Masked Singer Reveals Reality, Chart-Topping Singing Sensation with Emotional Backstory

That’s because, rather than rely on a Ding-Dong-Keep-It-On Bell to save one group finalist across the whole season, the Top 2 from each group will automatically advance to a group of six that will begin the push to the finale.

The pressure was still on, though, as the Battle Royale is back to determine who, ultimately, would have to mask as the show took on the music of the Rat Pack. One singer advances automatically, the other two battle it out and then a second moves into the next round of the competition.

The problem for this group is that after unmasking Cedric the Entertainer and Oscar De La Hoya, everyone left is a bona fide power house and a killer vocalist. These are singers on a mission and they’ve yet to hit a bad note among the three of them. So how will they decide who gets unmasked? There’s only one way to find out!

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.

(“Fly Me to the Moon,” Kaye Ballard [as performed by Frank Sinatra]) Of course, Robin is perfect for this opening numbers as he is an old-school crooner at heart. We were delighted when he was joined by the Group A finalists, Ant, Coral, and Paparazzo, giving us another opportunity to hear how they fare on something completely different. Paparazzo and Coral definitely fared a little stronger, but that may be because Ant doesn’t seem to be able to lessen her peppy personality, which doesn’t quite fit the vibe. Vocally, all three were strong, setting up a very competitive finals.

(“Luck Be a Lady,” Robert Alda from ‘Guys and Dolls’ [as performed by Frank Sinatra]) Coral caressed every lyric, sharing her obvious love for the song and the era in how she delivered it. The rendition was so tasteful and classical, with a hint of contemporary energy thrown in here and there. Her vocals were so perfectly pitched throughout, she had that crooner vibe down pat, all the way to that big showcase note right at the end. She didn’t try to do too much and she nailed it.

Clues & Guesses: It’s no wonder she sounded right at home on the track, as Coral revealed to us that she and her dad bonded for years over the music of the Rat Pack, and this was actually their favorite song. She talked about how he was the one by her side every day when she moved from East to West Coast to chase her dream, leaving her feeling lonely and terrified.

Visual clues this admitted shy girl revealed during included a ghost, high school class ring, an old radio, and a UFO dangling on a string. Her slot machine clue was red apples, with her adding, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!”

For her second clue package, Coral went spooky with images of a spider and a werewolf as she talked about bringing that BDE (Big Donkey Energy) to a performance dedicated to the “leading man” in her life. He was apparently an actual leading man she first turned into a friend … and then that blossomed into more.

We also saw her reading from her very own comic book, which had the panel thinking about superheroes. Coral’s fairy tale clue was “Coral and the Silver Screen.” She explained in her peppy manner, “With a little magic and a lot of hard work, you too can sing and dance on the silver screen.”

Right away in the premiere, Coral loved her costume when she first saw it, praising it’s majestic look with hard, tough edges, “the kind that’s strong and resilient.

She shared that she spent years begging people to let her sing, but it took eight years of rejection before she got the chance. From a little girl struggling through the madness of the music industry, she said one small victory (a single yes) turned into her voice being heard across the globe.

“All those nos just made me stronger, and all it took was one yes to start a way to success,” she said perkily on stage. Her clue package showed her hammering on the roof of a literal model home, while a red broken heart on a TV screen accompanied all those nos she got, so could this be a reality singing show reject?

Robin wondered if perhaps the high school ring might refer to Victorious star Victoria Justice. Meanwhile, Rita was still looking for clues, with Nick helping her note a blue “Z” made of eels on her ankle. Jenny thought that helped her locked it in with this New Jersey native and Broadway star Rachel Zegler.

Rita, though, thought the Z might simply refer to someone from Generation Z. She agreed with Robin that the ring could refer to someone who played a high schooler, thinking of Camila Mendes.

While those are respectable guesses, the internet quickly tied that “Z” to Disney’s Zombies franchise, as that aligns with what has quickly become the favorite guess online, Meg Donnelly. She was born in NYC and grew up in New Jersey. Tying into previous clues, she’s done some DC superhero voiceover work, and she notably fell in love with her leading man Winchesters costar, Drake Rodger.

(“Fever,” Little Willie John [as performed by Peggy Lee]) Ant was definitely feeling the sultrier side of this piece. It’s been performed many times over the years by some iconic artists, and she definitely pulled from a bit of all of them for this very fun approach. Vocally, she was very strong, hitting her notes with confidence and panache. This was a great way to make her make on this finals and let the other two masks know she’s not here to play around.

