On the finale of The Masked Singer, there was a double elimination in order to crown the winner. The runners up were Flamingo and Rottweiler, who were unmasked. It was revealed on Wednesday night’s finale that the Flamingo is none other than The Real co-host and former Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon. Rottweiler was revealed to be American Idol’s season 5 runner up and Billboard chart-topping rocker, Chris Daughtry.
The top three singers took the stage for the final time – Flamingo, Fox, and Rottweiler – and their clue videos reflected on their journies to the top three. The finale was the last time for the singers to win over the audience and the judges. The Fox crooned “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding, along with some impressive choreography that blew the judges away. Next, the Flamingo performed “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner which sold the judges that it was some type of superstar behind the mask. Last, the Rottweiler stumped the judges with his performance of “Alive” by Sia, which had all of the judges more confused than ever about his identity.
It was a tough call for the judges, but after a long deliberation, they were finally able to choose the third-place winner – the Flamingo. The first to be unmasked of the night, she revealed herself to be Adrienne Bailon. Audiences know her from the Disney Channel musical group Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls film series. She’s also known for her acting on multiple Disney Channel TV series and films. She was also a member of the musical group 3LW. Bailon graduated to hosting TV recently, being one of the four members of the daytime talk series The Real. After she was unmasked, Bailon spoke about how transformative this experience has been for her. The Flamingo said that she had the time of her life, regardless of the panic attacks from the insecurities and the difficulty breathing under the costume.
Next, winning second place was the Rottweiler who was unmasked, revealing rocker Chris Daughtry. Fans will recognize this rockstar from American Idol back in season 5 when he placed fourth place. Daughtry had a quite expansive post-American Idol music career, with chart-toppers which included “Home” and “It’s Not Over.” Daughtry’s rocker voice was recognized by his fans early on, but his diversity is what surprised audiences and judges the most after he was unmasked. The Grammy-nominated artist had slain the competition with his consistency and his diversity.
After the Flamingo’s unmasking, Bailon was able to talk about her experience on the unorthodox celebrity singing competition. She said that the experience was awesome, though being eliminated is “bittersweet” for her, she’s also just grateful that she even made it to the finale. She revealed that she will miss being the flamingo, but insists that the flamingo will always be apart of her. Next, it was Rottweiler, aka Daughtry’s turn to speak about his experience on the show. He opened up to the cameras backstage, revealing an interesting tidbit about his past, saying, “I was bitten by a rottweiler when I was like 15 years old.” The rocker revealed that the competition made him more aware of himself and what he’s capable of. Daughtry revealed that anonymity was the most amazing part and found it made him feel liberated while performing.
This narrowed down the Fox as the winner of season 2 of The Masked Singer. Under the sly Fox costume was the Emmy-award winning actor and TV host Wayne Brady. It’s been a wild journey of over-the-top costumes, extravagant choreography, and singing performances that has revealed some of the most unlikely hidden vocal talents. American audiences spent the last few months doing their best to decipher the clues and find out who their favorite masked celebrities were. Though Flamingo and Rotweiller didn’t win season 2 of The Masked Singer, these celebs have put it all out there and left their hearts on the stage.
