The Masked Singer season 9 came to an end on Wednesday, crowning a new winner and unveiling the last of the masked celebrities.
The new season, which premiered Feb. 15 on Fox, opened with the shocking reveal of Dick Van Dyke as Gnome, and sent home heavy hitters like Michael Bolton (Wolf), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl), and Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear) along the way before declaring Medusa as the latest champ.
Read on to learn which singers were eliminated in each episode and the famous faces hiding under the masks.
Medusa is Bishop Briggs
We have a winner! After surviving an earlier brush with elimination thanks to panelist Nicole Scherzinger using the Ding Dong Keep It On bell to save her, Medusa bested all opponents through to the very end to earn season 9's Golden Mask Trophy. She was then revealed as 30-year-old "River" singer Bishop Briggs, who competed on the show shortly after giving birth. "I am really grateful for adrenaline," Briggs told EW. "At the time of filming, I was about five or six months postpartum, and I feel like that sort of delirious energy can sometimes be incredible for vulnerability and being present in the moment. And so I really tried to keep all those things afloat."
Macaw is David Archuleta
Macaw proved unflappable all season, but ultimately landed in second place after singing impressive covers of "Hold Back the River" by James Bay and "All by Myself" by Eric Carmen. It turned out it wasn't his first time finishing as a runner-up when he was revealed to be 32-year-old American Idol season 7 finalist David Archuleta. Despite just missing out on the top spot, Archuleta told EW he was "just happy that people enjoyed it. That's what we want as entertainers, we just want people to enjoy watching the show. So I hope people enjoyed Macaw's time on Masked Singer, and my time."
California Roll is Pentatonix
The Masked Singer semi-finals featured the most epic battle yet as California Roll, Medusa, and Macaw gave one show-stopping performance after another. Ultimately, one contestant was blocked from moving on to the season finale and that contestant was made up of five people, the most to share a costume in Masked history. The individual masks were removed to reveal the members of Grammy award-winning a cappella group Pentatonix, made up of Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Hoying told EW that so many fans recognizing their masked voices throughout the competition let him know their sound is bigger than "gimmicks of no instruments" and that "we've kind of made our mark and cemented ourselves in this industry in a way. It kind of gave us this light bulb moment that this is just the beginning."
UFO is Olivia Culpo
In space, no one can hear you scream, but hopefully they can hear you sing when you sound as good as UFO. Unfortunately, the quarterfinals had all out-of-this-world singers and the alien being had to beam back up, but not before revealing herself to be model, actress, and influencer Olivia Culpo. Aside from the heavy costume, the 30-year-old told EW she had a blast on the show: "The Masked Singer is about fun. It's leading with fun; it's not even about how great you sound. And that was a really liberating experience for me, because not everything that we do for our day-to-day jobs are about having fun."
Mantis is Lou Diamond Phillips
After a heartwarming save by panelist Robin Thicke earlier this season, Mantis returned to face two others who'd also been spared from elimination by the Ding Dong Keep It On bell. He rocked the house with a cover of "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, but it just wasn't enough to earn the single spot in the quarter finals. Mantis was revealed to be 61-year-old La Bamba and Prodigal Son star Lou Diamond Phillips. The actor told EW he went in with "managed expectations" knowing heavy hitters had been eliminated in earlier seasons. "People like Dionne Warwick or Chaka Khan or Toni Braxton, they did not win, they got eliminated. They're Grammy winners who were amazing and so I sat there and I went there's just no way I'm going that far in the competition."
Gargoyle is Keenan Allen
Gargoyle also fell just short of moving on to the next round after a smooth take on "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" by Usher ft. Pitbull followed by a sing-off against powerhouse vocalist Medusa. The stone-faced contestant was eliminated and unmasked as Keenan Allen, the 31-year-old wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dandelion is Alicia Witt
Dandelion's second appearance on the show was just as stunning as her debut. She sang "Starlight" by Muse while playing piano herself. Unfortunately, she was up against two new superstar competitors and was voted out first on the show's Space Night. As surprising as her identity was the fact that Ken Jeong was the only panelist able to guess it. Dandelion revealed herself to be 47-year-old actress and singer Alicia Witt. The Mr. Holland's Opus, Cybil, and The Walking Dead star told EW she had "no question" about doing the show. "I was immediately so excited about the opportunity. And I felt like this could be one of the best experiences of my life."
