Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 13, Episode 2.Once upon a time, a timeless intellectual property made its way to Season 13 of The Masked Singer. Not only did the celebrities tucked away inside their colorful characters pay homage to Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey, and Lord Farquad, but the celebrity panel did to! TV’s wackiest guessing game joined forces with the hit DreamWorks animated franchise Shrek to celebrate characters and songs that have filled our lives with joy since 2001. While the film isn’t necessarily celebrating a birthday, DreamWorks is. It’s been 30 years of animation gold. Congratulations!
Now, listen. We’re used to the dulcet tones of the actual singers on the panel, but it’s Shrek Night. Why not kick off the festivities with a wacky rendition of “All Star” led by comedian and very much non-singer Ken Jeong? And yes, he’s dressed up as the tiny evil man from the first film. It’s getting campy up in this swamp! Give the man credit. He does the best he can! At least he’s entertaining! And then there is Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg. I can’t for certain say she has some autotune piping through her microphone, but there’s a reason why they only gave her a line in the second verse. She, too, is dressed to impress. She takes on Princess Fiona sans green makeup. Nevertheless, this was a “Shrek-cellent” night of entertainment from start to finish.
Coral May Have Some Disney Ties
To kick off the evening’s festivities, Coral is bringing some “BDE” to the stage. And yes, that does stand for “Big Donkey Energy.” It’s a family show after all. In her clue package, Coral reveals that, like Donkey, they both have zero filter. There are images of a comic book, a spider, and a werewolf throughout the clue package. She shares that when a spell was cast, and she met this leading man who she thought was totally cool, she forced him to be his friend. But then she noticed his strong confidence and grit made her feel safe. He even liked her dumb jokes. Could this “Coral Man” be her costar and significant other? She dedicates her performance to her tall glass of swamp. With the comic book clue, it’s likely that this young entertainer has taken part in the Marvel or DC universe. But with a supernatural creature making an appearance as well, perhaps this actress has experience in that realm, too. Could we be getting closer to knowing who Coral is?
For her Shrek Night performance, she takes on “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows. I’m a bit biased here but ‘Accidentally in Love” is one of the most underrated film songs ever. Thankfully, it did earn an Oscar nomination for Shrek 2. Anyway, Coral utilizes the love she’s in and allows it to translate into her performance. She gives a fun, poppy performance. There’s a playfulness in her voice that has shades of Disney Channel in it. By the time she reaches the final chorus, she does prove she has an upper range that can push her to the next round of the competition. The panel is caught up in her spell. They are mesmerized by her performance. This week, the Footmen in Black provide a fairy tale for each singer. For Coral, her story is called “Coral and the Silver Screen.” She says with a little magic and a lot of hard work, you too can sing and dance on the silver screen! Well, she’s an actress but her clue doesn’t provide much more than than. Rita Ora waves around the names Anna Kendrick and Dove Cameron, her Descendants co-star. Hmmm. Right network, wrong rising star? Jenny thinks Coral is Hawkeye‘s Hailee Steinfeld. Robin believes the clues of a werewolf and comic book are why Coral is Lili Reinhart. Excellent guesses from our panel this week. I think they’re very close to something. Something Disney this way comes!
Ant and Paparazzo Share Emotional Stories
Paparazzo is here to tell us more about his highly fascinating career. Following last week’s celebrity-filled clue package, Paparazzo continues to taunt us with the illustrious list of names he’s shared the screen with. He shares that Shrek is a film about what’s on the inside that matters most. His evening is dedicated to a great hero of his, Robin Williams. What a legend! He says that comedian knew he needed some guidance, so he sat him down and opened up about his own struggles. He shares that the megastar was a big ball of energy who was battling an intense darkness inside. Paparazzo learned the importance of kindness. He knows that his superhero is looking down on him, and he dedicates his performance to those who shine bright on the outside but struggle to see their own light. It’s a really beautiful tribute. Inspiring, in fact. Now that we’ve added Robin Williams to the list of incredible comedians Paparazzo has worked with, we’ve got to dive deep into someone’s IMDB page!
He takes on a touching performance of “Hallelujah,” as made famous by Rufus Wainwright in the Shrek film. To say it’s hauntingly beautiful is an understatement. Paparazzo has a sensational tone. This rendition is destined to go down in Masked Singer history. It’s effortlessly subtle and magical. The panel is in their feels and assure Paparazzo that Robin Williams would be proud of him. For his fairy tale, the Footmen in Black reveal Paparazzo’s story as “The Voice-Over Prince.” Paparazzo says that adults know him from his acting, but the kids know him for his voice. But this new voice-over clue is a tad peculiar. Robin Thicke believes this might be James Marsden. Ken Jeong and his real talk believe it’s his dear friend Seth Green. Rita thinks this could be Happy Feet’s Elijah Wood. At first, I was curious about Paparazzo’s resume being a ’90s star whose credits included some major icons. Could it be Matthew Lawrence? With Robin Williams out there, this could be his kid from Mrs. Doubtfire! Or is Paparazzo stumping me?! We need more time.
Ant is up, and she shares that she identifies with Princess Fiona. She says that like Princess Fiona, her story had a villain. She too, was trapped in a tower and isolated because of someone else’s dark motivations. She says that this person was oppressive and vain, telling her in order to get ahead, she would need to be submissive, sweet, and silent. She says secrets make you sick, and she recently took a look in the mirror and realized it was time to break out of her prison. She took control of her own story. She wishes other people didn’t have to suffer like she did. She is here to write the next chapter of her fairy tale on her own terms. There are images of a bottle of hairspray and a compass pointing west seen during her clue package. Once again, we have a very powerful clue package about someone’s voice who was silenced for a long time. But not here, on The Masked Singer stage.
Ant sings “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry. Despite not being directly tied to a Shrek film, it’s the power within her performance that is celebrated. Ant certainly is finding her voice to write this new chapter of her life. The rasp in her voice gives the pop track new levity. The panel is once again moved by her strength and story. But her fairy tale story clue is “The Golden Ant.” Ant shares that her golden voice got her to certified platinum. Now, knowing Ant is a singer, the panel believes they’re closer to identifying her. Ken Jeong says that Ant may be Kesha. Robin goes back to the actress pool and guesses it is Lindsay Lohan. Jenny thinks that this is someone from Westworld and Frozen II, Evan Rachel Wood. I think Ant may be someone who has been in the headlines recently for being a triumphant survivor. I believe that Ant is Cassie Ventura. Vocally, they share a similar intonation. And, through her clue package, having a voice on The Masked Singer would be a beautiful way to start this new chapter in her life.
Fuzzy Peas Makes Us a Believer
It’s time to learn a bit more about Fuzzy Peas. Fuzzy Peas is channeling his inner Puss in Boots. And the accent isn’t helping the panel NOT think it’s Antonio Banderas. A tad too on the nose for Shrek night, right? In his clue package, Fuzzy Peas says he has the charisma of the iconic kitty. He says they are both scrappy, known to throw down in a fight, and oh-so charming. There is an image of a dog that will really continue to stump the panel. He has been enchanting little mamas for years, but he’s finally settling down as he’s finally felt true love. She made him a believer! Fuzzy Peas believes anyone can find their fairy tale ending. Will the panel find theirs by correctly identifying Fuzzy Peas?
Fuzzy Peas takes on “I’m a Believer” as performed by Smash Mouth in the Shrek film. Fuzzy Peas has had us all warm and fuzzy because every time he hits the stage, his infectious joy is felt. Once again, Fuzzy Peas exudes fun! How could you ignore this veggie? For his fairy tale clue, Fuzzy Peas’ story is called “Fuzzy Pea and the Even Fuzzier Statue.” He reveals that he is enshrined in statue form. As he says, “It looks just like me.” Rita immediately blurts out, “Is that an Oscar.” Well, yes. But it’s going to take our panel a bit to finally figure out what Oscar is inside. For their guesses, Rita blows everyone’s mind as says this is Cesar Millan. She’s seen too many dogs in the clues! Ken will pick up on the dog of it all and go super ridiculous, believing this is Pitbull. Say what?! There’s no way that’s Mr. Worldwide! Jenny is really feeling the Shrek of it all and does lean into Antonio Banderas, though Zorro did NOT have a red cape, but a black cape.
When the votes come in, we sadly discover that Fuzzy Peas is about to leave us. But before the panel provides their final guesses, Fuzzy Peas has one more clue for the panel. In the Crack the Case Clue Case, Fuzzy Peas shows the panel a golf glove holding a golf ball. He reveals that he loves golf. It’s a passion of his, but the glove is the second most important glove he owns. Rita doubles down that this celebrity is associated with dogs because dogs allegedly chase golf balls. When Jenny and Robin give you the face they save for Ken, you know you’re in trouble!
For their final guesses, Jenny sticks with Antonio Banderas, Rita sticks with Cesar Millan, Ken sticks with Pitbull, and Robin throws out John Leguizamo. In the end, this Oscar is the Golden Boy: boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya! He stumped the panel! What this sports icon proves is that no matter who you are, you can always have fun when you let loose! Oh, and for those keeping track. Oscar de la Hoya is Grammy nominated. Yes, he does have an album. You can stream it now and cross your fingers that he puts out new music! Next week, Ant, Coral, and Paparazzo will battle in the Group A finals, where they will pay homage to the Rat Pack. Sounds like my kind of night!
The Masked Singer airs new episodes Wednesddays at 8:00pm on Fox. All episodes are available to stream on Hulu.
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