Double Elimination, Panel Stumped by Hall of Famer

Anteater, Candelabra, and Donut have all impressed across the season, proving that all three of them have the vocal chops to make a mark and compete with the best of the best. There’s also a real emotional connection from this group that some of the other artists don’t quite have.

That also meant this was a particularly hard week when it came to the eliminations. With Ken Jeong slamming the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell for Gazelle two weeks ago, there was no chance to save anyone, leading to a tense final battle.

We’d also argue that this week’s result was an upset — though had it gone the other way, we could see the argument for that being an upset, too. Let’s just say it was brutally close in the final moments and either way, someone fantastic was about to go home.

At least we got to soak it in as two legendary artists were revealed. One got some love and recognition from the panel, but the other left them completely stumped. It must be hard to be a Hall of Famer and not get guessed once!

Let’s jump right in with this week’s mask. And don’t worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking(s), we’re going to make you power through the terrible (and occasionally good) guesses made by our illustrious panel of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger first. We do this because we love … to torture you.

Along with the panel’s guesses, we’ll be sharing some internet speculation, too, so if you don’t want to be potentially spoiled (because they are very good at this), you may want to skip past the guesses sections.

(“Wanted,” Hunter Hayes) It’s weird that Hunter sounded a little shaky on his own song. He’s got such a unique voice with a lighter touch, but how was he not coming across more confident here? Maybe the nerves got to him returning to the show after all these years, though he was a huge favorite on his season.

(“I’m Goin’ Down,” Mary J. Blige) Candelabra brought all of her soul and passion to this performance of a song that speaks to her life. You could tell the special meaning the song had to her by how heartfelt her vocal was. That hint of rasp, rich tone and gentle vibrato really created an intimate and powerful experience. Candelabra definitely knows her way around a stage and a song.

Guesses: Candelabra explained that Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down” holds special meaning to her because of what she’s gone through in life having gone through a tough breakup. A longtime relationship that even brought forth a child proved a challenge as she could not trust her partner, despite trying again and again.

Finally, she realized she had to do what was best for her and that child by leaving. In that journey, she learned to love herself first. Visual clues this time included a hand of cards from a 10 of Hearts to the Ace, as well as a box labeled “From the Angels.” Her “mixtape clue” was “Party Jams.” Candelabra explained, “Nicole, I’ll never forget the fun we had partying at an industry party.”

“Okay, that narrows it down to about two million people,” Jenny joked.

In the previous clue package, we got images of fire starting with a house fire and escalating to a forest fire around what looked like a traditional fairy tale castle. In front of that, Candelabra talked about her struggles coming up in life with a mom in and out of her life and her even living on her own for years before a family friend took her in.

Additional images included tap shoes and a ring with the ring box labeled with a question mark. Along with this she talked about how she works so hard in her life because she’s never fully satisfied. Nick said he was struggling with this one as he feels he knows them.

For the studio Troll antics, Branch and Poppy stole a bunch of apples, revealing two cups labeled “REAL” and “TEA.” Candelabra added, “I want you to know that on and off the camera, I’m keeping it 100 real.”

With dreams that started at a young age, Candelabra last week said she was calling performers from her hometown from 12 years old for someone to give her a shot. All it took was one yes and her career began to take off. It was a dream she said she carried from a young age.

But even as things were taking off, she never stopped the hustle, always working and pushing to keep herself and her career hot. She’s got fans all over the worlds, plenty of accolades, but the hustle never stops. Visual clues included a phone call to Kevin Hart (is he from her hometown?), a picture of California, a blue butterfly, and a package labeled “Santa’s Naughty List.”

“Two Princes” from Spin Doctors blasted as her on-stage one-hit wonder clue. “Listen, who needs two princes when you have one fire princess,” said Candelabra.

Nicole didn’t immediately know from partying, so she still threw out Tamar Braxton, but based on the vibe and the energy, she slid right into the top guess online, and our favorite guess, in Keyshia Cole. Ken, out of nowhere, decided it was TLC’s Chilli — but that ain’t her voice.

Robin shared a label with Nicole and Keyshia and actually opened for Keyshia on tour, but he was only willing to concede a bit that he could hear her in these vocals. Instead, he was leaning more toward Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard with the hearts tying to her Goldenheart album.

(“Johnny B. Goode,” Chuck Berry) Anteater came out a lot scratchier and inconsistent in his vocals than the last time we saw him. He also seemed to struggle a bit with his breathing as the song went on, but we could chalk that up to the cumbersome costume. His pitch was great and it’s an interestingly unique tone, but not one we could place immediately. He’s definitely got a talent for singing, though.

