Ready or not, here comes Season 2 of “The Masked Singer”! Fox’s Emmy-nominated ratings juggernaut, hosted by Nick Cannon, took audiences by storm last season when a dozen celebrities hid behind elaborate costumes and performed for the in-studio audience and judges Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy and Robin Thicke. Tonight, eight brand new celebs took the stage in four pairs: Butterfly vs. Egg, Thingamajig vs. Skeleton, Rottweiler vs. Ladybug and Tree vs. Ice Cream. Who were the first two masked singers to be eliminated in Season 2?
Below, check out our minute-by-minute “The Masked Singer” recap of Season 2, Episode 1, titled “Return of the Masks: Groups A & B,” to find out what happened Wednesday, September 25 at 8/7c. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite costumed celebs on Fox’s reality TV show, who impresses you the most, and who you think will ultimately win. Keep refreshing/reloading this live blog for the most recent updates.
8:00 p.m. — “Previously on ‘The Masked Singer’!” In last season’s finale, the three remaining celebrities battled it out for the trophy, with Monster winning, Peacock as the runner-up and Bee as the third-place finisher. After their final performances, rapper T-Pain was revealed as Monster, entertainer Donny Osmond was revealed as Peacock and singer Gladys Knight was revealed as Bee. Now it’s time to start things all over again with a whole new roster of masked singers. Let’s go!
8:15 p.m. — Tonight’s first face-off pits the gorgeous Butterfly against a confident looking Egg. Butterfly hints at going through some changes recently and describes having success in “many stages of life,” suggesting she is a bit older. She also hints that she’s lived in London, wants to take people to church and is ready to take back her life. For her song, she’ll be performing “Bang Bang” and this girl can SAAANG! Vocally, she sounds fairly young and has some serious pipes. Clearly she’s a professional singer with gospel inflections. Could this be Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child? That was my first thought after hearing the rasp in her voice and I know Michelle has gone into gospel music. The judges are blown away and totally dumbfounded by who this could be. Jenny guesses it may be Fantasia. Nicole guesses Diana Ross, which is totally ABSURD. Diana sounds nothing like this. Come on Nicole, you should know what legendary singers sound like. I actually think my guess of Michelle Williams is better than any of their predictions.
8:25 p.m. — Now it’s time to see if Egg can compete with that epic vocal from Butterfly. Egg says he’s strong on the outside, but vulnerable on the inside. Coming on this show is a bit of a “leap” for him so he’s probably not a singer and possibly an athlete? We also hints at a fashion career and there’s a random skateboard. He also says he’s “going for the Gold” and I believe he’s a former Olympian. He’s singing “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga and I immediately think Johnny Weir based on the hints and this song choice. Am I right or am I right??? I’m so confident in my own choice I don’t need to hear from the judges, but for the record Jenny agrees with me on Johnny Weir or Adam Rippon. Ken believes it’s Jonathan Van Ness from “Queer Eye,” while Nicole picks fashion designer Christian Siriano.
8:30 p.m. — The studio audience has voted and it’s time to find out whether Butterfly or Egg won this first face-off. I would choose Butterfly in this round and the audience agrees! Butterfly moves on and the Egg will have to face off later tonight for a spot in the next round.
8:40 p.m. — Time for Thingamajig vs. Skeleton! Thingamajig looks super tall and I’m guessing he may be an athlete. Skeleton is a little guy and I love the personality of this one. Thingamajig is up first and says he’s a gentle giant and he’s speaking in rhymes. He says he loves to sing but it’s not his thing and they also show him doing a bit of magic and holding up a pair of sneakers. I’m guessing someone who played for the Orlando Magic? Could this be Shaquille O’Neil? Shaq had a rap album at one point and played for the magic. He’s singing “Easy” by the Commodores and now I know there’s no way this is Shaq. Thingamajig has a voice! I’m stumped. The judges loved it and believe this is an athlete with a hidden talent. Robin suggests Michael Strahan while Jenny throws out Steph Curry‘s name. Nicole asks if it could be Dennis Rodman? I do agree that it’s a former NBA player (or athlete) I’m just not sure who it is. What y’all think?
8:45 p.m. — Let’s get some clues on Skeleton now! Skeleton chose his costume because he has no fear of death. He’s been around the block a few times in life and the key to his success is to always say “Yes.” He’s tired of playing second fiddle and ready to have the spotlight all to himself. He finishes things off saying “Party on dudes!” Skeleton is singing “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. Seconds into the performance, Ken seems convinced this is Martin Short. I’m not familiar enough with Martin’s voice to be certain, but Skeleton can certainly entertain. Nicole says he’s a seasoned performer with comedy chops and Ken thinks he’s hilarious. Jenny guesses her former co-star Jon Cryer while the names of Nathan Lane and Dana Carvey are thrown out as well. Ken reiterates that he’s certain it is Martin Short, a man Ken has studied his entire life.
8:50 p.m. — The winner of Thingamajig vs. Skeleton is…Thingamajig! I agree with this result so kudos to the audience so far! Skeleton will join Egg later on in the smack down for survival.
