Yahoo Movies The Masked Singer season 8 reveals: See every unmasked celebrity contestant
It's time to answer The Masked Singer panelists' favorite question, "Who is that?"
Season 8 of the musical guessing game is here with a brand-new crop of singing stars hidden under elaborate costumes. This season will feature more contestants than ever before with 22 masked celebrities vying for the win, which went to Teyana Taylor last season, and the likes of Jewel, Wayne Brady, and LeAnn Rimes in the past.
The new batch of entertainers boasts a combined 32 Grammy nominations, 16 Emmy wins, eight Gold albums, four Golden Globe nominations, 42 books, 10 Teen Choice Awards, and five Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. Follow along below as we track every elimination and celebrity reveal this season.
Knight is William Shatner
Season 8 kicked off with a double elimination of two iconic stars. First, Knight's armor was removed to reveal Star Trek legend William Shatner. The 91-year-old actor called The Masked Singer "one of the more unusual experiences" he's ever had. "It was tough. That wardrobe was tough," Shatner told EW. "And I think that's part of the show. Part of the fun of The Masked Singer is how awkward everybody feels. I heard somebody say they had a panic attack. And I was close to that myself, not being able to breathe."
Hedgehog is Eric Idle
Hedgehog was the next to go in the season premiere, but his identity wasn't his only big reveal. Under the mask was Monty Python member Eric Idle, who announced that part of the reason he did the show was that he'd secretly survived pancreatic cancer. "I felt this was a chance for me to come out to cancer publicly, and thank the people who saved my life, but more than that, to start raising money, so that other people who find themselves in my position can survive as well," the 79-year-old told EW.
Hummingbird is Chris Kirkpatrick
After being eliminated in the premiere but not revealed, Hummingbird's identity was finally unveiled as NSYNC singer Chris Kirkpatrick on week 2. The former boybander told EW he'd been "sitting by the phone waiting for a call" to do the show. "I love the show. And you know, the call came in, and I think I got the call on a Tuesday, and I was on the show on Friday."
Pi-Rat is Jeff Dunham
Next to go was Pi-Rat, the rat dressed as a pirate who also performed with a singing rat puppet (confused yet?). He was unmasked to reveal Las Vegas ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham.
Panther is Montell Jordan
Finally, last out in week 2 was Panther, who put up a strong fight, but ultimately got the boot and was revealed to be singer Montell Jordan. The Grammy nominee told EW part of the reason he did the show was to prove he's more than a one-hit wonder. "[I wanted] to do something different out of my comfort zone, choosing [different] songs and keys and stylistic offerings musically, so that people wouldn't keep me in the box of, Oh, that's the 'This Is How We Do It' guy," he said. "I think at the end of the show, the idea is that I can do lots of different things. And music doesn't define me, I define music."
Fortune Teller is Daymond John
Maybe he saw it coming? Fortune Teller was first out on week 3's TV theme night. He unmasked to reveal FUBU CEO and Shark Tank investor Daymond John.
Mummies is <em>Brady Bunch</em> brothers
We're still in de-Nile. Next out in week 3 was the very amusing trio of Mummies, who were revealed as beloved Brady Bunch stars Mike Lookinland, Christopher Knight, and Barry Williams. The Brady boys told EW being on The Masked Singer is one of the few secrets they've kept from the actresses who played their onscreen sisters. "Of course, if we had told Cindy [played by Susan Olsen] the whole world would know by now. That might be why they didn't ask the girls [to be on the show]," Knight joked.
Maize is Mario Cantone
There was nothing corny about this performance —well, beyond the entire look. After pulling off an impressive number from Jesus Christ Superstar on the show's Andrew Lloyd Webber night, the marvelous Ms. Maize turned out to be a mister: And Just Like That and Sex and the City star Mario Cantone. The actor told EW he loved the costume that threw off the judges from guessing he was underneath. "They originally designed it as like a show girl. And if you look at her, she looks like Mae West as an ear of corn, and I love Mae West," he explained. "So yeah, I loved the costume, although I got lost in it a few times. It was very large in there."
Mermaid is Gloria Gaynor
Next to go on the musical-themed episode was a music legend. Mermaid was made to swim away and revealed herself as Grammy-winning "I Will Survive" singer Gloria Gaynor. The disco diva told EW if she'd survived longer in the competition, there were two songs she was looking forward to performing. "I wanted to sing two songs. One was 'Unstoppable' And the other was Cynthia Erivo's 'Stand Up' from Harriet," she revealed. "I really wanted to do that. First of all, I think it's a great song. Secondly, I don't ever get the opportunity. I don't do songs like that, those kinds of songs are not in my repertoire. And that kind of song really shows off your vocal power. It's just a great song. So I was sorry to not be able to do that. Maybe I'll put it in my show."
Beetle is Jerry Springer
Beetle, you are… not the father of this competition! The suited-up bug was unmasked to reveal Jerry Springer. The TV host was eliminated on Muppet night, telling EW he was happy to share the room with Miss Piggy because "for once I wasn't the biggest pig on the show."
