WARNING: Spoilers ahead for the season 10 finale of “The Masked Singer”
More often than not, “The Masked Singer” brings contestants a lot of joy and a lot of fun. That’s true for Donut, who came in second place on Wednesday night — but the show also brought him a lot of “healing,” and some proof that “God is paying attention.”
Finishing only behind Ne-Yo, who was crowned season 10’s champion on Wednesday night, Donut was revealed to be “Dukes of Hazzard” star and country singer John Schneider. And, looking at those results, he feels pretty confident that second place “is the very best that John Schneider could have done.” The more important result was that it allowed him to grieve his wife, Alicia Allain, who passed away earlier this year after a battle with returning cancer.
“[She] would’ve loved to have been here watching me on ‘The Masked Singer’” he told TheWrap. “This was a great healing opportunity for me to be able to not have the wheels come off. You know, I could do it publicly, and that helped hold me together. It was very important.”
He added, “It was a great way to pay tribute to my beautiful bride, and to let other people out there who are grieving know that it’s OK. In fact, I think it’s better to grieve publicly. Don’t try to hide that. Don’t try to hide it. Let it out. And you’ll feel better for having done it. I’m delighted that I did that.”
Schneider added that he truly loved his costume, and that seeing it was a reassuring moment for him, along with a blast from the past.
“I used to take my kids to a thing we called Daddy Donut Day. So, when the opportunity came up for me to be the Donut, it was like, oh my gosh, this is — God is paying attention,” he gushed. “This is perfect. I couldn’t possibly have a more perfect costume.”
And now, with all said and done, Schneider is proud of himself. If given the opportunity to go back, “I would do it exactly the same way.”
“The Masked Singer” returns for season 11 on Fox on March 6, 2024.
