‘The Masked Singer’: Panther Is a ’90s R&B Star

The Masked Singer‘s studio audience had to make a difficult decision in Week 2 of Season 8, meaning that one of the more skilled singers to take the stage had to head home early. Panther stunned the crowd with a cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” but it was not enough to move on to the next round. When Panther’s mask was removed, the audience was shocked to see a 1990s R&B star under it. (If you weren’t already watching via FuboTV or another live service). Spoilers ahead!

Panther’s clue package included several hints that pointed in the direction of Montell Jordan, who is best known for his hit 1995 song “This Is How We Do It.” Jordan really did become the subject of a death hoax in 2012. He also worked with Beyonce on the 2003 comedy The Fighting Temptations. The package also mentioned that Panther started a new life for himself. Jordan did just that in 2010 when he abruptly canceled plans for a comeback and became a pastor.

After his performance of “Feeling Good,” the panelists all agreed that Panther had to be a professional singer. However, Ken Jeong went the other way and picked NBA star Andre Drummond because Panther is really tall. He also threw out actor Sam Richardson’s name. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg suggested Brian McKnight or Lamar Odom (because Odom almost died). Nicole Scherzinger suggested it was Billy Porter or members of the Jackson 5.

The Masked Singer Season 8 began with a whopping 22 contestants, meaning there will be multiple unmaskings in every episode. Week 2 also featured Pi-Rat’s unmasking, with the audience learning it was Jeff Dunham under the mask. The episode also opened with Hummingbird being revealed to be Chris Kirkpatrick after he was eliminated at the end of Week 1. The other contestants revealed in Week 1 were Eric Idle as Hedgehog and William Shatner as Knight. 

How to Watch

The Masked Singer airs on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. If you don’t have a traditional cable package, FuboTV allows you to watch The Masked Singer live (there’s even a free trial available). Additionally, all episodes of The Masked Singer are available on Hulu the following day.