Follow along with ET as we break down all the biggest moments in the last round of competition for the Golden Mask trophy!
The Masked Singer returned on Wednesday for the hotly anticipated season 5 finale! ET is following along throughout the entire episode to break down the night's biggest moments, best performances and long-awaited unmaskings!
Tonight, fans will see some final show-stopping performances from the final three -- The Piglet, The Chameleon and The Black Swan -- before one of the talented costumed crooners is awarded the coveted Golden Mask trophy!
Before a winner is crowned, America's favorite panel of celebrity "detectives" -- Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy, as well as guest panelist and season 4 winner LeAnn Rimes -- will have one last chance to guess the singers' secret identities
The fun kicks off at 8 p.m. PT/ET on Fox, and you can watch and follow along as we delve into the glorious madness and bizarre, captivating chaos that is The Masked Singer season 5!
And The Piglet Is...
Yup, its Nick Lachey! There's no real surprise there -- Nick was the internet's favorite guess since day 1 -- but it's great that he's getting so much love from the panel.
This also means that Jenny -- with three correct First Impression guesses -- is now a two-time Golden Ear winner.
The Piglet explains why he joined the show, and says, "I've had the best time going on this incredibly twisted, weird ride that is The Masked Singer."
"I had a ball doing this," he added. "My kids wanted to me to do the show for so long... so I'm so excited. They have no idea that I've done this... Daddy's coming home with a little hardware!"
In the closing moments, Jenny is presented with the Golden Ear trophy while Nick Lachey delivers an unmasked performance of the Journey tune that earned him his victory.
This season was a lot of fun, and I legit can't wait for season 6 later this year!
First Impressions and Final Guesses (Round 3: The Piglet):
Nicole's First Impression: Cody Simpson
Nicole's Final Guess: Brian Littrell
Robin's First Impression: John Rzeznik
Robin's Final Guess: Nick Lachey
Ken's First Impression: Adam Lambert
Ken's Final Guess: Jeremy Renner
Jenny's First Impression: Nick Lachey
Jenny's Final Guess: Nick Lachey
LeAnn's Final Guess: Nick Lachey
Who Is The Black Swan?
Wow! NIcole is 2 for 2 tonight! After guessing Wiz, she also nailed her JoJo guess!
The Black Swan is, indeed, JoJo, and she's overjoyed to say hi to Nick, who says he's 'the biggest fan" of hers.
When asked why she did the show, JoJo explained, "I really was missing being on stage and I was, like, developing this stage fright ... This freaked me out so I said yes to it!"
She bids farewell to the show with an unmasked encore of the Michael Bolton tune, and it's even more epic than the first time around.
The Piglet's unmasking will come after the commercial break.
First Impressions and Final Guesses (Round 2: Black Swan):
Robin's First Impression: Rita Ora
Robin's Final Guess: Normani
Jenny's First Impression: Leighton Meester
Jenny's Final Guess: Monica
Ken's First Impression: Jessie J
Ken's Final Guess: Demi Lovato
Nicole's First Impression: Natasha Bedingfield
Nicole's Final Guess: JoJo
LeAnn's Final Guess: JoJo
And It All Comes Down to This!
Now, we learn that this year's winner is...
... The Piglet!!!
This is amazing! Ken was 100 percent right when he said he peaked with his final performance!
Now, Piglet is going to take his seat on the throne, and we're gonna find out who The Black Swan really is!
Who Is The Chameleon?
After the traditional chanting of, "Take it off!" The Chameleon reveals himself to be none other than Wiz Khalifa!
"He's probably gonna be a little freaked out when he sees The Chameleon," he shared. "I'm a fun dad, I love to enjoy myself, and I love to be myself. And as Much as I can encourage him to be himself and get into his imagination... I'll be the best example for that."
Wiz added, "Thank you guys for letting me be here, I had a great, great time."
First Impressions and Final Guesses:
Jenny's First Impression: Denzel Washington
Jenny's Final Guess: Gucci Mane
Robin's First Impression: Redfoo
Robin's Final Guess: Wiz Khalifa
Nicole's First Impression: Nick Cannon
Nicole's Final Guess: Wiz Khalifa
Ken's First Impression: Dwight Howard
Ken's Final Guess: 2 Chainz
LeAnn's Final Guess: 2 Chainz
The Third Place Finalist Is...
... The Chameleon! Wow, that is kind of surprising, but it's truly impressive how far he made it while sticking to his guns and performing the kinds of songs he wanted to perform each week.
It's Time to Vote!
After all the songs are sung, it's time to vote for the third-place finalist. Any other week, and I'd say it'd be The Chameleon, but his "Gangster's Paradise" performance was fantastic.
Of course, we're all held in suspense until after the commercial break.
The Piglet Restores Our Faith
The Piglet is closing out this season with a power ballad, and it's clear from how he begins the song backstage and walks out to the balloon covered stage that this performance is going to be something special.
Piglet is belting out the emotional tune "Faithfully" by Journey, and he's not even half-way through before Nicole is tearing up and holding her heart.
It's a killer final number and, honestly, it seems like it might be hard to beat this.
