‘Masked Singer’ Live Updates: Quarter Finals

The Masked Singer Season 5, Episode 9 is titled “The Quarter Finals – Five Fan Favorites.” It pits the remaining contestants from both groups against each other — Black Swan, Chameleon, Piglet, Russian Dolls and Yeti. Follow along here for live updates and clue analyses.

9 p.m. – Elimination

With all the performances finished and the guesses in, all that was left was the elimination of the night. After a lot of build-ups, Nick Cannon announced that the performer leaving tonight would be Russian Dolls. The representative for the group on stage dropped their jaw as the rest of the singers left the stage.

The panelists were generally not impressed with their own first impression guesses. Scherzinger had guessed that this was the entire cast of Glee in rotation, but she changed her mind to Hanson. Thicke had guessed that it was The Black Eyed Peas, but he changed his mind to Sugarland. McCarthy had guessed Boyz II Men, which she said was still a reasonable guess, but she went with Hanson as well. Finally, Jeong had guessed Donnie and Marie Osmond, but he changed his mind to the Jonas Brothers.

Riggle had no first impression guess to look back on, but he did briefly revisit his guess of Devo. However, his final guess was Hanson, along with Scherzinger and McCarthy. Finally, the Russian Doll separated along the middle to reveal the Hanson brothers underneath.

8:51 p.m. – Chameleon

Finally, the last performance of the night was Chameleon, who said: “I normally watch this show from the couch with my family, kick back and laugh at my friends getting unmasked, so I started this journey for fun, so my family would get a kick out of it. I mean, I’m not a singer, and I knew I’d be going up against some super talented vocalists, but ever since the song ‘Hip Hop,’ I feel like I really broke out. Even with a theater background, I never put on a show where I had to shake my tail.”

“I’m used to just performing, you know, with my normal gear on, and that’s pretty nerve-wracking, he went on. “So, to have your heart rate up and be sweating and still have that head-on, it’s crazy. To get that love as a character is wild. Now I’m in the top five, and I hope my family will be proud of me as I keep up the fight to the semi-finals.”

Chameleon masterfully worked in this week’s clue by saying: “Nobody knows more about keeping up the fight than my personal hero Jackie Chan. He’ll always bring that rumble to the stage, just like me.” With that, he began his rendition of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams.

As usual, the panelists nearly lost it for Chameleon. Before they made any guesses, the Chameleon read his fan letter clue aloud. It said: “Any friend of Martha Stewart’s is a friend of mine. I even saw you play at Madison Square Garden. I wish you only success.”

This had Scherziner guessing Snoop Dogg, though the fact that he performed his own song seemed to squash this theory. Riggle went with Blake Griffin, while Jeong reiterated his guess Young Thug.

8:40 p.m. – Yeti

After the commercial, the show dedicated some time to jokes among the panelists before launching into the Yeti’s new clue package. Footage of his past performances played across the screen as he mused about his time so far, dropping subtle hints about his identity.

“It feels so good to be the last wildcard standing,” he said. “Each week, I tried to show off a new side to myself, and I’m pretty sure I’m the first person to perform a roller blade ballad on the show. It was risky, I mean, you know, my suit is very heavy.”

“I love The Masked Singer,” Yeti continued. “It allows me to show other aspects of my skill as a performer. You don’t have the pressure of wanting to be perfect. People have to look deeper. Now, I get to show off yet another side with one of my favorite country songs — which I’ve never even sung in karaoke before — because this abominable snowman is ready for the semi-finals. Speaking of showmen, one of my greatest inspirations is Diddy, who I’ve been lucky to work with. He helped me reach the top of the mountain, yes indeed.”

Yeti sang “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts. The panelists praised him for a “sincere” performance before his “mailbox” clue emerged. His fan letter read: “You are a true triple — nah — quadruple threat. I’m excited you stepped up with a Masked Singer legend, and I’m proud to be your biggest fan.”

The “stepped up” line made Robin Thicke think this might be Channing Tatum, while Ken Jeong suggested Twista — though that guess didn’t sit well with the rest of the panelists. McCarthy got more love for her guess: Ne-Yo.

Just then, Cluedle-Doo took over the screen to inform the panelists that their guesses were all wrong. He said that the Yeti “makes a much better panelist than you do.” He also warned that he would be back on the show next week “to ruffle your feathers one last time before I show you my real identity.” Scherzinger made the first guess at Cluedle-Doo’s identity: Joel McHale.

8:28 p.m. – Piglet

After making his big claims in the previous segment, Piglet busted out some serious range to sing “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder. He had everyone on their feet, and the stage was covered in multicolored ladders. When he was done, the judges were practically speechless, so the Men in Black brought out the “mailbox” clue for Piglet.

