‘The Masked Singer’ Shocks Fans With Celebrity Reveal During Series Premiere

The Masked Singer proved right off the bat that it’s unlike any other reality show Wednesday during the FOX series’ premiere, revealing none other than Pittsburgh Steelers player Antonio Brown behind the first mask.

The new FOX show, hosted by Nick Cannon, pits mystery celebrities clad in elaborate masks against one another in a singing competition judged by Jenny McCarthy, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger.

Of the six stars to be unmasked throughout the season, Wednesday’s premiere revealed Brown after he was voted out of the competition first following six rounds of competition between masked stars.

In the round dubbed “Hippo vs. Peacock,” the feathered singer took on “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman, while the hip hop hippo sang “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown.

As to their identity, Peacock teased, “Putting on a show is in my DNA, but it’s probably been a while since your mom had a poster of me on her wall.”

Hippo, meanwhile, cryptically said, “I conquer every arena that I enter, and this one will be no different.”

The second round pitted “Monster vs. Unicorn,” with the fuzzy horned creature performing “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen and the ballgown-clad unicorn singing “Fight Son” by Rachel Platten.

As for the identity of Monster, the creature teased, “I was at the top of my game, but the game turned on me.”

Unicorn, meanwhile, teased a Beverly Hills childhood, adding that she was told she was “tone deaf” by haters growing up.

The final round was “Deer vs. Lion,” with the predator performing “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” from The Great Gatsby and the prey belting out “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons.

Deer hinted that they were “incredibly competitive,” and that “ravens [should be] beware,” leading to judges guessing he was possibly a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, ironically enough, or the Denver Broncos.

The bedazzled Lion, on the other hand, cryptically called themselves “Hollywood royalty” who was “stepping away from [their] pride” to show their “true self” for the first time.

After Hippo, Monster and Deer were sent to the bottom three, Hippo lost out with the fewest number of votes, requiring him to be unmasked and reveal his true identity. The others will go on to sing in the rest of the season.

Upon the big reveal, fans took to Twitter to declare guessing victory…or defeat:

“Boom! Killed the first guess! #AntonioBrown #THEHIPPO #TheMaskedSinger,” one user wrote.

“OMG!!! So many people said Antonio Brown. #THEmaskedSinger,” another added.

Others weren’t impressed by the first reveal, with one succinctly saying, “Who?”

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Photo credit: FOX