"I try not to get emotional watching, but, wow," Ken shares with tears in his eyes. "I'm speechless."
"I think they saved the best for last," Jenny adds. "I can absolutely see you taking home the Golden Mask."
Bonus Clue:
The Piglet gets emotional when she shares, "What this show has done for me is once again remind me how much I love music. And how much we all need music right now as something that can life our spirits. I've been honored to be part of such an incredible journey as this one."
Panelists' Collective Guesses:
Over the course of the season, the panel has guessed Adam Lambert, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Adam Levine, Austin Mahone JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Zayn Malik Nick Lachey, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Richardson and Jonathan Knight.
The Piglet -- FINAL CLUES!!
The Piglet:
- Says, "I was one of the first people to put my life out there for the public. And it was before social media."
- Says, "The criticism was so much, I had to become a pretty private person after that."
- Says, "The one thing I've learned is you have to challenge yourself."
- Says, "I want more than anything to bring home that trophy to my kids."
The Black Swan Is Once Again Slaying Those High Notes
When Black Swan tackles a song with high notes, it's a safe bet that she's aiming to shatter some glass with her voice. And for the final she's making sure to deliver a song that is an emotional classic that also shows her true range.
The song itself is touching and ethereal, with angelic, white-clad backup dancers giving the whole number a touching, heavenly vibe.
"Oh my gosh, Black Swan, you took us to church for the finale," Nicole exclaims.
"Forget stage fright! That stage should be afraid of you," Robin gushes.
Bonus Clue:
When asked what winning would mean for her, The Black Swan says, "It would mean that I conquered some fears."
"Like a lot of artists, I had to cancel my tour in 2020," she explained. "And I got scared at some point. And now I'm facing it again and I'm back in it in a different way."
Panelists' Collective Guesses:
The panel's guesses have been eclectic this season, and include Ashlee Simpson, Demi Lovato, Kesha, Camila Cabello, Dup Lipa, Normani, JoJo, Christina Milian, Lindsay Lohan and Mandy Moore.
The Black Swan -- FINAL CLUES!!
The Black Swan:
- Says, "I honestly did not come in thinking about winning."
- Says she was "known around the world before I got my drivers license."
- Says, "I have accomplished my mission of putting myself in an uncomfortable position and then break through."
- We see her running circles around a flower-covered May pole.
The Chameleon Saves An Iconic Tune for the Finale
After delivering one incredible hip hop performance after another all season, The Chameleon is closing out with a truly memorable set that gets the judges on their feet from the opening beat.
Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" is a classic for a reason. It's instantly identifiable and everyone has listened to it at at least 100 times, even if they didn't mean to. But The Chameleon still manages to infuse it with a whole lot of his own personality.
"That was amazing! He is larger than life," Nicole marvels. "As soon as the song started, I kicked Ken over and I had to get a front row seat!.. You are a megastar!"
Final Bonus Clue
The show is keeping the bonus clues simple for the finale, and Nick simply asks The Chameleon what it would mean to him to win the show.
"It would mean everything to me," The Chameleon shares. "Of course, I do this for my son and my family, and all the hip hop heads out there. It would mean the world."
Panelists' Guesses:
Oh, apparently they aren't doing a new round of post-performances guesses. Probably because it's the finale and they have a lot to get through.
Instead, they are showing a full collection of the guesses the panel have made all season, and they include 2 Chainz, Dwight Howard, Redfoo, Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Snoop Dgg, Wiz Khalifa, Waka Flaka Flame, Young Thug and Machine Gun Kelly.
The Chameleon -- FINAL CLUES!!
The Chameleon:
- Says, "People think I'm too cool for The Masked Singer."
- Says, "I originally signed up for this for my kid, because it's one of our favorite shows to watch together."
- Says, "It's turned out to be one of the coolest experiences of my life."
- Says he wants to be the first contestant who wins the Golden Mask through just rap performances.
LeAnn Rimes Joins the Panel
After opening the show, LeAnn is also joining the night's panel.
First thing we learn is that Ken and LeAnn are actually next door neighbors -- and this is revealed by LeAnn, so it's not even one of Ken's bonkers stories.
The Sun Shines Bright!
Wow, this is a unique start to The Masked Singer! Last year's winner, LeAnn Rimes, returns to the stage to kick off the show with a performance of her song "How Do I Live," and it's beautiful.
After opening the song, the finalists hit the stage and pick up the tune. The Black Swan sings a verse, following by Piglet, with The Chameleon showing off a surprisingly gentle side of his range as he adds a hip-hop flair to the iconic classic.
The Finale Has Arrived!
Once again, it feels like the season has shot by at rapid speed, and after a wild and legitimately surprising season, we've finally reached the finals!
Out of 14 hopefuls, only three remain and one will be taking home the Golden Mask trophy!
In the meantime, if you're still trying to crack the mystery of the costumed contestants like the rest of America, check out our running list of spoilers, hints and best guesses, where we break down all the clue packages and make our predictions about the singers' secret identities.
Check out the video below to hear more about the wild and unexpected unmaskings that have already rocked the fifth season of The Masked Singer.
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