The American reality singing competition show, “The Masked Singer” season 4 became a wrap on December 16, 2020, with the unmasking of the season’s finalist, the Sun, as LeAnn Rimes.
After airing for twelve weeks, the American singing competition series, “The Masked Singer” came to an end, with songstress, LeAnn Rimes emerging winner among sixteen contestants.
In the weeks leading to the much anticipated grand finale, which aired on December 16, other notable celebrities were unmasked, shocking viewers with their unexpected identities.
A quick run through the contestants of “The Masked Singer” from season 1 through season 4, and the timeline of their unmasking is outlined below.
1. BUSTA RHYMES AS THE DRAGON
Clad in the Dragon costume, rapper, Busta Rhymes belted out the lyrics of LL Cool J’s song, “Mama Said Knock You Out,” during the premiere episode of the show. However, he ended up with the least votes among the first group of six singers.
Following lucky guesses from judges Scherzinger and Thicke, the rapper took off the dragon mask, unveiling his identity. Right after his elimination, Rhymes admitted assuming the dragon costume was an incredible experience.
2. MIKEY ROURKE AS THE GREMLIN
The second singer unveiled on the show was the Gremlin. In a slight twist, the furry creature unveiled himself as “The Wrestler” star, Mikey Rourke, right before the announcement of the results. The record-breaking move made Rourke the first-ever contestant to self-eliminate.
Speaking on his decision to unmask himself despite the repercussions, the icon claimed he was too hot in the costume and hence, needed some air.
3. BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN AS THE GIRAFFE
Following his rendition of “Let’s Get It Started,” by Black Eyed Peas, and “Get Down On It,” by Kool & the gang, Green ended up at the bottom at the October 7 episode. The “Beverly Hills, 90210” star’s night’s ordeal worsened when his childhood friend, Robin Thicke couldn’t guess it was him behind the Giraffe costume.
4. MARK SANCHEZ AS BABY ALIEN
The man behind the pacesetting Baby Alien costume was no other than former NFL Quarterback, Mark Sanchez. He went home following his unmasking on the fourth episode of “The Masked Singer,” season 4. Bonus points for donning the first-ever puppet costume in the show’s history.
5. WENDY WILLIAMS AS THE LIPS
The Lips was the first Group C singer to exit the show’s fourth season, after making it to the fifth episode. Upon unmasking, even “The Masked Singer” judges could not hide their surprise at discovering the talk show host, Wendy Williams underneath the dripping red pouty mask.
6. BOB SAGET AS SQUIGGLY MONSTER
The many-eyed creature with eight limbs sang its way into the eight episode of the show’s fourth season. However, not even the force of all eight limbs could propel him further, as he snagged the least votes for the episode, making him the second Group C singer to leave the competition series.
In a moment of surprise, “Full House” star, Bob Saget revealed himself as the man behind the monstrous costume.
7. CLINT BLACK AND LISA HARTMAN AS SNOW OWLS
The trailblazing pair, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman achieved a record-breaking feat by being the first singing duet on “The Masked Singer.” The duo graced the show as Snow Owls, a nod at their white feathery costumes and massive engulfing shell.
Unmasking the duo on the seventh week remains one of the most exciting reveals in the history of “The Masked Singer.”
8. LONZO BALL AND DR. ELVIS FRANCOIS AS WHATCHAMACALLIT AND SERPENT
The eighth episode of “The Masked Singer,” season 4, witnessed a double elimination round, with masked singers Whatchamacallit and the serpent throwing in the towels.
The hideous one-eyed Whatchamacallit was the first to hit the exit door. Remarkably, no one, save Ken Jeong successfully guessed that the New Orleans Pelicans player, Lonzo Ball, was behind the pile of overgrown hair.
Serpent followed closely behind, revealing his identity as the Singing Surgeon, Dr. Elvis Francois.
9. PAUL ANKA AS BROCCOLI
The singing Broccoli left the competition show during the ninth episode, which aired as a Thanksgiving special. Following his elimination, the green sumptuous creature took down the mask to reveal the iconic music star, Paul Anka.
10. TAYLOR DAYNE AS POPCORN
Popcorn was one of three contestants shown the way home during the triple elimination round on the tenth week. The talented masked singer unveiled her identity as legendary songstress, Taylor Dayne, to everyone’s surprise.
11. CHLOE KIM AS JELLYFISH
Jellyfish became the second contestant to be eliminated during the tenth episode, joining co-masked singer, Popcorn. Making it to the tenth week was a huge feat for the Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim, who had no prior experience in the singing department. Perhaps, her newly discovered vocal skills would make way for a new career path for the star.