Guesses: He chose Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” as his soundtrack song because he had all the 45s growing up and loved this music. He also teased decades carving out his own sound without ever losing sight of these inspirations.

His visual clues this week included a growing four-leaf clover, a red kiss mark, and the note that he is left-handed, which does narrow this “short king’s” identity. His mixtape was “Deep Thoughts,” to which he added, “I had the greatest conversation when I was talking to Jenny.”

The second clue package was packed with visual hints as Anteater talked about his competitive side. He even said he was good enough at wrestling in high school to play in college, but instead got into competitive racing, driving in America and the UK.

Among that plethora of visual clues was a coin with Jenny and Nicole’s faces on them (causing Jenny to quip,” Did we sleep with him?”), as well as a bowl of oatmeal with watermelons in it, a saw, planes and sports cars, a lost and found box with what looked like weights and red balls (or balloons) in them, and a full-length mirror he checked himself out in.

His bonus clue came from Poppy and Branch touring the studio lot. In a video clip, we saw them running by a “Hall of Fame” plaque. “I guess the Trolls just might know something about the Hall of Fame,” said Anteater with a dramatic pause after “Hall” that feeds into the internet’s favorite theory.

Last week, Anteater talked about the ups and downs of fame in his long career, where he learned the hard way that fame isn’t everything. He shared having at one point the houses, sports cars, yachts, all of it. But then, some bad business deals and a loss of self cost him basically everything.

He said he regrouped with a chicken coop and a donkey named Jasper, building his dream home, starting a family and learning that sometimes you have to lose it all to gain everything. One striking visual clue was an eye painted on a wooden box. We also saw a glowing angelic shape in the sky and a cougar.

As for his one-hit wonder clue, that was “Somebody’s Watching Me,” by Rockwell. “There was a time when I performed in front of 40 percent of the entire world,” explained Anteater.

The latest clue about Jenny talking with him narrowed it down about as much as Nicole partying with Candelabra considering how many people she’s interviewed over the years. The audience booed Ken before he started guessing, with Robin joking, “He hasn’t said Bjork yet, give him a minute.”

Ken decided the kiss mark could be referring to the band KISS — he performed their track last week — and thought of left-handed guitar player Paul Stanley. We know they wear platform shoes, but isn’t Paul taller than this?

Robin, meanwhile, was thinking of fellow left-hander Jackson Browne’s duet with Bonnie Raitt, “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.” Jenny, though, considered Steven Van Zandt, E-Street Band guitarist and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

(“Georgia on My Mind,” Ray Charles) Donut sings with his whole heart and his love for “my smile” in everything he does. This was such an understated performance, so classy and so emotional. There’s a sweetness to that hint of grit he has. He’s got a bit of soul in how he sings and a whole lot of passion.

Guesses: Donut was light on clues this week, but it was a huge one as he revealed he’d actually sang with Ray Charles on TV, which is why he chose “George on My Mind” as his soundtrack song. We saw a toy jet plane and a red dragon in the clue package, as well.

His “mixtape” clue was titled “Poker Night.” Donut said to Robin, ‘This mix tape was on repeat every time I hung out with your dear, sweet dad.” Unfortunately, as Robin replied, “My dad knew everybody,” so as clues go, it wasn’t too helpful.

This week’s clue was a heartbreaker as Donut opened up about finding and marrying his soulmate, whom he called “My Smile,” and then more recently losing her. He even choked up talking about her, while celebrating all they accomplished together, like opening a studio.

He shared that he’s “lived out a billion dreams,” including movies and music while entertaining his fans for decades. We saw a film slate with “#1” on it, as well as a gumball machine and a magazine called Donut Adventures, amid all the classic ’50s diner memorabilia.

Branch and Poppy shook a bottle of confessing “SEASONING,” leading Donut to say, “I am well-seasoned and I have been enjoyed by several generations.”

Last week, Donut said he’s had a hard time being defined as how he sees himself. He said that a “mega hit” catapulted him to number one, but then says that he was mostly associated with a rough-and-tough “flavor,” suggesting he was pigeonholed or typecast as one thing. He showed what looked like a law enforcement badge at this point.

There was an LA flag and the dazzling lights of show business showing cowboy boots as he talked about being a country boy with a refined side and even a theater connection with shows like Chicago and 42nd Street.

