Masked Singer Brings Panel to Its Feet with Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame Virtuoso Unmasking

This week, though, things took a slightly more sinister turn as the Ghostbusters theme took over the studio, including the presence of the iconic Ernie Hudson who — as Nick Cannon pointed out — looks like he just walked off the set of the iconic film that was somehow four decades ago.

A bona fide Ghostbuster, Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man might have brought the frights, but Boogie Woogie, Griffin, Pearl, and Space Ranger definitely weren’t afraid of each other. This was a great week of performances with even better clues and guesses — except for George Clooney, Ken!

With covers ranging from Blue Öyster Cult to Rihanna and The Busboys, these artists were really bringing a wide range of approaches and styles and vocal ranges. Group A winners Coral and Paparazzo are going to have their hands full when two of these four join them in the next round!

Let’s jump right in with this week’s mask. And don’t worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking(s), we’re going to make you power through the terrible (and occasionally good) guesses made by our illustrious panel of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora first. We do this because we love … to torture you.

(“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” Blue Öyster Cult) Pearl was definitely pushing herself into the moodiness of this piece by dropping into the deepest parts of her register to nail the low opening bars of this piece. She didn’t sound quite as confident down here, but it was also clear she was holding in that huge voice that started belting later in the piece. She’s a versatile and talented vocalist, though she didn’t give as much in physicality (we could blame the costume).

Clues & Guesses: This week, our tough superstar opened up about part of how she gained some of that hard exterior, revealing that she left her small town home as a teenager before graduating high school and wound up working at a bar.

While showing us herself working on a diagram of football plays, Pearl said she broke into the big time “almost by accident.” Other clues included a crescent moon, deer painting in the background, her face on a Wanted poster, and her sweeping and taking out the trash at her early days bar job.

Her on-stage clue was the phrase “Best Seller,” which she added context to by saying, “I’m a bit of a ghostwriter myself. I know how to put pen to paper.”

The main thrust of Pearl’s backstory in her first clue package was that, like a Pearl, she is the treasure within a tough exterior. She’s always loved performing and sees herself as a softy at heart, but no one else really sees her like that because she finds it hard to shake that hard edge.

She said that “people like me aren’t promised a chance at a big break,” so she took any gig she could get until she finally made it. Along the way, we saw a beach, a boat marina, a seaside bar, where she picked from a bowl of cherries, an umbrella, and a baseball.

When asked how this takes her outside of her comfort zone, Pearl told Nick, “I can tell you that I’ve dressed this fancy before. Usually when I’m on the red carpet and they ask me what I’m wearing, I just say, I got it on sale.”

Rita took the “bestseller” clue to mean she’s “one of the best songwriters of all time,” thinking it’s an experienced musical legend like Joan Jett. Ken stood up with all the immodest grandeur he could muster to declare that this is Madonna, proving he wasn’t listening at all! Nobody was on board with this one, though he got plenty of laughs for it.

“Like a prayer on that one,” Robin quipped, before saying he thinks he knows exactly who this is — though not in those words — based on the familiar voice. He’s feeling super confident that that voice belongs to Melissa Etheridge.

Online pearl guesses have included Alanis Morissette, Bette Midler, and even Keke Palmer. But the biggest growing consensus is behind Gretchen Wilson. Gretchen did drop out of the 8th grade to go work as a cook and bartender in a bar in rural Illinois after growing up in Pocahontas, IL (pop. 680).

(“Disturbia,” Rihanna) Griffin added a lot of clarity to his vocal approach, as he doesn’t carry himself like a trained vocalist, but has strong pipes and a natural talent. Now that we know he’s a theater geek who loved Broadway, some of those affectations and tendencies are more evident in his take on popular music, like this gothic interpretation of Rihanna’s classic.

Clues & Guesses: Teased and bullied growing up for his love of theater and Broadway, Griffin shared that he made a literal fort where he obsessed over the Ghostbusters soundtrack, and other favorites. He said that the bullying led to some dark thoughts, which is why he performed this week in tribute to other “freaks or geeks” to show there is a way through.

We saw that record player, as well as a movie camera and a flying bat. We also saw a photo of Lamp, who was Melissa Joan Hart back in Season 9.

McKenna Grace offered his video clue, which was, “Not only is he an incredible performer, but he’s an even better person. He’s like a dad on the set. I’d know this because I’ve co-starred with him.” Griffin shared, ‘McKenna’s fantastic, she’s had a great career, and one of my kids thinks I’m very cool because I once worked with her.”

