Iconic Crooner Eliminated in Closest Vote Margin Ever

There are no bad performers anymore, and there weren’t even any bad performances tonight. Everyone is settling into their wheelhouse in very different genres and styles and really showcasing their artistry. This has been a really fun and strong season, and it’s setting up to be an incredible — and incredibly tight — final.

The theme was “Soundtrack of My Life” and with that came people very special to the five remaining celebrities, including spouses and kids. They donned masks of their own to talk about their favorite humans as their inspiration pushed those stars to some of their best performances yet.

In the end, less than a single percentage point separated the celebrity who went home and those who survived to sing another week. If ever there was a week to hold your head high after an elimination, it was this one. So whose journey came to a bittersweet end after setting a TMS record?

Let’s jump right in with this week’s mask. And don’t worry, before we get to the shocking unmasking(s), we’re going to make you power through the terrible (and occasionally good) guesses made by our illustrious panel of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora first. We do this because we love … to torture you.

(“More Than a Feeling,” Boston) Short and sweet, but this one definitely had some moments for almost everyone to have a moment to shine. In fact, only Nessy — who had to share a solo moment with Coral — seemed to get short-changed, as we definitely heard her belting it out later. Or maybe, it’s just that everyone else managed to find moments even outside the arrangement to shine. Still, this is a talented and diverse bunch, setting up another tough night.

But as soon as their performance ended, Detective Lucky Duck — whose identity is another season secret yet to be revealed — returned to reveal that one of the Top 5 masks has “stolen something very valuable from you … Robin.”

(“Sk8er Boi,” Avril Lavigne) Coral was clearly having so much fun singing this track she connects with. The pop-punk vibe fit her vocal and personality extremely well, as she brought the right amount of youthful energy and verve to the stage. Vocally, she’s got a great, almost pure tone. It’s very clean, with a sweetness baked in, which made for a charming punk moment.

Clues & Guesses: For “Soundtrack of My Life” night, we got to meet Coral’s BFF, who shared that they met during an audition and “chemistry test” for a huge project that would go on to change both of their lives six years ago. We saw a “Musical” film slate, bouquet of lilies and a skateboard, too.

On stage, she shared that her parents are also huge influences. “They’ve been there for me through the great times and the really difficult times in my life, and I really, truly would be nowhere without them,” she said, adding, “I love you, mom and dad!”

Last week, Coral told us she’s actually famous for a huge franchise, before sharing she has an Anonymouse (Demi Lovato) connection. For her Q&A, we learned her franchise is in Rita’s “same family,” her connection to Anonymouse is “the happiest place on Earth,” and she does not come from a famous family.

Coral previously revealed to us that she and her dad bonded for years over the music of the Rat Pack, and this was actually their favorite song. She talked about how he was the one by her side every day when she moved from the East to the West Coast to chase her dream, leaving her feeling lonely and terrified.

Visual clues this admitted shy girl revealed during included a ghost, high school class ring, an old radio, and a UFO dangling on a string. Her slot machine clue was red apples, with her adding, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!”

For her second clue package, Coral went spooky with images of a spider and a werewolf as she talked about bringing that BDE (Big Donkey Energy) to a performance dedicated to the “leading man” in her life. He was apparently an actual leading man she first turned into a friend … and then that blossomed into more.

We also saw her reading from her very own comic book, which had the panel thinking about superheroes. Coral’s fairy tale clue was “Coral and the Silver Screen.” She explained in her peppy manner, “With a little magic and a lot of hard work, you too can sing and dance on the silver screen.”

Right away in the premiere, Coral loved her costume when she first saw it, praising it’s majestic look with hard, tough edges, “the kind that’s strong and resilient.

She shared that she spent years begging people to let her sing, but it took eight years of rejection before she got the chance. From a little girl struggling through the madness of the music industry, she said one small victory (a single yes) turned into her voice being heard across the globe.

“All those nos just made me stronger, and all it took was one yes to start a way to success,” she said perkily on stage. Her clue package showed her hammering on the roof of a literal model home, while a red broken heart on a TV screen accompanied all those nos she got, so could this be a reality singing show reject?

