Shrek Night

After an amazing Season 13 Premiere last week, it was time for the first theme night of the season, which was Shrek Night! I was looking forward to this episode for several reasons, such as the fact that all four performers were very good, so I knew we would get four great performances, and I feel that one of the best parts of the “Shrek” movies is its soundtrack, so there are many great songs to choose from. 

The episode opened with a group performance from all four panelists, who performed the most famous song from the movies, “All Star” by Smash Mouth. I always enjoy these performances from the panel, as it always seems like they are having so much fun, and they went to so much trouble to try to recreate the movies that they started off with Ken beginning his performance by exiting the outhouse like Shrek did in the movie, and the other three panelists did the same thing as well. The stage was also decorated to match the theme, and they even had an amusement park Shrek costume there for the entire episode, the background dancers were dressed like knights from the movie, they had the audience instruction signs from the first movie, and the panelists were all dressed as characters from the movies, as Jenny was dressed like Princess Fiona, Ken was dressed as Lord Farquaad, and Rita was dressed as the Fairy Godmother.

After that, it was time for the first performer of the night, which was Coral. In her clue package, she said that she was bringing some big Donkey energy that night, as they both love to yap and have zero filter. She then said that when a spell was cast and she met a leading man she thought was totally cool, just like Donkey did with Shrek, she forced him to be her friend. She then said that she started to notice his strong confidence and he would make her feel safe, and she thinks he secretly started liking all her dumb jokes. She then said that it was pretty predictable what happened from there, as they accidentally fell in love, and then she said that they weren’t exactly like Donkey and Shrek, but more like Fiona and Shrek. Visual clues included a spider, a comic book, and a werewolf. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows, during which she showed how much power and energy she has in her voice. After each performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was the title of each of their fairy tales. The title of Coral’s fairy tale was “Coral and the Silver Screen,” and she then said that with a little magic and a lot of hard work, you too can sing and dance on the silver screen. I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Coral is actress and singer Meg Donnelly. She is currently dating her costar from “The Winchesters” Drake Rodger, the spider is referring to her role in the “Spider Man” TV series, the comic book is referring to her role as Supergirl in “Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths,” the werewolf is referring to her role in the “Zombies” movies, as there are werewolves in them, and she has done a lot of singing and dancing on the silver screen.

The second performer of the night was Paparazzo. In his clue package, he said that at its core, “Shrek” teaches you not to judge what you see on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that matters most, and a certain hero of his showed him this, and it was someone who had a deep impact on his life. He then said that he once had a chance to work with the Robin of all Robins, Robin Williams, who could tell that he needed some guidance, so he sat him down and opened up about his own struggles. He described this moment as a megastar at the height of his career, who on the outside was a big ball of energy, but inside was battling this intense darkness. He then said that in that moment, he learned the importance of kindness, as you never know what people are going through, and this is also a lesson that he has carried with him for his entire life. Visual clues included a witch and a person riding a horse. He then went on to give an amazing and beautiful performance of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, during which he showed all the power and emotion he has in his voice, which I found very impressive considering last week he said he had never performed on stage like this before. I also found it clever that he started his performance at a long table, much like the one Shrek was sitting at during the scene in the movie with the song. After the performance, it was revealed that his fairy tale is called “The Voice-Over Prince,” and he then said that adults know him for his acting, but kids know him for his voice. After this week’s clues, I am even more confident that Paparazzo is actor and singer Matthew Lawrence. He starred in “Mrs. Doubtfire” with Robin Williams, and he has voiced characters in several children’s movies and TV shows. 

The third performer of the night was Fuzzy Peas. In his clue package, he said that if there was anyone who could capture the charisma of Shrek’s sidekick Puss in Boots, it’s him, as they are both scrappy, known to throw down in a fight, and are both charming. He then said that since he hit the scene, he has been charming the ladies left and right, and he never thought he would settle down, until he saw her face and everything changed. He then said that at first, he thought he was losing his mojo, but when he looked into her smile and her big, beautiful eyes, he felt something that he had never felt before, true love. Visual clues included a dog and a postcard from Spain. He then went on to give a very good performance of “I’m a Believer” by Smash Mouth, which I thought was fun, entertaining, and perfect for his voice. After the performance, it was revealed that his fairy tale is called “Fuzzy Peas and the Even Fuzzier Statue,” and he then said that he has a lot of awards, but his favorite one might be the statue that he received, as it looks just like him. These clues made me even more confident that Fuzzy Peas was former boxer Oscar De La Hoya, as the dog in the clue package was a boxer, the postcard from Spain was referring to him participating in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain, and there is a statue of him at Staples Center in Los Angeles and he  shares his name with the film award the Oscar.

The final performer of the night was Ant. In her clue package, she said that every classic fairy tale has a villain, and she knows because she has had her own villains. She then said that like Princess Fiona, she was trapped in a tower, frozen and isolated because of someone else’s dark motivations. She then said that he was her own Lord Farquaad, who sought to own her power, he was oppressive, vain, and cruel, and he told her that in order to get ahead, she would have to obey, be submissive, sweet, and above all, silent. She then said that secrets make you sick, and recently she took a look at herself in the mirror and realized that it was time to break out of her prison and take control of her own story. Visual clues included a clock that said 6:00, a bottle of hairspray, and a compass that was pointing West. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry, during which she showed all the power and emotion in her voice. After the performance, it was revealed that her fairy tale is called “The Golden Ant,” and she then said that it’s probably because her golden voice got her two certified Platinums. After this weeks clues, I am still confident that Ant is Aubrey O’Day from Danity Kane. The story that she told is referring to the abuse that she suffered from her former boss Diddy, the bottle of hairspray is referring to her time on Broadway in the musical “Hairspray,” the compass pointing West could be referring to her being born in California, which is on the West Coast, and she has a Platinum album and a Platinum single. 

After everybody had performed, it was time for the unmasking, and the singer with the least amount of votes was revealed to be Fuzzy Peas, and while I thought he was very good, I wasn’t surprised that he was getting unmasked. Before the panelists made their final guesses, the Crack the Case Clue Case was brought out, and inside was a golf glove holding a golf ball. Fuzzy Peas then said that he loves the sport, and that he feels like a natural when he puts on the second most important glove he owns. When they brought out this clue, and with what he said, I knew that they were trying to make it obvious as to who it was, and much to my surprise, not only did none of the panelists guess correctly, none of them were even close, as Jenny guessed Antonio Banderas, Rita guessed Cesar Millan, Ken guessed Pitbull, and Robin guessed John Leguizamo. I found it funny that when they were chanting for him to Take It Off, Robin was holding a Shrek style audience instruction sign that said “Take It Off,” which I thought was a cute touch. When he was unmasked, the internet was proven to be correct again, as Fuzzy Peas was revealed to be former boxer Oscar De La Hoya. I found it funny that after he was unmasked, that was when the panelists finally made the connections with the fact that the dog in the clue package was a boxer. 

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 13 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week for the Group A Finals in Rat Pack Night!