‘The Masked Singer’ shocks everyone with the biggest twist yet

It was a downright party on the stage when The Masked Singer (Wednesdays 8 pET on CTV) kicked off the Group B finals this week, as guest-host Niecy Nash and the panelists broke out new outfits, the contestants busted out next-level performances, and an unexpected twist rocked the entire game.

Getting personal with the contestants

This week, as Black Swan, Chameleon, Piglet and The Crab returned to sing their hearts out, they were asked to bring along a personal item to help give the panelists—and those playing along at home—a better sense of who they are.

(Okay so Niecy said the Men in Black actually “broke into” their homes but the end result was the same.) Nothing was more personal than the performances themselves though, which have been some of the most emotional ever seen on this series.

If you need proof of that, look no further than Piglet’s rendition of “7 Years,” which not only had Jenny McCarthy bawling and wanting to hug her own son, but as she wiped her tears, the panelist flat out told Piglet that she hopes he wins this whole thing.

That’s the power of song for you… not to mention motherhood.

Piglet wasn’t the only one who brought it though. Black Swan continued to impress the heck out of everyone by busting out the Whitney Houston. Her performance of “How Will I Know” convinced Nicole Scherzinger that the singer’s range is spectacular, and each week she’s picking something new to totally throw them.

So did all of these personality-driven clues and performances help the panelists narrow down their guesses? Of course not.

Nicole, Jenny, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke are still all over the place with their guesses, while the internet has started to lean heavily on JoJo for Black Swan and Nick Lachey for Piglet. It may be a while before anything is confirmed though, because it seems like those two are destined for Top 4. Unless there are more unexpected twists, that is…

Pulling up the rear

Sure Black Swan and Piglet had stellar performances, but don’t discount Chameleon and The Crab just yet.

Chameleon continued to prove he’s a total mood when he came out with “Hip Hop” and had everyone swaying to the beat, and The Crab was surprisingly dapper in tackling Rick James’ “Give It To Me Baby.” But last week’s Wildcard entry may not be long for this game, and it would have nothing to do with his talent.

The contestant behind The Crab had previously mentioned how hard it is to breathe under that mask, but following his performance, he needed to remove it to catch his breath. So security whisked him backstage in a very concerning moment, but eventually, he re-emerged masked and well.

Would one of these two performers have landed in the bottom two? Fans will never know because there was also the Bulldog of it all.

Bulldog was this week’s Wildcard entry, and he was a contestant unlike anything the show has ever had. Mostly that was because Niecy threw the biggest curveball following his performance, and revealed that this week the vote didn’t count. Instead, she was personally sending Bulldog home, despite the fact that he had dedicated his performance of “Candy Girl” to her.

Nick Cannon returns

Right away, fans and the panelists were wondering what was up with that twist, with some potentially speculating if it meant the return of host Nick Cannon, who took time off following a positive COVID-19 diagnosis before the season started.

Sure enough, it was a grinning Nick who emerged from under Bulldog’s mask, completely throwing the panelists. 

“I dedicated my whole performance to you and you gonna kick me off?” Nick joked to Niecy before getting down on one knee and thanking her for helping him out by hosting the show while he was sick.

“You truly are the queen,” he added before reminding her again that she kicked him off. “It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of this,” Niecy said.

As for how Nick felt about being on the other side of the mask? Well, now he knows what it’s really like for the performers, and that’s only got to help his hosting game in the long run.

“I never thought I would be nervous,” he told the panelists, who were completely fooled and thought he was someone like Chris Rock or Eddie Murphy. “My heart was beating fast and stuff. I was like, ‘I’m nervous to be performing in front of my people!’”

And with that, Nick sang “Candy Girl” one last time, and Niecy bid a final farewell. Come back next week as Nick returns to host the rest of the season and the Group A finals go down. Given how shocking this week’s twist was, it’s safe to say no one knows what to expect next.

Watch The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 pET on CTV and catch up here. 

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