Robo Girl is Kat Graham
Well, this bytes. After a stellar showing so far this season, Robo Girl could not best her rebooted competition. The bot pulled off her pigtailed mask to reveal The Vampire Diaries actress Kat Graham.
Walrus is Joey Lawrence
Whoa! In a fitting reveal for '90s night, Walrus was unmasked as Blossom teen idol Joey Lawrence. Panelists had incorrectly guessed that the actor was under masks a few times in the past, including earlier this season, which he revealed to EW was a factor in getting the ask. "Actually, the reason why [Masked Singer] came up is because yes, for years they've been guessing either myself or it was me and my brothers, like they did earlier this season with the Mummies," he said. "So it just made sense."
Milkshake is Le'Veon Bell
This Milkshake couldn't bring all the votes to the yard, but it did give us a sweet reveal of former NFL star running back Le'Veon Bell.
Venus Flytrap is George Foreman
In a reveal that knocked out the panelists and caused a huge roar from the crowd, Venus Flytrap unplanted his mask to reveal two-time world heavyweight champion boxer George Foreman. The Olympic gold medalist (and famed grill salesman) told EW that being on the show wasn't exactly his idea. "I had to be coaxed into it," he revealed. "My dear wife stayed on me. 'I love it, George. You would love it. You got to take part in it.'"
Gopher is George Clinton
By George, I think we've got a trend. After the Foreman reveal came Gopher's unmasking as Rock and Roll Hall of Famer George Clinton. The Parliament-Funkadelic member told EW that he's wanted to do the show since seeing some of his contemporaries compete, including Dionne Warwick. "I saw her doing it and I thought, wow," he said. "I've dreamed of doing [the show] and it was definitely worth it."
Bride is Chris Jericho
After roaring past the competition in the previous episode, the bright pink dino Bride was halted at the altar by a new group of singers. She unveiled herself to be professional wrestler and Fozzy singer Chris Jericho, who told EW he was upset about his elimination. "Honestly, I was pissed. I was not happy," he admitted. "And it was the studio audience votes that got it. And I was like, 'This is why you never let the fans be in charge.'"
Avocado is Adam Carolla
The Avocado is toast. The green guy lost in a Battle Royale round and peeled back his mask to reveal radio personality and comedian Adam Carolla. The Adam Carolla Show host didn't seem too surprised to go early, telling EW he did the show as a challenge for himself: "I did Dancing With the Stars because I couldn't dance. And I did The Masked Singer because I couldn't sing."
Scarecrow is Linda Blair
Scarecrow had a shock in store for us all. Before the audience even had a chance to vote, the pumpkin-faced singer announced she was self eliminating and revealed herself as Oscar-nominated The Exorcist star Linda Blair. The actress said she pulled the head-spinning move to promote her new life's work, rescuing animals through the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. Although it might not have shown in her energetic routine, Blair admitted to EW that she was rusty after not performing like that in decades. "It was probably one of the hardest things because I had not run around on a stage nor had I sang since 1997 when I did Grease on Broadway," she said. "And so I did do a lot of vocal work. We had such a short time. So it was quite a challenge for me, and it was scary and hard."
Sir Bugaboo is Ray Parker Jr.
Sir Bugaboo proved he was nothing to fear. After falling just short of the semifinals, the four-legged creature busted off his mask to reveal Ghostbusters singer Ray Parker Jr. The Grammy nominee told EW he was sad to leave because he wanted to sing more songs, but fans may be getting more from him soon anyway. "I only have two or three more songs to sing and I'll have a whole album complete," he said. "I can't finish these two or three songs because they've just taken me forever. But I promise, I promise, I promise I will have it done before the end of this year."
Snowstorm is Nikki Glaser
Snowstorm got a warm reception on The Masked Singer, making it all the way to the semifinals. Coming in third place, she removed her frosty mask to reveal comedian Nikki Glaser. Now that she's unveiled her hidden talent, Glaser told EW an album may be in her future. "I don't want to just do it and have people be interested because oh, there's this gimmick of a comedian singing," she said. "I really want it to be good on its own. So I may release music under a different name, just so it doesn't get too much attention. I really want to do it, and be good at it."
Lambs is Wilson Phillips
These little Lambs had some big pipes and lovely harmonies so it was no surprise that they made it to the finale. Ultimately, they came in second and were revealed to be — hold on — pop trio Wilson Phillips! Carnie Wilson told EW that she was previously asked to do the show solo, but couldn't do it without sister Wendy Wilson and their bandmate Chynna Phillips. "I actually was too scared to do it by myself," Carnie said. "So when they called and said [it'd be for] Wilson Phillips, I said, 'Okay!' We all sing on our own, but there's nothing like the sound of the three of us. And I just felt like it was the right thing if we were all together."
Harp is Amber Riley
And we have a winner! Season 8's reigning queen is Harp, whose powerhouse performances made her unstoppable. The golden mask was revealed to be shielding Glee star Amber Riley. The SAG Award-winning actress told EW that performing under a mask was a challenge that lead her down a path of self discovery. "I was kind of encouraged to know my voice kind of speaks for itself," she said. "And that's not something that I would have been able to discover had I not done the show. So that was a pretty cool thing for me."
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
