The most shocking Masked Singer reveals ever

One of the best parts of watching The Masked Singer is deciphering each contestant's clue packages to figure out their true celebrity identity. While there have been plenty of easy calls (Gronk, who were you trying to fool?) sometimes the show successfully pulls one over on us.

Whether it was due to tough hints or disbelief that a particular star would grace the stage, we totally didn't expect some reveals, like Mickey Rourke as Gremlin, Lil Wayne as Robot, and our No. 1 spot that blew us away for all the wrong reasons. Read on for our picks of the reveals that left us stunned.

Honorable Mention: Demi Lovato as Anonymouse (Season 10)

Heading into a special season 10 kickoff episode, Fox touted "one of the biggest, can't-miss unmaskings in the show's history." When Anonymouse finally unmasked to reveal two-time Grammy-nominated singer and actress Demi Lovato, who had been guessed so many times in past seasons that it seemed impossible she would actually be under the mask this time around, the network wasn't exactly wrong. But, technically, this reveal happened outside of season 10 competition, so for that reason, we're putting it at the end of the list.

21. Jackie Evancho as Kitty (Season 3)

Fans threw out all types of guesses for Kitty, from Vanessa Hudgens to Sarah Hyland to Kate Bosworth (due to the costumed feline's heterochromia). While talented, America's Got Talent alum Jackie Evancho may not be as well known as her competitors that season, so her unmasking as Kitty had plenty of surprised theorists going, "Wait? Who?!"

Funny enough, TMS producer Craig Plestis told EW that Kitty's differently colored eyes were never meant to fake anyone out and his team was surprised fans even picked up on the feature.

"We didn't really think about that in advance," Plestis said. "That was always two different colored eyes when we were designing the costume, and we didn't even think about that in the early stage until it was actually built and it was like, 'Wait a second...'"

20. Dr. Elvis Francois as Serpent (Season 4)

In the same vein as Kitty's unmasking, Serpent slithering out of his costume to reveal that he was Dr. Elvis Francois, a.k.a. the Singing Surgeon, had us shook. Many fans thought Serpent was for sure Leslie Odom Jr., given his vocal qualities and various Hamilton clues. And since some viewers had only recently discovered Francois' stirring YouTube covers, his reveal threw the audience for a loop.

Even if you didn't know who the internet star was prior to The Masked Singer, you have to admit his reveal and panelist Ken Jeong's reaction were pretty moving.

"Your version of 'Imagine' got us through the pandemic, man," Jeong told Francois. "I'm crying because I'm jealous that you're more talented than me, but I just want you to know that you just got us through a very difficult time."

19. Mark Sanchez as Baby Alien (Season 4)

Former NFL player Mark Sanchez had us all fooled. Fans were guessing comedians and actors like Seth Green and Neil Patrick Harris for the quirky contestant, who cracked jokes in an Eastern European accent. There was also the whole thing of Baby Alien being cloaked in a bulky costume so we couldn't accurately gauge his size. But maybe the most important reason people couldn't clock Sanchez? Baby Alien's clue packages made no reference to the athlete's famous butt fumble, which would've made even non-sports fans guess Sanchez in a heartbeat.

After his elimination in episode 4, Sanchez told EW that he wasn't surprised panelists failed to guess him.

"I thought the clue package was so hard. I obviously know it's me, but I still second-guessed it a couple times when I watched the clue package," he said. "I was like, 'Wait, what?' Yeah, that was tough. And I think the accent totally threw everybody for a loop. They thought maybe [I was] Sacha Baron Cohen or something like that. I knew they wouldn't guess me."

18. Mike Lookinland, Barry Williams, Christopher Knight as Mummies (Season 8)

The boys of The Brady Bunch didn't exactly have the judges fooled, but EW staffers gasped when we learned who was behind the Mummies mask. Never in our wildest TV dreams did we think not one, not two, but three of the stars of the iconic sitcom would grace the Masked stage. No one was more surprised than their TV sisters—Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, and Susan Olsen—though. "Literally for decades, anytime any one of us has a project, we're just aware, even if we're not involved, of who's doing what—like what play Eve [Plumb] is in and what business Chris [Knight] was doing or what show Barry [Williams] is on," Lookinland told EW. "We always at least know about our siblings' activities, and the girls are completely in the dark on this one, which I find hilarious. [We] haven't told them!"