Rita wondered if the mom-and-dad shoutout and Demi Lovato connection, as well as her own Disney connection, could be pointing to Hilary Duff. Ken, though, thinks it could be Ashley Tisdale, tying the slate to High School Musical. Robin, though, actually took the “Sk8er Boi” song literally to find Shaun White’s fiancée Nina Dobrev.

As much as the panel was loving that guess, though, the internet thinks they’re missing one huge Disney franchise: Zombies. The “Z” in a previous clue ties to it, and did you know that Meg Donnelly met her longtime BFF Milo Manheim during auditions?

She was also born in NYC and grew up in New Jersey, while she’s also done some DC superhero voiceover work — and she notably fell in love with her leading man Winchesters costar, Drake Rodger.

(“Million Reasons,” Lady Gaga) Nessy packed a lot of heart in this performance, showing off a tender side to his voice, as well as the power that he possesses. He didn’t quite feel like he fit the cadence of the track, nor did he completely nail the ending, but this was overall another strong performance from a consummate musical professional (we’re pretty sure).

Clues & Guesses: Nessy’s daughter came out to talk about him this week, and basically proved that he’s a great dad — all the way down to being so cringey she gets embarrassed by his antics all the time. Those include social media posts and even his music videos. But he also love and supports her, and even taught her to drive a tractor!

She showed a travel bag full of maybe plane or train tickets, a milkshake (because he makes great ones), a book (because he helps her with her homework) and a clock reading 3:00. “I did all of this because I thought she would either think it was funny, or think it was cringey,” he said of his daughter, “but either way I’m winning.”

Killing one guess in his last clue package, Nessy revealed he’s not Pat Monahan, before showing a “Touring Schedule” clue, which included stops in the states of LA, NC, TN, SC, GA, IL, NH, NJ, and FL. His Q&A responses taught us he’s friends with Bigfoot, TikTok is his favorite platform, he follows Jenny, and feels like he has arguably “one of the most famous” love songs. He also has a bunch of kids.

The 1980s was the decade of choice for Nessy, who talked on “Decades Night” about rocking REO Speedwagon out of his own boombox. He shared that he once toured with the band, who taught him about how to express love through lyrics. Now, he said that “Valentine’s Day is practically my Super Bowl.”

Along the way, we saw a boombox, a bee, treadmill, and a snowman, while his mention of mullets suggested he might have rocked one then. His ’80s Time Machine clue is a cassette reading “Bieber & Puth.” Nessy explained, “They’re just a couple of kids who famously covered my music. And I got to score some cool dad points.”

For “Boy Band Night,” Nessy came out and shared that he had a pretty direct rivalry going with one boy band in particular, *NSYNC. Not only were they battling for record sales and on the charts, but for air time on MTV’s TRL. When Ken called *NSYNC his contemporaries, he quipped, “I’m pretty sure I dropped my AARP card in the bottom of this costume while I was dancing.”

Nessy then shared how he finally got to connect with the boys at a celebrity golf tournament, where they competed hard and he played “the worst game of my life.” Along the way, we saw Nessy fishing, *NSYNC on a stop sign, a cart with popcorn, gummy worms and (root?) beer bottles. He said that these days he misses the “friendly competition,” which is why he’s loving being on this show.

His concert merch clue came from the Nick Cannon T-Shirt Cannon, shot by *NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick. Chris also shared his vibe was that Nessy was a country singer. The t-shirt itself was Nessy in a heart. “Just like the boy banders, I was also known for my love songs,” he explained.

In his first clue package, Nessy had us thinking of celebrities who live somewhere celebrities don’t live, with even his neighbors and mailman not necessarily knowing he’s the same guy who’s that other famous guy. Nessy called himself a “gentle giant” in this first clue package where he said he’s a “little mysterious” and intentionally “reclusive” on his acreage.

A radio with a star on it suggests either a musical artist — we can definitely hear that — or even a deejay with an amazing singing voice. He also polished a horseshoe, showed off a red card with white lip print, and his family rose from the waters behind him, hinting at a wife and three kids.

Nessy shared, “I took a lot of time off to be with my family. But then being able to come on here and be invited back into the limelight, that really feels good.”

