Yahoo News ‘The Masked Singer’ Reveals the Identity of Elephant: Here’s The Star Under the Mask
Click here to read the full article.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 4 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Feb. 19 on Fox.
That’s a wipe out for Tony Hawk. The skateboarding legend became the first celebrity in “Group B” to be unmasked on Season 3 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired on Wednesday night.
More from Variety
TV Ratings: 'Survivor' Returns Up, 'Masked Singer' Ticks Down
'The Masked Singer' Reveals the Identity of Miss Monster: Here's The Star Under the Mask
Hawk, who was disguised as the Elephant, performed The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love,” and the judges said he shredded. (“It’s a deep connection between my wife and I,” he said of the song pick.) But it wasn’t enough to survive elimination.
“Coming from a non-singing background, I’ll give myself a ‘B,'” Hawk told Variety. “I think that I felt like I was in tune for the most part, and I remembered the lyrics, which is a frightening prospect. It’s very easy to mix up verses. I went with it the way I sing it in the car.”
None of the “Masked Singer” panel guessed Hawk, although a few came close: Robin Thicke thought it was another extreme sports star, motorsports champ Travis Pastrana, while Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg picked cycling veteran Lance Armstrong. But Hawk was pleased that several of the panelists thought it was an actual musician.
“That gave me a boost of confidence,” he said. “I was a little disappointed because I had one other song I was rehearsing (‘Born to be Wild’) that I thought I would do OK. But I honestly didn’t want to go past that because then it would be far too much pressure.”
Hawk said he also didn’t feel as bad about his elimination after seeing huge music stars like Lil Wayne and Chaka Khan eliminated. As host Nick Cannon noted, those two have 46 Grammy nominations and 25 wins between them — and they were still quickly voted off the show.
“I have a history of musicians in my family so that gave me maybe a false sense of confidence that I could actually do it myself,” he said.
Hawk chose the elephant costume over the taco and said it wasn’t much of a challenge to sing in disguise — except, “what I didn’t anticipate was I was going to struggle with the microphone when I moved around. I didn’t rehearse enough times with the mask on and my movements, and that was my mistake. During the performance the mic got stuck between the mask and my helmet.”
Among the other guesses, Ken Jeong thought it was former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, while Nicole Scherzinger thought it might be Steve Aoki.
“Here’s the story about how I became the biggest animal in the kingdom,” Hawk said, voice disguised, in the show’s pre-taped package introducing Robot. “I was a calf when I found my calling. And with hard work turned my passion into a one-man show. I went from canvasing park benches to leading the charge of a massive movement, even parading through white houses. And now I’m ramping up to a new calling. To sum it up, go risk it all for what you love and what everyone else says is ear-relevant.”
The “Masked Singer” competition moved to Group B this week with Banana, Frog, Taco, Elephant, Mouse and Kitty. Here’s a recap of the other contestants and their performances:
Frog
Song: “U Can’t Touch This,” by MC Hammer
Strength: “Legs for Days”
Weakness: “Warts”
Voice-over: “News flash! My metamorphosis has been anything but typical. I lept to stardom as fast as a lightning bolt. Never had a chance to evolve my image and do things my way. I was slithering with the big frogs, from jump jump. Just had to fit in and survive. But now, I can write my own masterpiece. Showing this new side gives me butterflies in my stomach. But I’m ready to drop the hammer and sing my face off.”
Panel guesses: Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Ray J
Kitty
Song: “Dangerous Woman,” by Ariana Grande
Strength: “Nine lives”
Weakness: “Hairballs”
Voice-over: “In all my wildest dreams I never imagined I’d be here. Where I feel at home among the weird and the wonderful. It’s almost like this show is made for me. A little bit of heaven where I can wipe the slate clean as the purest snow. Sometimes it feels lonely because people don’t think of me as the person I’ve become, but the person I once was. But now under these lights, among the cream of the crop, I get to start from scratch. And just like a kitty, will always find a way to nuzzle into your heart. Tonight, for my big debut, I’m going for high drama. As I show you why I’m the pick of the litter.”
Panel guesses: Julianne Hough, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie
Taco
Song: “Fly Me to the Moon,” by Frank Sinatra
Strength: “Beefy”
Weakness: “Can cause indigestion”
Voice-over: “”Like the comfort food that I am, I’ve been a comforting part of your lives for decades. I’ve got plenty of seasoning and I’m in a good place. But my routine can get a bit mild. So I’m here to bust a buffet and spice things up. To enchiladas and beyond, here I go as fast as I can! I want to be a last mask standing. I just hope I don’t fall apart out there. Time for taco Wednesday.”
Panel guesses: Regis Philbin, Martin Short, Bob Saget
Mouse
Song: “Get Here,” by Oleta Adams
Strength: “Mighty”
Weakness: “Cheese”
Voice-over: “Just like a mouse, I’m small and cute. Don’t let my size fool you. Because my presence is larger than life. I’ve always been a leader in my field, really. I wrote the playbook. But as much as I love calling the shots and showing everyone who’s the boss, I also love having a walk-on role to play. They say don’t sweat the small stuff, but now that I’m putting myself in, you should. Because I never accept anything less than gold. So to all my competitors, you cheddar watch out!”
Panel guesses: Darlene Love, Dionne Warwick, Maya Rudolph
Banana
Song: “A Little Less Conversation,” by Elvis Presley
Strength: “Splits”
Weakness: “Brown spots”
Voice-over: “Where am I? I’m late for the stage! I can’t believe I overdid it last night. You’d think this was my first rodeo. I’m the banana because I’m tough on the outside but a total smoothie on the inside. And a hoot to have at parties. Am I right, ladies? I can’t wait to peel back my layers and show what I can use my voice in any environment. I just want to see you smile.”
Panel guesses: Bill Engvall, Ed Helms, Darius Rucker
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
