*Caution: Spoilers Ahead!
The Masked Singer returned for the grand finale on Wednesday, and the four best performers of season 10 faced off in a jam-packed showdown for the Golden Mask Trophy!
Helmed by host Nick Cannon and overseen by stalwart panelists Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger, Wednesday’s exciting finale saw The Cow, The Sea Queen, The Donut and The Gazelle face off for their chance to claim victory.
So who crowned the season 10 champion? Scroll down to just see the answer! Otherwise, here’s how Wednesday’s finale shook out when all the songs were sung and votes were cast!
The Cow kicked things off, bringing energy, choreography and charisma to his performance of “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson, and it simply blew the judges’ minds.
“That is undoubtedly one of the best performances we’ve ever had of any season. Ever!” Robin marveled.
“I’m fangirling right now,” Nicole gushed.
The Gazelle was the next to take the stage, and she brought the judges to tears with her delicate, vulnerable performance of “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol.
The song brought Jeong to tears, and he gleefully told Gazelle how happy he was that he rang the bell earlier in the season to save her from elimination.
“Honestly, I’d have to say my favorite moment of the show I’ve ever had was using the bell to save you, because here we are with your best performance,” Jeong said. “I mean, you more than earned it, and I just couldn’t be happier for you. Amazing job, and your best performance.”
The Sea Queen showed off her diva vocals with a rendition of Fontella Bass’ “Rescue Me” that got the audience on their feet and all the panelists singing along with joy.
Finally, The Donut wrapped up the first half of the finale competition with a sugary sweet cover of “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker. The Donut explained that the entire reason he decided to do The Masked Singer was to honor the memory of his late wife, so the performance proved to be particularly poignant and moving.
The first hour of the two-hour finale ended with the night’s first unmasking — and after all the votes were cast, it was The Sea Queen who wound up being the first to have to “take it off.”
In a rare moment of unity, all four members of the panel agreed on exactly who was under the mask: Macy Gray. And, as it turned out, all four panelists were 100 percent correct!
The Gazelle, however, managed to fool them all. She left the panel stunned when she unmasked and revealed herself to be none other than Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish!
“Singing is my first love. It’s the first thing I ever did when I was a kid, and somewhere along my journey, singing became my biggest fear and my biggest insecurity,” Parish shared. “As I became known for acting, it almost felt like to say I was a singer was a lie.”
“But to come out here as this gorgeous gazelle, and nobody knows who I am, I got to just tap into my voice,” she added. “And now I feel like a singer! And that’s because of you guys! So thank you.”
After Gazelle delivered an unmasked encore performance, the finale came down to The Donut and The Cow — which meant each got a chance to perform one last time.
The Donut took the stage first, and stunned everyone with a masterful, soulful cover of “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray, which cemented in everyone’s mind that he has to be a professional singer.
However, The Cow took things to the next level with a wild and truly memorable reimagining of Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” that literally left the judges speechless.
So, between The Cow and The Donut, who won Season 10 of The Masked Singer?…
And the winner is… The Cow!
This meant it was time for The Donut to unmask, and after the judges made their final guesses, The Donut revealed himself to be Dukes of Hazard and Smallville star John Schneider!
“Well, I’m a theater brat. I started in theater when I was a kid, and have done theater for a very long time,” Schneider shared, when asked why he signed on to do the show. “I have always considered myself a singer who will act for food.”
He was brought to tears paying tribute to his late wife, sharing, “I’m honored to be here. I know that my bride would be delighted. She would’ve been back there having a great time… My wife passed in February this year. So that’s why it’s still– it’s still so fresh. But I think it’s always gonna be fresh.”
“Make sure that if you love somebody desperately, make sure, before you go to sleep tonight, that they know it. Make sure that you know that they love them,” he added with a smile.
Finally, the time came to award The Cow the big prize — and find out out who was under the mask!
After the chants of “take it off,’ The Cow revealed himself to be R&B icon Ne-Yo!
The singer dedicated the victory to his mom, and explained, “I grew up in a house full of women–
my mother, my sister, and my grandmother, five aunts, and me till I was, like, 16. I couldn’t tell you what the color of the walls in the bathroom was ’cause I never got in there, ever, ever, ever. It just never happened.”
“But what I learned in that house is the strength of a woman. I’m talking physical and mental,” he continued. “I learned how to be a listener. I learned how to not be afraid of emotion. I learned how to stand on my own. I learned these things from these women. My mother has been my rock for my entire life. She still is to this day. So this one is for you, Ma!”
Congrats to the 10th Golden Mask Trophy winner, Ne-Yo!
Check out the gallery below for a look at every single contestant who has ever had to “take it off” throughout the history of the show!
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