“I had to pull every trick out of the bag that I had,” Nick Carter confessed during his unmasked interview with host Nick Cannon during Wednesday night’s finale of “The Masked Singer.” “There are some talented artists that are on this show and I’m just grateful to be here after 27 years.” The Grammy-nominated singer placed third as the Crocodile behind the Season 4 champion, the Sun, and runner-up Mushroom. Watch the Crocodile’s finale performance of “Open Arms” by Journey above.
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“I’ve been in the business since I was 12 years old and it definitely brought me back to what it was like when it all started,” said the Backstreet Boy. “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share my story with you all. Also, I gotta say to my family back home, I love you. My two little crocklings, Daddy’s coming home!”
Jenny McCarthy was the only panelist to correctly guess Nick’s identity prior to his unmasking. Even more impressive was the fact that Nick was her first impression guess following his performance of “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi in Episode 2. Ken Jeong‘s final guess was another boyband member, Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. Nicole Scherzinger thought Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block was behind the mask and Robin Thicke guessed Nick’s bandmate, Howie D.
Despite the Crocodile’s attempts to confuse the panel, there were various hints in his clue packages throughout the season that pointed to Nick. The American flag in Crocodile’s package was a clue to Nick’s solo album “All American.” The “cult classic movie” clue was a nod to Nick’s role in “Edward Scissorhands.” The black and blue hotel in the Crocodile’s package was a clue to the Backstreet Boys’ “Black and Blue” album.
Nick advanced to the Season 4 finale as the top singer Group B. Before defeating Tori Kelly (Seahorse) in the Super Six, he outlasted Mickey Rourke (Gremlin), Mark Sanchez (Baby Alien), Lonzo Ball (Whatchamacallit) and Dr. Elvis Francois (Serpent). The winner of Season 4 was revealed to be country superstar LeAnn Rimes as the Sun and pop singer/producer Aloe Blacc was the runner-up as Mushroom.
