(Warning: This post contains spoilers for the premiere of Fox’s “The Masked Singer”) Fox’s new Nick Cannon-hosted celebrity singing game show “The Masked Singer” premiered Wednesday, revealing at the end of its very first episode that the identity of one of its famous contestants — who performed disguised from head to toe in an elaborate hip hop-style hippo costume — was none other than NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown. Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers player was the one who sang Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” earlier in the episode, while dressed as “Hippo” and going up against “Peacock,” another masked celeb, who belted out Hugh Jackman’s “The Greatest Show.” Stay with us here. Also Read: Fox Orders Nick Cannon-Hosted Celebrity Singing Competition Series 'The Masked Singer' (Video) After three rounds of sing-offs in which studio audience members voted to decide Hippo lost to Peacock, Deer lost to Lion, and Monster lost to Unicorn, it was time for panelists Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke to choose which member of the losing trio was the “weakest performer,” who would then be eliminated and unmasked. And that ended up being poor Hippo. Then came the fun part: the reveal of Hippo’s true identity. Everyone predicted this particular masked singer was an athlete, with McCarthy and Jeong both guessing Deion Sanders, Scherzinger thinking it was Allen Iverson and Thicke choosing Odell Beckham Jr. After much debate among the panelists, Cannon revealed the answer to their “first whosungit mystery” (his pun, not ours), by having Brown remove his mask, shocking the panelists, as none of them got it right. Also Read: Midseason TV 2019: Complete List of Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Updating) Earlier in the episode, a short segment set in a diner gave us a few clues as to who Hippo really was, including 1) “breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a competitor like” him, 2) he is “used to performing in a mask in front of thousands of screaming fans,” 3) “every time [he wins, he’s] just gotta dance — even if it gets [him] in trouble,” and 4) he’s apparently loaded, as he racked up a (fake) $10,000 bill for his pancakes. Now, we still don’t know the identities of Peacock, Deer, Lion, Monster and Unicorn — and there will be more masked singers joining the party in the weeks to come, with a total of 12 celebrities competing throughout the season. So tune in next week if you’re already hooked on this thing, which is based on the South Korean format created by Mun Hwa Broadcasting Corp. According to Fox, between all of the celebrity competitors on “The Masked Singer,” they’ve amassed 65 Grammy nominations, 16 multi-Platinum albums, 16 Emmy nominations, nine Broadway shows, four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and four Super Bowl titles. Also Read: Ratings: Fox's 'Lethal Weapon,' 'Gifted' Returns Tie NBC Repeats on New Year's Day Watch the reveal above. “The Masked Singer” airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Fox.<doc-sep>(Stefon from Saturday Night Live voice) Television’s hottest new musical competition is called The Masked Singer. This show has ev-er-y-thing: More entertaining blind auditions than The Voice, wilder costumes than RuPaul’s Drag Race, bigger “big reveals” than The Swan, prettier livestock than anything on Animal Planet, more C-list celebrities than a ’70s Game Show Network rerun of Match Game PM, and more so-bad-it’s-good taste than Eurovision … and exiled America’s Got Talent host Nick Cannon, of course. It also has controversial NFL star Antonio Brown cosplaying as a hippity-hoppin’ Hippo, singing Bobby Brown’s bad-boy anthem “My Prerogative.” The footballer came out New Jack Swinging on Wednesday’s Masked Singer premiere, but he quickly proved, as judge Ken Jeong put it, that “as a singer, he’s a superb athlete.” So he was the first elimination, and the first unmasking, of the season. Brown (Antonio, that is, not Bobby) has been having a tough time of late. The Pittsburgh Steelers star athlete, known for being difficult and for loving the spotlight, missed last week’s game for reportedly arguing with a teammate and missing team meetings. And now we know that he doesn’t have a singing career to fall back on, either. Anyway, for those of you not already utterly fascinated by the bizarre promos that Fox has been posting on social media for months — or by Ryan Reynolds’s unicorn-headed viral performance of the Annie ballad “Tomorrow” on the original Korean version of this game show — allow me to break down The Masked Singer‘s bonkers AF premise: A dozen mystery celebs, their faces shielded by giant masks that make Slipknot look like amateurs who shop at the Halloween Superstore, sing karaoke for fallen pop star/Duets judge Robin Thicke, Community comedy doctor Jeong, former Singled Out sidekick Jenny McCarthy, and onetime Pussycat Doll/Popstars contestant/X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger. These