'The Masked Singer' Beach Ball contains two infamous, estranged reality stars
The Masked Singer Season 6’s final Group B episode Wednesday introduced one last wild-card contender to the competition: a buoyant duo collectively known as the Beach Ball. They krazy-karaoke’d their way through Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA,” in what was surely the series’ pitchiest, cringey-est performance since Wendy “The Lips” Williams. It was all good clean fun, but since they were up against four celebrity cosplayers who could actually sing, their party was short-lived. And at the end of the night, they bounced.
At least this time, Ken Jeong didn’t guess that this was Mariah Carey, as he bafflingly did on the night that Wendy sang. All of the judges clocked this tone-deaf twosome right away as reality stars — possibly Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Kim Zolciak and Erika Jayne, or even Snooki and JWoww. But these ball-busters turned out to be none other than… Honey Boo Boo and Mama June.
And while they clearly didn’t take this competition too seriously, the reason why the notorious mother-daughter duo decided to reunite on The Masked Singer was unexpectedly touching. “I was in my addiction. I was away from my kids for two years. Now I'm fixing to celebrate two years clean,” Mama June explained. “So, this is the first project outside of our show that we've done together, so it feels kind of nice, you know? I cried — that's why I missed the first line of my part.”
“We are so grateful to have you guys — and I'm so proud of you, Mama June,” Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg told her. “Good for you.”
So, something good came out of this episode for the artists formerly known as the Beach Ball. But below are the more talented contestants who survived and will be moving on to compete against the mystery singers of Group A. Let’s check out the latest clues and keep America’s most bonkers TV guessing game going…
The Mallard, “Play Something Country”
This country-fried feathered friend had “moves like Jagger” during this “killer performance,” according to Jenny, and judge Robin Thicke said it was “always a good time” when the Mallard is onstage.
The clues: He rose to fame as part of a famous family, but some of his relatives have come under scrutiny for their controversial remarks. He additionally said he considers Luke Bryan to be “like family.” On the past, we’ve learned that he’s also buddies with Chris Pratt, met his wife in the 4th grade, is from the South, has dimples, is “extremely hairy,” and has released a platinum album and best-selling book.
Judges’ guesses: Billy Ray Cyrus, Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Osbourne, John Rich.
My guess: This is for sure dimpledDuck Dynasty personality Willie Robertson, whose father Phil has come under fire for his homophobic views. Willie met his wife Korie in the fourth grade, is pals with Chris and with Luke, has written several books, and scored a platinum album with Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas. Plus… um, he’s dressed as a duck! What more evidence do you need?
The Caterpillar, “It’s Gonna Me”
“We’ve got ourselves a boy-bander!” exclaimed Jenny, after hearing the Caterpillar take on this ‘NSYNC classic. “Somebody definitelyknows what they’re doing,” added host Nick Cannon. There was no doubt that this leggy creature knows his way around a pop hit. (I still wish he’d do “The Caterpillar” by the Cure, though.)
The clues: He didn’t know his whole family growing up, but later connected with estranged relatives after a “simple phone call.” He apparently used to be a telemarketer, and one of this week’s visual clues was a Pentagon call center. We also saw a bean bag (possibly presenting the initials BB) and the word “pop.” Past clues have included the Great Lakes, basketball, and references to a troubled youth during which he ended up homeless and in jail.
Judges’ guesses: Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Keegan-Michael Key, AJ McLean… and three different actual ‘NSYNC stars, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone (even though Joey already competed in Season 6 as the Rabbit). Jenny was so sure it was JC that she almost used the risky Take It Off Buzzer on him, but I think it was a good idea that she refrained at the last minute. It’s not gonna be him.
My guess: The judges are convinced that this larval entertainer is a professional pop singer — and so was I, at first. But now, after hearing his backstory, I think this is Queer Eye interior design expert Bobby Berk. Bobby left home at age 15, lived in his car, had many run-ins with the police, and worked as telemarketer for MCI Communications, which is how he first met his biological father. He also can sing, as this video proves! My eye is on Bobby now.
The Queen of Hearts, “River”
This glittering rock queen’s epic, whisper-to-a-scream stadium version of Bishop Briggs’s hit had Jenny shouting, “We are presence of greatness! This is the greatest artist we’ve ever had on The Masked Singer, EVER!” This was indeed one of the series’ best moments, and it had Robin declaring the Queen of Hearts one of this season’s frontrunners.
The clues: She’s “always written her own story,” but she learned about the “power of words” when early in her career the press was very “unkind” to her, just because she’s a woman. In the past, we learned that she is single and dating, she loves riding motorcycles and “roasting,” and she too left home at a young age. Visual clues have included the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, a framed photo of Hilary Swank with the caption “BFF,” a cowboy hat, and the word “home.”
Judges’ guesses: Kacey Musgraves, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lawrence, Marion Cotillard, Jewel.
My guess: This is singer-songwriter Jewel Kilcher, as Nicole Scherzinger guessed. Jewel is friends with Hilary, left her Alaskan home at a young age, is single, loves to ride motorcycles, has released a country album, played Dorothy in the 1995 television special The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True, did a great job roasting Rob Lowe, and was treated viciously like the press when Pieces of Youcame out. Plus… um, she’d dressed as a giant gemstone! And finally, a pre-season clue leaked on the internet linked the Queen of Hearts to Sean Penn, who dated Jewel in the early ‘90s. Apparently Jewel was meant for this show!
The Banana Split, “Let ‘er Rip”
The cool, sweet duo’s ‘50s variety-show-style rendition of the Chicks’ song was a tour de force. Ken even raved, “You guys might be my favorites in a long, long time,” while guest judge Joel McHale simply proclaimed, “I think you guys are going to win.”
The clues: This week’s clues made it seem like the ice cream scoop and banana are not a romantic couple — they mentioned it was a “nightmare” last time they worked together and they bickered the entire time, but now they were thankful to be reunited. However, the banana-man mentioned being claustrophobic, which totally supports my previous guess (see below). Other clues have included a Red Cross logo, a silver medal, and the words “director,” “nothing,” “fantasy,” and “reality.”
Judges’ guesses: Sutton Foster & Hugh Jackman, Jeff Goldblum & Emilie Livingston, Kevin Bacon & Kyra Sedgwick, Zooey Deschanel & Lamorne Morris.
My guess: I still think this is “reality” star Katharine McPhee (that silver medal could represent her second-place finish on American Idol) and her producer husband David Foster, who cowrote Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” has won a Golden Globe, is a Red Cross supporter, and — here’s the key clue for the week —has claustrophobia. The ice cream’s theatrical voice and delivery does sound like Waitress/Smash star Katharine’s, and the fact that the banana plays piano (as he has in many home performance videos with Kat) but hasn’t yet sung himself indicates he’s more of a behind-the-scenes type.
Think you know the Masked Singer? Test your at-home trivia chops in augmented reality with a round of 'Who's Behind the Mask?'
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Shocking Puffer Fish elimination is the "biggest upset in 'Masked Singer' history"
Ken Jeong on his biggest 'Masked Singer' guessing fail: 'I'm not only shocked, but embarrassed'
Nick Cannon on quitting 'America’s Got Talent': 'One of the best decisions I ever made in my career'
Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and Spotify.
