SPOILER alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 10, Episode 10 of “The Masked Singer,” “I Wanna Rock,” which aired Dec. 6 on Fox.
Ginuwine wasn’t sure he wanted to be on “The Masked Singer” when it first came calling. But the “Pony” artist ultimately couldn’t resist. “At first I said no, because I’m pretty much a loner type dude, I don’t like to be out in public like that a lot,” he told PvNew. “But after a little bit of talking, I ended up saying yes. I wanted to come out of my comfort zone, do something that I hadn’t done.”
And indeed, “The Masked Singer” is unlike anything he or Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach had ever done. Ginuwine and Bach were revealed on Wednesday as the latest two celebrities to participate in Season 10 of “The Masked Singer.” Ginuwine was the Husky, while Bach was Tiki.
“I love singing, and honestly I saw some really cool friends of mine on the show — namely Dee Snider and Bret Michaels,” Bach said. “I’ve always loved a big production. I just went to the very last Kiss show at Madison Square Garden. And I’ve always loved costumes and make-up and smoke and lights. ‘The Masked Singer’ is definitely a big production with a lot of staging. Before I got on the show, I thought it was more about comedy and the costumes — which it is. But then when I did it, I found out it’s about the singing. I was very happy to be a part of it because I love to sing.”
For Husky, Nicole Scherzinger got it right with Ginuwine, and Robin Thicke agreed. Ken Jeong named Romeo Miller. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg thought it was Brian McKnight.
“I’m glad I definitely did it,” Ginuwine said. “It was challenging for me as far as the costume because it was truly heavy and hot. I’ve got asthma, and [the costume] dried me out a lot, so I couldn’t sing as I would normally sing outside of a mask. But I was able to get through it once I set my mind, just focus and get it done.”
As for Tiki, Nicole Scherzinger got this one right too, in naming Sebastian Bach. Robin Thicke went with Perry Farrell, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg named Adam Lambert and Ken Jeong went with Jon Bon Jovi.
“They let me choose, as much as they could, the songs that I was gonna sing,” Bach said. “Which made me happy because I got to do Elton John, “Magic” by Pilot and Lady Gaga. There was a couple other songs that I wanted to sing, but we couldn’t clear them in time. ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe. I was going to slay you all with that one. I was asking to do some Journey and Led Zeppelin but those were pretty hard to clear.”
The singer with the evening’s least number of votes was Ginuwine as Husky. The remaining two contestants facing off in a battle royale (no longer a “smackdown”!) to determine who would move on to the finals, were Tiki and Sea Queen. The two contestants sang their own take on “Nothing But a Good Time,” by Poison.
Bach as Tiki was voted out after that, which means Sea Queen is Group B champion, and will meet Group A champion Cow and Group A “Ding Dong Keep It On” recipient Gazelle in the finals. Next up, the Group C Finals will be between Anteater, Candelabra and Donut.
It was “I Wanna Rock” night, and Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who previously appeared on the show as the Banana, performed “Nothing But a Good Time” before Tiki and Sea Queen did.
Sebastian Bach as Tiki and Ginuwine as Husky join Ashley Parker Angel as S’more, Metta World Peace as Cuddle Monster, Luann de Lesseps as Hibiscus, Tyler Posey as Hawk, Billie Jean King as Royal Hen, Michael Rapaport as Pickle, Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky and one-time special guest Demi Lovato as Anonymouse as the Season 10 unmasked celebrities so far.
“The Masked Singer” features a new format this season, with three groups followed by Battle Royale semi-final episodes. The season also includes the return of Wild Card contestants, with one Wild Card introduced to each group, and the “Ding Dong Keep It On Bell” is back in the Battle Royale semi-final episodes, where the judges can choose to save one contestant from elimination and move them directly to the finale.
