S04.E01: The Season Premiere - The Masks Return

[OtterMommy]

Air date: September 23, 2020

[Maverick]

 Why did they do 5 singers and no bottom 2 sing off?  If they're doing 5 singers in the preliminary rounds and have 16 singers, how's that going to work?

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 Why did they do 5 singers and no bottom 2 sing off?  If they're doing 5 singers in the preliminary rounds and have 16 singers, how's that going to work?

 Group B has 6 singers and there will be a double for that group at some point. 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Guest

[dvr devotee]

Wasn't Group A tonight six singers, what with the pair of snowy owls being one performance of two people?

Since this show first premiered, I have never had the patience to watch it unless I'm watching on Hulu without commercials and can FF. I watched the broadcast tonight, though; I'm pondering if that says something about my quarantine desperation for programming or something.

My guesses for this season's Group A performers, based largely on my gut feeling and a tiny bit on any clues given.

Spoiler

The Sun - Keri Strug

Giraffe - I haven't a clue

Popcorn - Cyndi Lauper

Dragon - totally knew that was Busta

Snow Owls - I was thinking of siblings and for whatever reason I settled on Jack and Kelly Osbourne. But then whichever judge guessed Amy Grant and Vince Gill and I was like, oh 100% the woman sounds like Amy Grant. Plus then Kelly Osbourne was on "I Can Hear Your Voice" right after TMS was over, and that just made it seem even less likely to me.

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by dvr devotee

[MsTree]

Popcorn sounds like Taylor Dane to me.

[MsJamieDornan]

 

Quote

 Why is the Sun's face on upside down?  That's going to bug me all season.  

YES !! How annoying.

[ClassicShowsFan]

2 hours ago, dvr devotee said:

Wasn't Group A tonight six singers, what with the pair of snowy owls being one performance of two people?

Since this show first premiered, I have never had the patience to watch it unless I'm watching on Hulu without commercials and can FF. I watched the broadcast tonight, though; I'm pondering if that says something about my quarantine desperation for programming or something.

My guesses for this season's Group A performers, based largely on my gut feeling and a tiny bit on any clues given.

  Hide contents

The Sun - Keri Strug

Giraffe - I haven't a clue

Popcorn - Cyndi Lauper

Dragon - totally knew that was Busta

Snow Owls - I was thinking of siblings and for whatever reason I settled on Jack and Kelly Osbourne. But then whichever judge guessed Amy Grant and Vince Gill and I was like, oh 100% the woman sounds like Amy Grant. Plus then Kelly Osbourne was on "I Can Hear Your Voice" right after TMS was over, and that just made it seem even less likely to me.

 

The Snow Owls don't sound like Amy Grant and Vince Gill to me.

[Josh371982]

Shame Dragon was elimated first as I'm a huge Busta fan growing up in the 90's lol. I totally knew that was him as well. Confirmed by Nicole totally showing she knew almost right away! My guess for Sun is Leanne Rimes. Not sure or have any kind of real guess yet for the rest yet though i like @Mstree 's guess of Taylor Dane 

[Rickster]

I don't have a read on Amy Grant's voice, but I did think the male Snow Owl sounded like Vince Gill.

[mtlchick]

6 hours ago, MsTree said:

Popcorn sounds like Taylor Dane to me.

Every season there's one singer where I immediately knew it was them.  While she may not be as obvious as Gladys Knight or Patti LaBelle, I instantly knew it was Taylor.  "Tell It To My Heart" is an 80s classic.  

[Merriwind]

2 hours ago, Josh371982 said:

Shame Dragon was elimated first as I'm a huge Busta fan growing up in the 90's lol. I totally knew that was him as well. Confirmed by Nicole totally showing she knew almost right away! My guess for Sun is Leanne Rimes. Not sure or have any kind of real guess yet for the rest yet though i like @Mstree 's guess of Taylor Dane 

Leanne Rimes was my guess for The Sun too!

[ClassicShowsFan]

34 minutes ago, Rickster said:

I don't have a read on Amy Grant's voice, but I did think the male Snow Owl sounded like Vince Gill.

The male Snow Owl sounded like Clint Black.