9:00 p.m. — It’s time for a smack down between Egg and Skeleton! Egg is up first with “One Way or Another” by Blondie. This is a true battle as Skeleton remains on the stage to antagonize him. Up next Skeleton switches things up singing “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes. The judges are thrown off by the soul in Skeleton’s voice, but seem to prefer him in this round. I think I prefer the Egg! But the audience makes the final call and they choose Skeleton! That means it is time to unmask Egg! My prediction was Johnny Weir, so we’ll find out if I was right. But not until the end of tonight’s episode!
9:10 p.m. — Tonight’s third face-off will be Ladybug vs. Rottweiler. Ladybug looks like she’s got a lot of personality while Rottweiler has some serious swag! Ladybug is up first and she tells us she’s had a lifetime of drama. She comes from a famous family and we get a lot of references to game shows. She’s singing “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. I’m not sure if Ladybug sounds like a professional singer, but she’s definitely got some chops! She sounds young to me, but it’s difficult to be certain. Does any game show host have a famous child? I’m stumped! The judges love this performance and Nicole thinks Ladybug is a trained singer. Robin thinks it could be Lily Collins, the daughter of Phil Collins. Jenny says it could be Willow Smith and Ken thinks it may be Lindsay Lohan. Ladybug seems offended by any comparison to a Lohan. Finally, when Ladybug speaks she’s got a heavy Southern accent. That caused the panel to throw out Jamie Lynn Spears‘ name but I’m wondering if it could be Kellie Pickler?
9:15 p.m. — Rottweiler loves to look good and gives some serious hints at being connected to football. He’s got daughters and he gives the impression his professional career may be over. Singing “Maneater,” Rottweiler sounds NOTHING like I expected. He’s actually got a pretty high register and sounds like a professional singer. This may be a performer who played a football player on TV or film because this guy knows how to work a stage too well for a professional athlete. The panel is blown away and Nicole calls it the best vocal she’s heard on the show. Ken says it was easily the best of the night. Robin throws out Russell Wilson and Brian Littrell of Backstreet Boys. Jenny thinks it could be Nick Lachey and Ken guesses JC Chasez of NSync. Even Bruno Mars‘ name is thrown out as a desperate guess.
9:20 p.m. — The votes are in and the winner of Ladybug vs. Rottweiler is…Rottweiler! Ladybug will have to sing for her life in tonight’s second smack down.
9:30 p.m. — The final face-off tonight is Tree vs. Ice Cream. I love these costumes! Tree is decked out and she looks full of energy. Ice Cream is equally colorful and struts out with a a few dance moves. Tree is up first and we learn that she loves getting dolled up, but when her time is up she gets put away in storage. She considers herself an “old-school” entertainer and wants to be seen more than once a year. Perhaps she’s a star of a Christmas film? Anyways, she’s singing “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco. Tree has a decent voice but doesn’t sound like a professional singer. I love her hip shaking moves though! Near the end she shows off some range, but I’m not sure who this could be. Ken thinks she’s an actress from a famous Christmas film and suggests Beverly D’Angelo and Nicole brainstorms Zoey Deschanel or Rachael Ray. Jenny sounds confused but says maybe it’s Wendi McLendon-Covey. After Tree speaks Ken throws some shade and suggests Tree may be a bit of an older woman with a Southern accent. I have no idea!
9:35 p.m. — It’s time to the scoop on Ice Cream. He says he got a lot of flack for doing the thing he loved the most. He turned his fantasy into a reality and now has over a billion reasons to celebrate his success. Ice Cream is good at exceeding expectations and appears to be rich or potentially a social media star? He is singing “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and has a low register but sounds young. He’s also about the worst singer we’ve heard tonight. He’s definitely not a professional singer. Jenny thinks he was a wild child who became wildly successful like MTV’s Rob Dyrdek. Ken suggests a YouTube star while Nicole says it could be a DJ like Diplo or Calvin Harris. But possibly Evan Spiegel, the founder of Snap Inc. Some kids in the audience think maybe he is Marshmallow.
9:40 p.m. — Tree is named the winner of the final face-off and Ice Cream will have to take on Ladybug in the last smack down of the night.
9:45 p.m. — It’s now time for Ladybug to take on Ice Cream in tonight’s second smack down. Ice Cream is up first singing “Whip It” and Robin seems certain it’s Rob Dyrdek. Ladybug is up next with “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and she’s got the better voice. Nicole wonders if it’s Ashlee Simpson? This could be a close vote, but the winner of the smack down is…Ladybug! Ice Cream will be unmasked along with Egg at the end of tonight’s episode.
9:55 p.m. — The first reveal of the night will be the Egg. The panel gives their final guesses as follows: Robin and Jenny think it’s Johnny Weir. Ken believes it’s Jonathan Van Ness and Nicole says it’s Christian Siriano. It’s finally time for Egg to unmask and it is…Johnny Weir! Robin, Jenny (and myself) were right!
9:59 p.m. — Now it’s time to unmask Ice Cream! Ken thinks it’s PewDiePie, Nicole guesses Marshmallow, Jenny says it’s Rob Dyrdek and Robin suggests DeadMau5. Ice Cream unmasks to reveal professional gamer and YouTube star Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. And that’s a wrap for tonight!
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
