Decades Night

After an amazing episode last week with Boy Band Night, it was time for the Group C Finals with Decades Night! I was looking forward to this episode, as it’s another theme night that does not result in restrictive song choice, so I knew that we would be getting a variety of different song choices. I was also looking forward to hearing the last three Group C contestants again, as all three were very good singers. 
The episode opened the same way as all the other Group Finals, with a group performance of the song “My Sharona” by The Knack. I always enjoy the group performances, as they let each contestant stand out individually and together, and they always pick the best songs for it, and in this case it let all three of them show off the power in their voices.

After that, it was time for the first performer of the night, which was Yorkie. In her clue package, she said that the decade she chose was the 60s because they remind her of her mom, and she instantly pictures her as a young woman falling in love and getting married. She then said that a few years later when she was born, it all fell apart when her dad walked out, leaving her mom to raise her on her own, and things were never the same. She then said that her mom used her pain as a cautionary tale, and she taught her to be guarded with her heart and keep love on a short leash and think things over, because every chance at love was a bigger chance at heartbreak. She then said that she grew up fast, and that some people would say that she was cold, and that she resented this part of herself for many years, and that she had to learn how to let people in, but after her own mess with love, she now appreciates where her mom was coming from. Visual clues included house keys and a gavel. She then went on to give a great performance of “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes, which was perfect for her voice and allowed her to have a lot of fun on the stage. For each contestant tonight, an additional clue was brought out by way of a time machine that give a clue inspired by the decade they just performed a song from. For Yorkie, her 60s inspired clue was a vinyl record that said “Show Dog,” and she then said that she is a show dog, as she is part of one of the biggest shows out there. I was glad to see that Jenny stuck with her correct guess from last week of Erika Jayne, but I was also sure that she would not be able to convince any of the other panelists to go along with her guess. I also loved that Yorkie kept showing off her true personality when she was not performing, it was very funny.

The second performer of the night was Mad Scientist Monster. In his clue package, he said that he chose the 2010s for his performance because it was one of the best decades of his career, and it seemed like he could conquer the world and he won every award possible. He then said that he didn’t do it alone, and while they had a good run together, it didn’t last forever, as he wanted to explore new avenues and keep their grand experiment going, but they never tested that hypothesis, so he ventured out on his own. At first, he was mad, but life rolls on, and once he went out on his own, he found that he quite liked that he was in control of his results, and he has learned that sometimes chemistry changes, and that’s okay. Visual clues included the sun and a pickup truck. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber, which was perfect for his smooth vocal tone, and he even went into an impressive falsetto for the last line of the song. After the performance, a 2010s inspired clue was brought out, which was an iPad that said “Season 4,” and Mad Scientist Monster then said that he has performed with someone from Season 4. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Mad Scientist Monster is Brian Kelley from Florida Georgia Line. As part of Florida Georgia Line with his bandmate Tyler Hubbard, the two of them received a ton of accolades, and in 2022, they split to pursue their own solo careers, the sun could be referring to his album “Sunshine State Of Mind” or his song “Get Your Shine On,”  the pickup truck is referring to his song “New Truck,” and he has performed with past Season 4 contestant Nick Carter. 

The third and final performer of the night was Nessy. In his clue package, he said that he chose the 1980s because it was a decade of mullets, MTV, and camcorders, and it was also a time where you would blast a love song from a boombox outside your crush’s bedroom window just to let them know how you feel. He then said that for him growing up, there was one band blasting from his boombox, which was REO Speedwagon. He then said that he has even gotten to open up for them, and that their music taught him how to put lyrics to the feelings of love, which is something he became known for in his own career. He then said that Valentines Day is practically his Super Bowl, many couples have walked down the aisle to his song, and when it was time for him to say “I do,” REO Speedwagon made his playlist. Visual clues included a bee, roses, a treadmill, and a snowman. He then went on to give an amazing performance of “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon, during which he showed off all the power he has in his voice. After the performance, an 80s inspired clue was brought out, which was a cassette tape that said “Bieber & Puth.” Nessy then said that they’re just a couple of kids who have famously covered his music. There was also a message from past contestant Bret Michaels, who said that he has rocked out with Nessy many times. I agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Nessy is 90s rock singer Edwin McCain. He has performed with REO Speedwagon many times, the bee is referring to his song “I’ll Be,” the roses are referring to his album “Misguided Roses,” the snowman is referring to his album “Merry Christmas, Baby,” Justin Bieber and Charlie Puth have covered his song “I’ll Be,” and he has performed with Bret Michaels several times before. 

After everyone had performed, it was time for Nick to announce the first contestant of Group C who would be advancing to the Lucky 6, who was revealed to be Mad Scientist Monster, which only slightly surprised me because while he is a great singer, I thought that the audience would vote for Nessy more. This meant that Yorkie and Nessy were in the Battle Royale. They both took turns performing the song “Hard To Handle,” and I felt that both performances were great, as I told my parents that Yorkie was closer to The Black Crowes version, while Nessy was closer to the Otis Redding version, and then much to my surprise, Ken said exactly what I had said immediately afterwards.

After that, it was time for the panelists to vote on who won the Battle Royale, but before that could happen, Detective Lucky Duck came out again. He criticized the fact that so far there had been eight unmaskings, and the panelists had only guessed four correctly, so he brought out something to help motivate them, which was the Golden Ear Trophy that was now back in play, and what was going to happen was that the panelist with the most correct guesses throughout the season would win it. 

After that, it was time to announce the winner of the Battle Royale, and the last contestant to make it to the Lucky 6 was revealed to be Nessy, which did not surprise me. This meant that it was time for Yorkie to unmask, but before that happened, the Crack The Case Clue Case was brought out, and inside was a pair of black leather boots. Yorkie then said that these boots were custom made for her, and that they are made for walking wherever she goes, even the Vegas Strip. I was glad to see Jenny stick with her correct guess, but as I predicted, none of the other panelists went along with her guess. Yorkie then unmasked, and Jenny and the internet were proven to be right again, as she was revealed to be Erika Jayne from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” I am just going to say this right now, she has such a funny personality that was on full display after she was unmasked, from high fiving random audience members, saying that she wanted Jenny to shut up when she was guessing her, saying that being on the show was the most clothes she wore in her entire life, and saying that the panelists got “every damn one of” the clues. 

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 13 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week when all the masks come together for the Lucky 6!