[Pallida]

I might just be latching on too much to “Quiet Place” in the clue package, but I’m guessing Emily Blunt for Sun. 

[vibeology]

45 minutes ago, Merriwind said:

Leanne Rimes was my guess for The Sun too!

Same. Even before she sang, there was something about the pool animation that made me think of the music video for Blue so then I started reading LeAnn into the clues and was able to make a few others fit.  But that voice sealed it for me.  It's only week one and we could learn something that ruins the theory but right now I'm leaning her way.

[Meedis]

9 hours ago, MsTree said:

Popcorn sounds like Taylor Dane to me.

That was my first thought as well.    Her voice sounds as distinctive as Busta's.

[MrsEVH]

This is just ridiculous. 

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1523803/masked-singer-nicole-scherzinger-kicked-show-mary-j-blige/

[Phishbulb]

Somewhere in Popcorn's clue package was a movie theater marquee that said "Proud Mary", which was a movie starring Taraji P. Henson. While I'm guessing they probably wouldn't be that obvious in their clues, it would make sense that "Popcorn" would be an actress who's been in movies. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

8 minutes ago, MrsEVH said:

This is just ridiculous. 

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1523803/masked-singer-nicole-scherzinger-kicked-show-mary-j-blige/

It's a clickbaity headline for a tabloid story based entirely on a few random tweets. Not even worth talking about.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Could Popcorn be Cyndi Lauper?

The voice, both the accent under the altered speaking voice and her singing voice sound like her.

I'd be surprised if Sun isn't Demi Lovato. 

No idea about Snow Owls but at one point the woman said "oh, brother" to the man so I'm guessing siblings. Donny and Marie Osmond.

Edited September 29, 2020 by RemoteControlFreak

[RemoteControlFreak]

2 hours ago, Phishbulb said:

Somewhere in Popcorn's clue package was a movie theater marquee that said "Proud Mary", which was a movie starring Taraji P. Henson. While I'm guessing they probably wouldn't be that obvious in their clues, it would make sense that "Popcorn" would be an actress who's been in movies. 

It was a sign above a merry-to-round and it said "Proud Merry Go Round".

[dvr devotee]

3 minutes ago, RemoteControlFreak said:

Could Popcorn be Cyndi Lauper?

The voice, both the accent under the altered speaking voice and her singing voice sound like her.

 

 

Yes, the heavy accent in the clue package is what got me thinking Cyndi. The accent was way toned down when she was speaking after she performed, BUT Cyndi was in this incredibly cheesy movie in 1988 called "Vibes," and in it she really played up the accent, so I know she can play it up if she wants. She really has an incredibly versatile voice.

[seacliffsal]

Was there really a studio audience there without masks or was it creative editing?  And I was really surprised the security guys didn't wear masks or distance.  I thought that maybe this was filmed before quarantine, but the judges were socially distanced.

I think the snow owls are Donny and Marie.  Of course, I'm probably wrong.  No idea even for anyone else.

[retired watcher]

39 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Was there really a studio audience there without masks or was it creative editing?  And I was really surprised the security guys didn't wear masks or distance.  I thought that maybe this was filmed before quarantine, but the judges were socially distanced.

I think the snow owls are Donny and Marie.  Of course, I'm probably wrong.  No idea even for anyone else.

The audience was created using augmented reality.

 

[Josh371982]

6 hours ago, ClassicShowsFan said:

The male Snow Owl sounded like Clint Black.

I've seen guesses that the Snow Owls are him and his wife Lisa Hartman Black. 

[Chit Chat]

This is the first time I've watched this show, so I'd appreciate if you fine folks could help me out!  How does this competition work?  Does just one contestant get eliminated from his/her group on their given night?  How many groups do they usually have?  Is the contestant's identity revealed only after being eliminated?  Thanks for any input!

FWIW, I found every host to be annoying.  If I record this again I will definitely wait until it's over so that I can FF through their comments and shenanigans.  