esteemed judges watch an hour of what basically looks like Eurotrash band’s Alacazar’s infamous “Crying at the Discotheque” music video and then make terribly uninformed and almost always incorrect guesstimates about these masked men’s and women’s true identities. (The judges blithely ignored the Hippo’s clues — the $10,000 bill that represented the fine Brown received for dancing in the end zone, Brown’s trademark huge pancake breakfast — guessing that the Hippo was Odell Beckham Jr., Deion Sanders, or Allen Iverson.) Story continues And, at the end of each episode, one contestant is unmasked — and the internet predictably breaks. On Wednesday’s hourlong Fox premiere, we already got to witness the unmasking of the first eliminated contestant, the Antonio the Hippo. Below, let’s look at the premiere’s other five contestants, and try to guess the famous faces behind the façades. Next week, six other mystery singers — the Raven, Alien, Bee, Poodle, Pineapple and Rabbit — will rock the mic and boggle our minds. THE PEACOCK Clues: This gruff-voiced showman — whose splashy, flashy Vegas revue was the perfect kickoff to this ridiculous series — said he’d been performing since age 5, revealed he was “dear friends” with Michael Jackson back in the day and admitted, “It’s probably been a while since your mom had a poster of me on your bedroom wall.” He also stressed that it’s “never too late for a comeback.” He’s also been part of a magic act, apparently. Judges’ guesses: Johnny Weir, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Jimmy Kimmel and Teller of Penn & Teller. Huh? My guesses: The clues add up to disgraced ’70s teen idol Leif Garrett, who knew Jackson and whose rocked-up vocals sort of sounded like that weird “Smells Like Teen Spirit” novelty cover he did with Melvins. Garrett certainly could use a comeback, too. My second guess is Donny Osmond (in “Crazy Horses” rock ‘n’ roll mode, that is). Osmond knew Michael well (and has even expressed a desire to duet with Janet Jackson! ); he plays Vegas all the time; and as a former Dancing With the Stars champ, he, like DWTS alumnus Antonio Brown, clearly isn’t averse to appearing on cheesy reality shows. THE MONSTER Clues: After “the world labeled him a monster” and “the game turned on him,” this tough guy took a break from the public eye and “retreated to his cave.” Now he is back to “rewrite his mixtape” and prove he’s “more than just puff and fluff.” His voice on a Queen classic sounded “mature,” as Thicke put it, so this isn’t some kid. But the Monster was surprisingly capable of handling this octave-climbing monster anthem — even if he admitted that “not everyone” considers him a professional singer. Judges’ guesses: Puff Daddy, Gucci Mane, Justin Bieber. (Again: Huh?) My guesses: At first I thought it was Ron Isley, who spent three years in prison (i.e., a “cave”) for tax evasion, or the reclusive D’Angelo, whose drug problems led to rehab and a 2005 arrest. But everyone considers those guys to be total singing pros. So I’m going with rapper Ja Rule, since his feud with 50 Cent nearly ruined his career, and his attempt to reinvent himself as a concert promoter with the Fyre Festival resulted in a whole other backlash. Plus, this clip of Rule singing sort of sounds like his Masked Singer number. All I ask is that this “monster” not be Chris Brown or R. Kelly; this is supposed to be a feel-good show! THE UNICORN This sweet, shy girl in the glamorous, wedding-worthy white gown “grew up in one of richest neighborhoods” and dreamt of singing but was discouraged by her famous family — even though, ironically, her nickname is “Bird.” With her thin and wobbly voice, she didn’t sound like a trained vocalist, as Thicke pointed out, and she definitely sounded nervous. But she wasn’t as “tone-deaf” as her nasty family had once claimed. Judges’ guesses: Meghan Markle (WHAT? ), Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Ireland Baldwin. My guess: Tori Spelling. I feel pretty confident about this prediction. She’s sung passably before, and the Japanese meaning of the word “Torii” is “bird abode.” Also, all the tabloid stories about various Spelling family feuds align with the Unicorn’s sad backstory. THE DEER Clues: This tall, macho competitor gave off an athlete vibe (taping up his antlers, referring to being “knocked down many times”). He also shouted the warning “Ravens, beware!” — prompting Thicke to suspect that the Deer may also have ties to the Ravens’ football rivals, the aforementioned Pittsburgh Steelers. (When the judges later asked the Deer if he’d ever played in the NFL, the Deer “took the Fifth.” So, that meant yes.) Also notable: The Deer said he “loves horses” and mentioned something about the “wild, wild West.” Judges’ guesses: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chuck Liddell, Peyton Manning. My guess: Former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. He’s sung country-western music semiprofessionally (hence the “west” clue), he