Disco Diva Unmasked After ‘Best Battle Royale In History Of Show’

The semi-finals of The Masked Singer went down on Wednesday night, pitting Gumball, Clock and Goldfish head-to-oversize-head against one another in not just three solo performances but a big Battle Royale.

For these final episodes, a new feature was added to the panel’s desk. Now, there’s a blue button that can be pressed once per episode. Once pressed, a package will be delivered by (Amazon) Prime with another clue as to the identity of that night’s biggest stumper. It was used again tonight, though it really only reinforced what some of the judges were already thinking.

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.

(I Lived, One Republic) Gumball once again proved he’s one of the strongest vocalists of the season — with Jenny McCarthy calling it a “winning finale performance” after a standing ovation.

In his intro package, he made it pretty clear he’s an actor, while also making comment about a “quarterback” and his children. Then, a Superclue was given to the judges, as a cheerleader in a blue and white uniform came out. That, he said, reminded him of “a role which changed this Gumball’s life forever.”

Picking up on the football cues, Robin Thicke kept the James Van Der Beek guesses going, pointing to his work in Varsity Blues. Jenny, meanwhile, interpreted football a little differently and suggested Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. Rita Ora then brought up Friday Night Lights and threw star Taylor Kitsch’s name into the ring.

Fans are fairly certain Gumball is Kitch’s costar, Scott Porter, who played quarterback Jason Street on the same series. Also, the cheerleaders for their team, the Panthers, also wrote blue and white.

(Dancing In the Street, Martha and The Vandellas) Clock once again delivered some powerhouse vocals and had everyone up on their feet dancing with the throwback tune. In her intro package, she said that while she’s “not as young as I used to be, Mama’s still got it” — explaining she hoped to introduce herself to a new generation while “twerking my way into the finale.”

For her Superclue, a stack of gold bars was brought out — as she said this wasn’t her first stage show where “every performance has been solid gold, baby!”

Robin said he knew the voice belonged to a “legend” and “one of the greatest of all time,” while also thinking the bars could be in reference to the Yellow Brick Road. For that reason, he felt Clock was Stephanie Mills, most known for playing Dorothy in The Wiz on Broadway.

Jenny guessed Roberta Flack, while Rita went with Thelma Houston. McCarthy then asked for an extra clue, before Amazon delivered a pair of roller skates to the studio. This only reinforced everyone’s belief they were dealing with a disco legend.

(You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette) Goldfish had everyone rocking out to the Alanis hit, following an intro package in which she said “fame was never my goal, I honestly thought I was going to be a pediatrician.”

While that clue didn’t really help, the judges’ radars went off after she revealed she once “wore a prom dress to an awards show.” The Superclue, meanwhile, was a special visit from Anonymouse — who was revealed to be Demi Lovato earlier this season — with the explanation, “It’s a real blast from the past, because me and the Mouse, we go way, way back.”

They all honed in on other Disney stars at that point, with Rita guessing Vanessa Hudgens or Ashley Tisdale, Jenny going with Selena Gomez and Robin throwing Hilary Duff’s name out there.

All three contestants were then thrown into a Battle Royale, each singing verses of Kelly Clarkson’s American Idol coronation song, “A Moment Like This.”

“This is, by far, the best Battle Royale we’ve ever had in the history of the show. We witnessed greatness tonight. Incredible,” exclaimed Ken after the trio performed, before the audience voted on who should go on to the finale.

Sadly, Clock was eliminated. Before her unmasking, the three judges threw out their final guesses.

• Robin Thicke: Stephanie Mills
• Jenny McCarthy: Roberta Flack
• Ken Jeong: Janet Jackson (which was met with boos by the audience)
• Rita Ora: Thelma Houston

In the end, Ora was correct and “Don’t Leave Me This Way” singer Thelma Houston was unmasked. “It is an honor to be on the stage with you,” Ora exclaimed, after seeing who was hidden under the giant clock head.