It was probably the worst-kept secret of the entire season, but on The Masked Singer, Flower was revealed as Patti LaBelle. The veteran performer has appeared on reality television before; she competed on season 20 of Dancing With the Stars in 2015.
The reveal came on this week's episode of the popular singing competition. Clues in the taped package clearly hinted to the veteran singer. There were backup dancers playing Patty Cake with each other, as well as the number 1944 (the year LaBelle was born). The dancers were even clad in star-covered pants - a clear nod to Dancing With the Stars. Flower's first song was the power ballad "Alone." She sang that in a battle against Rottweiler. Later, she followed that up with "Eye of the Tiger" in a battle against Leopard. Although both of her performances were strong, it was just too obvious what Flower's true identity was. The judges almost unanimously concurred that the person behind the mask was LaBelle, with Ken Jeong holding firm to his guess that Flower was quirky Icelandic singer Bjork.
LaBelle was very gracious about her unmasking. "It feels awesome. It feels like I did win," she confessed. I loved it, I loved it. I didn't change my voice, this is it. This what God gave me. When I heard Gladys Knight, I knew it was her and I knew when you first heard me, Nick knew, you all knew and I knew that you knew."
Season 2 of The Masked Singer has been replete with surprises. Reality star Kelly Osbourne competed as Ladybug. Late-night television sidekick Paul Shaffer was revealed to be Skeleton. Even media personality and famed physician Dr. Drew Pinsky took a turn on the show as The Eagle. Viewers delight each week in guessing the true identities of the stars performing covers of well-known songs while in full costume. This season has a few more bombshells to go, but LaBelle was the last really obvious identity to dazzle on the stage.
If you didn't guess that the Flower was Patti LaBelle, you're either not familiar with the singer's body of work, or you've been living under a rock. Her distinctive voice was hard to miss. Throughout the 1980s, she dominated with songs like "On My Own" and "New Attitude." Sure, for a brief second, there was the possibility that Flower was American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino, due to the similarity in the tone of their respective voices. But LaBelle can belt like no other, and after hitting those high notes in both of her performances, she left no doubt. Good on her for having a sense of humor about being so obvious. Much to her credit, she's a diva with a voice that fans know and cherish.
Source: The Masked Singer