Lamp is Melissa Joan Hart
One of Dandelion's bright new competitors was Lamp, who wowed the crowd with a glowing rendition of "Venus" by Shocking Blue. After a Battle Royale round against UFO set to "Rocket Man" by Elton John, her light was finally dimmed. She removed her shade to reveal actress Melissa Joan Hart. The Sabrina the Teenage Witch actress, 46, told EW she reached out to Nashville neighbor and fellow '90s star Chris Kirkpatrick (season 8's Hummingbird) for advice about doing the show. "I reached out to him. And all I said was, 'When you did The Masked Singer, was it worth it?' Something like that. And he said, 'Yeah, you got to do it.' ... I was so afraid people would think that I came out there and thought I was a great singer and I want this as a career. Like, that's not me. This was just me conquering fear and having some fun."
Doll is Dee Snider
Doll wasn't here to play on Masked Singer's Warner Bros. Movie Night, but ferocious new competitors Dandelion and Mantis got in the way. After getting down to Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock," the purple-clad plaything was shockingly eliminated and forced to unmask. The doll parts were removed to reveal 68-year-old Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. The "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" metalhead is no stranger to getting in drag and told EW he insisted on performing in high heels. "I used to wear those like every night," he said. "I am master or mistress, whatever you want to call me, of the pumps, and I wanted to rock those because I love dressing up."
Moose is George Wendt
Moose had the '80s Night audience in the palm of his hoof. After a totally radical performance of "The Power of Love," by Huey Lewis and the News, he was unfortunately sent out to pasture. He removed his mask and it was Norm! a.k.a. 74-year-old Cheers star George Wendt.
Scorpio is Christine Quinn
Scorpio had everyone rising with a tubular performance of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" that even ended in a split, but it just wasn't enough to defeat the Doll. She revealed herself to be 34-year-old Selling Sunset alum Christine Quinn, who told EW she "manifested" her appearance on the TMS. "I'm a big fan of the show. I've watched it for years. And I always had so much respect and just admiration for people that were able to get out of their comfort zone and do that," she said. "I'm not a musician or anything. So it was just really, really, really fun to get out of my head and be able to do that and perform and just ultimately really have fun."
Axolotl is Alexis Bliss
As soon as we learned to say her name, Axolotl got the ax. After a serviceable performance of "Can't Fight the Moonlight" by season 4 winner LeAnn Rimes on week 5's Country Night, the adorable amphibian unmasked to reveal 31-year-old WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss.
Fairy is Holly Robinson Peete
After dominating the previous week, Fairy fell just short of the magic needed to best new competitor Macaw. Despite a soaring rendition of Bonnie Rait's "Angel From Montgomery" and putting up a tough fight during a Battle Royale round set to Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much," Fairy had to flutter off. She removed her mask to reveal a star no panelist had come close to guessing, 58-year-old Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and 21 Jump Street star Holly Robinson Peete.
Squirrel is Malin Akerman
With no more Ding Dong Keep It On bell to save them, week 5's Sesame Street Night kicked two solid contestants out of the neighborhood. The first to be sent packing was Squirrel. After singing "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington Jr. ft. Bill Withers, the nutty mask was removed to reveal 44-year-old Watchmen and Billions actress Malin Akerman, just as EW previously predicted. (Read our full recap.)
Jackalope is Lele Pons
After making it through the first round with a spot-on performance of Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever," Jackalope had to face Fairy in a Battle Royale set to "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons. Fairy fluttered her way into the next round while Jackalope hopped out of her mask to reveal 26-year-old singer, actress, and former Vine star Lele Pons.
