The Masked Singer just revealed another costume in the mix for Season 5. In a promo released a week ahead of the season premiere, judge Jenny McCarthy introduced the Raccoon in an exclusive reveal for Hulu. The furry creature wears fringed blue jeans, a plaid shirt, a work vest and a hat. Aside from the initial reveal, no other big clues were dropped about the Raccoon’s identity, leaving fans on social media in the dark for the time being.
While many Twitter users said they were getting country music singer vibes from the costume, others simply marveled at its adorable face. “HOLY S— THIS MASK IS CUTE,” one user wrote. “So cute,” another said. “I’m just going to nickname this particular costume Ranger Rick,” someone else quipped, while another person threw out guesses for Billy Ray Cyrus, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney.
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The Masked Singer is back in one week! Ready to see the latest costume? 🦝 pic.twitter.com/FIoFPvXsdO
— Hulu (@hulu) March 3, 2021
Raccoon will join a slew of already-revealed costumes for Season 5, including Chameleon, Grandpa Monster, Phoenix, Russian Dolls, Snail, Piglet, Black Swan, Seashell and Porcupine. Some of those costumes will be wildcard contestants, a new twist designed to shake up the competition. The surprise contestants will compete at the end of several episodes in “wildcard” rounds to unseat a member in one of the five main groups.
Season 5 features an array of contestants with some pretty impressive accolades. Fox said about the masked celebrities, “The Season 5 contestants boast a combined 26 Grammy nominations, nine multi-platinum singles, four Academy Award nominations, three Super Bowl appearances, six gold medals and two World Records.” The judges’ panel, which is comprised of McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke, will all be back to share their guesses behind the mysterious singing celebrities’ identities.
Nick Cannon will not return for his duties as a host — at least for the first half of the show – as he tested positive for COVID-19 and could not film. While he recovered, Niecy Nash filled in as the guest host and spoke generously of her time on the show, saying she “never felt so welcomed” despite being a newcomer.
“I just walked in the door and every single person supported me and was so kind,” she said this week. “The producers, my hats off to you because they gave me such a beautiful surprise. I’m recently married. They surprised everybody, not just me, but I loved my surprise. They gave me a beautiful video message from my new wife and I wanted to cry my fake eyelashes off. I was sad to go; I really was.”
Season 5 of The Masked Singer premieres Wednesday, March 10 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Do you have early predictions for Raccoon or any of the other masked celebrities? Share your thoughts in the comments below.