SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched “The Masked Singer” Season 6, Episode 4, “House Party,” which aired October 6 on Fox.
“The Masked Singer” has sent the Baby into timeout. Performing under the toddler mask was comedian Larry the Cable Guy, who was sent packing at the end of the fourth episode of Season 6, “House Party.”
Once again, none of the show’s panelists got it right. Ken Jeong named Gordon Ramsay as his pick. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg guessed Bruce Willis. Nicole Scherzinger guessed James Corden. Robin Thicke said it was Chuck Norris, but with a chuckle.
“I knew they wouldn’t guess me,” Larry the Cable Guy told Variety. “I knew they would be completely stumped because it’s totally something that they’ve never seen me do. And definitely, they’d never heard me in a different voice. I have a certain sound to my voice, but when I completely went British, and baby talk, and opera, and it worked.”
Larry the Cable Guy as Baby sang “The Flintstones” theme song, but in an operatic style. His previous song was “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything,” by Barry White.
“Other than I couldn’t move or breathe, it was a lot of fun,” Larry said of his experience. He noted how torn fans were over the Baby costume: Some thought it was cute, while others felt it was too creepy. “It seems like the opinion is the kids loved it and the adults who are scared of it,” he said of his initial appearance. But for this episode, “I think the fact that the baby sang an operatic version of ‘The Flintstones’ made it more endearing to the parents, and more scary to the kids, so I don’t know what to tell you.”
Larry said he chose the costume because “it’s the only thing I could fit in… I didn’t have a lot of mobility, but just the fact that it wasn’t tight, it was great. You know you could put the five members of the Commodores in that.”
The comedian was proud that he managed to fool the panel, which partly came from using various fake voices, including a British accent.
“When I first got introduced I’m talking in a British accent, and then I cranked out a Barry White tune,” he said. “And then when they think you’re going to do another tune like that… one of my favorite things to do is sing operatic, goofy songs. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, because it’s fun. I’m not a singer, so I figured, I’m just gonna have fun. I’m gonna do something completely different. It’s about entertaining people.”
Had Larry the Cable Guy continued on “The Masked Singer,” he had the song “Vehicle,” by Ides of March, ready to go. “I love that song,” he said.
Coincidentally, Larry the Cable Guy was unmasked just days after he was parodied on the season opener of “Saturday Night Live.” In one sketch, guest host Owen Wilson played himself in a recording studio, voicing a fourth edition of the “Cars” franchise. But in this one, the character of Lightning McQueen is an asshole — and Wilson is not pleased. That’s when his “Cars” co-star Larry the Cable Guy — played on the show by new cast member James Austin Johnson — shows up.
Larry enjoyed the sketch — but wasn’t a fan of his impersonator.
“I saw the costume and I actually have that shirt,” he said. “But the guy was too skinny and he sounded literally nothing like me… Owen always does a good job, I love Owen. He’s a buddy. And I’m glad that he did that. I thought the sketch was funny, I thought the guy playing me sucked.”
Larry the Cable Guy (Baby) joined Tyga (Dalmatian), Toni Braxton (Pufferfish), Vivica A. Fox (Mother Nature) and Dwight Howard (Octopus) as the next celebrity to be unmasked on Season 6 of “The Masked Singer.”
“The Masked Singer” entered Season 6 with the return of a studio audience for the first time since the pandemic began. This season’s costumes include Baby, Banana Split, Beach Ball, Bull, Caterpillar, Cupcake, Dalmatian, Hamster, Mallard, Mother Nature, Octopus, Pepper, Pufferfish, Queen of Hearts and Skunk.
The Season 6 contestants boast a combined 85 Grammy Nominations and 27 wins, three Academy Award nominations, 12 Emmy Nominations, 12 Razzie Award Nominations, two Super Bowl appearances and two Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The show’s panelists will once again compete for a “Golden Ear” trophy based on their first impressions of each masked performer (which McCarthy has won the last two times) — and in week one, all of the panelists’ final guesses were also their first impressions. Jeong went into episode four with a point, ahead of everyone else.
