Summary
- The Masked Singer has featured several talented American Idol alumni as contestants, showcasing the overlap between the two popular singing competition shows.
- The panelists and audience on The Masked Singer work together to solve the mystery of the masked contestants' identities through clues and voting.
- Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Todrick Hall, Tori Kelly, and David Archuleta have all appeared on The Masked Singer and impressed with their unique performances and vocal abilities.
Some of the talented competitors on The Masked Singer have been unmasked and were revealed to be contestants from American Idol. With over 20 seasons of American Idol, there are hundreds of singers from its rich history who could take on the challenge of The Masked Singer. The American Idol alumni have had successful careers in music, on television, in the movies, and on Broadway, and an appearance on The Masked Singer is a fun way for them to return to the world of reality singing competitions.
The Masked Singer premiered on FOX on January 2, 2019. Hosted by Nick Cannon, the show has been a hit with viewers who become invested to figure out which celebrities are competing on the show. The singers' identities are hidden behind masks, and the panelists and the audience are given clues to help them solve the mystery. The panelists and the studio audience vote for their favorites, and the contestant with the least amount of votes is eliminated, forcing them to take off their mask and reveal their true identity.
The panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger have guessed many American Idol alumni as the contestants through the show's seven seasons. Superstars from Kelly Clarkson to Carrie Underwood to Adam Lambert to Jennifer Hudson have been guessed multiple times. However, only a select few American Idol stars have been unmasked.
Katharine McPhee
Katharine stole America's heart in 2006, when she was the runner-up of American Idol season 5. With her soaring vocals, dazzling showmanship, and bubbly personality, Katharine wowed the audiences and the judges with every song. Her perfect performances made her look like a professional singer. Katharine's stunning rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is one of the most classic performances in the history of the show.
On The Masked Singer season 6, Katharine teamed up with her husband, legendary musician, composer, and record producer, David Foster, to bring the character of Banana Split to life. For their costume, Katharine's mask was a scoop of pink strawberry ice cream with a cherry on top of her head and an ice cream bodysuit, while David was the bright yellow banana. Katharine sang all of the songs, while David played instruments such as the piano and drums. In their first week, Katharine sang a moving rendition of "A Million Dreams" by Pink, and panelists Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger immediately recognized Katharine's distinctly beautiful voice, along with many viewers. Katharine performed a wide variety of songs while on the show, including, "Let 'Er Rip" by The Chicks, "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga, a duet with Robin Thicke of "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" by Stevie Wonder, and the standards "Cry Me a River" and "Singin' in the Rain." In the end, the whole panel guessed Katharine and David correctly except for Robin, who thought that they were Ryan Tedder and Leona Lewis. This was ironic because Robin grew up thinking of David as an uncle because David was best friends with actor Alan Thicke, Robin's late father.
The dynamic duo of Banana Split made it all the way to the finals of Group B, but they were eliminated when they came in second to Queen of Hearts, who was singer Jewel. However, Katharine made her mark on the show and set a high standard for future competitors, singing a variety of genres and working the stage. She was even the first competitor in The Masked Singer history to tap dance during a routine. Katharine has had much success in her career, and her ability to captivate an audience during a live performance is one of her strongest talents.
Chris Daughtry
Chris burst onto the American Idol season 5 stage in 2006, breaking ground as a rocker who turned songs upside down with his own unique style. With his gritty performances such as his rendition of Live's cover version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," Chris was ready to become a full-fledged rock star. He placed fourth on the season in an elimination that is still widely perceived to be the most shocking in American Idol history.
As Rottweiler on The Masked Singer season 2, Chris wore a backwards orange baseball cap, a gold necklace, jeans, and sneakers. His brown fur coat opened to reveal Rottweiler's 8-pack abs. During the show Chris sang a variety of songs including "Maneater" by Hall & Oates, "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic, "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran, "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi, "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, and "Alive" by Sia. After he was unmasked, he released an official cover of his finale song, "Alive," becoming the first contestant in The Masked Singer history to do so.
