The Masked Singer, season 5, episode 2, reveals the identity of the Phoenix

SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read ahead if you haven’t watched Season 5, episode 2 of “The Masked Singer”, which aired on March 17 on Fox.

The Phoenix does not always go up. Caitlyn Jenner, who acted as the Phoenix in Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Singer”, was the next celebrity to be unmasked in Fox’s hit series.

Among the speakers, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg was the only one to get it right, naming Jenner at the end. Ken Jeong, who was initially right to name Jenner as his first impression, ended up going the wrong way and gave RuPaul his final choice. Robin Thicke thought it was Laverne Cox and Nicole Scherzinger thought it was Jonathan Van Ness.

Jenner sang “Tik Tok” by Kesha. The Olympic gold medalist said Variety that his son Brandon helped with voice training. “He has his own band, he has his own studio. And then, in addition to the coaches they gave me from the show, I used Brandon probably more than anything because I could just walk down the street to his studio and try to work on the songs. I had three songs recorded, unfortunately I didn’t make it to the next two. “

Next, Jenner had songs from The Temptations and John Denver scheduled to play. But she is not disappointed to have to leave early.

“Honestly, I was thinking to myself, I can’t go beyond three songs,” said Jenner. “If you go to the finals, there are eight songs you have to make. Some of the songs you would only have a day or two to prepare. You have to learn this song, you have to learn the lyrics, and then you have to have a choreography there. I was like, I don’t think I can do that. Yes, that would have been difficult. “

Jenner said that her only previous experience as a singer was performing as “Li’l Abner” at a Summerfest musical in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1980s. “I’m not a singer, but I hope to be as fun as possible on stage”, she said. “It is definitely a challenge. When I left first, I thought, thank God. “

As for the Phoenix fantasy, Jenner said he was looking for something that was gender neutral.

“I didn’t want a lot of women, I didn’t want a lot of men,” she said. “My voice doesn’t really match who I really am. I’m stuck with the old voice, which is good, I’m fine with that. But it doesn’t really match. So, I thought they would have a hard time trying to find out. If I had a very masculine or feminine outfit, it would be easier to find out.

“So, literally for two months before the show, we started this costume, and I have to take my hat off to the costume designers, these people are unbelievable,” added Jenner. “The finish, the creativity that worked was absolutely incredible. In fact, it was very comfortable inside. It is obviously heavy, but it was very comfortable inside … I was very proud of what the costume designers did ”.

As for what comes next, as the world begins to return to normal, hopefully, Jenner said she is looking forward to starting to work more post-pandemic.

“I started a YouTube channel just because, during the pandemic, I had nothing else to do,” she said. “I think what we have learned over the course of this year is that our lives are very good before all of that. When everything is taken from you, everything is fine for a while, but for a long time, it is not. I’ve always had a lot of energy. I always liked to do things. I’ve always enjoyed being involved in projects. Fortunately, I have been playing a lot of golf. The game of golf is very good. I have it now. But I like to do other things. Then, [I’m ready to] go back to some kind of normalcy. “

Meanwhile, guest host Niecy Nash returned to the show on Wednesday, continuing her replacement for regular host Nick Cannon, who was unable to return for the first episodes of this season due to a diagnosis of COVID-19.

Another novelty this season, the “wildcard” competitors will be introduced to the competition and will join the battle for the gold mask trophy. The contestants of the fifth season will be divided into two groups of five (A and B), but the new masked celebrities will enter the “wildcard” rounds and will also compete. In addition, the show added a new character, a rooster called “Cluedle-Doo”, which promises to add some antics to the process and share additional clues for viewers.

This season’s costumes include Raccoon, Seashell, Black Swan, Snail, Grandpa’s Monster, Phoenix, Chameleon, Russian Doll (s), Porcupine, The Piglet and the wild cards. Jenner as Phoenix joins the previously unmasked celebrity Kermit the Frog (as Caracol).

Season 5 participants have 26 Grammy nominations, nine multi-platinum singles, four Oscar nominations, three Super Bowl appearances, six gold medals and two world records.

The show’s speakers are also competing for a “Golden Ear” trophy based on their first impressions of each masked artist (which McCarthy won last time). No one received votes in the first week; this week, for Phoenix, McCarthy Wahlberg and Jeong went with Jenner; Thicke’s was Laverne Cox; and Scherzinger went with Perez Hilton. This gives Jeong and McCarthy Wahlberg a point so far.

Here were the other contestants and their performances in episode two, “Premiere of Group B – Shamrock and Roll”:

Black Swan

Song: “Barracuda,” by Heart
Cluedle-Doo tracks for you: “Black Swan covered a monster.”
Voice-over: “Black swans like me are incredibly rare. But I didn’t think that my talent could make me someone else’s prey. I was caught, mesmerized by a Hollywood dream that I couldn’t resist, that would make my dreams come true. But there was a high price. I fell under a deep spell and feared I would never see the light again. When, suddenly, my faithful dress flew to my rescue and set me free. I am ready to show the world that I am in control. “
Panel guesses: Anya Taylor-Joy, Camilla Cabello, Leona Lewis.

Monster Grandpa

Song: “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of…),” by Lou Bega
Cluedle-Doo tracks for you: “Grandpa Monster has trained for battle before.”
Voice-over: “Hey, young idiots. Reflecting on my long life, I can’t believe the troublemaker idiot I was when I was young. Always acting to keep all eyes on me. Until a teacher pulled me aside after class and made me see that I was smarter than the character I was playing. So I decided to put my “eye” on Einstein and became a star student. I’m still working to shake up my bad reputation. So, when that old monster takes off his mask, I hope you’re not afraid of who I was a long time ago. “
Panel guesses: Johnny Manziel, The Miz, Scott Disick

chameleon

Song: “Ride Wit Me”, by Nelly
Cluedle-Doo tracks for you: “The Chameleon has a history with precious stones.”
Voice-over: “Unlike most of my fellow cams, I don’t just mix, I put the ‘technology’ in technicolor. It was all because of my parents, who told me to always keep up with the times. He encouraged me to tinker with each device and gadget around. Years later, when my career almost went down and I felt completely lost, I went back on what he taught me. I used those tech skills from my childhood to expand my career and change the game. Now I’m here to change this game. Believe me, I will not mix. Lets play. “
Panel guesses: Dwight Howard, Redfoo, Nick Cannon

Piglet

Song: “Speechless,” by Dan + Shay
Cluedle-Doo tracks for you: “Leitão knows how to stay cold, even in the heat.”
Voice-over: “My name is Piglet. I haven’t always been lucky in love. I admit, I am an incurable romantic. Yes, I am guilty of dropping that word with L on the second date. But hey, when you know, you know, right? Of course, I gave some roses and the world saw my heart break. Some flowers have very sharp thorns, I think. But that never stopped me from continuing to wear my heart on my sleeve. It may sound crazy, but I see a future on this stage. So, are you going to accept that pile of mud? It may only be the first round, but I’m already in love with you. “
Panel guesses: Adam Lambert, Charlie Puth