When the 6-foot-7 Cuddle Monster, rocking what host Nick Cannon declared “the biggest and furriest costume in Masked Singer history” and fittingly strutting out to the Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life,” made his debut Wednesday as the final wild-card contestant of Season 10, he seemed to have the right stuff. All of the Group C mystery celebrities performed classic boy band songs, and he obviously tried to cuddle up to judge Jenny McCarthy — wife of New Kids on Block bad boy Donnie Wahlberg — by covering one of her husband’s most iconic NKOTB hits.
But the Cuddle Monster just couldn’t hang tough among his smaller but more vocally gifted opponents, the Anteater, Candelabra, and Donut. And so, at the end of the night — after a Smackdown of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” against the pint-sized Anteater — he was knocked off the block. Apparently size really doesn’t matter on this show.
The judges all knew right away that the super-sized Cuddle Monster was a basketball superstar, guessing it might be Dennis Rodman (who, frankly, I’m surprised hasn’t competed on The Masked Singer yet), Shaq (ditto), Draymond Green, or Tristan Thompson. But he turned out to be who Nick called “one of the greatest to ever do it on the court — the artist formerly/occasionally known as Metta World Peace and Ron Artest, aka Metta Sandiford-Artest — and he left Ken Jeong “star-struck.”
While there have been superior singing athletes on The Masked Singer, like Victor “Thingamajig” Oladipo and Barry “Rhino” Zito, it should be noted that Artest didn’t come to this show with no musical experience. In 2006, he actually released a rap album, My World, that featured guest spots from Juvenile, Mike Jones, Big Kap, Nature, Capone, and even P. Diddy. What a world, indeed.
And so, Anteater, Candelabra, and Donut — all clearly professional, veteran recording artists — will be advancing, step by step, towards the Season 10. And (Ken Jeong voice), I know exactly who they are. Check out my guesses below!
Anteater, “I Want It That Way”
Robin Thicke adored this little Antman with the big, booming voice, exclaiming, “So soulful! You can feel the journey that he’s been on. You can really hear the pain in his voice. A beautiful performance!” Jenny was equally wowed by the Anteater’s “iconic voice.”
The clues: He’s a super-competitive type who wrestled in high school and has driven race cars all over the world, and he’s had a “long career,” but he “learned the hard way fame isn’t everything.” After he got tangled up in some “bad business deals,” was careless with his spending, and lost everything, he traded the “fancy life for a chicken coop.” Other clues have included the “Hal of Fame,” a yacht, an eye, a cougar, an angel, melons, red balloons, a “lost and found” sign, and bowl of oatmeal. The Anteater also mentioned that he once performed for a whopping 40% of the global population — and Robin noted that the only event to ever have that many viewers was 1985’s Live Aid concert.
Judges’ guesses: Bob Seger, Bob Dylan (come on, now), Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, John Mellencamp.
My guess: Whoa-oh, here he comes! I have zero doubt that the Anteater is one half of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted, yacht-rockin’ duo that sang “Maneater,” Hall & Oates. John Oates was the co-captain of his high school wrestling team and has raced cars, plus Hall & Oates had a cougar in the “Maneater” video, scored a hit called “Private Eyes,” and memorably played Live Aid. But on top of all that, John famously went bankrupt in 1987, after which he sold his possessions and started over in Colorado. You don’t have to be a private eye to figure this one out!
Candelabra, “All My Life”
“That was a beautiful song choice,” Nicole Scherzinger gushed, after this radiant performer lit up the stage. “You can really tell that music is your medicine. You hear that pain and you feel that struggle and the heart through your performance.”
The clues: She “always had a fire burning inside,” and she got her first big break at age 12. As a child she had to be tough and depend on herself, because her mother was “in and out of her life” until she was taken in by some family friends. Other clues included dancing shoes, a castle plus the word “princess,” a phone call from Kevin Hart, a butterfly, and a map of California. A verbal clue was “real tea,” implying that the Candelabra has lit up the screen as a reality television star.
Judges’ guesses: Tamar Braxton, Monica, Fantasia, Ashanti, Kelly Rowland, Keyshia Cole.
My guess: I believe this is R&B diva Keyshia Cole (which was Nicole’s guess), who has a very distinctive tone that I quickly recognized. Born in the Northern Californian city of Oakland to a mother who was addicted to alcohol and crack cocaine, Keyshia was eventually adopted by family friends Leon and Yvonne Cole — so that clue alone points to her. But Keyshia also recorded with MC Hammer at age 12; is known as the “Princess of Hip-Hop Soul”; has a single, “Forever Is a Thing,” that mentions butterflies; is pals with Kevin Hart; and has starred in four hit BET reality docuseries. This is Keyshia, and that’s just the way it is.
The Donut, “I Do (Cherish You)”
This sweet singer dedicated this 98 Degrees ballad to his late partner — a heartfelt, passionate performance that left all of the judges in tears. “This was all for her,” he proclaimed. Said Robin: “That was so powerful. I’ve lost my father, and think we’ve all lost somebody very important to us at this point in our lives. You got us all. … I never thought a donut would make me cry.”
The clues: This “country boy” married his “soulmate” — who he nicknamed “My Smile” — but now the “love of his life is no longer here,” which has “left a huge hole in his heart.” He and his spouse also owned a studio together. The Donut was once “part of a megahit” that “catapulted him to No. 1,” but then he got pigeonholed because of that “rough and tumble” performance. He’s actually a “connoisseur of the theater” who has “entertained for decades” and had “hit after hit after hit,” and he sees The Masked Singeras a chance to get back to his roots after the “toughest year of his life.”
Judges’ guesses: Stanley Tucci, Liam Neeson, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck.
My guess: This has to be John Schneider, who’s best known for playing Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard but has also appeared in theater productions like Chicago, 42nd Street, and Grand Hotel and has charted 18 country music hits, including four No. 1’s. He also lost his wife and filmmaking partner, Alicia Allain Schneider, to breast cancer earlier this year, at which time he posted on social media, “My beautiful Smile is pain-free, living in her new body alongside Jesus.” I know Bo. The Donut is him.
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