Chris made it to the finale without ever being guessed by the panel, although his fans on social media often posted that they would know his voice anywhere. For their final guesses, Robin and Nicole guessed Darren Criss, Jenny said Jason Mraz, and Ken guessed Dave Franco. Chris came in second to actor and comedian Wayne Brady, who performed as the Fox. As Rottweiler, Chris showed that The Masked Singer could be a cool and different way for performers to express themselves.
Todrick Hall
At Todrick's American Idol audition in 2010, he caught the attention of the season 9 judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and guest judge Joe Jonas, when he sang a song that he wrote that mentioned all of them. They sent him to Hollywood, and he made it to the Top 24 of the show during which he sang Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." In the Top 20, Todrick sang Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It," but he was eliminated from the Top 16 after his performance of Queen's "Somebody to Love."
Todrick competed on The Masked Singer season 6. As Bull, he charged onto the stage and won the Group A finals, but ultimately placed second to the Group B champion, Queen of Hearts. The Bull costume was a furry, brown bull with horns, green eyes, and a gold nose ring. Todrick wore a red matador costume, adorned with gold tassels which moved when he danced, along with a red cape with a purple interior. Todrick's singing was impressive, but his dances moves captivated the audience, as he even did splits that seemed impossible given his costume. Todrick wanted to keep his costume because he has a collection of them in his home.
Todrick proved to be a versatile performer, taking on a variety of musical genres during his run as Bull, including "Drops of Jupiter" by Train, "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts, "Circus" by Britney Spears, "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan, "Rain on Me" by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, a duet with Jesse McCartney of "Breakeven" by The Script, "You Gotta Be" by Des'ree, and "Invisible" by Hunter Hayes. In the end, Nicole was the only panelist who guessed Todrick correctly, with Robin, Jenny, and Ken guessing Sisqó, Adam Lambert, and Taye Diggs, respectively. Todrick was one of the most memorable contestants that The Masked Singer has ever seen.
Tori Kelly
Sixteen-year-old Tori made it through to Hollywood on American Idol season 9 in 2010. For her audition, she sang "Gravity" by John Mayer, which earned her a golden ticket to Hollywood. For her final solo performance during Hollywood Week, she sang "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry. Although her time on the show was short-lived and she was cut from the competition before the Top 24, she was able to create a successful music career for herself.
As Seahorse on The Masked Singer season 4, Tori wore a colorful bodysuit with an artistic seahorse mask. She brought her signature sound to several songs including, "Only Girl (In the World)" by Rihanna, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears, and "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars.
Tori placed 4th on the season behind Nick Carter as Crocodile, Aloe Blacc as Mushroom, and winner LeAnn Rimes as the sun. In the end, Robin, Nicole, and guest judge Craig Robinson guessed her correctly, while Jenny thought that she was Halsey, and Ken thought that she was Christina Aguilera. Tori was a bright light on season 4 with her stellar vocals.
David Archuleta
David was just 17 years old when he was the runner-up to David Cook on American Idol season 7 in 2008. He had a magical run on the reality singing competition series, wowing everyone with his emotional renditions of songs such as "Imagine" by John Lennon, "When You Believe" by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, "Think of Me" from The Phantom of the Opera, and "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King.
As the colorful Macaw on The Masked Singer season 9, David placed second to Bishop Briggs' Medusa. His time on the show was a joyous journey of accepting and loving himself again after coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. David soared to new heights with his beautiful renditions of "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw, "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran, "Your Song" by Elton John, "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction, "Hold Back the River" by James Bay, and "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen.
David's meaningful and powerful performances proved that The Masked Singer is more than just a reality singing competition. It allows artists to be their true selves inside their masks. David's gorgeous vocals and sweet personality made every one of his performances beautiful. His openness about his true self helped countless people to learn to love themselves.
The Masked Singer has welcomed several American Idol alumni to its stage over the years. Time will tell if there is another American Idol star performing under a mask in a future season. With so much talent on both shows, audiences are treated to spectacular performances every time they watch.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.