Drew Carey was revealed to be the Llama on Wednesday’s episode of The Masked Singer, stunning the members of the judging panel who were all stumped.
‘Oh wow,’ said guest judge Jason Biggs, 41, clapping as the rest of his colleagues jumped up in surprise, and audience members literally held onto their heads.
The Price Is Right host and former star of The Drew Carey Show sitcom wasn’t a thought in anyone’s mind as the Llama belted out a cover of the Tom Jones hit It’s Not Unusual on the season three of the Fox show.
Mask off: Drew Carey was revealed to be the Llama on Wednesday’s episode of The Masked Singer, stunning the members of the judging panel who were all stumped
‘The show looked like a lot of fun, and I like having a goof and a lot of laughs,’ Drew, 61, said when asked why he’d signed up for it. ‘I had a blast.’
The judges’ guesses to the Llama’s identity had included actors Kelsey Grammer, 64, Woody Harrelson, 58, and Joel McHale and Johnny Knoxville, both 48, or radio host Adam Carolla, 55.
Everyone had been thrown by Llama’s video package, which suggested he was a radio DJ living in Seattle, and they were further confused by a mention of playing cards and spinning wheels.
Drew has a show on SiriusXM Radio; owns part of the Seattle Sounders soccer team; and won the Celebrity Poker Tour. He also spins wheels every day in his job on The Price Is Right.
Season three: The Price Is Right host and former star of The Drew Carey Show sitcom wasn’t a thought in anyone’s mind as the Llama belted out a cover of the Tom Jones hit It’s Not Unusual
All stumped: Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Jason Biggs and Nicole Scherzinger were all stumped by Drew
Wild guesses: The judges’ guesses to the Llama’s identity included actors Kelsey Grammer, 64, Woody Harrelson, 58, and Joel McHale and Johnny Knoxville, both 48, or radio host Adam Carolla, 55
Guest panelist: Jason was shocked when Drew took off his mask
Even after the reveal, judge Robin Thicke, 42, still felt puzzled by a tricky clue, and asked: ‘What the heck is ”firing cannons”?’ as the Llama had said that he was ‘likely’ to be near them.
‘I was in the Marine Corps Reserves,’ Drew explained, surprising the judges, who hadn’t known about his service. ‘I was a radio operator in a Mortar Platoon.’
As per the show’s tradition, an unmasked Drew then sung again as the credits rolled, laughing as he flubbed the words to Tom’s 1965 hit, and finishing up with ‘Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.’
Firing cannons: Drew explained that ‘firing cannons’ clue was a reference to his time in the Marine Corps Reserve with a Mortar Platoon
The Llama was the latest casualty from The Masked Singer’s Group A, which had just five singers left as they entered the playoffs, with 12 more singers still ahead on the show.
Llama was the first to perform on Wednesday, followed by Miss Monster, who unveiled her rendition of Bobbie Gentry’s Fancy, and had Robin hooting with delight.
‘What a unique voice you have,’ he told her after she sang. ‘You’re obviously an amazing singer, and probably somebody who’s been doing it their whole life.’
Last time: Drew sang one last time with his mask off before leaving the Fox show
Miss Monster’s video revealed her skill at a wide variety of artistic pursuits, with clues that referenced sketching, a Queen chess piece, a butterfly, and a journal with a pen.
‘People say, ”Miss Monster, Miss Monster, you can’t do it all”,’ she noted in her clip. ‘But why not try?’
‘You’ve got to stand up for yourself in this dance,’ she observed.
Early frontrunner: Miss Monster has become an early frontrunner on season three
When host Nick Cannon, 39, asked Miss Monster what she was ‘most likely to do at the Masked Academy,’ she replied that she was ‘most likely to be in the presence of royalty.’
Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, 47, thought Miss Monster might be the Supremes’ Mary Wilson, 75, while Jason picked Priscilla Presley, 74, wife of the late ‘King,’ Elvis.
Ken Jeong, 50, voted for Céline Dion, 51, since Miss Monster had been sketching the Monster in a scene from Titanic that featured the line, ‘Draw me like one of your French girls.’
Royal vibe: When host Nick Cannon, 39, asked Miss Monster what she was ‘most likely to do at the Masked Academy,’ she replied that she was ‘most likely to be in the presence of royalty’
Good guess: Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, 47, thought Miss Monster might be the Supremes’ Mary Wilson, 75
The White Tiger, up next, danced like a professional onstage as he covered Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s Good Vibrations.
In his video package, he was also shown dancing and partying in a library with the show’s famous men in black suits.
‘I’m no stranger to celebrating,’ the White Tiger revealed in his clip. ