The seventh season of the American television series The Masked Singer (also known as The Masked Singer: The Good, The Bad, and The Cuddly) premiered on Fox on March 9, 2022, following a sneak peek episode that aired on February 20, and concluded on May 18, 2022. The season was won by singer/songwriter Teyana Taylor as "Firefly", with actor/singer Hayley Orrantia finishing second as "Ringmaster", and actor/singer Cheyenne Jackson placing third as "Prince".
Panelists and host
Nick Cannon, singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, television and radio personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, actor and comedian Ken Jeong, and recording artist Nicole Scherzinger all returned as host and panelists.
Guest panelists in the season included Eric Stonestreet in the second episode, Nicole Byer in the fifth episode, and Leslie Jordan in the sixth episode.
Unlike the previous three seasons, there were no first impression guesses made by the panelists, and the Golden Ear Trophy was not awarded for the first time since its introduction in the fourth season.
Contestants The season features 15 contestants split into three teams known as "The Good", "The Bad", and "The Cuddly". This is the first season since the fourth season not to feature wild card contestants, but also being the first to feature teams.
"Hydra" is the first three-headed costume in the series while also sporting three legs due to its portrayers as well as featuring smoke-breathing features and a large size. "Cyclops" is the largest costume to date.
+ Results Stage name Celebrity Occupation(s) Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Firefly Teyana Taylor Singer/songwriter SAFE RISKWIN WINNER G Ringmaster Hayley Orrantia Actor/singer SAFE SAFEWIN RUNNER-UP G Prince Cheyenne Jackson Actor/singer SAFE SAFEWIN THIRD Queen Cobras En Vogue R&B group SAFE SAFE OUT Space Bunny Shaggy Singer SAFE RISK OUT C Baby Mammoth Kirstie Alley Actor SAFE OUT B Jack in the Box Rudy Giuliani Politician OUT C Miss Teddy Jennifer Holliday Singer/actor SAFE SAFE OUT G Armadillo Duane Chapman TV personality SAFE RISK OUT B Hydra Penn & Teller Magicians/comedians SAFE OUT C Lemur Christie Brinkley Model/actor OUT C Thingamabob Jordan Mailata NFL player SAFE SAFE OUT B Cyclops Jorge Garcia Actor SAFE SAFE OUT B Ram Joe Buck Sportscaster SAFE OUT G McTerrier Duff Goldman Pastry chef OUT
Episodes Week 1 (March 9) + Performances on the first episode # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Thingamabob "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi SAFE 2 McTerrier "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy Duff Goldman OUT 3 Cyclops "My Sacrifice" by Creed SAFE 4 Firefly "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan SAFE 5 Ram "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick SAFE
Week 2 (March 16) + Performances on the second episode # Stage name Song Result 1 Firefly "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" by Michael Jackson RISK 2 Cyclops "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley SAFE 3 Ram "Learn to Fly" by Foo Fighters RISK 4 Thingamabob "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran SAFE Duel Identity Result 1 Ram "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver Joe Buck OUT 2 Firefly "God Is a Woman" by Ariana Grande SAFE
Week 3 (March 23) Group performance: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown + Performances on the third episode # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Thingamabob "Classic" by MKTO Jordan Mailata OUT 2 Cyclops "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" by Irene Cara Jorge GarciaOUT 3 Firefly "Attention" by Charlie Puth WIN
Week 4 (March 30) + Performances on the fourth episode # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Miss Teddy "Tell It to My Heart" by Taylor Dayne SAFE 2 Hydra "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train SAFE 3 Ringmaster "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus SAFE 4 Lemur "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King Christie Brinkley OUT 5 Armadillo "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers SAFE
Week 5 (April 6) + Performances on the fifth episode # Stage name Song Result 1 Ringmaster"Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj SAFE 2 Armadillo "I Fought the Law" by The Bobby Fuller Four RISK 3 Hydra "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top RISK 4 Miss Teddy "Tell Me You Love Me" by Demi Lovato SAFE Duel Identity Result 1 Armadillo "Walking the Dog" by Rufus Thomas SAFE 2 Hydra "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors Penn and Teller OUT
Week 6 (April 13) Group performance: "One Way or Another" by Blondie + Performances on the sixth episode # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Miss Teddy "Mercy" by Duffy Jennifer Holliday OUT 2 Armadillo "Amazing Grace" Duane Chapman OUT 3 Ringmaster "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton WIN
Week 7 (April 20) + Performances on the seventh episode # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Prince "La Copa de la Vida" by Ricky Martin SAFE 2 Baby Mammoth "Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline SAFE 3 Queen Cobras "Good as Hell" by Lizzo SAFE 4 Jack in the Box "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood & the Destroyers Rudy Giuliani OUT 5 Space Bunny "Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte SAFE
Week 8 (April 27) + Performances on the eighth episode # Stage name Song Result 1 Queen Cobras "I Say a Little Prayer" by Aretha Franklin SAFE 2 Space Bunny "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie RISK 3 Baby Mammoth "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" by Cher RISK 4 Prince "Lay Me Down" by Sam Smith SAFE Duel Identity Result 1 Baby Mammoth "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor Kirstie Alley OUT 2 Space Bunny "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club SAFE
Week 9 (May 4) Group performance: "Roar" by Katy Perry + Performances on the ninth episode # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Prince "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder WIN 2 Space Bunny "Now That We Found Love" by Heavy D & the Boyz ft. Aaron Hall Shaggy OUT 3 Queen Cobras "Leave the Door Open" by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak & Silk Sonic En Vogue OUT
Week 10 (May 18)
+ Performances on the eleventh episode # Stage name Song Identity Result Round 1 1 Prince "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay Cheyenne Jackson THIRD PLACE 2 Firefly "Bad Girl" by Usher SAFE 3 Ringmaster "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles SAFE Round 2 4 Firefly "Lost Without U" by Robin Thicke Teyana Taylor WINNER 5 Ringmaster "Waking Up in Vegas" by Katy Perry Hayley Orrantia RUNNER-UP
Ratings
Controversy Reports prior to the season premiere identified that controversial figure Rudy Giuliani was one of the masked performers during this season, reportedly in one of the first episodes taped. Giuliani's unmasking reportedly prompted panelists Jeong and Thicke to storm off the set as an act of protest, though later reports indicated that Thicke only left to check on Jeong. After Giuliani was not unmasked in the premiere episode, a Fox Entertainment vice president told Newsweek, "...like most productions, the groups are not necessarily taped sequentially, so we don't always know the order they will air," with Newsweek adding on that his appearance was not cut from the show. The unmasking later occurred in the seventh episode broadcast, showing the panelists' surprised reactions, as well as Jeong quietly walking off during Giuliani's unmasked performance. Prior to walking away, Jeong can be seen visibly upset at this reveal, has his arms crossed, and does not partake in the elimination interview. The casting was widely criticized, and was considered by Wired as a poorly-executed ratings grab, as the episode saw a significant drop in viewership compared to prior episodes in the season. Rob Wade, Fox's vice president of alternative entertainment, said that they were pleased with the choice to include Giuliani as the show "is all about delivering jaw dropping moments", and was only disappointed that sources leaked the reveal early.
Notes
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