Ken thought of Blues Traveler with the travel bag, and tied the digital clock to the track “Borrowed Time” to consider John Popper. Jenny took the bag full of what could also be letters and found “Letter to My Daughters,” by Uncle Kracker. Robin, though, wasn’t to be fooled by the red herring clues like the “3:00” empowering those wrong Rob Thomas guesses.

Instead, he’s standing true with his guess last week with one of the biggest love songs of all time, Edwin McCain and “I’ll Be.” He has three kids, including one daughter who he probably taught to drive the tractor on their sprawling rural property.

Looking at previous clues, Justin Bieber has performed “I’ll Be” extensively over the years, as has Charlie Puth, to cover that shout-out. In fact, McCain gives them both a shout-out for covering that and his other huge love ballad “I Could Not Ask for More” on his official website.

We also got a clue when Season 3’s Banana, Bret Michaels, dropped in to tell us he’s rocked out with Nessy many times. Did you know that Bret Michaels and Edwin McCain have paired up on stage, including an upcoming show in Tennessee? Edwin has opened for Bret, and they’ve even collaborated on a song together called “Raine.”

(“Golden Hour,” JVKE) Boogie Woogie took on one of the most challenging new songs for any new artist. You have to hit that rapid rhythm in the rap portion and then shift immediately into smooth R&B belting notes, and Boogie Woogie did that with aplomb. While just sustaining a single note, we could hear and feel his passion and pain. This was shockingly intense and captivating from the start, with Robin declaring him “still the front-runner to win” the season.

Clues & Guesses: Even before he sang, his wife came on as his biggest supporter, talking about how his music has helped others process grief, overcome illness, and even saved lives — at least based on what fans have said. She said he took the heartbreaking loss of his mother, which shattered him, and channeled it into his empowering music, and even inspired her own music.

We saw a silver (or was that platinum?) album next to her, as well as a “Super Suit” suitcase, while she talked. He told us “Golden Hour” reminds him of his wife, “especially when we got to sing at sunset at the White House.”

In this latest mini-package of clues, Boogie Woogie revealed that he has kids and showed a Statue of Liberty with an acoustic guitar, Q&A answers added that he’s famous for his voice, can rollerblade, has been publicly heartbroken, and his favorite sport is basketball.

Boogie Woogie paid tribute to his mother in his previous clue package, referencing the fact he lost her just a few years back. Before that, their house was filled with her beautiful voice and the “happy songs and uplifting lyrics” she and his dad put out there.

Boogie Woogie said that after he lost her, he lost his hope for a bit. But playing old records of her music helped to revive his own optimism. We also got visual clues including a flag with crossbones on it, an “English 101” book, and a rose he placed in mom’s memory.

His boot-scootin’ clue was MLB. “People say I hit a real home run at the World Series,” Boogie Woogie explained.

Turns out Boogie Woogie is a ray of positivity and sunshine all the time, something he got from his parents, who made kid shows. He said that he’s been called everything from naive to sheltered to fake by the haters, but though it hurts, he won’t let it get him down, or change who he is.

He even shared that he mostly gets told his positivity is inspiring, and has even saved lives. Visually in the package we saw a telescope with a star on the end of it, a disco ball, and a pair of tap shoes.

Previously, Ernie Hudson brought out his Ghostbusters clue, which was a scroll that read “Doctorate of Medical Science.” Boogie Woogie explained, “Nothing scary about this clue. In fact, being attached to this show was a very pleasant surprise.”

BW — can we call you BW? — came out with so much pump and swag in his first appearance, slamming into Nick and clearly having a blast looking like an oversized disco Muppet. As he owned this disco stage his clue package revealed that he spent his childhood wanting to be the center of attention.

As he tried to shift into entertainment, he found mixed success, though. He said he had dreams of being a clown, teaching himself to juggle, and a magician. He even entered a talent show and won, but when he shifted to trying to make it for real, he wound up struggling to make ends meet as a busker.

Visual clues included four quarters from 1972 in his busker’s magician’s hat, a Boogie Woogie Magazine, and the red, yellow, and blue balls he juggled. On stage, he said, “My main magic trick for this whole situation is to make the other monsters and singers disappear.”

