60s Night

After a great episode with Barbie Night, a week off due to the World Series, and the most stressful election in recent times, it was time for 60s Night on The Masked Singer! With how the election turned out, I’m sure you can all agree that The Masked Singer is something that is desperately needed at this time. I was also looking forward to this episode, as it’s not that common that a contestant sings an older song, so I was interested in seeing what songs they would go for. 

The episode started off the same way as many other Group Finals in recent seasons, which is a group performance with the remaining three contestants in the group. I always enjoy group performances, as it lets the contestants stand out together. They also performed “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys, which is somehow the first song by The Beach Boys that has ever been performed on the show. Nick also mentioned that the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell was still in play for this episode, and I had a feeling that it was going to be used in this episode. 

After that, it was time for the first performer of the night, which was Goo. In his clue package, he talked about how he is starting to fully believe in himself, and he then said that he once had a major goal and scraped up just enough money to survive for one year to make it happen. He then said that with a dollar and a dream, he didn’t just coast, he worked harder than anyone else and it paid off, as he got a rare call that changed everything. He then said that this past year has been a total rush and that he feels that he is still on the rise to greatness. Visual clues included a rook chess piece, gold coins, and a conductor’s baton and music sheets. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals, during which he showed off all the power he has in his voice, as he started off in a lower voice and finished in a powerful belting voice. After each performance, an invention of the 1960s was brought out as an additional clue for each contestant. For Goo, a plate of Jell-O was brought out that had a whistle inside it, and Goo then started singing the national anthem, saying that it has a special meaning to him in more than one way. After this week’s clues, I am still confident that Goo is Kobie Turner from the Los Angeles Rams. The rook could be referring to the fact that he is a rookie in the NFL, the music notes and the baton are referring to his nickname “The Conductor,” and he performed the national anthem at an LA Kings game. I am also confident that the panelists are never going to guess him correctly, as they are all guessing singers right now. 

The second performer of the night was The Bluebell. Her clue package continued to make me confident as to who it was, as there was another clue that consisted of an object being torn, talks of her struggling with creativity, and that everything changed when she became a mom. After her clue package, she went on to give a great performance of “Do You Love Me” by The Contours, which was a perfect song for her to show off her belting ability, as well as show off some very impressive dance moves. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was an easy-bake oven, which had a vegemite sandwich on it, and Bluebell then said that it's considered a delicacy where she was born, meaning Australia. All these clues and the previous ones confirmed for me that Bluebell was pop singer Natalia Imbruglia.

The third and final performer of the night was The Wasp. In his clue package, he said that in his life, there has always been one hero that he has admired the most, which is his mother. He talked about how she was always there for him and would help him whenever he was in trouble. He then said that as he got older, he started to see cracks in her armor as she faced her darkest battle yet. He tried everything that he could to save her, but no amount of money and love could mend her broken wings, and when she passed, he thought that he would never recover from the sting. He then said that he still feels it, and he thinks about her all the time, but he knew that him being on the show would have brought a lot of joy to her, and that she would probably try to steal the costume and wear it herself. Visual clues included a stethoscope, a treasure map, and a DNA display. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin, during which he showed off his amazing falsetto and his vocalizing abilities. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was an ATM that shot out $1 million bills, and he then said that just like that bill, he has also hit a million. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is also what Rita guessed, which is that The Wasp is R&B singer Mario. He has albums that have sold at least a million copies, the DNA display is referring to his album D.N.A., and his mom suffered from a heroin addiction, which is the story that he told about her during the clue package. 

After each of the three contestants had performed, it was time for the first unmasking of the night, which was Bluebell, which didn’t surprise me. While I thought that she was great, I felt that Goo and Wasp were better. She was unmasked and the internet was shown to be right again, as Bluebell was revealed to be Natalie Imbruglia. What surprised me was not only that none of the panelists guessed correctly, but also that they were not even close with their guesses, as Robin, Jenny, and Ken guessed actresses, and even Rita was wrong, which is very surprising when you realize that she was a panelist on the UK version of the show when Natalie Imbruglia was a contestant there and won. I was also surprised that after she was unmasked, rather than performing her famous song “Torn,” she performed one of the songs she had already performed this season, but I thought it was still good.

After that, it was time for the Battle Royale, which I knew was going to be very close. Goo and Wasp took turns singing “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye, during which they both showed off the unique power in their voices, as Goo started off quiet and finished strong, while Wasp sang a more upbeat version of the song. 

The winner of the Battle Royale that was going on to the Quarterfinals was revealed to be The Wasp, which didn’t surprise me, as he has shown to be an amazing singer. After that, the panelists made their final guesses for Goo, and none of them were even close, as they all guessed singers rather than a football player. Just before he was going to get unmasked, what I predicted would happen happened, as Jenny used the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell on him, advancing him to the Quarterfinals, which I felt was very well deserved.

Overall, I feel that this was another amazing episode of Season 12 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week, when we meet Group C in the Who Are You Fest!