17. Jorge Garcia as Cyclops (Season 7)

Jorge Garcia—who famously played fan-favorite Hurley on Lost—was a shock for two reasons. First, he's a name viewers should actually recognize (no offense Dr. Elvis!), and secondly, no one guessed him. In fact, not only did no one on the panel get his identity correct, they could not have been more off. In an interview with EW, Garcia credits his costume, which the producers claim is the biggest ever made for the reality show, with throwing the judges off the scent. "I knew they wanted a costume big enough to hide my physicality as much as possible to keep them guessing," he said. "It seems to have worked. I mean, they thought I might have been John Lithgow or Chris Pratt, which, you know, definitely covers a nice range of what I am not."

16. Ninja as Ice Cream (Season 2)

Streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins might be a god to every Fortnite-playing kid out there, but for non-gamers (and/or people over 19), his reveal likely came as a total surprise. Ninja even admitted to EW that he knew only his dedicated fans would be able to figure out his identity.

"I think that they have never had someone like me on the show so they needed to make the clues more obvious," he said after his elimination. "I knew the kids would figure it out. If anyone knew of me or any of my quirky dances, they would know immediately it was me, which is cool."

15. Johnny Rotten as Jester (Season 6)

The Masked Singer has seen everyone from politicians to YouTube talent to Grammy-winning singers grace its stage over the years, but one thing it hasn't seen a lot of is classic rockers—especially ones who made a career out of promoting anarchy. Perhaps that's why it was completely unexpected to see Sex Pistols lead singer Johnny Rotten (a.k.a. John Lydon) behind this nightmare fuel of a costume. His reported behind-the-scenes and costume-appropriate onstage antics threw off the judges, too, who thought at one time he could be a comedian such as Ricky Gervais. Ultimately, the panel and audience were in for a shock when that Jester mask finally (mercifully) came off.

14. William Shatner as Knight (Season 8)

Over the years, William Shatner has truly done it all, including release albums of his own, so it shouldn't have surprised us that much that he appeared on The Masked Singer. However, the man is a legend, and a nonagenarian one at that, and he got saddled with a bafflingly (albeit hilariously) involved costume. It's all wild enough that we had to include a mention on this list. Even the star himself felt it was all pretty crazy. Shatner told EW that the show was even wilder than his trip to space, calling it "the most extraordinary experience I've ever had."

13. Drew Carey as Llama (Season 3)

While many of Llama's pretty specific clues (e.g. the radio DJ and Seattle hints) were about comedian Drew Carey, they also rang true for celebrities like Kelsey Grammer and Danny Bonaduce. Thus, a number of fans were astonished to see the Price Is Right host under the costume.

12. Victor Oladipo as Thingamajig (Season 2)

Like Evancho, Indiana Pacers player Victor Oladipo wasn't a household name during his stint. Plus, Thingamajig was so good on the show (his rendition of "Rainbow" made EW's best TMS performances list), and given the spotty record of season 1's pro-athlete competitors, many audiences were slow to accept Oladipo—who has actually released numerous albums—as Thing. The baller even told EW, "Coming on the show, I think I surprised a few people."

11. Gladys Knight as Bee (Season 1)

It wasn't exactly a shock when Gladys Knight popped up from the Bee costume, but the legendary singer's participation in the first season falls into the "I can't believe she would do this show" category. With so many hits and accolades under her belt, Knight didn't have to take a chance on The Masked Singer, which had never been done before in the U.S. Her presence brought legitimacy—and plenty of amazing performances—to the series, and set the stage for fellow famous divas like Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, and Patti LaBelle to join the show in future installments.

