Red White And Clue Night

After another great episode last week with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Night, it was time for Red White And Clue Night, which was in honor of America’s 250th Birthday. 

Okay, so here’s a quick little disclaimer here. At the start of the season, they announced all the theme nights that would be a part of the season… except for one, which also happened to be this one. To make things even more confusing, they showed clips of performances from this episode in the trailers for the season, so at this point, I was trying to figure out what theme night could possibly have TWO contestants giving performances with backup dancers wearing cowboy hats. At first, I thought it was Fear Night, because Eggplant’s performance had a backdrop that had the words “Bold Courage” on it, and I figured he was singing a country song, but then I was also wondering why High Voltage also had backup dancers wearing cowboy hats, and when I saw what the performances on Fear Night actually looked like, I figured that it was probably Star Trek Night, but even then that made no sense to me, as the only connection I could make for the cowboy hats was that they always said “Space: The Final Frontier,” which I knew was a stretch, and there was nothing else in these performances that looked like they could have been on Star Trek Night. It wasn’t until I saw the name of this episode that everything made more sense. 

So, with all that out of the way, let’s get back to the actual episode!

I was looking forward to this episode, as not only were we going to hear some great performers again, we would also be meeting the final Wildcard Contestant of the season. 

The episode started off with a performance from panelist Robin Thicke of Living In America by James Brown. I don’t know how you all feel about Robin Thicke as a singer, but personally, I thought it was a very good performance.

From there, the first performer of the night was High Voltage. In his clue package, he said that what makes America so special is the American Dream, as his dad immigrated to the states with a passion for science, he met his mom who was a poet, and the rest is history. He then said that growing up, he lived the full American experience, slurpees in the summer, Van Halen on repeat, MTV on full blast, and spit-roasting a goat for a family cookout in the backyard. He then said that America is called the melting pot for a reason, and also said that nobody could have guessed that he would go on to become a national icon. Visual clues included two gingerbread men, a grilled steak, a melting ice cream cone, an “On Air” sign, and the costume now had a 22 on it. 

He then went on to give a great performance of Miles On It by Kane Brown and Marshmello, which was perfect for his voice and also showed a surprising amount of range following his last performance. 

After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a guitar, and High Voltage then said that he had it by his side since he was 13, and it reminds him that the greatest comes from finding your rhythm and sticking with it.

I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that High Voltage is Alexi Lalas. His father is Greek and a professor and his mother is a poet, the gingerbread men is referring to his album Ginger, the “On Air” sign is referring to his career as an analyst for Fox Sports, and the 22 on the costume is referring to his jersey number.

The next performer of the night was Calla Lily. I won’t get into her clue package much for reasons that you can probably already guess, but in her clue package, she talked about her father without saying who he was or even that she was talking about her father.

She then went on to give a very good performance of Jack & Diane by John Mellencamp, and this has got to be one of the few times so far in the show where a contestant performed a song that was a very blatant clue to who they are.

After the performance was done and the additional clue was brought out, exactly what I thought would happen did happen, which was Jenny guessing correctly that Calla Lily was Teddi Mellencamp, which I expected because she has correctly guessed every other Real Housewives star that has been on the show up to this point.

The next performer of the night was Eggplant. In his clue package, he said that life comes at you fast, especially in the land of opportunity, like the time he crashed the most iconic event in pop history, the recording of We Are The World. He then said that he got the private invite from Quincy Jones, and suddenly he was hanging with 45 of the biggest legends in music. He then said that even though he has topped the charts himself, he was starstruck to be alongside people like Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, and Bob Dylan, then along came Michael Jackson, who said to him “I loved your album. Love your voice. Keep doing your thing.” He then said that this made him so inspired. Visual clues included a sign that said “Life Is Beautiful,” a white wedding dress, a coffee cup, and a golf club.

He then went on to give a great performance of American Woman by Lenny Kravitz, during which he showed off all the power in his voice.

After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a bottle of Hot 100 Hot Sauce, to which Eggplant said that some say his success has been hot, hot, hot, and he thought that bottle said it best.

