Who Are You Fest

After an amazing return last week with 60s Night, it was time to finally meet Group C in Who Are You Fest! I was excited to meet the last five contestants, as since we were with each group for three weeks each, it almost felt like a new season when we met the next group, especially since Group A first arrived in September, Group B first arrived in October, and Group C first arrived in November. I was also intrigued by what the performances would be in this episode, as it was announced that it would be songs by artists who have performed at music festivals. When the episode got closer, I found that the contestants for the most part had chosen random songs, which I thought was great, as it meant the contestants would be performing songs that they were comfortable with.

There wasn’t much of a big intro to this episode, as it was just Nick introducing each of the panelists one by one, and from there we met the first performer of the night, which was Royal Knight. Her Masked Ambassador was revealed to be Savannah Chrisley, who described her as the toughest woman she knows. Royal Knight then said that as a young girl, she thought she would have a fairytale life, so she went on a quest for it, and she quickly found out that hers was no fantasy. She then said that there was heartbreak and terror behind every corner, and she quickly had to learn how to protect herself with layers of armor until she became the warrior that she is today. She then said that she had to break free from the idea of a “you and I” and learn how to be herself, and she doesn’t care about castles or kings as long as she is giving main character energy. Visual clues included a glass slipper, a dragon, a TV remote, a megaphone that said, “The T,” trees, and butterflies. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “You and I” by Lady Gaga, during which she showed how much power she has in her voice and how good she is at singing country songs. After each performance tonight, an additional clue was brought out, which was a merch wall that had an article of clothing specific to each contestant. For Royal Knight it was a hoodie that said, “Ready to Sleigh.” After much research, I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Royal Knight is singer and actress Jana Kramer. She has been a guest on Savannah Chrisley’s podcast, her talk of heartbreak and terror is referring to the many relationships she has been in that didn’t work out, she has been to therapy as a result and has come out stronger, her saying main character energy could be referring to her role in “One Tree Hill” and many movies she has starred in, the megaphone saying “The T” is either referring to her podcast or her home of Tennessee, the trees are referring to her role in “One Tree Hill,” the remote is referring to her role in the movie “Click,” and the hoodie saying “Ready to Sleigh” is referring to her roles in many Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies.

The second performer of the night was Sherlock Hound. His Masked Ambassador was revealed to be Barry Zito, who said that they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but his friend Sherlock Hound begged to differ. Sherlock Hound then said that his whole family was into music, as his grandma taught it and his dad played piano. He then said that he wanted to be outside running wild, not cooped up playing a cello. He then said that when he heard rock and roll, it unleashed a passion inside and a mystery that he had to solve. He then said that he was tracking the scent through campfires, dive bars, and tour buses. Barry Zito then said that he and Sherlock Hound had some of the best jam sessions ever. Visual clues included a diamond record, a red guitar, and an eyepatch. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, during which he showed how much power he has in his voice for rock songs, and he did a great job at sounding like the original song. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a t-shirt that said #1 Hit, and he then said that he knew what it was like to be number one in the world. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Sherlock Hound is former baseball player turned singer and musician Bronson Arroyo. He and Barry Zito are both former baseball pitchers that have turned to careers in music, he has said that his parents were always playing music in the house while he was outside playing baseball, the diamond record is referring to his time playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the red guitar is referring to both his time playing for the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds and the fact that he plays guitar, the eyepatch is referring to his time pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and being number one in the world is referring to him winning the World Series in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox.

