Who Is Mantis on ‘The Masked Singer’ Season 9, Episode 8?

The Masked Singer introduced two new contestants during a special movie night episode paying tribute to Warner Bros. One of the new stars was Mantis, who left the crowd shocked with his performance of “Old Time Rock and Roll.” Although he lost the battle royale, Mantis was saved from elimination by Robin Thicke and he got to keep his mask on. Who are they? Check out the clues and guesses from Dandelion’s debut (if you haven’t already been watching via FuboTV or another live service).

Performances and Song Picks

“Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger (from Risky Business)

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Show Clues

Episode 8 monologue: “In a world… where celebrities dress up in elaborate costumes and sing their hearts out, one gentle Mantis is answering the call. ‘I’m in.’ He’s ready to show you a new side of himself. Flying onto the Masked Singer stage, comes a performer known for his brooding persona, who’s ready to show you he’s real freakin’ good at comedy. He’s almost won an Emmy for it. You may not know the Mantis as a singer, but he’s a published author. He’s done Shakespeare, and now he wants to let loose and dance with the wolves. Music has followed Mantis his whole career, from Broadway to the silver screen. So get ready for some insect insanity. Because this bug’s coming to the stage right now.”

Episode 8 Visual Clues: Mantis was shown climbing up a building. He was taken to the stage on a helicopter and carried a guitar in another scene. He was shown holding a plush dog. One of the Men in Black wore cowboy boots when they were playing cards. there was also a close-up of a match and gasoline can before the explosion.

Episode 8 On-stage Clue: Sunglasses with a tag reading “true story.” “Representing a legend was instrumental to my success. It was an honor to do so.”

The Guesses

Robin Thicke: Dennis Quaid

Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg: Cole Hauser, Kevin Bacon

Ken Jeong: Bruce Springstreen

Nicole Scherzinger: Keanu Reeves (she guessed later in the episode)

Our Guess: While Dennis Quaid and Kevin Bacon have both been nominated for Emmys, we don’t think it’s either of them. Bacon has played real people in his career and is a musician, so he does sound like a plausible candidate. Bruce Springsteen does have multiple Emmy nominations, but he’s never played anyone in a movie or TV show who was a legend. This might sound crazy, but it could be Kurt Russell! He does have an Emmy nomination, which he earned for playing Elvis Presley in the acclaimed 1979 TV movie Elvis. Some viewers guessed Bob Odenkirk and Sean Hayes on Twitter as well.

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.