Clues & Guesses: On Rat Pack night, Ant revealed what was almost definitely a girl group background as she showed a picture of 5 ants and called them her own personal “rat pack.” she talked about how they enjoyed all the highs and lows of that kind of high-stress fame together. They even topped the charts together!

Visual clues along the way included two king playing cards and a giant rainbow lollipop. Her on-stage clue was what looked like MTV’s Moon Man, or an astronaut, with Ant explaining, “I don’t live where the moon man lives, but rather he landed with part of what gave me a big huge start in my career.”

In her Week 2 clue package, Ant opened up a bit more about her struggles, talking about one “villain” in particular who told her that in order to get ahead, she needed to obey, be submissive, and most of all, silent. She felt trapped, frozen, and isolated until more recently she decided it was time to break out and tell her own story. Visual clues included an alarm clock at 6:00, a bottle of hair spray, a backpack, and a compass pointing to the west.

The title of her fairy tale was, “The Golden Ant.” She added, “I suppose it’s because my golden voice got me two certified platinums.”

Ant’s first clue package was all about her mission, which is to show that nobody should be so torn down and broken that they aren’t worthy of love and deserve a chance. In her case, she said a “deep, dark secret” she’d carried her whole career resulted in “powerful people tried to erase me.”

She said they tried to brush her off and stomp her out, with the weight of all of it ultimately breaking her spirit. But she chose to stand back up and be a “warrior,” rather than “stay broken.” Along the way to her “march toward change” on this show, we saw images of a dollhouse with a candelabra, a red “X” on a tree, and a wizard hat.

“I will do you justice,” she said upon first seeing her costume. On stage, she added while getting emotional, “I’m really here tonight for all the survivors. I see you. Anyone who’s had to endure, I see you and I support you. Together, no one will ever stomp us out.”

The huge girl group clue suddenly had everyone shifting gears, with Aubrey O’Day’s name coming up for the first time. Formerly a member of girl group Danity Kane, O’Day, unti she was kicked out. O’Day has also appeared in numerous musical productions, including The Wizard of Oz. And all that villainous talk could easily refer to Diddy, the man behind the Making the Band season that created Danity Kane and against whom she’s been speaking out for years.

Ken, meanwhile, decided to jump on the crazy train with his Mel B guess. The only connection is that Spice Girls also had five members, though none of them were Ice Spice or Old Spice, as Ken suggested. She has railed in recent years against her ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte, alleging abuse throughout their 10-year relationship.

As a Brit, Rita insisted she’d be able to hear a Spice Girl by voice, and this isn’t one. Instead, she tied to the “X” clue, guessing that perhaps it could be Charli XCX. She said she hears a similar tone in Ant, while joking that Charli won’t answer her calls anymore “because she’s right on stage.”

(“That’s Amore,” Dean Martin) Paparazzo pulled off a rare feat by having his most compelling and powerful vocal performance on a 60-year-old song. A tribute to his heritage, he effortlessly slipped into an authentic crooner sound with a rich tone, deep vibrato, and incredible richness. This was stunningly beautiful and sounded like it was coming right off an old 45.

Clues & Guesses: The Rat Pack clue package shared that Paparazzo is an Italian by name, which he had professionally changed when agencies couldn’t pronounced his real one. He opened up about his grandparents immigrating from Italy, which he pointedly referred to as “the O.C.”

Visually, we were treated to a model ship, a band setup with guitar, bass, and drums, and a spring of what may have been holly. His slot machine delivered Frankenstein’s monster, with Paparazzo adding the context, “Monsters under the bed are scary, but on-screen, they’re not so bad. I know that firsthand.”

Robin Williams took center stage for Paparazzo’s second clue package, with the mystery man revealing that the comedy legend was a personal hero of his, as well as someone he knew well. He shared that Robin once could tell he needed guidance, and offered it by sharing some of his own story.

With images of a man on a horse in statue form, a flying witch on a book cover, and a lantern releasing fireflies, Paparazzo said that he learned not to judge what’s on the outside, because it’s what’s inside that matters most, and he also learned the importance of kindness. Always.

His fairy tale clue was, “The Voice-Over Prince.” Paparazzo added some context, sharing that “adults know me for my acting, but the kids know me for my voice.”

