Who is that? It’s the question asked by panelists on The Masked Singer multiple times in each episode, and the answer is: everybody.
Since the show debuted in January 2019, the celebrity contestants have included Joey Fatone, Michelle Williams, Tori Spelling, Mickey Rourke, Patti LaBelle, Kelly Osbourne, Bret Michaels, Lil Wayne, Jordyn Woods, Wendy Williams, Brian Austin Green, Wiz Khalifa and many more.
More than 75 celebrities have donned elaborate costumes for the Fox series, but only five have ever taken home the top prize: the Golden Mask trophy. As with Dancing With the Stars‘ mirrorball trophy, the Golden Mask is highly coveted among contestants.
After Kandi Burruss won in season 3, her son, Ace, immediately demanded to know where the trophy was. “He was so excited,” the Real Housewives of Atlanta star told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2020. “He said, ‘Mommy, did you win?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I won.’ He was like, ‘Where’s your trophy, mommy?’ But they won’t give you your trophy until after the season ends, so I was just like, ‘Well, I’ll get it one day.’”
Once the prize did arrive, though, Burruss knew exactly where she was going to display it: “I’m going to put it right next to the Grammy.”
Several Masked Singer alums have talked about doing the show because their kids love it, but sometimes their children are the hardest viewers to fool. After winning season 5 in May 2021, Nick Lachey told Us Weekly that his three kids with Vanessa Lachey immediately knew he was under the Piglet mask.
“They guessed it the first day and said, ‘Oh, that’s daddy!’” he said of Camden, Brooklyn and Phoenix. “I was excited they knew it was me, but that surprise was gone really early.”
Bobby Brown, who competed as the Crab in season 5, also couldn’t hide the secret from his brood. “I’ve been telling them, ‘No, it’s not Daddy, Daddy is sitting right here,’” he told Us in April 2021. “They thought I ran out and did it before dinner, so they are really confused right now, actually.”
During his time on the show, he dedicated some of his performances to his late children Bobby Brown Jr., who died at 28 in 2020, and Bobbi Kristina Brown, who died at 22 in 2015. When he sang the Bill Withers classic “Ain’t No Sunshine,” he left judge Nicole Scherzinger in tears.
“That song means so much to me personally,” he told Us. “I put my everything into that performance and it was touching to hear everyone’s comments.”
Keep scrolling to find out what all the Masked Singer winners have been up to since taking home the Golden Mask.
Who is that? It’s the question asked by panelists on The Masked Singer multiple times in each episode, and the answer is: everybody.
Since the show debuted in January 2019, the celebrity contestants have included Joey Fatone, Michelle Williams, Tori Spelling, Mickey Rourke, Patti LaBelle, Kelly Osbourne, Bret Michaels, Lil Wayne, Jordyn Woods, Wendy Williams, Brian Austin Green, Wiz Khalifa and many more.
More than 75 celebrities have donned elaborate costumes for the Fox series, but only five have ever taken home the top prize: the Golden Mask trophy. As with Dancing With the Stars‘ mirrorball trophy, the Golden Mask is highly coveted among contestants.
After Kandi Burruss won in season 3, her son, Ace, immediately demanded to know where the trophy was. “He was so excited,” the Real Housewives of Atlanta star told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2020. “He said, ‘Mommy, did you win?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I won.’ He was like, ‘Where’s your trophy, mommy?’ But they won’t give you your trophy until after the season ends, so I was just like, ‘Well, I’ll get it one day.’”
[jwplayer 6HfoGUoq-zhNYySv2]
Once the prize did arrive, though, Burruss knew exactly where she was going to display it: “I’m going to put it right next to the Grammy.”
Several Masked Singer alums have talked about doing the show because their kids love it, but sometimes their children are the hardest viewers to fool. After winning season 5 in May 2021, Nick Lachey told Us Weekly that his three kids with Vanessa Lachey immediately knew he was under the Piglet mask.
“They guessed it the first day and said, ‘Oh, that’s daddy!’” he said of Camden, Brooklyn and Phoenix. “I was excited they knew it was me, but that surprise was gone really early.”
Bobby Brown, who competed as the Crab in season 5, also couldn’t hide the secret from his brood. “I’ve been telling them, ‘No, it’s not Daddy, Daddy is sitting right here,’” he told Us in April 2021. “They thought I ran out and did it before dinner, so they are really confused right now, actually.”