As for Baby, Thicke’s first impression was Chuck Norris. McCarthy Wahlberg chose Kurt Russell. Jeong picked Hugh Jackman. Scherzinger named Michael Caine for her first impression. No one gained a point.
Also new this season, a “Take It Off” buzzer will allow the show’s panelists to prematurely demand a celebrity remove their mask, if they’re convinced they know who it is. They’ll get two extra points toward the Golden Ear tally if they’re right. If they’re wrong, they’ll be “severely punished.”
Here were the other contestants and their performances on night four:
The Bull
Song: “Circus,” by Britney Spears
Previous songs: “Drops of Jupiter,” by Train; “What Hurts the Most,” by Rascal Flatts
Party favor clue: Wrapping paper. “Usually, I’m the type of bull that focuses on what’s in the inside. But today, it’s the wrapping that I’m showing off.”
Voice-over: “I am no stranger to a house party. My parties are notorious for having great music and everybody dancing. It is litty city committee. As a kid I was actually a wallflower. But now, I’m the life of the party. There couldn’t be a more perfect time for me to perform this specific song and show my solidarity and support to the one and only Britney Spears. There are so many challenges to doing the dancing, my feet have never felt more gigantic. But I know that I definitely have what it takes. And tonight, I get to be in the center of the room.”
Panel guesses: Donald Glover, Anthony Ramos, Leslie Odom Jr.
Previous panel guesses: Hunter Hayes, Lance Bass, Brian Littrell, Sisqo, Dwayne Johnson, Darren Criss, Justin Timberlake, Brandon Flowers, Rufus Wainwright, Kevin Jonas, Zac Efron
Hamster
Song: “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” by Queen
Previous song: “Oh, Pretty Woman,” by Roy Orbison
Party favor clue: Party beverage hat. “I like to stay hydrated with my friends at the party.”
Voice-over: “As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’m a bit of a party animal. And you should have seen me in my 20s. I was living in a huge city, working with my best pals. The fun that we had when we were younger was our most fun ever. There’s nothing like not being famous and then the next day being famous. And that’s what happened to all of us. And the fact that we’re still friends all these years later is phenomenal. They’re going to get a kick out of me being here.”
Panel guesses: Will Ferrell, David Spade, Jim Breuer, Rob Schneider, John Leguizamo, Paul Rudd
Previous panel guesses: Bill Murray, Brendan Fraser, Albert Brooks, Tim Allen, Kelsey Grammer, Andy Richter, Jack Black
Skunk
Song: “Midnight Train to Georgia,” by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Previous songs: “Diamonds,” by Sam Smith; “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World,” by James Brown
Party favor clue: Boom box playing gospel music. “Some say, turn down for what. I say, turn it up so the whole empire can hear you.”
Voice-over: “Listen, I’ve been to some of the most epic parties around. I mean, the glitz, the glamour, some of the most iconic people in the world. I used to be the hostess with the mostest. But these days, I limit the people that I allow into my personal space. And as you get older, you realize it’s OK to remove the wrong people from your life. Last time, I was in my wheelhouse and showed them exactly what I can do. Now, to get into the Group A finals, I’m singing about something I can relate to. About leaving the glitz and the glamour behind for a simpler, more positive life.”
Panel guesses: Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu, Taraji P. Henson, Queen Latifah, Tamar Braxton
Previous panel guesses: Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Janet Jackson, Sade, Lauryn Hill, Yolanda Adams, Jill Scott, Fantasia Barrino, Janelle Monae
Pepper (WILDCARD)
Song: “Jealous,” by Labrinth
Party favor clue: Roller skates. “You bring roller skates to a party because you don’t need a driver’s license.”
Voice-over: “I’m excited to come into the competition as a wildcard, especially as the pepper. I want to spice things up. I’ve always had my own flavor, and I’m constantly thinking of ways to nod be bland. But this last year has been the craziest. Something I did went viral, basically overnight. It spread like fire. I never expected any of it. But the coolest part was seeing people take what I did and add their own flavor to it. You know how they say strike while the iron’s hot? That’s why I’m here. What the hell, get on out there and keep the flame alive and party as the pepper.”
Panel guesses: Kesha, Hailee Steinfeld, Pink, Miley Cyrus