SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 5 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Feb. 26 on Fox.
Time for Dionne Warwick to walk on by. The legendary singer is the latest celebrity to be revealed and sent packing in another “The Masked Singer” heartbreaker. Warwick, who was disguised as the Mouse, performed “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” by Natalie Cole — and in a first this season, the majority of the panelists figured out who was under the mask.
“I think because of my distinctive voice, people recognized me immediately,” Warwick told Variety. “This is the only thing I can’t disguise, my singing voice.”
Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger and guest panelist Gabriel Iglesias figured out it was Warwick. Ken Jeong went with another singing icon, Tina Turner. Add Warwick to the list of Season 3 stars voted off, including Lil Wayne, Drew Carey, Chaka Khan and Tony Hawk.
The fact that Khan had already been unmasked first threw McCarthy Wahlberg for a loop. “There’s no way the producers would have Chaka Khan, a legend, and then Dionne Warwick in the same season. There’s no way,” she said during the episode. To which Jeong quipped, “We’re out of legend budget!”
The episode made a big deal out of the fact that the panelists have mostly gotten it wrong this season. “Season 3 is so much harder to figure out who’s under the mask,” McCarthy Wahlberg said. “But it also makes it more fun, because the reveals are that much more exciting.”
Warwick said she decided to do “The Masked Singer” after seeing two of “my dearest friends on it, Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. And it looked like it was a lot of fun. So I got to talking with my son, who manages me, and said OK, let’s try it.”
Even though she was voted off early, Warwick said she was glad she did it. “Everybody was wonderful, it was a kick, it was something different for me to do,” she said. “Trying to figure out where to put the microphone was a task. But it was fun. I had a good time.”
In choosing the Mouse as her costume, Warwick admitted that she’s terrified of mice, so it took a bit of coaxing. But “they sent me a sketch of the costume, and I thought it was the cutest thing I had ever seen in my life,” she added.
Last week, Warwick performed “Get Here,” by Oleta Adams. Besides their proper guess, the panelists had also thrown out names including Darlene Love, Maya Rudolph and Tracee Ellis Ross as potentially being the Mouse.
“The stage is like my second home, and I’m having a ball up there,” the Mouse said in the pre-taped package before her performance. “So I feel more determined than ever to stay anonymouse. But when I leave my good job in the city, there’s no place like my home squeak home. You think I ought to take a break. But I still have more stories to tell. And why quit something that still feels exciting and new? I truly cherish my rare time off to catch up on my favorite things. Starting a good romance novel, a little needlepoint — my secret talent — and a little wine and cheese to bond with my friends like you. Thanks for stopping by my mousepad. But now it’s time for this hostess with the mostest to get her game face on. Because there ain’t no stopping me now.”
With both the Elephant (Hawk) and Mouse (Warwick) now gone, that leaves Frog, Kitty, Taco and Banana to compete next week for the three Group B slots that will move on to the next round of nine “Masked Singer” finalists.
Here’s a recap of the other contestants and their performances:
Banana
Song: “Achy Breaky Heart,” by Billy Ray Cyrus
Voice-over: “I never knew how cathartic becoming the banana would be. So making it to the Group B championships is sounding more and more appealing. I don’t want to slip up, so when my team called me in for a meeting about my image, I was like, ‘get ‘er done!’ I walk in and these guys are nervous. Spit it out! You don’t gotta hold my hand. Finally, they say, ‘Look, we have some concerns about your shelf life, so we think you could use a rebrand. You’re worthy of your own bowl, like acai. A star in your own show on cable, like that orange!’ I’ve heard enough. I may be high in carbs, I may have a few bruises, but I’m still here after all these years. So tonight, I’m embracing my flaws. And rocking out as my authentic self.”
Favorite subject in school: “Art. It’s gotten me through some of the toughest things in my life, and I’ve had quite a few. Tonight, even though I forgot half the lyrics, I was having the time of my life forgetting about the troubles, having a good time.”
Panel guesses: Larry the Cable Guy, Ed Helms, Billy Bob Thornton
Frog
Song: “In Da Club,” by 50 Cent
Voice-over: “Last week, I felt like I got a new lease on life. But it makes me wonder, why haven’t I felt like this before? From the beginning, I’ve sacrificed so much of myself to be all that, in a frog-eat-frog world. Always shooting to be seen as the prince of my game. Upholding that image took its toll. I almost croaked. Last week showed me I could just be me and still be loved, warts and all. So no more golden crown for this prince. I’d rather have the golden mask any day.”
Favorite subject in school: “P.E. It keeps me in shape so I can bust these dance moves that make the ladies go crazy.”
Panel guesses: Alfonso Ribiero, Kevin Hart, Omarion
Taco
Song: “Bossa Nova Baby,” by Elvis Presley
Voice-over: “So here’s the news update. I felt like I was cooking up on that stage and loved breaking out of my shell. Time to celebrate making it to the playoffs. So the first round of nachos on the house. You may think of me as a buttoned-up mild type. But I actually used to be a bit of a hothead. Until I met the most stunning taco in the galaxy, my jaw dropped, my heart buzzed and everything changed. She made me the man I am today, a softer taco filled with love and blessed with a rich career I can’t even believe is real. So tonight, honey, this one’s for you.”
Favorite subject in school: “I was a class clown. Once I was put in a closet in the classroom for bad behavior. But I loved it, it meant I didn’t have to sit in class.”
Panel guesses: Seth MacFarlane, Ted Danson, Alec Baldwin
Kitty
Song: “Mercy,” by Brett Young
Voice-over: “Performing as the kitty for the first time was a veritable fantasy. Like I’ve been waiting for this moment forever. But it’s also a bit overwhelming, so I’m taking a second to regroup. Sewing is one of my favorite things to do when I needle a little time alone. Whether it’s a pillow for someone special or a modern dress for a family member’s ball. I draw on all that inspires me and as the fibers intertwine it’s like magic. Maybe there’s something about watching transformations that rings a bell. I’ve never felt more like myself underneath this mask, but at the same time I can feel myself growing into something brand new. Tonight, this kitty’s showing off a new side of herself. And giving it everything she’s got to make it into the championships.”
Favorite subject in school: “English. I am such a bookworm and I used to write my own science fiction books and sell them for quarters.”
Panel guesses: Millie Bobby Brown, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Hyland
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