annoying
it was that he guessed someone else and Stone admitting that it was "so fun" to watch the
panel struggle to guess her identity episode after episode.
And as if keeping the panel stumped wasn't impressive enough, Stone also competed on
the show while pregnant.
As she later gushed on Instagram,
"Well what a relief to no longer be a secret sausage!
It was hard to keep it in as you can imagine.
it's one of my proudest moments!!
Big thank you to [Stacey Solomon] and [Seridan Smith] for taking the heat whilst I hid in
the kitchen.
This truly was the funniest gig I have ever done I am so happy to be part of it.
What a laugh and a half !"
Destiny's Child's alum Michelle Williams has been welcomed into The Masked Singer family
in more than one country.
She first appeared on the show as Butterfly in 2019 during Season 2 of the American version,
with the audience figuring out who she was pretty quickly.
As she told Entertainment Weekly after her elimination,
"I don't know why it didn't dawn on me to try to disguise my voice, but mainstream hasn't
really heard my voice.
I mean I sang in a group where I didn't do a lot of the lead vocals, so I was like, 'They
might think they know, but they don't know my voice!'"
Oh, how wrong she was!
But across the pond it was a different story.
Fast-forward to 2022 when Williams appeared on the third season in the U.K.
This time around, she was the Rockhopper, and she made sure to utilize all the tricks
she'd learned from her first time.
This included changing her signature vocals a bit and even putting on an accent when talking
underneath the mask.
When it came time to unmask her, the panel was stunned that the superstar had flown over
to appear on the British version.
Davina McCall picked up on her fake accent, as Williams acknowledged that she couldn't
get away with talking like herself.
Just as with the American version, she had a blast once again, as she looked quite pleased
that her identity wasn't guessed correctly this time around.
Michelle Williams isn't the only American singer who's given The Masked Singer a go
in the U.K.
During Season 2, R&B superstar Ne-Yo took part as the Badger and rendered the panel
completely flummoxed throughout.
Just like Williams, he put on a fake accent so that nobody could pinpoint his real nationality.
This led to the panelists guessing the likes of Brits like Andy Serkis and Jamiroquai.
Badger's range and incredible voice secured him a spot in the final, where he finished
as the runner-up.
That's when the judges and audience learned they'd been watching three-time Grammy winner
Ne-Yo this whole time.
After his unmasking, he asked his friend Rita Ora how it took her so long to figure out
it was him.
"You fooled me with the VT!"
"She didn't even get it.
It was only when-"
"Shut up, Jonathan!"
Ne-Yo admitted that during the early stages of the competition he tried to mask his voice,
but when the guesses were nowhere close, he decided to switch back to his regular voice.
Though he didn't win, it sure sounds like Ne-Yo is happy with how everything went down.
Well, almost everything.
As he told the Mirror,
"My only real regret is that [my kids] never got to see me in the full costume, I know
they would've loved that."
The British version of The Masked Singer continues to book big names who have achieved success
around the world.
And the third season was certainly no exception.
The Panda was crowned the winner, becoming the third female competitor in a row to take
the title.
When it was time to unmask the friendly costume, it was revealed to be Australian songbird
Natalie Imbruglia under there.
This left the panel completely torn up, as they kicked themselves for not being able
to suss out Imbruglia's identity.
Davina McCall in particular let out a huge scream when she turned around.
Imbruglia admitted that she used an American accent the whole time, but even so, she was
surprised that her pals McCall and Rita Ora didn't guess that it was her.
Host Joel Dommett also enjoyed a special moment with the newly unmasked Panda.
"I'll be honest, my wife fully knows about this, but you are my biggest crush of all
time.
Genuinely blushing."
On the night that the finale aired, Imbruglia hosted a viewing party and shared some snaps
of the event on Instagram, while also gushing,
"Such fun... what a great experience and thank you to everyone on the show and to all who
helped me keep the secret!!!"
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