Robin considered the platinum album to “Bad Day” and Daniel Powter, but Rita was really hoping she could guess Charlie Puth, “but he’s not married.” Jenny then told him he just got married (he married Brooke Sansone last year), so now that’s her guess.

Jenny said the “Super Suit” made her think of Spider-Man, with The Killers featuring on his soundtrack. So could it be Brandon Flowers? Robin said, “I love you, Jenny, but I don’t hear that in the voice.”

They keep dancing all around the internet’s favorite guess, which is that this is Andy Grammer, who did, in fact, sing at the White House for its 2022 4th of July celebration. His wife, Aijia Grammer, is also an accomplished musician, and even appeared on The Voice in 2016.

Andy, who grew up in New York, and his wife have two biological kids, and adopted four more. His father was children’s singer Robert “Red” Grammar and made music with his wife, Kathy Willoughby Grammer. She also lost her battle with breast cancer in 2009, which Andy has admitted shaped him. Oh, and he brought the house down twice with the national anthem at the World Series: Game 1 in 2015 and Game 6 in 2022.

Andy also admitted to Parade back in 2015 that he thought he wanted to be a clown before he found music. But perhaps most tellingly, his song “Don’t Give Up on Me” went viral in 2019 after it appeared in a poignant scene from Grey’s Anatomy about Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) frustrations with the medical system failing patients. It was his second track on the show, after “Always,” but definitely the more impactful one.

(“Your Love,” The Outfield) Pearl attacks each song like a classic old-school southern rocker. There’s that gritty edge to her voice that is utterly captivating, and she pairs it with pitch-perfect control of her instrument. There’s seasoning on her voice, but this is an artist with a unique sound and a clear vision of the sound she’s going for — and it’s one we could listen to for days!

Clues & Guesses: Pearl’s brand new son-in-law came on to talk about “Mama Pearl,” who talked about how scared he was to ask her for her daughter’s hand in marriage because she is one tough oyster. He understands, though, as she raised her daughter alone.

Throughout his story, we saw a “Movie” cassette, musical note gold earrings, and a massive wrench because she knows how to “hitch a trailer.” When asked about picking The Outfield’s “Your Love” as her soundtrack, she said it was more about the rock genre. “It makes me feel strong,” she said, adding, “That one was for the pearls.”

While she told us she’s not Shania Twain last week, debunking Jenny’s favorite guess, she did drop a huge “ELVIS” clue. Her Q&A revealed her favorite food is candy, is “a little better than” a gold record holder.

Pearl choosing to sing Dolly Parton for Grand Ole Opry Night was no mistake, as she has adored the country music legend for years. She even shared the story of when the pair got to share the stage, and she did not know what to wear.

Luckily, Dolly not only had the perfect outfit on, she told Pearl she has two of everything and gave her the spare — which fit perfectly. Along the way, we saw a Christmas wreath, a red carpet, and an angel.

Her on-stage clue was a flexing bicep, which Pearl explained, “As a strong woman, there’s nothing I like more than making others feel strong, too. In fact, I’ve been quoted as saying that.”

Last week, our tough superstar opened up about part of how she gained some of that hard exterior, revealing that she left her small town home as a teenager before graduating high school and wound up working at a bar.

While showing us herself working on a diagram of football plays, Pearl said she broke into the big time “almost by accident.” Other clues included a crescent moon, deer painting in the background, her face on a Wanted poster, and her sweeping and taking out the trash at her early days bar job.

Her on-stage clue was the phrase “Best Seller,” which she added context to by saying, “I’m a bit of a ghostwriter myself. I know how to put pen to paper.”

The main thrust of Pearl’s backstory in her first clue package was that, like a Pearl, she is the treasure within a tough exterior. She’s always loved performing and sees herself as a softy at heart, but no one else really sees her like that because she finds it hard to shake that hard edge.

She said that “people like me aren’t promised a chance at a big break,” so she took any gig she could get until she finally made it. Along the way, we saw a beach, a boat marina, a seaside bar, where she picked from a bowl of cherries, an umbrella, and a baseball.