During his time on the show, he dedicated some of his performances to his late children Bobby Brown Jr., who died at 28 in 2020, and Bobbi Kristina Brown, who died at 22 in 2015. When he sang the Bill Withers classic “Ain’t No Sunshine,” he left judge Nicole Scherzinger in tears.
“That song means so much to me personally,” he told Us. “I put my everything into that performance and it was touching to hear everyone’s comments.”
Keep scrolling to find out what all the Masked Singer winners have been up to since taking home the Golden Mask.
Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; John Salangsang/Shutterstock
T-Pain
The “Buy You a Drank” artist became the first Golden Mask winner in 2019 after blowing the judges away with his renditions of songs including “American Woman” and “This Is How We Do It.” They were especially stumped by his real singing voice, which has been distorted by Auto-Tune in some of his biggest hits.
The same day he won The Masked Singer, the musician released a surprise album called 1UP. In 2021, he appeared on an episode of the Netflix series This Is Pop to discuss the use of Auto-Tune in pop music. That same year, he provided the signing voice for Tom in the big-screen adaptation of Tom & Jerry.
Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Wayne Brady
The Whose Line Is It Anyway? star prevailed in season 2 as the Fox, taking home the Golden Mask in December 2019. Before the coronavirus pandemic shut down live theater, he appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Broadway show Freestyle Love Supreme. In 2020, he starred as Tyson Sykes in the CW’s Black Lightning and guested on an episode of Hell’s Kitchen. The following year, he became the host of Game of Talents and landed roles in The Good Fight and Mixed-ish. In 2022, Brady competed on season 31 of Dancing With the Stars with Witney Carson as his partner.
Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Kandi Burruss
The Xscape singer won as the Night Angel in season 3, becoming the show’s first female champion. Since her May 2020 victory, she appeared in season 13 of RHOA and landed a recurring role on The Chi. In 2021, she announced her plans to produce the Broadway show Thoughts of a Colored Man. Her RHOA spinoff Kandi & the Gang premiered in March 2022.
Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; Rob Latour/Shutterstock
LeAnn Rimes
The “Blue” songstress blew the judges away in season 4 as the Sun, winning the top spot in December 2020 after performing songs including Lizzo‘s “Cuz I Love You” and Kesha‘s “Praying.” In 2021, she played herself in the Netflix series Country Comfort. Her latest studio album, God’s Work, dropped in September 2022.
Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; Broadimage/Shutterstock
Nick Lachey
The 98 Degrees singer became the fifth winner in May 2021 after performing as the Piglet. After earning the Golden Mask, he became a host of the Fox singing competition Alter Ego. Later in 2021, he reunited with his former band for a remix EP titled Summer of 98. He and his wife are cohosts of the Netflix dating show Love Is Blind.
Credit: Fox; Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Jewel
“I started singing to save my life,” the singer, who dressed as the Queen of Hearts, said in her final clue package during the December 2021 season 6 finale. “I sang because I needed it. … I want my son to see how I walk through challenges. For me, knowing that my son’s watching just feels like it’s all culminating into this moment.”
She ultimately won the season, with Todrick Hall (dressed as the Bull) coming in second.
Credit: Michael Becker/FOX; AFF/USA/Shutterstock
Teyana Taylor
The “We Got Love” songstress took home the Golden Mask trophy during the season 7 finale in May 2022. “I refuse to fade away, and being on this stage has let me shine bright again,” Firefly said during her final clue package. “I was like, this would be something really nice to do to just be able to just sing and be fun again, and it’s just, like, no judgment,” Taylor explained of why she decided to do the show. “Nobody knows who’s behind the mask, and just sing your heart out.” In December 2020, the dancer announced her retirement from music six months after releasing her third studio album.
Credit: FOX; Shutterstock
Amber Riley
The former Glee star blew the judges away as the Harp, debuting in the season premiere and winning every matchup she faced. Since Glee ended in 2015, Riley starred in NBC’s The Wiz Live! and racked up TV credits on shows including Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, A Black Lady Sketch Show and Infamous. In 2016, she played Effie White in a London production of Dreamgirls and later appeared in a revival of Little Shop of Horrors. She starred in the Lifetime movie Single Black Female in 2022.
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