Miley Cyrus Night

After an amazing start to Group C last week with Who Are You Fest, it was time to see them again in Miley Cyrus Night! I was looking forward to this episode, as all the other episodes centered around the music of a specific artist have all been good, and I knew there were four great singers in the episode. I also thought it was great that the show was doing a theme night for Miley Cyrus, as it shows that she has reached the status of other artists they have had entire nights for like ABBA, Elton John, Billy Joel, and Queen. 

The episode started off with a group performance from all four Group C contestants singing “Party in the USA.” I was a bit surprised that there was a group performance in this episode, as they typically have those in the Group Finals, but I still enjoyed it, as it let all four contestants, who are all singers, have a chance to stand out together and show off their own unique vocal abilities. 

The first performer of the night was Sherlock Hound. In his clue package, he said that just like Miley Cyrus, when he was younger, he was free spirited and fun. He then said that he ran wild, crazy, and free, and was always gunning for a challenge. He then said that he found himself in the bullpen facing his biggest case yet, breaking an almost century-long curse. He then said that many men had come before him and failed, but with his drive, he knew he could get them out of the jam they were in. He said that they were between a rock and a hard place, but he didn’t roll over, and with his band behind him, he single-handedly broke the curse and helped them claim their spot in history. He then said that while he went on to reinvent himself after that, just like Miley, he never forgets those glory days when he was fun, wild, and young. Visual clues included glasses of sweet tea and sugar cubes, a bull, and a red slide. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Used to Be Young,” during which he showed how much power he has in his voice, and he also showed off his vocalizing ability. After each performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was an item that revealed a surprising connection to Miley Cyrus herself. For Sherlock Hound, it was a blonde wig, and he then said that Hannah Montana was not the only one with gorgeous long hair, and when the panelists were making their guesses, he told Jenny that her husband loves him. I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Sherlock Hound is former baseball player turned singer and musician Bronson Arroyo. He helped break a centuries-long curse when he helped lead the Boston Red Sox to the World Series Championship in 2004, their first since 1918 following The Curse of the Bambino, the glasses of sweet tea and sugar cubes are referring to his home state of Florida, the bull could be referring to a bullpen in baseball, the slide could be referring to sliding to bases in baseball, he reinvented himself as he has become a singer and a musician in recent years, he was known for his long blonde hair, and Jenny’s husband, Donnie Wahlberg, would be a fan of him because he played for the Red Sox.

The second performer of the night was Ice King. His clue package this week made me even more confident as to who it was. He talked about how he and Miley have a lot in common, as they both know the media can be totally uncool, and this year, he has been part of a firestorm of press. He then said that he finally felt ready to tell his truth to the world, and so he did, and then he instantly regretted it. He then said that he imagined his words all over the news and internet, and totally freaked, so he begged them to pull the story and he didn’t want it to run, but that power was out of his reach, and the night it was released, he was a total disaster. He then said that once he saw how many people could relate, he felt the weight lift off his shoulders. He then said that his story is out there, and he doesn’t need everyone to understand him, but he has worked hard to put that chapter behind him, which is what he wanted most. Visual clues included a spider and a spider web and a box that said, “Lost and Found.” He then went on to give a great performance of “Midnight Sky,” during which he showed how much power he has in his voice. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a Teen Choice Award from the year 2008. All the clues and the performance from this week had me even more convinced that Ice King was Drake Bell. I was glad to hear Jenny guess correctly that it was him, but I was disappointed that she had another guess as well, and I was hoping that she would stick with him as her guess when he was going to be unmasked.

The third performer of the night was Strawberry Shortcake. In her clue package, she said that Miley Cyrus Night hits close to home for her, as close to “Hannah Montana” as one could get, literally. She then said that she and Miley both had the same dreams cooking, as well as the same recipe for success. She then said that they both grew up in front of the world, lived the sweet life, shared a stage at one point, and they even hobnobbed with the same famous brothers, and leaned on each other when they ended up breaking their hearts. Visual clues included an apple and a coffee mug with skull and crossbones. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “Wrecking Ball,” during which she showed how much power she has in her voice. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a pair of boxing gloves, and she then said that Miley has always been in her corner, and she was even by her side when she made her debut. I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Strawberry Shortcake is AJ Michalka. She and Miley Cyrus both started as Disney stars, they were both in a relationship with a Jonas brother, as Miley was in a relationship with Nick and AJ was in a relationship with Joe, the apple is because she starred in a movie called “Apple of My Eye,” the skull and crossbones are referring to her role in the movie “The Lovely Bones,” and Miley was by her side when she made her debut as they both appeared on the Disney Channel, and AJ was even considered for a role in “Hannah Montana.”

The fourth and final performer of the night was Royal Knight. In her clue package, she said that just like Miley has had many chapters, so has she in her life. She then said that for so much of her life, she felt broken, as a series of bad relationships, betrayals, and heartbreaks left her feeling shattered and like everything was her fault. She then said that she knew love was out there for her, so she continued fighting, but it was a battlefield, and just as her world was falling apart, she saw someone on the horizon, who she said was a beacon calling her to safety, and now he’s her north star. She then said that she looks to him when she feels lost, and he calls her his warrior. Visual clues included a pair of scrubs and a gumball machine. She then gave an amazing performance of “When I Look at You,” during which she showed all the emotion and power in her voice. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a sign that said “Nashville,” and she then said that she and Miley would both prefer a Nashville party. I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Royal Knight is Jana Kramer. She has been through a number of failed relationships, is now married to former soccer player Allan Russell, her saying the word warrior could be referring to her song “Warrior,” the scrubs could be referring to her guest appearances on the shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice,” the gumball machine is referring to the fact that she was in seven episodes of the show “Friday Night Lights,” which starred Scott Porter who was Gumball last season, and she is from Nashville.

After everybody had performed, it was time for the unmasking. Nick then announced that the singer with the least amount of votes was Ice King, which didn’t surprise me, as I knew that it was going to be between him and Sherlock Hound. As the panelists were making their guesses, I was shocked that Jenny was going with the correct answer Drake Bell as well as the incorrect guess of James Franco at the same time, and that the show seemed to be allowing her to make two guesses. All I could think to myself right then was that Jenny was right and wrong at the same time, but I didn’t have to think that for very long as Nick said that she was half correct and Jenny said that she should have gone with her gut, as Ice King was revealed to be Drake Bell. I think that opening up about the abuse he experienced from his dialogue coach when he was younger was a very brave thing to do, and I am glad that he is on his way to finding peace, and I hope that being on the show was another way to help with his recovery. I also found what he said to Jenny after he talked about why he did the show to be incredibly funny. He told her that his brother was on an episode of her game show “Singled Out” back in the 90s, and he told him that he went on a date with Jenny. Drake then said that he doesn’t believe it, as his brother tells a lot of stories, and he then said that she probably doesn’t remember, but for his sake, he wanted her to say that it never happened. Jenny then said that it never happened, and that she had a boyfriend the whole time, before quietly saying to Ken that it could have been true. For his unmasked encore, he performed “Midnight Sky” again, which was great, and while I was initially thinking he would perform the theme to “Drake & Josh,” I figured that there would be a lot of copyright issues with performing it, so it was still great hearing him perform a song I had just heard him sing, but this time unmasked.

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 12 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week for a special Thanksgiving episode featuring the characters from Peanuts!