When asked how this takes her outside of her comfort zone, Pearl told Nick, “I can tell you that I’ve dressed this fancy before. Usually when I’m on the red carpet and they ask me what I’m wearing, I just say, I got it on sale.”

Robin came up with a solid guess when he connected the “Movie” cassette to classic ’80s soundtracks and Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.” Rita considered the gold earrings to gold records to the Lilo & Stitch soundtrack’s Wynonna Judd. Jenny wonders if the stars on her belt could refer to Brandi Carlile’s A Star Is Born.

The panel is moving a little closer to the most popular guess with Wynonna’s edge, but they still haven’t landed on the most popular guess online, which absolutely has that voice, and that’s the “Redneck Woman” herself, Gretchen Wilson, who’s always “Here for the Party.” Her connection to Elvis would be when she was one of the featured artists on his posthumous album of holiday duets, where she got to sing “Merry Christmas Baby” with him.

Gretchen also dropped out of the 8th grade to go work as a cook and bartender in a bar in rural Illinois after growing up in Pocahontas, IL (pop. 680). And, to tie with more old clues, she’s said that after she praised Dolly Parton’s pants, the icon let her wear them when the two of them shared the stage as part of a tribute to women in country music at the 2019 CMA Awards.

(“The Scientist,” Coldplay) Mad Scientist Monster paid tribute to his wife with this countrified take on her favorite song. He had such a classic country tone on this track, delivering it with straightforward earnestness and heart. This was pure sincerity with a richness to his tone that is unmistakable. This guy is a clear bona fide country singing superstar who had all the confidence in the world in his instrument … and deservedly so.

Clues & Guesses: Mad Scientist Monster — or MSM as we’re calling him — sang Coldplay’s “The Scientist” as it’s his wife’s favorite song, and she was on hand to gush about her monster husband and how she recalls being his “audience of one” while he worked on what would become his first monster hit.

“I wanted to do ‘The Scientist’ because it’s a pretty emotional and heartfelt song, let’s be honest,” he said, “which is really different than what most people know me for; party anthem kind of guy.”

As we saw “Summer Break” written on a calendar and a chessboard with only the knights on it in the clue package, his wife revealed that she grew up on orphan and didn’t really know how to love until he came into her life. She said that she and the babies miss him, but was clearly so proud of what he’s accomplishing.

Last week, we didn’t get much in the way of new clues, other than to find out he’s not Keith Urban — but has shared a stage with him — and a Tennessee flag. The panel’s Q&A revealed he drives a Ford Raptor, has won many awards for his singing and is “way younger” than Ken Jeong.

In the previous clue package, we learned how MSM has loved and lost in his life. He shared how he “didn’t do it alone,” but with different theories on life, they ultimately went their separate ways, which he ultimately learned was the right decision. Is he talking about love or a professional partnership?

He also talked about how the 2010s were very good to him, as he won every award possible (except for a Nobel). We saw a cowboy hat, the Sun (LeAnn Rimes) mask, a silver pickup truck, and got the message that not everyone will love you in life — a lesson he learned — and that’s okay, too.

His 2010s Time Machine clue was The Masked Singer Season 4, with Mad Scientist Monster sharing, “I’ve performed with someone from Season 4.” Could it, again, be LeAnn Rimes? How about Aloe Blacc, Nick Carter, Tori Kelly, Chloe Kim, Taylor Dayne, Paul Anka. Dr. Elvis Francois, Lonzo Ball, Clint Black, Lisa Hartman Black, Bob Saget, Wendy Williams, Mark Sanchez, Brian Austin Green, or Busta Rhymes? Man, that was a fun season!

For “Boy Band Night,” MSM opened up about falling in love with his wife, from the moment they met passing a bowl of cranberry sauce at a friendsgiving celebration.

As he told the story of their love and eventual marriage, we saw a grandfather clock with seasons passing across its face and a thumbs up, a sand castle, and a massive cruise ship. He also tickled a pic of Piglet (Nick Lachey) backstage.

His Nick Cannon T-Shirt read both “BTS” and “BSB.” MSM explained, “It’s an honor to have won the same award as both Backstreet Boys and BTS.”