 

[Scatterbrained]

Guesses

Sun 

Spoiler

Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera 

Snow Owls 

Spoiler

Derek and Julianne Howe

 

[Bali]

Guesses: Sun Idina Menzell

Giraffe no clue

Popcorn: Jennifer Hudson 

Snow owls: Vince and Amy 

[theatremouse]

 

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

This is the first time I've watched this show, so I'd appreciate if you fine folks could help me out!  How does this competition work?  Does just one contestant get eliminated from his/her group on their given night?  How many groups do they usually have?  Is the contestant's identity revealed only after being eliminated?  Thanks for any input!

FWIW, I found every host to be annoying.  If I record this again I will definitely wait until it's over so that I can FF through their comments and shenanigans.  

So far IIRC they've changed the format of the initial rounds every season. It's never been quite the same. Of your questions, only the last one has a definite answer: yes.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Was there really a studio audience there without masks or was it creative editing?  And I was really surprised the security guys didn't wear masks or distance.  I thought that maybe this was filmed before quarantine, but the judges were socially distanced.

There was no live audience. The audience shots was footage from previous seasons. There was a zoom audience that voted and filmed reaction shots so we might see that at some point. 

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

This is the first time I've watched this show, so I'd appreciate if you fine folks could help me out!  How does this competition work?  Does just one contestant get eliminated from his/her group on their given night?  How many groups do they usually have?  Is the contestant's identity revealed only after being eliminated?  Thanks for any input!

They change the format every season. This year there are two groups of 5 and one group of 6. One person will be eliminated each episode to get the top 2 from each group. The group of 6 will have one double elimination to keep everything even. Then the final 6 combine and there will be one elimination each week until the top 3 compete in the finale. The celebrity reveal has only happened after being eliminated. 

[galaxygirl76]

I think Popcorn is Taylor Dayne. In her clue package was the meatloaf with an apple and a snake which led my husband to the Original Sin song both she and Meatloaf recorded. 

[MsJamieDornan]

I listened to a few of the songs again and whoever guessed Clint Black and Lisa Hartman is absolutely correct.   

[mtlchick]

18 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Was there really a studio audience there without masks or was it creative editing?  And I was really surprised the security guys didn't wear masks or distance.  I thought that maybe this was filmed before quarantine, but the judges were socially distanced.

I think the snow owls are Donny and Marie.  Of course, I'm probably wrong.  No idea even for anyone else.

 Deadline reports there was a small group of people behind the judges so they can still have an audience feel.  But most of it was stock footage from either previous seasons or other FOX Alternate Entertainment shows. There was a disclaimer in small print at the very end of the show.  The show just finished filming last weekend, with filming happening on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays over a month. 

https://deadline.com/2020/09/the-masked-singer-rob-wade-return-to-production-1234581115/

[SnideAsides]

I'm wondering whether all the obvious Disney/Frozen references for Sun are a decoy. Like obviously they wouldn't be there for no reason at all, but between the "dainty little thing" comment from Nicole and the stuff about "extreme seasons" in the clue package, I'm wondering if the real reason for the link is they were a Winter Olympian who did Disney on Ice? Like Michelle Kwan?

[Ms. TV]

On 9/24/2020 at 3:43 AM, MsJamieDornan said:

 

YES !! How annoying.

Completely concur!  It might have to do with a clue about the real person, but to be brutally honest at my age I don’t know who half the celebrities even are! 

[sas616]

On 9/24/2020 at 5:06 AM, ClassicShowsFan said:

The Snow Owls don't sound like Amy Grant and Vince Gill to me.

 

On 9/24/2020 at 10:48 AM, ClassicShowsFan said:

The male Snow Owl sounded like Clint Black.

Vince has a very distinctive voice--a high tenor.  That did not sound like him to me.   

Interesting suggestion about Clint.  Wish I hadn't deleted my recording so I could go back and listen again.  

I really have no idea who they are, but I thought the package referred to them being siblings.  She referred to him as "brother."  Though that may be to throw everyone off.

 

[sas616]

On 9/24/2020 at 6:50 PM, Scatterbrained said:

Guesses

Sun 

  Hide contents

Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera 

Snow Owls 

  Hide contents

Derek and Julianne Howe

 

Funny, my "first impression" was Julianne and Derrick Hough.   Not sure if Derrick can sing, but she does.  Since he's signed with ABC, I guess he wouldn't do this though.  (Hey, maybe that's the reason poor Tom got kicked off DWTS--LOL).