I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Eggplant is Jack Wagner. He has worked with Quincy Jones, as Jones oversaw his initial five song EP, which eventually became a ten song LP, and though he wasn’t part of We Are The World, Quincy Jones invited him there to watch, and Michael Jackson did compliment him on his record and his voice, the “Life Is Beautiful” sign is referring to his role on The Bold And The Beautiful, the wedding dress is referring to his role in the Hallmark film series The Wedding March, and the golf club is referring to the fact that he is an accomplished golfer and hosts the Jack Wagner Celebrity Golf Classic.

The next performer of the night was Owl. In his clue package, he said that he loves America’s favorite past time as much as anyone, but he is no pro. He then said that back in the day, he was a scrappy right-handed slugger, but one day, his heart was telling him that it was not his path, so he turned in his glove. He then said that he knew there were other fields for him to play in, and he soared to success. Visual clues included a poster of Elvis Presley, an “X” in the sky, and a hot dog. 

He then went on to give a very unique performance of Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers, and by unique, I mean that I have no idea how to describe it. I can’t say that it was an emotional performance, because it wasn’t, and it wasn’t what he was going for, nor can I say that it was terrible, because I can still listen to it. It was a very haunting performance that almost sounded like a dirge from a voice that was lower than the average human being’s voice, and in a weird way, I kind of liked it.

After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a bowl that had the word “Super” on it, and Owl then said that he was super excited when he got to play a part in one of America’s biggest events, and millions of eyes were glued to his every move.

I still agree with the popular guess on the internet, which is that Owl is Billy Ray Cyrus. He did walk away from a college baseball career, the picture of Elvis is referring to the many times he has paid homage to Elvis throughout his career, the “X” in the sky is referring to him being part of Old Town Road with Lil Nas X, and the bowl with “Super” on it is referring to his viral Doritos Super Bowl commercial in 2020.

The final performer of the night was also the final Wildcard Contestant of the season, Pangolin. In her clue package, she said that where she is from is rich with American history, and they all speak the same language, which is sports, and her dad would quiz her on Sunday’s starting lineup, and she would always get it right. She then fast-forwarded to high school, when she was at a game with her boyfriend, and after watching the halftime show, it hit her that she wanted to do that, but he laughed and told her it would never happen, and she stared at him and thought that she was going to prove him wrong, and she did, right after she dumped him. In her words, she became the halftime queen. Visual clues included a sign that said “No Glass,” a football stadium in New York City, and an astronaut.

She then went on to give an amazing performance of Ironic by Alanis Morissette, during which she showed off all the power in her voice, even hitting some very impressive high notes.

After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was an envelope that said “Winner,” and Pangolin then said that her first big win was more than a dream come true, it was proof that passion and hard work can really pay off.

Like with many other contestants both in this season and in past seasons, it took some time for there to be a consensus on Pangolin, and while I thought it could have been any one of the celebrities the internet was saying, I now agree with the consensus on the Internet, which is that Pangolin is Rachel Platten. Yeah, remember her? The “No Glass” sign is referring to her song Broken Glass, the astronaut is referring to her song Astronauts, the football field setting is referring to her many performances at sporting events, she grew up in Boston and played many sports growing up, the football stadium in New York City is referring to the fact that she was born in New York City, and that whole story that she told in the clue package is quite literally written in that exact order in one of her Instagram posts from many years ago.

After everyone had performed, it was time for the unmasking, and the singer with the least amount of votes was revealed to be Calla Lily, which did not surprise me, as I knew it was between her and Owl. 

She then unmasked after the panelists made their final guesses, and the internet and Jenny were proven to be right yet again, as she was revealed to be Teddi Mellencamp. I am so happy that she was able to do this show, as for those of you that don’t know, she had already been battling cancer in the years beforehand, but last year, when this season was taped, she was hospitalized due to numerous brain tumors, and her melanoma had progressed to Stage IV, and while she said on the show that she was “cancer-free” with “no detectable cancer” at the time, she is still undergoing immunotherapy treatments for Stage IV Cancer that spread. I just hope that she only gets better after everything she has been through.

Overall, this was another great episode of Season 14 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week with Twilight Night!