Music is one of the most universal things that unites us all. We can all relate to that one song that has defined us in some way. To celebrate those moments, The Masked Singer brought back “Soundtrack Of Your Life” night. The three remaining celebrity acts are going to sing songs that have played a special part in their lives. And perhaps, they will lead to some important clues before their unmasking. To kick off the evening, Ship, Buffalo, and Woodpecker unite for a performance of “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco. It’s a fun performance that gives us a reminder of just how strong this group of artists are. Losing any of them is going to be tough.

With only three characters left, the Group A final is going to be savage, as only one celebrity will be moving on to the next round, the quarterfinals. The songs that the singers perform will not only hold a special place in their hearts, but they will share stories of important moments that have shaped their lives. Here is how the night will go down. Ship, Buffalo, and Woodpecker will each perform their song. The audience will then vote before one will be unmasked. Then, a fierce Battle Royale will test the two remaining characters. Three acts enter, and only one act will remain! Unless there is a surprise! Cue the “Ding Dong Keep It On Bell.” It is back this season. This mechanic allows the panel to save an eliminated singer from unmasking. It can only be used once across all the group finals. With two more groups to go, will they use it tonight?

The Buffaloes Bring a Harmonious Symphony

This week, the clue package shows the characters in their infamous black hoodies as they rehearse their songs while they give a voiceover of their clues. When the Buffaloes, since there are three of them now, share their clues, they are a bit somber. They mention that they chose their song, “Bittersweet Symphony,” because they have learned sometimes the hardest parts of life are forced to be the most harmonious. With an image of a cowbell and a Dead End sign, they reveal that they lost a member who guided them. When they laid him to rest, they say he would have wanted them to keep the herd together. Now, they are left with a MacGyver-shaped hole in their hearts. This clue package was one of the most difficult ones of the night.

Their performance of “Bittersweet Symphony” was beautifully triumphant. It’s one that certainly is bound to give you all the feels. This week, they dropped some synchronized choreography, which makes us think that Buffaloes know something about moving and grooving like a boy band. For their time capsule clue, they present a t-shirt that reads “Halftime Show.” Could they be a previous act at the Super Bowl? The guesses include Boyz II Men, B2K, Black Eyed Peas, and Bones Thugs-N-Harmony.

The Night’s First Unmasking
Image via Fox

It is time for Woodpecker to share her clues. She shares that she is all a-twitter to be in the Group A finals. She is singing a song for the strong chicks in her life. Woodpecker reveals that her great-grandmother passed along her love for music, including jazz and Ray Charles. Her maternal grandmother gave her the courage to go after her dreams. And her other grandmother, perhaps the one from TV named Jenifer Lewis, gave her the love of The Masked Singer, which they always watch together. Some images in her clue package include a photo of Regina Hall and a burger of some sort. Are we getting closer to knowing who Woodpecker is?

For her performance, Woodpecker sings “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae. Woodpecker’s tone was filled with soul and purity. It was a melodic performance that showcases her maturity. The panel was happy to see Woodpecker’s vulnerability. Woodpecker gives a shoutout to her “grammy,” hoping she is making her proud. When the Men in Black bring out her time capsule clue, it is a pair of glasses. Nick Cannon knows exactly who it is based on the glasses, though the panel thinks he’s fibbing. When it came to guesses, the panel says Liza Koshy, Quinton Brunson, and Tatyana Ali.

As stated at the top of the show, the audience and panel would vote for their favorite singer, and the singer with the least number of votes would be unmasked. Sadly, it is the end of the line for Woodpecker. For their final guesses, Robin Thicke says Liza Koshy, Rita Ora says Keke Palmer, Ken Jeong says Quinta Brunson, and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg says Tatyana Ali. For the first time this season, none of the panelists are correct. It is Marsai Martin from Black-ish!

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The Battle Royale Sunk Ship
Image via Fox

For Ship, she says that she always trusted her heading, even if it was risky. She reveals she is singing Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” because there was a time when she found herself shipwrecked and broke, living off of a $2 burrito a day. She also shares that she went on an international tour singing backup but returned to drive around in a rental car in hopes of telling her own stories. In her clue package, an image of a rowboat, John Wayne, and a red cape can be seen. Was this the clue package that will help lead us on the voyage to an answer?

In her performance of the Patti Smith track, she gives a bit of soul and grit through her immense emotion. Her tone is quite haunting and dominating, especially when she reaches the chorus. And then, when she hits that high-glory note, she proves she is a solid vocalist. It’s one of the more animated performances Ship has given thus far this season. With passion and soul, she is the queen of the power ballad. Tonight, the singers have brought a time capsule clue to help the panel figure out their identity. For Ship, her clue was a note from LeAnn Rimes that read, “Congrats on the Best New Artist win! You are a leading lady!” The date signed was from 1998. It was easily the most important clue thus far and tells us that this is certainly Paula Cole, winner of the 1998 Grammy for Best New Artist. She also thanks the panel as she has learned she is an introvert while competing on The Masked Singer, a show she watches with her daughter. The panel toss out the guesses of Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Joan Osborne, and Paula Cole.

With Woodpecker having been unmasked, the Battle Royale is between Buffaloes and Ship. For the Battle Royale, both artists perform their own rendition of “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac. Ship is in her element, giving the song exceptional strength and passion. For Buffaloes, their rendition of the track is slowed down with an R&B twist. Get this version on Spotify stat! It’s a battle of the voices, but the panel opts not to use the Ding Dong, Keep It On Bell, saving it for one of the other two groups. The next to unmask is Ship, and the Buffaloes secure their spot in the quarterfinals. For their final guesses, Rita Ora says Sarah McLachlan, Ken Jeong goes with Alanis Morrisette, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg says Paula Cole, and Robin Thicke picks Amy Lee from Evanescence. With the mask off, Ship is officially Paula Cole. Despite a limited amount of music on a music singing show, the performances are top-rate and exceptional. With Group A finishing their arc, we will officially meet Group B for Sports Night next week!

With two unmaskings, it was an emotional episode of ‘The Masked Singer.’ProsThe talent was strong once again from Group A.The Group A finals had a mix of emotion and power through music. ConsThe episode did have a bit of fluff to fill time.

The Masked Singer: Celebrities compete in a singing competition while wearing elaborate costumes and masks to conceal their identities. A panel of judges and the audience work together to guess the performers’ identities based on their voices, performances, and given clues, with weekly eliminations revealing the masked celebrity.Release Date January 2, 2019 Creator Craig Plestis Cast Nick Cannon , robin thicke , Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg , Ken Jeong , Nicole Scherzinger , Rita Ora , Joel McHale , Niecy Nash-Betts , Tori Kelly , Leslie Jordan , T-Pain , Brian Austin Green , Mickey Rourke , Bret Michaels , Chloe Kim , Elvis Francois , Bob Saget Main Genre Reality Seasons 10 Expand

The Masked Singer airs every Wednesday at 8:00pm on Fox. All episodes are available to stream on Hulu.

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