‘The Masked Singer’ Reveals Rock God Embroiled in Ugly Lawsuit
THIS POST CONTAINS spoilers for this week’s episode of Fox’s The Masked Singer.
On The Masked Singer Season 10’s “Soundtrack to My Life” episode, Anteater, who added a raspy twang throughout the show, was revealed as Hall & Oates’ John Oates.
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“In keeping with this episode, you were the soundtrack of my life,” panelist Ken Jeong said to Oates after the reveal. “I just grew up on you, man. I’m literally starstruck right now.”
After a head-to-head performance against Donut, Candelabra was the second masked contestant to be sent home after singing “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes. Panelist Nicole Scherzinger, along with Robin Thicke, correctly identified Candelabra as Keyshia Cole, after receiving a clue that the R&B artist partied with Scherzinger at an industry shindig.
“You have been an absolute force in this competition and I’m so sorry we do not have the bell to save you tonight,” Scherzinger said, ahead of the reveal.
Donut, who received an emotional response from the audience, will join Gazelle, Cow, and Sea Queen in the season finale.
After sharing clues of experiencing heartbreak and separating from her partner, Candelabra put on a compelling performance of Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down.” Cole got her start working alongside MC Hammer, and later went on to release her debut album The Way It Is. From there, her second album Just Like You and hits “I Remember” and “Heaven Sent” helped the artist earn four Grammy nominations.
“Any time you tackle one of the great singers of all time, one of the great records of all time, you’re really asking a lot of yourself,” panelist Robin Thicke shared ahead of the reveal. “That was perfection. You delivered, you murdered it, and to know that you’re telling your story with that song also is so powerful.”
Cole recently starred in the TV film Keyshia Cole: This is My Story, which documents the singer-songwriter’s rise to multi-platinum stardom.
For the second performance, Anteater added folk flavor to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Before panelist Ken Jeong could even reveal his guess, audiences already started to boo: He was convinced, after revealing a red-lipped clue, that Anteater was Kiss’ Paul Stanley. Others guessed Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp, and Steven Van Zandt.
“You are a true rock and roll legend. I know it,” McCarthy offered ahead of the reveal.
Oates rose to fame as the guitarist and background vocalist in pop-rock duo Hall & Oates in the 1970s. Chart-topping hits like “Rich Girl,” “Maneater,” “You Make My Dreams,” “Out of Touch,” and “Private Eyes” helped the duo get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, they received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
After a 50-year collaboration, the celebrated band is now in disarray. Daryl Hall, the lead singer, has filed a lawsuit against Oates, alleging that Oates moved to sell part of their song catalog without Hall’s approval. Rolling Stone also reported that a pair of musicals featuring the duo’s music fell apart.
To close out the solo performances, Donut pulled on the viewers’ heartstrings with Ray Charles’ “Georgia on my Mind,” backed by a masked gospel choir, and Hunter Hayes, who performed as Astronaut in Season Three, serenaded the crowd prior to the showdown between Donut and Candelabra.
Former and present Masked Singer contestants participated in a holiday sing-along episode Tuesday that featured behind-the-scenes clips and flashback performances. Gazelle sang Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree,” Cow performed Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me,” and Donut serenaded crowds with Gene Autry’s “Frosty the Snowman.”
Last week’s episode saw R&B legend Ginuwine and rocker Sebastian Bach unmasked, and in earlier weeks, controversial NBA champion Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly Ron Artest), Real Housewives of New York City star Luann de Lesseps, Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey, and LGBTQ trailblazer and tennis icon Billie Jean King were all given the boot.
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