‘The Masked Singer’: Firefly lights up stage, wins Season 7 in triple-reveal
LOS ANGELES - The seventh season of "The Masked Singer" came to an exciting close Wednesday evening, revealing its final three contestants including the champion of the Golden Mask trophy.
The competition was narrowed down to three finalists — Prince, Ringmaster and Firefly — all of whom represent Team Good.
Prince revealed on "The Masked Singer"
On Wednesday night’s finale, the first contestant forced to "take it off" and be revealed was Prince — who judges were convinced this season was a professional singer.
Prince was revealed as Emmy and Grammy-nominated actor and singer Cheyenne Jackson, known for leading roles in Broadway musicals, as well as television roles including FOX’s "Call Me Kat," "30 Rock" and "Glee."
Firefly in THE MASKED SINGER season finale (Credit: Michael Becker / FOX. © 2022 FOX MEDIA LLC.)
"I started out in music," Jackson shared to the audience. "I’ve done nine Broadway shows, and then when you start to get into television, people start to only know you for one thing."
Panelist Nicole Scherzinger was able to correctly guess Jackson as the celebrity behind the mask and costume.
"I would say if something scares you, do it because this was scary, and I did it and I made it to the finale, and I’m so proud of myself," Jackson concluded.
Runner-up Ringmaster revealed
The next incredible voice and celebrity to take their mask off was Ringermaster, known for a powerhouse voice and impressive singing range.
The celebrity and runner-up of Season 7 turned out to be actress and singer Hayley Orrantia, known for ABC’s family sitcom "The Goldbergs."
RELATED: ‘The Masked Singer’ season 7 premiere: McTerrier unmasked after costume malfunction
"Honestly, I have loved music my entire life," Orrantia shared after the reveal. "You have no idea what it means to me to be able to do what I love in front of you all."
Firefly wins Golden Mask trophy
This left Firefly as the season seven winner, a performer who beat out McTerrier, Ram, Cyclops and Thingamabob for the top spot.
So, who was the winner of this season of "The Masked Singer?"
Coming out on top was superstar and R&B artist Teyana Taylor, known for hit songs including "Gonna Love Me" and "How You Want It?" featuring King Combs. She was signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music label through Def Jam in 2012.
Taylor told the audience this opportunity would allow her to "just sing and let it be fun again."
"Nobody knows who’s behind the mask, and you just get to sing your heart out," Taylor shared.
And winning must certainly be in the family. Her husband Iman Shumpert, a former NBA player, was a 2016 NBA champion and recently won Season 30 of "Dancing with the Stars."
"I need to put this [Golden Mask Trophy] next to the Mirror Ball [trophy]," Taylor laughed.
In the finale, Taylor sang "Lost Without U," — a song by panelist Robin Thicke.
"‘Lost Without U’ is a dear, dear song to me, and I cried the whole time I sang it. This means a lot to me, and thank you so much. I’m so humbled. I’m so grateful. Thank you," Taylor concluded.
"The Masked Singer" is a top-secret singing competition in which celebrities face off against each other and appear in elaborate costumes with full face masks to conceal their identities.
The singers may attempt to throw off the crowd, but keen observers might pick up on tiny clues buried throughout the show. Each week, a singer is eliminated – and then reveals his or her true identity.
Can't wait for next season? "The Masked Singer" is hitting the road!
Natasha Bedingfield, formerly known as Pepper on the series, will host a 50--city North American tour, kicking off May 28. Tickets are on sale at TheMaskedSingerTour.com.
Get to know "The Masked Singer" with these essential episodes, streaming free on Tubi
Season 4, episode 10 — "The Semi Finals – The Super Six": Eventual season-winner Sun (no spoilers!) delivered a number of top-notch performances, but her version of Billie Eilish’s "When the Party’s Over" might be not only her best of the season, but the best of the fourth season and one of the greatest in the show’s history. Mushroom’s rendition of the Amy Winehouse song "Valerie" ain’t half bad either.
Season 5, episode 1 — "Season 5 Premiere - Return of the Masks": Better remembered as the episode where (okay, a little spoiler follows, scroll past if you don’t want to know) ... (seriously, look away) ... (last warning) ... Kermit the Frog was revealed to be the Snail. Kermit the Frog! A fictional, non-human character! Also definitely the most famous celebrity to ever appear on the show! That was a wild one.
Season 3, episode 10 — "The Super Nine Masked Singer Special: Groups A, B & C": It’s important to remember that this episode aired on April 1, 2020. There was a lot going on that month! So while most April Fools Day jokes are indisputably lame, the one Astronaut pulled — "Rickrolling" America with a legitimately great rendition of Rick Astley’s "Never Gonna Give You Up" — was undeniably welcome.
Season 1, episode 8 — "Semi Finals: Double Unmasking": The double-unmasking is exciting, sure, but this episode is best remembered as the time Monster sang Sam Smith’s "Stay With Me," another contender for the best performance in the show’s history. Seriously, just listen to this.
Season 1, episode 1 — "Season Premiere: Mask On Face Off": Here’s where the madness begins, but as with any truly great episode of this madcap series, it’s one single performance that stands out. In the U.S. series premiere, the performance also happened to be the first performance. Peacock’s rendition of "The Greatest Show" from the Hugh Jackman movie musical "The Greatest Showman" was, appropriately enough, a show-stopper, and it set the bar high.
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