Billy Joel Night

After two amazing episodes to start the season, it was time for us to meet Group C in Billy Joel Night! I was hoping that the contestants in this group would be as great as the ones in Group A and Group B, and that we would be in for another amazing episode. By the time the episode ended, I knew that all three groups still had amazing singers in them, and that no matter who the three wildcard contestants were, they would not take away from who we have already met.

The episode started off with Robin doing a rendition of “My Life,” which I felt was a good way to start the show.

The first performer of the night was The Poodle Moth. In her clue package, she said that she was drawn to the flame for her entire life, but she always felt like the bright lights were never meant for her, saying that she thought she wasn’t funny enough or pretty enough. So, she took a step back and helped others achieve their dreams, and while she loved that, she wanted to spread her own wings, but if she could just take that first step, the light she thought was impossible to find would be one step closer. So, she took the leap and was discovered, and it showed her that she is one-of-a-kind. Visual clues included streetlights, a cowboy hat, a book with an American flag on the cover, and sky lanterns. She then gave an amazing performance of “Just the Way You Are.” After her performance, she gave another clue, which was a baseball that was hit over to the panel and said “Opry.” She then went on to say that she felt like a big shot when she performed at the Grand Ole Opry. From the time following her performance to the following morning, I had no idea who it was, and the internet didn’t know either. Some names that I saw come up were Lauren Alaina and Martina McBride, but I didn’t know if they fit all the clues, and many of the other celebrities that I searched were also too tall to be Poodle Moth. The next morning, I saw a guess that was becoming popular that I agree with, which is Chrissy Metz from “This Is Us.” The talk of not feeling funny enough or pretty enough are all struggles she has openly spoken about, her talk of taking a step back and helping others achieve their dreams is because she was an agent for a while, the leap that she took plus the book with the American flag on it is referring to her recurring role on “American Horror Story,” and saying that it got her discovered is referring to the fact that it helped her get the role on “This Is Us.” The cowboy hat could be a reference to her performing at the Academy of Country Music Awards, presenting at the CMT Awards, and performing at the Grand Ole Opry, and the baseball could be a reference to her last name, as she shares the same name as the New York Mets. 

The second performer of the night was The Clock. In her clue package, she said that she was delighted to be there on Billy Joel Night because they’re both timeless. She also said that she was the belle of the ball and had the whole world dancing from dusk til dawn, and that everyone knew her name. She then said that as the years passed, trends started to change, and she felt like she was becoming frozen in time, so she reinvented herself and achieved massive success on her own terms, with the crowning achievement of performing for a president. Visual clues included a disco ball, a baby, and a golden globe. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “Piano Man,” where she showed how much power she has in her voice. After her performance, there was an additional clue, which was a person on the stage playing “Vienna” on the piano, to which she responded “Vienna is all about seizing the day. And I actually have a date in my name.” Halfway through her performance, both of my parents said that it was Bette Midler, and they sounded very confident. I went to the internet to see what everybody was saying, and then I saw that everybody else thought it was Bette Midler as well, but I still wasn’t sure, because I had no idea how all the clues applied to her, and I didn’t think that she would want to do the show. The following morning, I saw another guess on the internet that lined up with all the clues and is the one that I am going with, which is disco singer Thelma Houston, which explains the disco ball. Her talk of having the whole world dancing from dusk til dawn could be a reference to her song “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,” her talk of trends changing and feeling frozen in time is a reference to disco losing its popularity, and she reinvented herself by taking acting roles, appearing on several TV shows, and the stage version of “Fame.” Her saying that she performed for a president is because she was one of the performers at the Out for Equality Ball for the inauguration of Obama in 2009. The baby is a clue to her song “Baby Mine,” and the golden globe is a clue to her performing at the Golden Globes in 1975. Her saying that she has a date in her name is because the city of West Hollywood has designated January 29 as Thelma Houston Day.

The third performer of the night was Spaghetti & Meatballs. His performance was released a day before the episode aired, and a lot of people were saying that it was Joe Bastianich from “MasterChef.” While I did know that he has done some singing throughout his career and that there have been costumes that were clues to the person underneath, I didn’t think that he was the type of person that would do the show. When I saw enough people guess that it was him, I was willing to have him as my early guess. During his clue package, I found out that it was him as he said that he got his start on Wall Street, and Joe Bastianich got his start as a bond trader on Wall Street. He then went on to give a great performance of “Only the Good Die Young,” which is even more incredible considering he is not a professional singer. 

The final performer of the night was The Lizard, who had the most energetic walk out to the stage of the night. In his clue package, he said that some people might view him as a ladies’ man, the bad boy type in Billy Joel songs. He then said that isn’t the real him, and despite some of his better-known hits, he tends to see people for who they are on the inside, such as the love of his life. Years later though, she was fed up with his shenanigans and threatened to leave, which is when he had a premonition and told her that he thought she was pregnant, and it turned out that she was. He then promised that he would change his ways and is dedicated to being a good husband and a cool dad. Visual clues included a “TMS” gossip show that said “Live, Laugh, Lizard,” a heart-shaped lollipop, a crab on a cupcake, and a Christmas tree ornament. He then went on to give a great and energetic performance of “Uptown Girl.” After his performance, he gave another clue, which was a little taxi that came out with a card that said “Billboards.” He then said that he has had a number one billboard. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that The Lizard is Sisqo. His talk about his real personality of seeing people for who they are on the inside contrasting with some of his better-known hits is referring to his song “Thong Song.” The story that he told about the love of his life makes sense with what has happened with his relationship in real life, as he met Elizabeth Pham in 2003, and they dated on and off for almost a decade, their son was born in 2012 followed by their daughter in 2014, and they got married in 2018. The heart-shaped lollipop could be referring to him being featured on the Lil Kim song “How Many Licks,” the crab on the cupcake could mean crab cake, referring to his home state of Maryland, the Christmas tree ornament is a clue to his holiday book “Sisqo’s Perfect Christmas,” and the number one billboard that he is talking about is his song “Incomplete” landing at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

After all four performances, the panelists and the studio audience voted for their favorite performers of the night, and the two singers with the least amount of votes had to go head to head in a smackdown. The two singers in the bottom were Spaghetti & Meatballs and The Lizard, and while I thought they were both great, I wasn’t surprised to see them in the bottom. They then both performing their own versions of “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” and both were great. Spaghetti & Meatballs did a great job at sounding like the original song, while Lizard did a great job at performing the song in his own style, and when it seemed that he forgot the lyrics, he did a great job at vocalizing his way to the end of the song. In the end, Spaghetti & Meatballs was unmasked and revealed to be Joe Bastianich, and I am still amazed by how great he is at singing.

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 11 of The Masked Singer! I am looking forward to seeing these contestants next week in TV Theme Night, and I will share with you all my write up after it airs!