In his first package, we learned MSM almost didn’t wind up in whatever field he’s in now, where he says he’s “changed the world.” Instead, he was on the way to being the best in a different field, getting scouted and nearly breaking out.

But it all fell apart when everyone was wanting to recruit him, leaving him sidelined and costing him his chance at glory. But he reacted to that setback with a pivot that showed him his purpose. Along the way, we saw “Fast” on a radar gun for clocking speed, and a fish tank, along with all his experiments in the lab.

“You know what?” he said on stage. “This is so important to me because it gives me an opportunity to reintroduce myself to fans in a way that they’ve never seen before.”

Robin wondered if the “all knights” chess clue could refer to “All Night Long” — “I don’t think that’s Lionel Richie!” — as in the line from Rascal Flatts’ “Life Is a Highway,” leading to his Gary LeVox guess. Ken, though, thought of Kane Brown’s “One Night Only” and the Summer Break for “Short Skirt Weather.” Rita went out on a limb that this could be Jelly Roll, whose wife has “been holding him down, honey!”

Those are all fine guesses — we’re surprised, too! — but they’re just not lining up. The guess online that we’ve come to embrace is still Brian Kelley, whose wife Brittney Cole has opened up about being orphaned at 17 years old and her childhood struggles. He also certainly knows about a huge breakup — though not with his wife — when he and Tyler Hubbard disbanded Florida Georgia Line in 2022 after a decade of dominance.

Kelley was a baseball player in college and was even scouted by a few professional teams before he shifted his focus to music. Even more specifically, in regards to his clue about how he met his wife, Kelley and his wife met at a Thanksgiving dinner where they were dating two siblings — only reconnecting later and forming their own relationship. Oh, and he’s 6’3″.

Another strong night of really strong performances is not only proving just how good this season of TMS has been, but how hard it’s going to be to finally pick a winner. We have a feeling it may just come down to either personal taste, or who really has a stellar night at the finale because all of these are world-class artists in their respective lanes.

Along those same lines, though, we’d have to say that of the five performances we saw, only one wasn’t quite as solid or defined as to who he is as an artist and what his overall message is through his music — or any song he performs. And we’re basing that almost solely on the fact he faltered his final moments, and the others did not. It was that solid of a night.

Coral has that youthful pop vibe with a hint of edge down, Pearl is knocking down that edge into full southern rock, MSM is classic country, and Boogie Woogie delivers that big, open, joyful sound. Nessy seems to have a singer-songwriter energy, but it’s not reaching out and grabbing in quite the same way.

At least, it didn’t tonight for us, so that’s who we’d pick to go in a very tight race. In the end, the studio audience and panel agreed, though by “the closest margin in Masked Singer history,” cutting Nessy from the competition “by less than one percent.”

His Crack the Case Clue Case revealed his most meaningful clue yet, a Celtic knot. Nessy explained, “It symbolizes eternal love, which is something that heavily influenced my career.”

• Robin Thicke: Edwin McCain
• Jenny McCarthy: Johnny Rzeznik
• Ken Jeong: John Popper
• Rita Ora: Dave Matthews

Robin has the ear and the knowledge to have put this together, as Edwin McCain has not only one of the most distinctive voices in music, but he definitely delivered one of the most legendary love songs of all time.

It sucks to get eliminated this close to the finals, but getting knocked out by less than a single percentage point and setting a Masked Singer record along the way is certainly a proud way to do it. This could have gone either way, it seems, proving that he’s every bit as deserving of the stellar run he’s had to make it to this point.

Edwin shared a hilarious story about getting distracted by a bead of sweat making its way down his back during a performance, joking, “I started pulling for it.” The moral of the story: “It’s hot in here!”

“I had to tell my daughter what I was doing, but my sons have no idea that this is happening right now,” he added. “I can’t wait for them to be like, ‘What?!'”

With this correct guess, Robin pulled into a tie with “Clue Queen” Jenny, proving she was right to be nervous about it, as we saw in a silly backstage clip with her hubby, Donnie Wahlberg. With four guesses each, they’re neck-and-neck with only four masks to go!

The Masked Singer continues next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.