Sports Night

After three great episodes with Group A, it was time to meet Group B in Sports Night! I was looking forward to meeting five new contestants, as since we had been with Group A for three weeks, it almost felt like it was a new season entirely, which I feel is probably how I’m going to feel when we meet Group C in a few weeks.

The episode started by showing that they were going all in on the theme of Sports Night, as it presented itself like a typical sports broadcast, even having Joel McHale and Nikki Glaser as guest commentators throughout the episode. The panelists then came out dressed in boxing gloves and robes, and Robin and Rita then gave a great performance of “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by The Scorpions. The panelists then made their way to their desk, at which point they removed their boxing gear to show that they were all wearing different sports uniforms underneath.

After that, it was time to meet the first performer of the night, which was The Wasp. I was happy to find out that the walk-in songs for each contestant this episode related to their costume and not the theme of the episode, as I feel that they can be creative with the songs that each contestant walks out to when it’s related to their costume. The Masked Ambassador for The Wasp was Ne-Yo, who said that he has known him since he was fresh on the scene, and he gained huge success by taking his words of wisdom. The Wasp then said that he grew up in a tough neighborhood and there was no reason he should have made it out, but he learned to dig deep and fight. He then said that his career turned into a hive of activity, and he appeared on the biggest screens and stages in the world. Visual clues included the word “Boom,” the planet Mars, boxing gloves, and three hearts. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake, during which he showed how much energy he has in his voice as well as how great he is at dancing. After each performance, each contestant had an athletic shoe brought out that served as a clue to their lives. The sneakers that were brought out for The Wasp were basketball sneakers, and he said that fresh kicks help him stay on his game. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that The Wasp is R&B singer Mario. Ne-Yo is his ambassador because he wrote Mario’s song “Let Me Love You,” the word “Boom” could be referring to his song “Boom,” the planet Mars is referring to his EP “Closer to Mars,” and he has been on some of the biggest screens and stages, as he appeared in the movies “Step Up” and “Freedom Writers,” starred in “Rent: Live,” and appeared in shows like “Empire” and “All the Queen’s Men.” 

After that, it was time for the second performer of the night, which was The Chess Piece. Her Masked Ambassador was Nikki Glaser, who said that she was there to endorse the most fashion-forward friend that she knew. Chess Piece then said that she loves a fashion moment, because she never thought that she would be there, and there were also times that she felt like a pawn with no protection, and people doubted her all her life. She then said that she had to believe in herself and make bold moves across the board to secure her crown and the leading role that changed her game. Visual clues included a red carpet, a pair of red lips, a locker, and The Goldfish, Sun, Night Angel, and Queen of Hearts costumes. She then went on to give a beautiful and slowed down performance of “Believe” by Cher, which I felt was perfect for her voice. After her performance, a pair of tennis shoes were brought out, and she said that in the first round of the match, it’s always love serving love. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Chess Piece is Laverne Cox. All the talk about fashion is because she majored in fashion merchandising management at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the red carpet is referring to the times she has been a red-carpet interviewer at award shows, the red lips are referring to her role in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and the leading role that changed her game is “Orange is the New Black.”

After that, it was time for the third performer of the night, which was The Bluebell. Her Masked Ambassador was Kelly Osbourne, who said that Bluebell knows a thing or two about tabloid fodder, and she should know because they even made headlines together. She then said that Bluebell had overnight success, but that with major fame comes major gossip. Bluebell then said that as her career was blossoming, the rumor mill grew wild about her alleged relationships with rockstars, billionaires, and even royals. She then said that the truth is that her true love never bloomed until recently, and now that she has found it, she has never been happier. Visual clues included a guitar with a phoenix on it and ripped blue jeans. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “We Belong” by Pat Benatar, during which she showed off how much power she has in her voice. After her performance, a pair of roller blades were brought out, and she then said that she tries to roll with the situation, but she always rocks it out. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that The Bluebell is pop singer Natalie Imbruglia. She was an overnight success, as she got her start on an Australian soap opera called “Neighbours,” before turning to music and having a worldwide hit with her song “Torn,” she made headlines with Kelly Osbourne as Kelly dissed her during the 2002 Aria Awards by calling her names and pretending to be asleep during her performance, she was the subject of gossip due to her relationships with rock singer Daniel Johns, the son of billionaire Richard Branson, and Prince Harry, her talk of finding her true love is because she had a baby in 2019 and has spoken about the joys of motherhood, the guitar emblazoned with a phoenix is a reference to her album “Firebird,” and the ripped jeans are a reference to her signature look and her song “Torn.” This is also interesting because Natalie Imbruglia was already a contestant on the Third Season of the UK version, which Rita was a panelist on at the time, so it’s going to be interesting to see if she recognizes her voice. 

After that, it was time for the fourth performer of the night, which was The Dust Bunny. Hours before the episode aired, Entertainment Weekly released his whole clue package, and through some simple and important Google searches, I had figured out who it was before the episode even aired. Some clues that stood out to me were an earthquake warning sign, a racing flag, and the fact that he said he had worked with Anne Hathaway, David Bowie, and Marlon Brando, but no one had ever seen that footage. From there, I did several searches and found that it was actor, comedian, and late-night personality Andy Richter. When the episode aired, he gave an entertaining performance of “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, and while he wasn’t the best singer, I could tell that he was having a lot of fun, and that the audience was having just as much fun as him. As entertaining as he was, I also knew that it was very likely that he would be unmasked by the end of the episode. 

After that, it was time for the fifth and final performer of the night, which was The Goo. Before I start talking about him, I would like to let you all know that when I was making early guesses for each contestant this season, I was on the most insane journey trying to come up with a guess for him. I came up with a total of 51 increasingly different names as to who was under the mask, some of which I didn’t even think were correct, and I only wrote them because the names occurred to me, and as a result, I now have a list of the most bizarre assortment of celebrities you will ever see, from Lance Armstrong to Brent Spiner. The Masked Ambassador for Goo was revealed to be Keenan Allen, who said that when he was a contestant, everyone got to see his softer, sensitive side, even though they knew him as tough, and he knows that Goo is the same. Goo then said that growing up, he wanted to tackle everything in his way, but inside, he was sensitive and oozing with emotions. He then said that once his older brother started playing guitar, he found his escape, and that after tough days at school, he would sit in his room crying, singing through the pains of high school drama. He then said that he became a total music nerd, starting acapella groups, music lab, and even winning awards. Visual clues included a tackle box and a train. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims, during which he showed off the amazing vocal abilities he has. After the performance, a pair of cleats with music notes on them were brought out, and Goo then said that they might want to focus on the “soul” of his shoes. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Goo is Kobie Turner from the Los Angeles Rams. His ambassador was Keenan Allen because they both play for the NFL, the tackle box and him saying that he wanted to tackle everything in his way is a reference to his football career, his talk of being a music nerd and starting acapella groups is true, as he was in three acapella groups in high school, and the train is because his nickname is “The Conductor.” 

After all five performances, it was time for the unmasking, and as I had correctly guessed, it was Dust Bunny that was going to be unmasked. I was a little surprised that none of the panelists correctly guessed that he was Andy Richter, as I thought either Jenny or Robin would come up with his name. He was also very funny after he got unmasked, saying that the panelists were wrong because they “were going too high on the call sheet,” saying that he wouldn’t have gotten the clues to him on the costume, and saying that his reasoning for doing the show was because he has a four-year-old and he needed to get out of the house. 

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 12 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week, when we stick with Group B for Barbie Night!