With sixteen total celebrity singers, Season 10 features new costumes including “Donut,” “Anteater,” “Hawk,” “Hibiscus,” “Diver,” “Gazelle,” “Royal Hen,” “Husky,” “Tiki,” “Pickle,” “Rubber Ducky,” “Candelabra,” “Cow,” “Sea Queen,” “Anonymouse” and a life-size “S’More.” Also returning to mark the show’s 10th are celebrities who have been previously unmasked since the show began. According to the show, Season 10 contestants “boast a combined 40 medals, 33 Grammy nominations, seven hall of fame awards, three lifetime achievement awards and over 50 tattoos.”
The season’s themed episodes will include a tribute to Elton John; a “Trolls Night” tied to the November release of DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls Band Together”; a “Harry Potter Night” airing the week of Halloween; “NFL Night”; “One Hit Wonders”; “Disco”; “2000s Night”; “I Wanna Rock”; and “Soundtrack of My Life.” Back for Season 10 are host Nick Cannon, alongside panelists Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke.
Here were the other performances on this week’s episode:
Tiki
Song: “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” by Kiss
Panel guesses: Sebastian Bach, Perry Farrell, Adam Lambert
Clue: (Delivered by Kelly Osbourne) “Japan.” “I had the greatest time in Japan. I actually ran into Nicole Scherzinger there.”
Package voiceover: “Making it into the Group B finals after chugging my competition in the smackdown feels amazing. Especially since it’s rock night. My jam, baby. When I was a kid, my buddy asked me to join the choir. He told me if I got in, I’d get a $3 stipend every month. I said, what’s a stipend? But I knew $3 meant two more Kiss posters. So I auditioned, and because I had a super high-pitched voice, I was made lead soprano. At 8 years old, I hit the road, singing at churches all over. Who’d a thunk I’d be touring the rest of my life? So just goes to show, never pass up an opportunity, because you never know what it will lead you to. And now, finale! Here I come!”
Previous songs: “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” by Elton John; “Magic,” by Pilot
Previous panel guesses: John Stamos, David Lee Roth, Robert Plant, Dave Grohl, Jon Bon Jovi, Roger Daltry, Robert Plant
Husky
Song: “Always,” by Bon Jovi
Panel guesses: DJ D-Wrek. Ginuwine, Brian McKnight
Clue: “Wild.” “Well, Nick, this one’s for you. Sharing the stage with you again is wild.”
Package voiceover: “I’m so thankful to still be here rocking with you in the Group B finals. This has been a wild ride so far, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The loss of my biggest fans, my parents, when they passed away within a year of each other I completely lost my way. I did anything I could to numb the pain. My heart was twisted. But I had to find a way to live without them. I didn’t want my children to hurt the way I was hurting. So I made a change. I’ve always looked at myself as a strong man. But learning to cope in a healthier way took all the grace I have. Now I’ve never been more confident in the Husky I am today. And I know that tenacity will take me into the finale.”
Previous song: “Benny and the Jets,” by Elton John; “Superfreak,” by Rick James
Previous panel guesses: Babyface, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Tank, Ginuwine, Brian McKnight
Sea Queen
Song: “To Be With You,” by Mr. Big
Panel guesses: Queen Latifah, Nicey Nash, Macy Gray, Viola Davis
Clue: (Presented by Kelly Osbourne). “Co-star.” “I was lucky enough to share the screen with Ken. Funny, not much has changed..”
Package voiceover: “Making my wild debut on Harry Potter night was truly a wild experience. And I’m so excited to rock with you all night. Because I was actually in a hard rock band once upon a time. I’ve lived a lot of different experiences. One I will always remember is when I got to co-star with Denzel Washington. I’ve been so surprised by how many Oscar winners I’ve worked with that bring their acting coaches to set! Funny sometimes how you think these big stars have it all figured out. But they’re still trying to learn and improve just like the rest of us. That’s my strategy for making it into the finale. Learn my songs and keep trying to improve as my Sea Queen self!”
Previous song: “Love Potion No. 9,” by The Searchers
Previous panel guesses: Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lewis
“The Masked Singer” is produced by Fox Alternative Entertainment, with James Breen (who is also showrunner), Craig Plestis and Cannon as executive producers.