Paparazzo has had cameras pointing at him his whole life, suggesting a child star. He even said he took “America’s Sweetheart” to the prom, further solidifying that theory. He said he’s had a chance to work with the greats, showing pics of Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley, on the silver screen.

We’ve seen him do a lot of things, he said, but never sing. We also saw a black labrador, a shot of him by a race car when he talked about being in the movies, and a “Home Sweet Home” rug. On stage, he said he might spill the tea on another friend, Steve Martin, if we keep him around.

The new slot machine clue gave Robin Thicke an idea, with the crooner suggesting Cole Sprause, who was nicknamed Frankenstein by Adam Sandler in Big Daddy. Ken, though, knows “excatly who this is,” with the rest of the panel changing that to “isn’t.” He brought out the Sicilian roots of Michael Cera, tying the instruments to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Jenny was still hanging onto the child star angle, tying the monster clue to E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial’s Henry Thomas, before shifting instead to Joey Lawrence — only he was already on the show. “But, there’s Matthew and Andrew Lawrence,” she added.

That puts her on the same track as the internet, who’ve been circling Matthew Lawrence for weeks. He fits the first week’s prom clue, as he once dated his Boy Meets World costar — and America’s sweetheart — Danielle Fishel, taking her to his prom. He also starred alongside Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Oh, and his real last name is Mignogna, but he and his brothers changed it when they were very little for their careers.

As it’s the group finals, we see the return of the Battle Royale. But one lucky mask gets to skip this extra pressure by scoring the most votes and automatically advancing to the next round of the competition. For the other two, it’s a do-or-die competition where a second will eke their way into the next round, and the other will have to face the final (terrible) guesses of the panel before unmasking.

For this first Battle Royale of the season, we couldn’t help but pull for Paparazzo, who really shocked us with just how well put together his entire performance was. Coral was solid, too, with a really strong performance, while Ant was a little shaky for the first time. Maybe it’s the dominance of those male crooner voices in the era, but we were just feeling Paparazzo a little more.

After the vote, the first singer heading to what Nick dubbed “The Lucky Six” was, in fact, Paparazzo, so clearly they were feeling the same things we were after that incredible performance.

(“My Way”, Frank Sinatra) Ant returned to her more emotional roots with a genuinely heartfelt take on what could be Sinatra’s signature song. She did break a bit toward the end, which could be emotional, and she spent much of the performance down with the crowd. Her emotions might have overtaken her a bit, but this was the heart we’ve come to love and expect from Ant. Coral gave a technically more proficient performance, building strategically to a big, final note that was beautiful to hear. But the whole time, we weren’t feeling anything, with that hollowness really ringing in the early bars. Oh, and Ant spent the whole time moving along the stage, interacting with the fans, which was a show first.

This was more challenging than expected after the Battle Royale because Coral appears to be the much cleaner and more proficient vocalist, while Ant’s voice carries more gravitas and meaning in it. She interprets lyrics, while Coral has presented them beautifully, but perhaps without as much meaning.

Coral had a stronger night tonight, and she really blew us away in Week 1 with “Mad World,” but faltered a bit in her second week. Ant was far more dominant in her first two performances, where she sang with a sense of empowerment and mission behind her.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t this week, and it may have cost her the competition, as Coral took the win, sending Ant to the night’s unmasking.

Before the big reveal, though, we got a surprise visit from a new player this season, Detective Lucky Duck. He promised to return from time to time with “clues, surprises, and good fortune” throughout the season. For tonight, he told us both of these ladies “have been on chart-topping number ones.”

Then we got her Crack the Case Clue Case clue, which was a “World Record.” When asked what it means, Ant replied, “I don’t know, there’s so many.”

• Robin Thicke: Aubrey O’Day
• Jenny McCarthy: Evan Rachel Wood
• Ken Jeong: Mel B
• Rita Ora: Charli XCX

Despite Robin’s compelling argument earlier in the night, he was the only one to stand by Aubrey O’Day as his guess, meaning he was the only one who was right. In some ways, it’s a testament to how brutal and cruel the entertainment industry is — especially to women — that her story elicited so many different guesses, all of them who’ve faced similar struggles, hurdles, and abuses.

The Masked Singer continues next Wednesday with the Group B Premiere and a ‘Voices of Olympus’ theme at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.