10. Tony Hawk as Elephant (Season 3)

We have a feeling that Tony Hawk is such a household name that TMS producers really wanted fans to jump through hoops to guess the skateboarding legend. The clues we got about Elephant were so hard, deciphering them was no easy tusk. Playing the drums, the White House, a 10-cent ice cream? We were lost! Plus, the contestant was the first from Group B to get sent home, so viewers were out of luck on getting more clues. When Elephant finally removed his mask, fans were blown away that it was Hawk in front of them.

9. Boyz II Men as Buffalo (Season 12)

Boyz II Men on The Masked Singer? We never thought we'd see the day — and that's precisely what makes their stint on the show so surprising (and special). From the season's earliest beginnings to the finale, TMS really leaned into the surprise of it all, too. In all of the promo leading up to season 12, the Buffalo was teased as a solo singer. It wasn't until extra Buffalo kept popping up on stage during their very first performance that the panel and audience was shocked to find out it was in fact a trio. By the time the R&B legends were unmasked as the season 12 winner in the finale, everyone and their moms — and even Ken Jeong — knew it was Boyz II Men, but the fact that the four-time Grammy winners not only graced the TMS stage but came to play all season long somehow made it more shocking.

8. Billie Jean King as Royal Hen (Season 10)

Acclaimed athletes are no stranger to The Masked Singer stage, but none of them have been quite as legendary as Billie Jean King. None of us had "legendary tennis player and activist Billie Jean King does TMS" on our 2023 bingo cards — except maybe Jeong, who was the only panelist to correctly guess her identity. To make her appearance on the show even more surprising and iconic, she sang Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom" — which was written for her.

7. Sarah Palin as Bear (Season 3)

There have certainly been unexpected celebrities to appear on The Masked Singer, but we never expected a politician to go on the show. And we certainly didn't think the first elected official to compete on TMS would be former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. There were clues pointing to noted Palin impersonator Tina Fey, with Saturday Night Live among the hints, and Bear's spirited performance of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" was the last track we'd expect the former VP hopeful to showcase (not that we've heard her perform any other song). So when Bear took off the mask, we were all moose caught in the headlights.

6. Mickey Rourke as Gremlin (Season 4)

Gremlin's vocals in his first and only performance were tough to place, but we never saw it coming that he was Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke. What made the reveal even more startling was the fact that he was the first contestant to ever self-eliminate. The show likes to throw in "surprises" from time to time that the panelists are clearly in on, but when Gremlin unmasked himself after complaining about his hot costume, they genuinely looked taken aback (or they took more acting lessons).

The whole thing was pretty chaotic and strange, but Rourke had a sweet reason for singing Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," as a tribute to his late friend Willy DeVille.

In a post-unmasking interview, the actor said he wanted to go on the show as Gremlin to do "something different." Well, he certainly accomplished that!

5. Lil Wayne as Robot (Season 3)

There was a lot of hype leading up to TMS's season 3 premiere after the Super Bowl, and we have to say the first episode delivered with the biggest celebrity competitor in its history. When Robot performed, we heard some of Lil Wayne's signature gravelly sound, but we never thought the series could actually get the influential rapper to come on the show. But boy were we wrong, and judging by the reactions from the panelists, audiences, and fans on social media, nobody else expected Wayne to grace the stage either. "This is the most shocked I've ever been on this show," panelist Robin Thicke announced. Same.

After his elimination, the superstar rapper disclosed that if it were up to him, the show could've had another huge A-lister—his protege and frequent collaborator Nicki Minaj.

"I've been watching since the first episode, because the first episode, when it came on I knew it was T-Pain," Lil Wayne said. "Because of that I told [Young Money president Mack Maine] to call them. I told him, 'Let 'em know I'm a huge fan' and I wanted to get Nicki on there. I was like, 'Tell 'em I would love to get Nicki on there.' And it came back like, 'Man, they want you on there.'"

