SPOILER alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 8, episode 3, of “The Masked Singer,” “TV Theme Night,” which aired Oct. 5 on Fox.
“Brady Bunch” brothers Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland, as well as entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star Daymond John were the next celebrities to be revealed on “The Masked Singer,” as the show’s Wednesday night episode celebrated “TV Theme Night.”
The Mummies were revealed to be Williams, Knight and Lookinland, while Fortune Teller was John. Among this week’s three performances, the “Brady Bunch” brothers were first to go, with the fewest number of votes.
Later, John was unmasked as Fortune Teller after facing off with returning winner Harp in a battle royale (in which both took turns singing the “Full House” theme song). Harp won for a third week in a row.
“TV Theme Night” opened with judge Robin Thicke singing the theme song to “Growing Pains,” as a tribute to his late father, sitcom star Alan Thicke. He also introduced his mother, singer and actor Gloria Loring, who was in the audience.
For Mummies, Nicole Scherzinger was right with Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland; Robin Thicke agreed. Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg picked the “Home Improvement” brother trio of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Zachery Ty Bryan and Taran Noah Smith. Ken Jeong thought it was Joey, Matthew and… Martin Lawrence.
As for Fortune Teller, Ken Jeong got it right with Daymond John. Robin Thicke said it was Ray-J. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg picked Damon Dash. Nicole Scherzinger went with Ryan Seacrest.
For the “Brady Bunch” brothers, Williams was first approached about doing “The Masked Singer” and convincing his co-stars to join in. Knight — you may recall, Peter Brady nearly messed things up for his siblings when his voice started cracking, inspiring “Time to Change,” aka “When It’s Time to Change, You’ve Got to Rearrange” — was less thrilled with the idea.
“It’s well known that I’m a fair-weather friend of music, it’s not my thing,” he told PvNew. “But it seems to always be there as a Brady. So, this was an opportunity for the three of us. The way it was pitched to me is that Barry and Mike realized that this wasn’t going to happen, because I probably wasn’t going to say yes. And I thought, you know, that’s a terrible position to be in. So, regardless of how I felt, I needed to step up to make it happen. And it was it was a great experience. I’m glad I did it.”
Lookinland said he had to adjust to being disguised on set. “I for one, am very into chatting and just talking to the wardrobe people, talking to the transpo guys,” he said. “There was none of that, zero. We were hooded and concealed.”
The trio also noted that they have a shorthand with each other after more than 50 years. “It’s very much a family dynamic,” Lookinland said. “These are my best friends. We have our roles.”
The group also admitted being in shock that they didn’t get to do more beyond this episode and had other songs ready to go. “I wasn’t upset about being eliminated, I was more, like, devastated,” Williams said. “I was numb… I thought for sure we’d at least be going head-to-head at the end. It was like somebody hit me in the stomach with a baseball bat!”
Daymond John as the Fortune Teller and Barry Williams/Christopher Knight/Mike Lookinland as the Mummies joined Montell Jordan as Panther, Jeff Dunham as Pi-Rat, Chris Kirkpatrick as the Hummingbird, Eric Idle as the Hedgehog and William Shatner as the Knight as the celebrities revealed in “The Masked Singer” in Season 8.
Multiple eliminations in one episode are the norm this time out, as “The Masked Singer” adopts a new “King or Queen of Masked Singer” format. This season, three or four costumed celebrities will perform each week, but only one will win and move on to compete against two or three more people the following week.
That will continue throughout the season; in week one, it was the Harp who moved forward; the Harp then survived Week 2 and Week 3 as well. That means the Harp survived Round 1 and now moves to the semi-finals, as after each round, three finalists will compete in the semi-finals.
“The Masked Singer” enters Season 8 with costumes including “Bride,” “Avocado,” “Venus Fly Trap,” “Sir Bugaboo,” “Scarecrow,” “Hedgehog,” “Mummies.” Themed episodes include “Vegas Night,” “Comedy Roast,” “Hall of Fame,” “Muppets Night,” “Andrew Lloyd Webber Night,” “TV Themes,” “’90s Night,” “Thanksgiving” and “Fright Night.” Guests this season include Donny Osmond, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Muppets, Will Arnett, Leslie Jordan, Joel McHale, Tori Spelling, Jon Lovitz, Jodie Sweetin, Carrot Top, Blue Man Group, Lance Bass, Danielle Fishel, Sheila E. and Drew Carey.
The Season 8 contestants “boast a combined 32 Grammy nominations, 16 Emmy wins, 8 gold albums, 4 Golden Globe nominations, 42 books, 10 Teen Choice awards, and 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
Here were the contestants and their performances on night two:
Harp (WEEK 3 WINNER)
Song: “Thank You for Being a Friend” (“The Golden Girls” theme song)
TV Dinner Clue: Tori Spelling reveals a clue: “Purple Mashed Potatoes.” “These purple mashed potatoes are almost too beautiful to mash, but who doesn’t love a good mashed potato?”
Package voiceover: “From the start, I knew that king of the jungle was after my crown. But I wasn’t going to go out without a fight. This queen lives to fight another day. But heavy is the head that wears the crown. And between me and you, it can be pretty nerve wracking knowing I have to go back into battle again. So, this week I’m trying to remind myself to have a little fun, live in the moment and just enjoy my reign. So, my royal decree, I give you my next delicious clue.” [Christmas cupcake with Santa on top.]
Panel guesses: Jill Scott, Fantasia, Ariana DeBose, Amber Riley
Previous songs: “Perfect,” by Pink; “I Have Nothing,” by Whitney Houston
Previous panel guesses: Amber Riley, Ashanti, Yvette Nicole Brown, Queen Latifah, Jordin Sparks, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson
Mummies (BRADY BROTHERS: Barry Williams, Chris Knight, Mike Lookinland)
Song: “Theme from the Monkees,” The Monkees
Likes: Eternal summer
Clue: Lucky #5
TV Dinner Clue: Tori Spelling brings out: “Blended Barry Brothers Smoothie Packets.” “It’s good for the soul. Refreshing, classic. And the smoothies are pretty good too.”
Package voiceover: “Hey you, turn up the volume on that TV. We’re coming to you live and in living color. Now sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of how it all came to be. You watched us grow up; you we may even make you feel like we’re your family. They say sibling bonds are the strongest, right? You’re totally right. We learned a lot from each other. And we probably taught you a few life lessons as well. And although we’ve been off the grid for a while, it’s what we’re most famous for. Tonight, it feels so good to get the Mummy fam back together for another reunion. So, whatever you do, don’t change that channel.”
Panel guesses: “90210” guys; “Brady Bunch” guys; the Lawrence brothers
Fortune Teller (DAYMOND JOHN)
Song: “Moving on Up” (“The Jeffersons” Theme Song)
Likes: Playing the lottery
Clue: Avoids storms
TV Dinner Clue: Jodie Sweetin shares the clue: New York Fresh Pizza Dough.” “With a little time, you too can turn dough into your own piece of pie.”
Package voiceover: “Growing up and watching TV in Queens, I had visions of being a big music king. I wasn’t the best singer, so I tried to make it as a dancer. But I got beat out by Jermaine Dupri. With the help of my mother, I found a unique way to break into the industry. Soon, everyone wanted a dash of me in their music videos. Then, an unusual offer came in while I was keeping up with the Kardashians. If it wasn’t for them, I might have missed out. That kid from Queens moved on up. And tonight, I’m singing a TV classic that celebrates just that.”
Panel guesses: Steve Harvey, P. Diddy, Jonathan Cheban, Daymond John, Ryan Seacrest
