SPOILER alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched “The Masked Singer” Season 6, Episode 5, “Date Night,” which aired October 13 on Fox.
Ruth Pointer was so excited to be on “The Masked Singer,” but a victory wasn’t automatic — and in the end, she had to jump off the stage, as the Pointer Sisters member was unmasked at the end of the fifth episode of Season 6, “Date Night.”
Nicole Scherzinger got it right with Ruth Pointer. Ken Jeong named Tina Turner as his pick. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg guessed Grace Jones. Robin Thicke said it was Leslie Jones.
Pointer as Cupcake sang “Finesse” by Bruno Mars. Her previous song was “Heatwave,” by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas.
“I am a hopeless romantic! I have often called myself a Black Liz Taylor,” Pointer, as Cupcake, said in her voiceover. “Because if I fall in love with a guy, I’m all in. I have learned a lot about love, particularly falling out of it. I’ve had many husbands. But this husband is going to be the last one. Tonight I’m singing Bruno Mars. I love Bruno Mars. I just have a crush on his romantic manner. I love that, I like to sing what makes me feel good, and he makes me feel good.”
Earlier clues from Pointer referenced the Pointer Sisters: “Well, I was supposed to be here with some other sweet things, but now I’m all alone,” she said when asked how she was feeling in Episode 3.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m here! It’s ‘The Masked Singer’! It’s been a long time since I’ve been solo,” Pointer said in the Episode 3 voiceover. “I’m used to sharing the spotlight. I’m doing ‘The Masked Singer’ with a real purpose. Someone I love just got some news about their health. Food always makes me feel better, why not dress up like a cupcake to cheer them up. I think this is going to be so much fun. And if it brightens up their day, that will be the icing on the cupcake.”
Previous panel guesses for Cupcake included Whoopi Goldberg, RuPaul, Jennifer Holliday, Roberta Flack, Leslie Jones and Tina Turner.
Ruth Pointer (Cupcake) joined Larry the Cable Guy (Baby), Tyga (Dalmatian), Toni Braxton (Pufferfish), Vivica A. Fox (Mother Nature) and Dwight Howard (Octopus) as the next celebrity to be unmasked on Season 6 of “The Masked Singer.”
“The Masked Singer” entered Season 6 with the return of a studio audience for the first time since the pandemic began. This season’s costumes include Baby, Banana Split, Beach Ball, Bull, Caterpillar, Cupcake, Dalmatian, Hamster, Mallard, Mother Nature, Octopus, Pepper, Pufferfish, Queen of Hearts and Skunk.
The Season 6 contestants boast a combined 85 Grammy Nominations and 27 wins, three Academy Award nominations, 12 Emmy Nominations, 12 Razzie Award Nominations, two Super Bowl appearances and two Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The show’s panelists will once again compete for a “Golden Ear” trophy based on their first impressions of each masked performer (which McCarthy has won the last two seasons). Jeong went into episode five with a point, ahead of everyone else.
As for Cupcake, Thicke’s first impression was RuPaul, as was McCarthy Wahlberg’s choice. Jeong picked Angela Bassett. Scherzinger named Roberta Flack for her first impression. No one gained a point.
Also new this season, a “Take It Off” buzzer will allow the show’s panelists to prematurely demand a celebrity remove their mask, if they’re convinced they know who it is. They’ll get two extra points toward the Golden Ear tally if they’re right. If they’re wrong, they’ll be “severely punished.”
Here were the other contestants and their performances on night five:
Banana Split
Song: “Cry Me a River,” by Michael Bublé
Previous song: “A Million Dreams,” by Pink
Who they’d date on the panel: Nicole, “because we have a ball together.”
Voice-over: “[Split] We came here to win, OK? [Banana] Song choice has been very difficult. [Split] It’s been our biggest challenge. There’s a difference between a great song and a great song for you. Especially when it comes to love songs. The three ingredients for a perfect love song? A pinch of… [Banana] Fantasy. A splash of… [Split] Pain. [Banana] And a little dab of reality. [Split] I wouldn’t say that, I’d say heart. [Banana] Oh yeah. Heart. It took us a lot of time and consideration to pick the perfect song for date night. But we think that tonight we have nailed it.”
Panel guesses: Craig Robinson and Ashley Tisdale, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban
Previous panel guesses: J. Lo and Mark Antony, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, Katharine McPhee and David Foster, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling
Queen of Hearts
Song: “La Vie En Rose,” by Edith Piaf
Previous song: “Born This Way,” by Lady Gaga
Who they’d date on the panel: Ken, “we would both have a roasting hot first date.”
Voice-over: “I think people are often surprised that I’m shy, because I don’t come off like that on stage. I’ve definitely loved and lost, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get back up on the horse. Mister King of Hearts should have emotional intelligence. He should be smart. He should be handsome. He’s outdoorsy. Heck, I want him to have a private plane if I’m asking. That’s not a joke. Speaking of l’amore, what’s more romantic than a song in French? I’ve never sung in French before, but I’ve been practicing. I think I’ve got this.”
Panel guesses: Ireland Baldwin, Ashley Judd, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus
Previous panel guesses: Britney Spears, Kellie Pickler, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Fergie, Renee Zellweger
Mallard
Song:: “My House,” by Flo Rida
Previous song: “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” by Big & Rich
Who they’d date on the panel: Jenny, “because I feel like we could sit on the couch and get on the same wavelength.”
Voice-over: “I believe you can fall in love at first sight. I met my wife in fourth grade. I still can remember the first time I saw her. With big curly hair and I was like, that looks like a big ol glass of iced tea. I asked her on a moonlight hike, and she said yes. And to my best recollection, I got a little kiss on the cheek. Although she says she doesn’t remember that now. The rest is history. My wife is so supportive, she’s even here with me tonight. You might think my wife being here would calm my nerves, but to be honest, it makes me a little more nervous. I’m singing a song that’s a little out of my zone, and tonight I dedicate it to my wife and the home we built.”
Panel guesses: Freddie Prinze Jr., Nick Offerman, Jon Bon Jovi, Mario Lopez
Previous panel guesses: Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Billy Ray Cyrus
Caterpillar (WILDCARD)
Song: “If I Were a Boy,” by Beyoncé
Who they’d date on the panel: Robin, “because I can’t take my eyes off all his printed shirts.”
Voice-over: “I chose the Caterpillar costume because ultimately, my life has been all about metamorphosis. Growing up, I was lonely. Things weren’t always great at home and I was rebelling. So I left home at a young age. At some point lived in my car, was homeless and even started stealing to make ends meet. My parents used to tell me that I was going to end up in jail. And boy, were they right. I think the things that drove me was all the voices from my past. How I’d never amount to anything. Well, I showed them.”
Panel guesses: Howie D., Aaron Carter, AJ McLean