Wolf is Michael Bolton
A new group of singers entered for DC Superheroes Night on week 4. Thanks to a last minute save from the judges, Gargoyle was left to sing another day and only Wolf had to unmask. After a performance of the Doors' "Break on Through," he removed his furry hood to reveal Grammy winner Michael Bolton. The judges were spot on this time as all but Jeong recognized the iconic voice of the 70-year-old "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" and "When a Man Loves a Woman" crooner. (Read our full recap.)
Polar Bear is Grandmaster Flash
Week 3's New York Night got a bit too hot for Polar Bear, who was revealed to be hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash. The 65-year-old DJ and rapper, whose group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was the first hip-hop act inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, went home after singing "Rapture" by Blondie. Grandmaster Flash told EW doing the show reminded him of the joys of being childlike. "It just kind of taught me that it's okay to be an adult, but dang, if you could just be childlike, that could be cool. And healing. That's what it was to me," he mused. "It reminds me, you know, on the days that I'll be stressed as an adult and as a parent, I can also be silly, too. I've got the pictures to look at and just laugh at myself. It was pretty cool." (Read our exit interview with Grandmaster Flash as Polar Bear.)
Night Owl is Debbie Gibson
Medusa took down a couple of power players in week 2, including Night Owl, who was revealed to be '80s pop icon and Broadway actress Debbie Gibson. The 52-year-old singer behind hits like "Shake Your Love" and "Lost In Your Eyes" was eliminated following her rendition of ABBA's "Fernando." Gibson told EW she wasn't scheduled to be on the show this season, but agreed to do it with just one day's notice — and the day itself played a part in her saying yes. "The call came on the one year anniversary of my mom's passing. And my mom managed me for 25 years," she shared. "And I thought, 'Oh, my mom is managing me today and sending me a cute, fun little gig.' Because something about it, you can even hear it in my voice now, the whole thing has just put me in a great mood." (Read our exit interview with Debbie Gibson as Night Owl.)
Rock Lobster is Howie Mandel
Week 2 also saw the elimination of Rock Lobster, who was revealed to be comedian, actor, and TV host Howie Mandel. The 67-year-old America's Got Talent judge and former Deal or No Deal host was eliminated after a playful performance of ABBA's "SOS." Mandel told EW having to rock out in full costume came with its perks. "I love to be wrapped up so that I can't see or touch anything, because I'm a germaphobe. So they covered a lot of areas of my life to make me comfortable," he explained. "I mean, as comfortable as they could. I did sweat a lot. But the upside is I lost three pounds. There was probably over a gallon of moisture inside that lobster suit in a two-minute song." (Read our exit interview with Howie Mandel as Rock Lobster.)
Mustang is Sara Evans
The second contestant eliminated in week 1 was Mustang, who was revealed to be country singer Sara Evans. The 52-year-old musician behind the hit songs "Born to Fly," "Saints & Angels," and "Suds in the Bucket" was sent packing after singing "Here I Go Again," by Whitesnake. Evans told EW she had initially signed on to perform the following week, but was bumped up to the premiere with only a day's notice. "I was sad. I was really upset initially, because I felt, well, that wasn't fair," she said of her early elimination. "Because, you know, if I had done [week 2's] ABBA night, and everybody was also doing ABBA, I probably could have stayed on longer. But then at the same time, I was missing my kids and I have so much going on in my career. So I was like, you know, God knew exactly what to do and the perfect amount of time that I needed to be involved. So I'm very grateful." (Read our exit interview with Sara Evans as Mustang.)
Gnome is Dick Van Dyke
The Masked Singer season 9 premiere kicked off with a shocking reveal as Gnome was unmasked as Dick Van Dyke. The beloved 97-year-old actor, best known for his roles on the Dick Van Dyke Show and as Bert the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins, was eliminated following a performance of "When You're Smiling," by Billie Holiday. Van Dyke told EW he knew the judges would never guess him under the mask. "They were so surprised," he said. "I stepped out and everybody's mouths dropped open. I think some people thought I was dead." (Read our exit interview with Dick Van Dyke as Gnome.)
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