Peanuts Night

After an amazing episode with Miley Cyrus Night last week, it was time for the Group C Finals! In the months leading up to this episode, I had been led to believe that this episode was going to have a generic theme of Thanksgiving. This did not surprise me, as Thanksgiving was a theme night they had done back in Season 8, though it was a little disappointing that they were ending the theme nights with a theme that wasn’t much of a theme. When a listing for the episode was released a few weeks ago, it didn’t even acknowledge that there was any sort of theme to the episode, which I found very surprising. During Miley Cyrus Night last week, they made an announcement that I did not see coming, which was that the episode was going to be Peanuts Night. I quickly found out what that meant, as they aired a trailer for it right after the episode ended, and I saw that all the Peanuts characters were going to be part of it in the form of giant costumes worn by people. This was one of the first surprises that the show has given us in a long time, as they typically announce the theme nights before the season starts, and the internet figures out who everybody is fairly quick, so it was nice for the show to surprise us in such a great way. 

The episode opened in a cute way, as it started with the panelists and several Peanuts characters at a big Thanksgiving table, before transitioning into a performance from Rita and Robin, who sang “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall & Oates. I enjoy it when the show lets panelists like Rita and Robin sing, as it shows people who might not know that they are both great singers. It was also cute seeing the Peanuts characters dancing along to the performance, which they were also shown doing during all the other performances. 

After that, it was time for the first performance of the night, which was from Strawberry Shortcake. In her clue package, she said that Thanksgiving was one of her favorite holidays, and she has some sweet memories like being in a big parade. She then said that her fondest memories were just being at home in the kitchen with her mom. She then said that growing up, they sang together constantly at the top of their lungs, they would harmonize, and she had the most beautiful voice, and she also gave her the confidence to go for her dreams, even when she was scared, and she was so thankful that she did. She then said that over the years, she saw her mom lose her own confidence to sing as her stage fright took over, which she said was heartbreaking to see and she misses hearing her voice to this day, and she would give anything to hear her sing again. Visual clues included a pen with a musical note on it, a horse and carriage, and a cow in a tutu. She then went on to give on an amazing performance of “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack, during which she showed all the emotion and the power she has in her voice. After each performance, an extra clue was presented, which they called a Thanksgiving Giving Clue, which was humorously provided by Lucy’s psychiatric booth. The additional clue was mouse ears, and Strawberry Shortcake then said that mouse ears were instrumental in how she got her start. I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Strawberry Shortcake is AJ Michalka. She performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade one year, her mom used to be a singer in her own band, the musical note on the pen is because she is a songwriter, the cow is referring to her starring role in the movie “Cow Belles,” and the mouse ears are referring to her start with Disney. 

The second performer of the night was Royal Knight. In her clue package, she said she had more to be thankful for this year than ever before, because she was finally living her happily ever after. She then said that tonight, her knight’s table will be a feast to behold, as she has her eldest kid, who is loving and helps cut the turkey, her middle child who is a sensitive soulmate and sets the table, and her miracle baby who she never thought was possible. She then said that she has come a long way since she was a shell of a girl, and that she has been through a lot in life, judged and ridiculed, and it has taken her a long time to stand there bravely. Visual clues included a wine bottle next to a studio microphone and a boomerang. She then went on to give a great performance of “Holiday” by Madonna, which I felt was perfect for her voice and a great way for her to have fun on the stage and to get the audience to have fun as well. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a book that said, “Best Selling Author.” As the panelists were making their guesses, I was pleased to see Jenny guess correctly that Royal Knight was Jana Kramer. After this, there was a very nice and wholesome moment where they showed videos of the panelists spouses and children wishing them a happy Thanksgiving. 

The third and final performer of the night was Sherlock Hound. In his clue package, he said that he is known to have a few new beginnings in his life, and he is grateful for them all. He then said that his stardom had an expiration date and things were always destined to dry up, but instead of rolling over and playing dead, he learned new tricks. He then said that in his personal life, he was always on the move and not looking for a forever home, but unexpectedly found one when he found the love of his life. Visual clues included a picket sign that said, “On Strike,” an Ace card with a globe on it, and red pearls. He then went on give a great performance of “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers, which is one of my favorite songs and I also felt was perfect for his voice. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was an oven mitt that said, “Pitch Perfect.” Much to my surprise, one of the panelists finally guessed correctly, and it was Robin. 

After that, it was time for the first unmasking of the night. The singer with the least amount of votes was revealed to be Royal Knight, which didn’t surprise me too much, as even before this episode, I had a feeling that she would be unmasked in this episode, but I was surprised that she was unmasked first. The internet and Jenny were proven to be correct, as she was revealed to be singer and actress Jana Kramer. After she was unmasked, she talked about what doing the show meant to her, and she finished it off by giving advice that we should all follow, which is that we should live our lives and be the happiest we can be. I also found it cool that she was unmasked as I wrote about how she would be perfect for the show back in February.

After that, it was time for the Battle Royale, which was renamed the Good Grief Battle Royale for this episode. Sherlock Hound and Strawberry Shortcake took turns performing “Shivers” by Ed Sheeran. I knew that both renditions of the song were great, and I knew that this was going to be very close, but I felt that Strawberry Shortcake was better. 

In the end, my first impression was correct, as Strawberry Shortcake was the last contestant to make it to The Quarterfinals, which meant that it was time for Sherlock Hound to be unmasked. I was still surprised that Robin still correctly guessed, and that he managed to convince Ken to go along with his guess. I was also surprised to hear Robin say that he is a lifelong Red Sox fan, as his dad is from Canada, and he lives in California. I found it cool that he was unmasked as well, as I have him on my list of celebrities that would be perfect for the show. 

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 12 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you next week with The Quarterfinals!