An overnight success, according to his first clue package, Griffin shared that he wasn’t prepared for the massive heights of his fandom, saying that his “first hit immortalized” him. At this moment, he got hit in the head with a “School’s Out” bell, suggesting he’s got a teen star background — maybe on a school-themed show?

Talking about his fame, he recalled the time a woman told him she would take dirt off of his car to take home to her children, suggesting the age of his fanbase at the height of his fame. We also saw a 6-pointed “star” that looked like a sheriff’s badge and a VHS tape with a Jack-O-Lantern on it as he talked about how he learned he’s “only human” lately, as his future was rewritten and he learned that this life is precious.

Now, he’s ready to take every opportunity that comes his way, like this one. When asked what being on the show means, Griffin said, “The stage is my happy place. I love it here. I feel so lucky.”

Jenny was inspired by the juxtaposition of going from someone who was bullied to “bringing it like this on the stage. I am blown away by you!”

Rita leaned back into her Freddie Prinze Jr., tying the “vampire bat” to his wife, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Ken, though, thinks the Freaks & Geeks allusion could refer to Jason Segel, who starred in Can’t Hardly Wait with Melissa Joan Hart.

Jenny, though, decided that maybe the Bat is in reference to Batman instead of a vampire, to support her Robert Pattinson guess, but he doesn’t feel like the kind of star who would do this show. Rita also shared that Robert introduced her to her husband, Taika Waititi, and she thinks he’d be too shy to do this … but the clues do match.

Rita was torn between Matthew Lillard and Freddie Prinze Jr., who both have spooky pedigrees to tie into the Halloween-themed video tape. Ken, though, shifted to perhaps David Arquette, due to the badge, in Scream, which even Jenny had to concede was “not bad,” agreeing with Jenny. “I’ll take all of those.” Griffin said.

Online guesses included our initial guess of James Van Der Beek, as well as continued support for David Arquette, as well as guesses for Adam Pascal, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. James was diagnosed in August 2023 with colorectal cancer, keeping his battle private until November 2024, which would give him that sense that life is precious.

He was also an unabashed theater kid, starring in middle school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and making is off-Broadway debut at just 16 years old. He was part of an a cappella group in college, which affirms his vocal chops, too, dropping out when Dawson’s Creek went to series.

(“Cleanin’ Up the Town,” The Busboys) Space Ranger went way old-school on this track, with a fairly respectable vocal with the song’s more tempered expectations. It wasn’t a great performance when it comes to singing, but it was entertaining in a bouncy, goofy, playful kind of way. This guy’s got a lot of charisma and stage presence, that’s for sure.

Clues & Guesses: His Ghostbusters week clues were all about how he hustled toward his big break, picking up odd jobs like moving furniture and catering, while we also saw some construction equipment. He said that he and his buddies had big dreams, but no one was interested, until they called a “beastly band of boys” — which has to be the Beastie Boys, right?

Space Ranger said, as we saw a mixer board, that with their new friends, their career went into hyperdrive, launching a movement that went worldwide. We also saw an old box television tuned to “Channel 0” and a crown along the way.

His on-stage clue looked like a tiny moon rover with a glowing Earth globe on it. “The Ghostbusters always save the day. And I would’ve helped them out, but I was busy touring the world.”

Nick not only was confident he knows who this is, but he was shocked that Ken did not. In his clue package, the Space Ranger — who is notably shorter than Nick — said TMS has been on his bucket list for years. He talked about winning gold and scoring hardware to wear around his neck, while showing a report card with an A+ for PE.

We also saw a house of cards and a pink box of chocolates as the man who claimed to be Taylor Swift’s besties described himself as futuristic and living on his own planet, just like his character. He also conceded he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. “Taylor Swift is my homie,” Space Ranger told Nick. “We go way back. She’s one of my besties.”

Robin said he went with Tracy Morgan last week because he felt he knew the voice, and he’s not backing down now. Tracy has toured the world as a comic. Ken, however, took the “DJ pad” and the crown to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and thinks this could be DJ Jazzy Jeff.

“I do love that for you and you only,” Rita told Ken of his guess, before throwing out her own guess. She also shared that Jenny has been manifesting this person for a long time, with Jenny adding that the heart-shaped box of chocolates could be for his Flavor of Love series. Could this be Flavor Flav, who blew up with Public Enemy around the time of the Ghostbusters?

His iconic clock definitely fits the vibe of his belt buckle, but perhaps the most telling connection is that the Beastie Boys invited Public Enemy to open for them on their Licensed to Ill tour in 1987, which helped catapult Public Enemy to new heights of fame. Oh, and he’s admitted to being “King Swiftie” before the pair finally got to meet face-to-face in 2023.

