The Masked Singer is back for its seventh season in just four years, and the fun is already underway. This season, the show has a theme, with three groups called Team Good, Team Bad, and Team Cuddly. Each team includes five singers, hoping to score the Golden Mask Trophy. Host Nick Cannon teased the "most bonker season yet," and set the bar really high at the start.
Who lived up to the excitement from the introduction? Check out PopCulture.com's live blog to find out how the premiere unfolded and who was under McTerrier's mask. (Additionally, if you want to catch the episode live, you can check out FuboTV, which is offering a free trial to new users. Episodes are also available to stream the next day on Hulu.)
The studio audience picked McTerrier as the first contestant to send home. Jeong guessed Mike Myers again as the person under the giant dog head. Thicke was still standing behind Flea, while Scherzinger guessed Ewan McGregor again. McCarthy, who didn't guess a celebrity earlier, picked comedian Jeff Ross. After the unmasking, McTerrier was revealed to be celebrity chef Duff Goldman. He's best known for his Food Network show Ace of Cakes.
After the break, Firefly got another chance to finish performing "Ain't Nobody." This time, everything went well. The panel was split on who exactly this could be. Jeong guessed Alicia Keys, but McCarthy believed it was comedian Aisha Tyler. McCarthy also guessed R&B singer Monica.
Team Bad member Ram took the stage after Firefly. Ram's "clue-mercial" is for the "ramscaper" electric razor. There seemed to be plenty of football references throughout. Ram sang Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me." McCarthy put some clues together and guessed Jim Harbaugh. Jeong also agreed it was a football player, guessing Matthew Stafford. Thicke suggested Peyton Manning.
It was the Good Team's turn again, with Firefly taking the stage next. Her "clue-mercial" was for a portable charger called On The Fly. She began to perform Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" before she began choking. Stagehands rushed to help her, and she was unable to finish performing. After a brief break, Nick Cannon returned to the stage to share that medical professionals were looking after Firefly backstage and that her health is their first priority.
Team Bad took a turn in the premiere with Cyclops taking the stage. Cyclops sold Cy-Drops in his "clue-mercial." Then, Cyclops sang Creed's "My Sacrifice." Unfortunately, the clunky costume makes it a little hard for Cyclops to do much dancing. McCarthy guessed Cobra Kai's William Zabka, while Scherzinger suggested Danny McBride. Thicke picked Ridiculousness' Rob Dyrdek.
McTerrier from Team Good took the stage next, and their "clue-mercial" was for a "terry towel." McTerrier started performing Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" behind a drum kit with "Stop" printed on the bass drum. Whoever was in the costume clearly had trouble seeing out of the head. In fact, McTerrier wound up taking a tumble and his mask fell off before the show went to commercial. After the break, a stagehand ran onto the stage to get the mask back on the singer. Jeong guessed Mike Myers, but Scherzinger suggested it was Ewan McGregor. Thicke guessed Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Team Cuddly took the stage first in the premiere, with Thingamabob performing first. The Cuddly Channel "clue-mercial" included a few hints of Thingamabob's identity, including a Hotel California ornament, then a golden pitbull ready to capture him. However, the pitbull joins the campaign to save Thingamabob. The celebrity under the big mask then performed Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." Jeong's guess was Metallica lead singer James Hetfield, while McCarthy picked WWE Hall of Famer Chris Jericho. Thicke suggested Terrell Owens.
Season 7 kicked off in wild fashion, with Cannon introducing all 15 contestants following a Wild West-themed opening. He then asked the panel which team they think they would be on. Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong would be on Team Cuddly, while Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg wanted to be on Team Bad. Nicole Scherzinger would be "so proud" to represent Team Good.