The third performer of the night was Ice King. His Masked Ambassador was Hanson, who said that he topped the charts globally, sold out the largest stadiums, and was given the royal treatment like he was one of The Beatles. Ice King then said that he ruled the school, but Hollywood can be a little cold, so he ran away and went into a deep freeze that lasted for years. He then said that he has found the courage to come back and stand in the spotlight once again and bring the focus back to what he loves the most, which is singing. He then said that it was nice to be able to ease his way back into music behind the mask. Hanson then said that they know firsthand how good he is, as they did help him get his start. Visual clues included a tower of speakers, a cake pop, and a passport. He then went on to give an excellent performance of “Tonight Tonight” by Hot Chelle Rae, during which he showed all the energy he has in his voice, and he also did a great job at moving around the stage. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a sweatshirt that said, “Drop the Fire Beat” along with a pair of DJ headphones, and he then said that he has traveled the world dropping fire beats in front of massive crowds, but that tonight was the most lit. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Ice King is Drake Bell. He appeared in one of Hanson’s music videos, which is why they were his ambassador, he had three number one hits in Mexico, he became a superstar because of Nickelodeon, he has been out of the spotlight for many years, and recently got back into the spotlight, the passport is because he now lives in Mexico, and the various DJ clues are because those are the initials to his show “Drake & Josh,” but the biggest clue for me was his voice, as he still sounds exactly the same. While I did enjoy his performance and I do think he’s a great singer, I’m not too thrilled that he’s on the show, for reasons that I’m sure you probably already know, and for those of you that don’t know, I’ll go further into detail when he is unmasked.

The fourth performer of the night was Macaron. Due to a number of leaks on the internet and a clip of the panelists making guesses dropping a day before, and the fact that the left arm on the costume didn’t move at all, I already knew who it was. Her Masked Ambassador was Willie Robertson, and she talked about how life was sweet for her growing up until her life was changed forever in an event rarer than being struck by lightning. She then said that instead of her spirit crumbling, she dug deep, fought hard, and started from scratch. One of the visual clues was a picture of actress AnnaSophia Robb, which confirmed my suspicions that Macaron was surfer Bethany Hamilton. She then went on to perform “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, and while it was clear that she wasn’t a singer, it was still an entertaining performance, and you could tell that she was having fun. When the panelists made their guesses, I was amazed by how bad they were, as Ken guessed Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Jenny guessed Monica Lewinsky, and Robin guessed Ariana Madix. 

When the show came back from commercial, they showed a behind the scenes moment of Rita going over to talk to Jenny and saying that she had figured out that Macaron was Bethany Hamilton, which she said was just a guess and which Jenny also agreed with. After that, it was time for the fifth and final performer of the night, which was Strawberry Shortcake. Her Masked Ambassador was Hayley Orrantia, who said that it was perfect that she was making her debut tonight, because she is a festival favorite. Strawberry Shortcake then said that when she was young, she dreamed of going to a music festival, but one with her in the lineup. She then said that even though she believed she was headline material, she sat on the sidelines watching everyone else have all the fun for years, until one day, she got the call to open one of the most iconic ones. Hayley Orrantia then said that she had been by her side through some of her biggest milestones. Visual clues included hearts, stars, rainbows, a kitten, Instagram pictures, and sunny sunglasses. She then gave an amazing performance of “Slow Burn” by Kacey Musgraves, during which she showed off the power she has in her voice, and she also performed in a beautiful tone. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a t-shirt that said, “Break a Leg,” and she then said that her breakthrough role showed the world her potential. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Strawberry Shortcake is AJ Michalka. She and Hayley Orrantia both starred in the show “The Goldbergs,” she has performed at music festivals like Lollapalooza, Beachlife, and Bumbershoot, the hearts, stars, and rainbows are referring to her songs “Heart,” “Star Maps,” and “Walking on Sunshine,” the kitten is referring to her role as Catra in the show “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” and the breakthrough role that showed the world her potential could be referring to her work as an actress in the 2000s or her song “Potential Breakup Song.”

After everybody had performed, it was time for the unmasking. The contestant that was unmasked was Macaron, which did not surprise me as I felt she was weaker than the other four contestants. I was shocked that Robin and Ken stuck with their guesses of Ariana Madix and Gypsy Rose Blanchard, but I was glad that Rita and Jenny changed their guesses to the correct answer, as she was then unmasked and revealed to be surfer Bethany Hamilton. I was happy to hear her say that she had a lot of fun on the show, and it was great hearing everybody talk about what an inspiration she is.

Overall, this was another amazing episode and a great start to Group C, and I’ll see you all next week with Miley Cyrus Night!