Piglet read his fan mail: “Whether on my TV or in my headphones, I’m so lucky I discovered you in the ’90s. But I’ve never been jealous of your public relationships. P.S. I drew your picture.” Holding up the letter, he showed a simple smiley face with scribbly hair.

Jenny McCarthy guessed singer and actor Justin Timberlake, while Ken Jeong guessed Avengers star, Jeremy Renner. Robin Thicke reiterated the guess Nick Lachey, which seems to have the most support on social media.

8:19 p.m. – Black Swan

After the commercial break, the show jumped right into Black Swan’s new clue package. She said: “I’ve had some disappointments in my career, and they’ve made me frightened to take risks, so I’ve made a resolution to say ‘yes’ to things that scare me. This is a wild, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m able to surrender to it.”

Once again, Black Swan’s new clue package consisted mostly of footage from the show so far, giving few new visual hints to go off of. She continued: “I’m starting to be the Black Swan, but it’s much more than just a Halloween costume. It’s being able to play this character and peel back different sides of myself to put into a song some things that I was feeling. It’s just something that I needed to do. I’m so happy I said yes to Masked Singer. This song is my own rendition of a song that I love. I hope it’s enough to get me into the semifinals.”

Black Swan sat at a desk covered in hair and makeup tools as she concluded: “Now, let me share a favorite artist of mine: Cher! We’ve both been a part of iconic fantasy films, and she was a part of my world the very first time I shared my voice.”

With that, she began her performance of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, with an intense percussive remix to it. The panelists praised her voice more than ever as the Black Swan’s “mailbox” clue came out. She read her fan letter: “You’re mega-talented. I’ll never forget when you were on Oprah, and was so excited you recently got the major recognition you deserved. Love ya!”

Ken Jeong reiterated his guess of Dua Lipa, while Robin Thicke tried a new guess: Normani. Either way, the judges figured that they wouldn’t see who she was for a while now because she would probably go all the way to the finals with her voice.

Before the show could cut to commercial, it snuck in Piglet’s new clue package. The screen showed clips from his performances so far as he said: “You know what’s crazy? I remember watching Season 1 of The Masked Singer with my little piggy, and I asked what character I should be. The answer: a pig!”

“It was fate,” he continued. “But I gotta be honest, it’s a chance to be just an absolute idiot, and it’s okay, you know what I mean? When your hat’s got a propeller it’s like, the whole thing is just absolutely ridiculous. I’m more of a serious guy in my normal life., but the Piglet’s taught me how to be a big ham, and though I may not be taking myself too seriously, I’m taking this competition very seriously.”

“I’m gonna win for myself, my family, and my all-time idol Bruce Willis! I was speechless when we met, always cool to meet a fellow action star,” he hinted. “And now, here in the quarter-finals, the stakes have never been higher. So it’s time to take down the competition with a completely unexpected Masked Singer first!”

8:09 p.m. – Russian Dolls

This week, the show kicked off with some behind-the-scenes footage, including more shots of the contestants wearing reflective visors instead of their usual masks. It then cut to host Nick Cannon‘s most grand entrance yet, followed by the introductions of the usual panel along with guest-panelist comedian Rob Riggle.

They then got right to the clues with a special new feature of the week — the contestants explained who they are a super fan of and why helping the audience to guess who might be under the mask. The Russian Dolls were the first to take this on, saying: “The star who has inspired us is our other friend, Weird Al Yankovic! He’s literally given us great direction in our lives.”

The rest of the Russian Dolls’ clue package for this week was made up of footage from the show, including a few rarified shots from inside their masks so the audience could see what it was like to wear their costumes. They seemed to hint that there are indeed more than one person inside some of their suits and enjoyed keeping the mystery of their numbers alive.

Finally, the Russian Dolls got down to business singing “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John. They all wore the singer’s iconic pink sunglasses, with one of them playing a baby grand piano illuminated with the U.K. Flag. Other British scenery surrounded them throughout the performance. The panelists cheered them with a standing ovation, and Riggle called The Masked Singer “the weirdest show I’ve ever seen” before they could move on.

Finally, the Men in Black presented yet another clue — a piece of fan mail sent to the artists behind The Russian Dolls. The letter said: “I was a fan of you individually, but when I saw you band together in person — wow! Like, I can’t even. Love you to the moon and back again.”

Riggle shot from the hip with his first guess: 1970s rock band Devo. Ken Jeong floated the idea of the band Savage Garden, who were friends with Weird Al Yankovic. However, he was more confident in his second guess, Barenaked Ladies. Meanwhile, Nicole Scherzinger was more confident than ever in her repeated guess: Hanson.

There are two more weeks to see who will win The Masked Singer and be the last to remove their mask. The show airs on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. You can stream the show live on FuboTV with a free trial available here, or watch it starting the next morning on Hulu with a free trial available here.

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