He said he’s been known to pour his heart into a song or two, and is doing this show coming off of the toughest year of his life, hoping to turn things in a more positive direction. While there were a lot of neon lights, we definitely saw a focus on a bow-and-arrow, as well.

As for his on-stage clue, it was the one-hit wonder “How Bizarre,” by OMC. Donut explained, “You know what’s bizarre? Me being on one hit wonder night, because just like Rocky, I’ve got hit after hit after hit.”

Robin is still thinking Tom Jones, even with the connection to his dad, because Alan Thicke became close to Tom in his latter years, and Tom did suffer that loss of love. Jenny, though, got very clever with the clues, tying Alan Thicke’s ’80s sitcom dad to another ’80s star, with the previous bow and arrow clue perhaps referring to Bo Duke, aka the internet’s top guess, John Schneider.

Nicole found a way to tie all the clues to her favorite guess of Englebert Humperdinck, who did sing with Ray Charles, but that’s not the internet’s favorite guess, nor ours. You can hear John’s speaking cadence when he talks, and the “my smile” clue is very specific. It’s just right.

This was another great night of singing, but after fighting his way out of trouble last time, we had a feeling there wasn’t going to be an opportunity this time for Anteater. Donut steals everyone’s heart every time he sings, and Candelabra was just wailing on another level this week. Meanwhile, Anteater had a very shaky start and was more inconsistent.

Of course, the audience doesn’t always agree with us, so maybe something crazy would happen. We didn’t think so, though, and we were right to have faith. Anteater just didn’t rise to the occasion as much as his competitors this time, marking the end of his journey.

• Robin Thicke: Jackson Browne
• Jenny McCarthy: Steven Van Zandt
• Ken Jeong: Billy Joel
• Nicole Scherzinger: John Mellencamp

The panel was definitely getting old-school rocker vibe, but none of them were sipping from the same Kool-Aid as the internet, which had been circling John Oates of Hall & Oates, recently in the headlines for feuding over selling song rights with his former partner Daryl Hall. But were they right, the panel or no one?

Turns out the internet knew what it was talking about and the panel clearly forgot about Hall & Oates and its “short king” member, John Oates. “I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff in my career,” John said. “This is one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

This was going to be a tough one as both Candelabra and Donut have managed to touch hearts and really connect with the audience. They’re both stellar vocalists, but very different in how they approach music. It’s all heart, which is what we are always drawn to, so it’s really going to come down to who finds a better connection to the song.

(“Wanted,” Hunter Hayes) Donut had a bit of a lounge singer vibe in the opening of this and it felt like it took him a few vibes. Once he was able to connect to the message of the song and think about his wife, that heart started to shine through, culminating in a tender final note that hung palpably in the air. Candelabra had that connection from the first note, caressing the song as if it was a classic R&B track rather than a country song. She made this her own and nailed every line and every note from start to finish with a completely different approach.

This was an epic battle between the top two artists of the night who tackled the same song with completely different energy. Honestly, this would have been a great night for the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell to be used as these are among the two strongest singers left in the competition up to this point. Alas, Ken saved Gazelle which was … okay (though we think he’s wrong about her identity).

For the fact she had full control of the song from the start, we’d give the edge to Candelabra, but we know the panel is absolutely in love with how genuine and emotional Donut is. He’s like a hug from your dad, you don’t ever want to let go. So did they?

They did … not, leaving Donut safe and sending Candelabra home. Honestly, it’s kind of an upset, but one we can’t be mad about. We get the sentimental connection. There were plenty of people who were made about it, though.

• Robin Thicke: Keyshia Cole
• Jenny McCarthy: Brandy
• Ken Jeong: Kelly Rowland
• Nicole Scherzinger: Keyshia Cole

Robin laid out all his evidence for joining Nicole — and the internet — on her guess, from her song “Heaven Sent” tying to the “From the Angels” clue to her publicly calling Mary J. Blige as her main musical influence. It’s the most likely guess, matching the clues, voice and performance style.

Of course it was Keyshia Cole when the mask came off, in one of the season’s biggest upsets. No knock to Gazelle, but Candelabra would have been a stronger contender to join the finale. When Nick said this has to be the most unique stage she’s ever sang on, Keyshia quipped, “Yes. I mean, I lost to a donut.”

The Masked Singer two-hour season finale brings back Cow, Donut, Gazelle, and Sea Queen to battle it out for the Golden Mask Trophy next Wednesday at 8pm ET on Fox.