Bill Nye, Tony Hawk and More of the Most Shocking ‘Masked Singer’ & ‘Dancer’ Reveals
With names like Poodle, Ladybug, and Elephant, The Masked Singer contestants sound like they belong on Sesame Street. But don’t be fooled! This competition series is taking the nation by storm. On The Masked Singer and the spinoff The Masked Dancer, disguised celebrities perform and compete for the golden trophy, while panels of celebrities, including Paula Abdul, Robin Thicke, and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, try to guess their identity.
With a few of the performers, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who they are (We’re looking at you, Rob Gronkowski, a.k.a. the White Tiger), but some reveals are so shocking that they’ll make your jaw drop. And when better to take a look back than ahead of the Season 5 premiere on March 10?
Here are the eight most surprising Masked Singer and Dancer reveals.
Margaret Cho as Poodle (The Masked Singer Season 1)
Looks like panelist Ken Jeong doesn’t know his family as well as he thought he did — well, his Hollywood family, that is. Emmy and Grammy-nominated comedian Margaret Cho surprised all of the judges with her reveal, but especially Dr. Ken co-star and on-screen brother, Jeong. A shocked Jeong called Cho a “pioneer in Asian-American comedy” and the reason he is a comedian. Need a Kleenex, anyone?
Bill Nye as Ice Cube (The Masked Dancer Season 1)
“Bill Nye the Dancer Guy” has a ring to it! Science communicator Bill Nye, commonly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, stunned judges with his reveal. Well, everyone except for Ken Jeong, who exclaimed that correctly identifying Nye made it the “best day of his life.” Although he was eliminated early on, Nye said that it was “cool” to play the Ice Cube.
Vinny Guadagnino as Hammerhead (The Masked Dancer Season 1)
Vinny Guadagnino must have gotten a lot of dance practice during his clubbing days, because look at him go! The judges almost hit the nail on the (hammer) head by guessing his Jersey Shore co-stars, DJ Pauly D and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, but no one got it right. Although he was sent home packing, he says that it was “the most fun thing” he’s ever done. Sounds like Vinny will be adding “dance” to his Jersey Shore phrase, “gym, tan, laundry.”
Kelly Osbourne as Ladybug (The Masked Singer Season 2)
Looks like singing runs in the family! Move over Ozzy, there’s a new Osbourne in town. TV personality Kelly Osbourne wowed the judges with her vocal range and the fact that she was not Lindsay Lohan. Osbourne appreciated the anonymity, admitting that the “chance to be anonymous makes me feel like I’ve already won a prize.” This show was one heck of a ride for Osbourne, almost like a “Crazy Train,” you could say.
Drew Carey as Llama (The Masked Singer Season 3)
Although The Price is Right, the judges certainly were not. Llama sang “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones and had judges guessing he was Kelsey Grammer or Joel McHale. The game show host and star of The Drew Carey Show revealed his identity and the crowd went wild — and guest panelist Jason Biggs had a bit of a fan-girling moment.
Tony Hawk as Elephant (The Masked Singer Season 3)
Tony Hawk ditched the skate park to try out the stage for Season 3 of Singer. And the elephant in the room? He is actually a great singer! The professional skateboarder performed “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure in honor of his wife and completely stumped the judges. Guesses included professional road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong, politician Beta O’Rourke, and DJ Steve Aoiki, before Hawk’s reveal.
Tom Bergeron as Taco (The Masked Singer Season 3)
Is this The Masked Singer or a Dancing with the Stars reunion episode? Either way, who knew Emmy-winning comedian and host Tom Bergeron was such a great singer? Bergeron and Chipotle are now in competition for our favorite taco. Panelists were flabbergasted when they found out that the taco was not Martin Short, Jerry Springer, or Barry Manilow.
Sarah Palin as Bear (The Masked Singer Season 3)
We guess “Baby Got Back” and a surprisingly good singing voice. Former governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin may go down as the most shocking reveal in Masked Singer‘s history. With guesses like Jodie Sweetin, Christina Applegate, and Tina Fey, no one was expecting Palin to pop out of the Bear ensemble. What’s next for Palin? Who knows, maybe she’ll take a break from politics to pursue a singing career.
The Masked Singer, Season 5 Premiere, Wednesday, March 10, 8/7c, Fox