[ClassicShowsFan]

59 minutes ago, sas616 said:

 

Vince has a very distinctive voice--a high tenor.  That did not sound like him to me.   

Interesting suggestion about Clint.  Wish I hadn't deleted my recording so I could go back and listen again.  

I really have no idea who they are, but I thought the package referred to them being siblings.  She referred to him as "brother."  Though that may be to throw everyone off.

 

You can watch it on YouTube.

[Maverick]

7 hours ago, sas616 said:

I really have no idea who they are, but I thought the package referred to them being siblings.  She referred to him as "brother."  Though that may be to throw everyone off

 This was done when the male owl was showing how he was a cut up and the female owl commented "oh, brother".  I believe it was  meant to misdirect and get your mind going down a (wrong) path, like a magician misdirecting you to look elsewhere. 

[tennisgurl]

I feel like Sun has to be a former Disney star, it just sounds right based on what we heard. 

Sad to see Dragon/Busta eliminated so quickly, I thought he was pretty fun, I would have eliminated Giraffe. I could tell right away that it was him so I am glad that they caught on and didnt play the "who could it be even as its pretty obvious" game. 

Ken isnt even trying to pretend to give real guesses anymore is he?

[itsadryheat]

On 9/24/2020 at 12:34 PM, RemoteControlFreak said:

Could Popcorn be Cyndi Lauper?

She was my first thought-but then I started thinking, and now I do not know😵

[Mockingbird]

To figure out if Popcorn is Taylor Dayne, we could use Tig Notaro as a guest judge. 

(Taylor Dayne is a super solid guess.) 

[The Crazed Spruce]

12 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

IKen isnt even trying to pretend to give real guesses anymore is he?

When did he ever?

[Ms. TV]

9 hours ago, Mockingbird said:

To figure out if Popcorn is Taylor Dayne, we could use Tig Notaro as a guest judge. 

(Taylor Dayne is a super solid guess.) 

OMG, HILARIOUS!!!

[Fukui San]

The show inflicts Rob Gronkowski on us for over a month and ousts the awesome (and whose voice couldn't be any more obvious) Busta Rhymes after one appearance. Bleah!

I wish they didn't even have the faked crowd footage. Can we just normalize this being a pandemic and doing at least the bare minimum of precautionary measures?

[chabelisaywow]

Quote

The show inflicts Rob Gronkowski on us for over a month and ousts the awesome (and whose voice couldn't be any more obvious) Busta Rhymes after one appearance. Bleah!

When people like Lil Wayne, Patti LaBelle, and Dion Warwick get voted off early - you realize they are there to give the show "cred" and have arranged not to spend too much on the show.

[Swenson]

Just popped in to see.....(first time for masked singer)......if anyone else here thought the Sun could possibly be Madonna.   And why does Ken Jeong keep making these kind of guesses?   Like thinking Dragon could be Micheal Phelps yeah riiiight.  I have to admit Dragon had a Booker T vibe about him and frankly thought you wouldn't see a Busta Rhymes on this show.....well so much for that.   Maybe it IS Madonna.

[theatremouse]

Madonna doesn't live in the US at the moment, as far as I know. I doubt she would've come just for this show, given she likely wouldn't be able to go back to pretty much any other country during the pandemic.

[Whimsy]

On 9/28/2020 at 6:08 PM, Fukui San said:

I wish they didn't even have the faked crowd footage. Can we just normalize this being a pandemic and doing at least the bare minimum of precautionary measures?

I agree.  We all KNOW they aren't reacting to the acts on the stage so it just looks stupid.

On 10/1/2020 at 11:57 PM, Swenson said:

Just popped in to see.....(first time for masked singer)......if anyone else here thought the Sun could possibly be Madonna.   And why does Ken Jeong keep making these kind of guesses?   Like thinking Dragon could be Micheal Phelps yeah riiiight.  I have to admit Dragon had a Booker T vibe about him and frankly thought you wouldn't see a Busta Rhymes on this show.....well so much for that.   Maybe it IS Madonna.

That's his schtick on this show.  You may as well get used to it, if you're going to stick around.