4. Kermit the Frog as Snail (Season 5)

Season 5 started off with a bang when Snail was revealed as Kermit the Frog! No one saw it coming, as the show has never unveiled a non-human celebrity before, let alone one as iconic as the beloved Muppet character. Funny enough, Jenny McCarthy offhandedly said Snail was altering his voice to sound like Kermit, but everyone was off with their final guesses. Instead, the panelists guessed stars like Adam Sandler, Seth MacFarlane, and Billy Crystal, and Kermit was more than happy with that.

"It was fun being mistaken for those amazing iconic comic actors, and refreshing, too. Being green, I'm usually mistaken for Yoda or the Hulk's little brother," he said in an interview with EW (yup, you read that right).

Guest host Niecy Nash and the judges were stunned and overjoyed when Kermit's head popped out of Snail's body. Jeong even dubbed the famous frog "the most famous guest on The Masked Singer ever."

And McCarthy said it best: Kermit was "the first to go home, but the one we'll never forget."

3. Kevin Hart as Book (Season 11)

Before season 11 debuted, a spokesperson for Fox teased to EW: "The first unmasking in the premiere is absolutely insane, you cannot miss it. If you’re a massive fan of the show or you have never tuned in, you will love it — and you’ll definitely be laughing." And though it seems like we hear every season that there is a new unmasking that's bigger than ever, this time, it might actually have been true. Kevin Hart is a major name in Hollywood, but the reveal itself was also just bigger than usual because of how it all played out. For only the second time in the show, Book completely unmasked himself, like Gremlin did in season 4, but Hart took it one step further by getting into it with longtime friend and Masked Singer host Nick Cannon — who gave it right back to Hart. Turns out, it was all a prank on Cannon, and the result had the audience and panel in tears of laughter.

2. Dick Van Dyke as Gnome (Season 9)

When the legendary Dick Van Dyke was revealed to be behind the Gnome mask, it was such a delightful surprise that it caused panelist Nicole Scherzinger to spontaneously sob—hard. Frankly, there didn't seem to be a dry eye in the house. To have such a beloved performer on the show at the age of 97 was something that nobody could have seen coming, and Van Dyke told EW that was part of the appeal of doing the show. "I knew that they couldn't guess who I was. I don't think they expected anybody from my generation to be on that show," he explained. "So I knew I was gonna fool them. They were so surprised—I stepped out and everybody's mouths dropped open. I think some people thought I was dead." The Mary Poppins star said the show was "the weirdest thing" he'd ever done in his storied career, but the audience's emotional reaction to his presence, however, was not a surprise to him. "I have had that happen, yes. You know what is fun now? We're on our third generation and I would get little kids who will see me and say, 'It's [his Mary Poppins character] Bert!' And I love that, that kids are [still] discovering those movies now," he said.

1. Rudy Giuliani as Jack in the Box (Season 7)

As this list can attest, there have been some pretty wild reveals on The Masked Singer. However, none of them have prompted a panelist to leave the stage in palpable anger. In the lead up to this episode in season 7, Fox teased that it was "the biggest event in Masked Singer history," and, well, they weren't wrong. Despite a very obvious and groan-worthy Four Seasons clue pointing to his identity, none of the panelists correctly guessed Rudy Giuliani (or maybe let themselves think it was even possible). Their guesses ranged from Joe Pesci, to Robert Duvall, to Elon Musk, to Al Roker. But when the past New York City mayor and personal attorney for former President Donald Trump—who, among other controversial things, has been banned from practicing law in New York after making false statements about Trump's 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden—was unmasked, Jeong could be heard telling someone, "I'm done," and promptly left the stage.

In another first for the show, Giuliani's involvement with TMS was actually leaked before the season aired, and reports at the time claimed that the usually upbeat Jeong "felt disrespected" and was "livid" over the reveal. The entire incident sparked major social media backlash and renewed conversations about the implications of having controversial contestants on family-friendly reality shows that often offer an image rehab of sorts. Presumably, Fox wanted the politico on for the shock value and correlated ratings boost, but the episode delivered season-low ratings, so here's to hoping they don't try that again.

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