(“Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons) Boogie Woogie has got an incredible voice, filled with so much character and grit. He absolutely nailed the vocals on this one, even as he said its creepier vibe is way out of his familiar positive zone. There was a hint of grit, incredible power and control, and just a true sense of how to use his instrument.

Clues & Guesses: Turns out Boogie Woogie is a ray of positivity and sunshine all the time, something he got from his parents, who made kid shows. He said that he’s been called everything from naive to sheltered to fake by the haters, but though it hurts, he won’t let it get him down, or change who he is.

He even shared that he mostly gets told his positivity is inspiring, and has even saved lives. Visually in the package we saw a telescope with a star on the end of it, a disco ball, and a pair of tap shoes.

Ernie Hudson brought out his Ghostbusters clue, which was a scroll that read “Doctorate of Medical Science.” Boogie Woogie explained, “Nothing scary about this clue. In fact, being attached to this show was a very pleasant surprise.”

BW — can we call you BW? — came out with so much pump and swag in his first appearance, slamming into Nick and clearly having a blast looking like an oversized disco Muppet. As he owned this disco stage his clue package revealed that he spent his childhood wanting to be the center of attention.

As he tried to shift into entertainment, he found mixed success, though. He said he had dreams of being a clown, teaching himself to juggle, and a magician. He even entered a talent show and won, but when he shifted to trying to make it for real, he wound up struggling to make ends meet as a busker.

Visual clues included four quarters from 1972 in his busker’s magician’s hat, a Boogie Woogie Magazine, and the red, yellow, and blue balls he juggled. On stage, he said, “My main magic trick for this whole situation is to make the other monsters and singers disappear.”

“Let’s not be ridiculous,” Ken said. “Boogie Woogie is George Clooney and I’ll tell you why.” Of course, he was connecting the doctor show clue to ER, but it was otherwise his usual idiocy. Jen loved his passion for that “horrible” guess, before Jenny considered Doogie Howser, M.D. star Neil Patrick Harris, who’s been known to juggle and perform some magic.

Rita, though, thinks this might be a bona fide professional singer, tying the shoes to “I Feel Like Dancing” and Jason Mraz. She even said she sang backup for him as a teen and it kind of sounds like him … maybe.

Social media digs the NPH guess, and still think it might be Brandon Urie, but another name has picked up even more steam. And he’s a bona fide musician, for Rita. Could this be Andy Grammer, who’s father was notable children’s singer Robert “Red” Grammar? Andy also admitted to Parade back in 2015 that he thought he wanted to be a clown before he found music.

But perhaps most tellingly, his song “Don’t Give Up on Me” went viral in 2019 after it appeared in a poignant scene from Grey’s Anatomy about Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) frustrations with the medical system failing patients. It was his second track on the show, after “Always,” but definitely the more impactful one.

Then, Detective Lucky Duck practically cemented this guess when he laughed at Ken’s Clooney guess and told us if we wanted to suss the real meaning of the clue, we needed to use our brains, you know, our “gray matter.” Yuuuup!

We predicted it should happen last week and we’re not feeling any different after what just went down this week. Boogie Woogie laid it down, while Griffin and Pearl both had strong performances, overall, as well. While Space Ranger is incredibly entertaining and was a better vocalist on this throwback track, he’s just not at the same level as his masked counterparts.

Shaking his knees through the dramatic reveal, and he was right to be nervous as it was indeed Space Ranger going home, with an “Aw, man!” from Nick for having to say goodbye to his close pal.

His most meaningful clue was revealed from the Crack the Case Clue Case was a pair of white-framed sunglasses. “When you shine as bright as I have, sometimes you just gotta go incognito,” Space Ranger said. “Plus, I really think that I look pretty fly in them, anyway.”

• Robin Thicke: Flavor Flav
• Jenny McCarthy: Flavor Flav
• Ken Jeong: DJ Jazzy Jeff
• Rita Ora: Flavor Flav

To be honest, we think Ken probably knew who this was by this point, either, but he knew it was far more entertaining to double down on his wrong — but not as terrible as usual — guess. Of course this was Flavor Flav, “boyeeeeee!” a true legend of hip-hop, music, and entertainment, as well as an all-around great human being.

Honestly, we’re as shocked as Nick and everyone else that it’s taken him this long to bring his unique flavor to this show. They’re both equally off-kilter and delightfully goofy. This union is almost too perfect.

The Masked Singer continues next Wednesday with “Grande Ole Opry Night” at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.