12. TORI KELLY AS SEAHORSE
The final contestant to make her way home at the December 4 triple elimination round was Seahorse. She strode away gracefully, after unmasking to reveal two-time Grammy winner, Tori Kelly.
13. NICK CARTER AS CROCODILE
Costumed as the Crocodile, Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter sang his way to the top three on the Fox reality competition series. However, it appears the former boyband member took home more than just the bronze prize.
Following his elimination, Carter revealed that his stint on the show gave him the inspiration to embrace his solo work once again. The world looks forward to that.
14. ALOE BLACK AS THE MUSHROOM
After emerging second-place on “The Masked Singer” season 4, Mushroom finally unveiled his identity. Taking off his mask, the iconic fungi turned out to be “Wake Me Up” crooner, Aloe Black.
Nothing could have prepared fans and judges for the big revelation after months of debating over the identity of the multi-toned contestant.
15. LEANN RIMES AS SUN
The grand unmasking for the show’s fourth season finally came on December 16 as the judges announced Sun as the winner. As everyone held their breath, the gold-clad damsel took off the sun-shaped mask to reveal Grammy Award-winning songstress, LeAnn Rimes.
That moment certainly deserved the standing ovation it commanded as the last woman standing stepped up to receive the famed Golden Mask trophy. It was indeed the perfect climax to a tension-filled season.
A LOOKBACK AT SEASON 3
“The Masked Singer” season 3 premiered in early 2020, with the elimination of rapper, Lil Wayne, disguised as the Robot. Drew Carey, disguised as the Llama followed suit the next week. The most controversial elimination of the season came with the unmasking of pro singer, Chaka Khan, portraying Miss Monster in the third week.
The identity of the Elephant was revealed next as Tony Hawk, while Dionne Warwick was the Mouse, eliminated after two episodes. Surprisingly, Tom Bergeron was underneath the Taco costume. A week later, Sarah Palin, Alaskan governor emerged as the unmasked Bear.
Bella Thorne, JoJo Siwa and Rob Gronkowski competed as the Swan, T-Rex and White Tiger respectively. Next contestant to leave the show was Jordyn Woods, after making it to the first round of the finals as the Kangaroo. The Banana turned out to be Bret Michaels, while country star Hunter Hayes was the Astronaut.
At the quarterfinals, Jackie Evancho emerged from the Kitty costume, followed by World Series champion, Barry Zito who disguised as the Rhino. The first and second runners-up were Jesse McCartney and Bow Wow, disguised as the Turtle and the Frog respectively.
At the end of the season, ‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta” star, Kandi Burruss emerged from the Night Angel mask as the grand prize winner.
“THE MASKED SINGER” SEASON 2
Like its sequels, “The Masked Singer” season 2 spawned creative costumes, with unbelievable celebrities hidden behind the glamorous masks. Johnny Weir, dressed as the Egg set the season’s eliminations in motion, while Tyler Blevins, as the Ice Cream, followed suit the next week.
Subsequent weeks saw Laila Ali as the Panda, Drew Pinsky as the Eagle, Paul Shaffer as the Skeleton, Sherri Shepherd as the Penguin, Raven-Symone as the Black Widow, Kelly Osbourne as the Ladybug and Patti LaBelle as the Flower evicted from the show.
The competition show‘s eighth week confirmed what fans had suspected from the onset as Michelle Williams emerged as the Butterfly. Afterward, Ana Gasteyer exited the show after competing as the Tree, followed by Victor Oladipo, revealed as the face behind the Thingamajig. The double elimination round also saw the Leopard unmasked as Seal.
In third place, the Flamingo removed her mask to reveal Arienne Bailon, while the first runner-up, Chris Daughtry emerged from the Rottweiler costume. Wayne Brady, disguised as the Fox came first place at the end of the second season of “The Masked Singer.”
“THE MASKED SINGER’S” DEBUT SEASON
The reality singing competition series premiered in January 2019, introducing twelve contestants. During the first episode, NFL’s Antonio Brown, clad as the Hippo lost the round, making him the first masked singer ever eliminated from the show.
The following week, the Pineapple was unmasked as Tommy Chong, while Terry Bradshaw was eliminated next, after his stint as the Deer. The fourth week, Margaret Cho emerged as the Poodle. The fifth week saw Tori Spelling’s unmasking as the Unicorn, and a week later, Ricki Lake turned out to be the Raven.
As the season progressed, more celebrities let down their masks, including La Toya Jackson, who disguised as the Alien, Rumer Willis as the Lion and Joey Fatone as the Rabbit. Gladys Knight as the Bee emerged third in “The Masked Singer” season 1. Donny Osmond as the Peacock earned the silver trophy, while T-Pain, sang his way to victory underneath the Monster costume, emerging the first-ever winner of the show.