breeds quarter horses, and at 6’3”, he fits the Deer’s suit. He also has ties to the Fox network as a sportscaster. THE LION Clues: This is the impressive mystery diva who’s been featured in all of Fox’s promos, leading fans to already speculate that the lioness behind the gilt headdress is Lady Gaga, Sia, Ariana Grande or Christina Aguilera. Jeong called her “hella legit” and “probably the most famous of all” the contestants. The Lion definitely was golden-maned head and shoulders above the rest, and she described herself as “Hollywood royalty.” Her hints about wanting to break away from her “pride” of “lots of women” had the judges thinking she might be a former girl-group member hoping to establish herself as a solo star. Judges’ guesses: Lady Gaga, Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams or Kelly Rowland, the Spice Girls’ Mel B, or some non-Camila member of Fifth Harmony. OK, then. My guess: I highly doubt this is an A-list belter, since the Lion repeatedly said she wanted to “perform without preconceived notions” and display who she really is. Sia, Xtina, Ariana and Gaga have absolutely nothing to prove, and they regularly wear outfits as wacky as this feline costume. So, I’m guessing it’s Aubrey O’Day. The woman, who often rocks a leonine head of golden hair extensions, can really sing, but few people realize that, since she’s more known for her Trump-related personal scandals these days. Perhaps this is Aubrey’s time to roar. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment & Sports: Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Amazon, Tumblr, Spotify<doc-sep>
The peacock, monster, unicorn, deer, and lion will be performing once again during the Jan. 16 episode of ‘The Masked Singer.’ These are the top theories about the celebs who could be behind the wild costumes! You’ve seen them perform once, and now they’re back again. The undercover celebrity singers dressed as the peacock, monster, unicorn, deer, and lion will hit the stage on the all-new episode of The Masked Singer. One of the celebrities underneath the crazy costumes will be revealed at the end of the night. Joel McHale will appear as a guest panelist. Ever since their first performances, fans have been trying to figure out who the celebs underneath the costumes are. Most of the theories are pretty solid, but none of us truly know for sure until the celebs are unmasked. Let’s take a look at the clues we already know about the celebs and narrow down the best guesses! THE PEACOCK: The peacock performed for the first time in the series premiere. This celebrity loves the spotlight and began performing when he was 5 years old. He said that “putting on a show is in my DNA” and was friends with the late Michael Jackson. The peacock was also shown playing the piano and doing card tricks. The most likely celebrities are Donny Osmond, 61, and Neil Diamond, 77, who were both friends with the King of Pop. THE MONSTER: The celebrity said during the series premiere that he chose the monster costume because “that’s what the world labeled me.” He revealed that he was “at the top of my game, but the game turned on me.” He took a break from the public eye and is now ready to “rewrite my mixtape.” The best guesses about the monster are T-Pain, 33, and Bobby Brown, 49, who have both had troubled pasts. THE UNICORN: The unicorn grew up in Beverly Hills. She had a difficult childhood and dreamt of singing until someone told her she was “tone-deaf.” One of her nicknames is “bird.” Tori Spelling, 45, is most likely the unicorn. She grew up in Beverly Hills and “bird” in Japanese is pronounced “tori.” However, Paris Hilton has been named as another possibility. THE DEER: The deer revealed during his introduction that he is “incredibly competitive” and not a singer in real life. He said that he’s been “knocked down many times” over the course of his life and was spotted holding a football trophy in his intro video. “Ravens, beware. I’m here to win,” he said before performing. That last clue is a major hint that the celebrity is Terry Bradshaw, 70. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a major rival of the Baltimore Ravens, for the entirety of his NFL career! THE LION: The lion said her first performance was a “chance for people to see me perform without any preconceived notions of who I am.” She is “Hollywood royalty” and ready to step “away from her pride.” While many guessed a Kardashian, the lion had a powerful voice. There is a theory about Carrie Underwood, but she isn’t from a famous family. The lion is most likely Rumer Willis, 30, the daughter of Demi Moore, 56, and Bruce Willis, 63! Plus, the lion costume itself is a major hint. Rumer was on Empire, which is all about the LYON family! The celebs will all be unmasked eventually, but keep those theories alive! The first celebs to be unmasked on the show were NFL star Antonio Brown, 30, who was the hippo, and comedian Tommy Chong, 80, who was the pineapple. The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX.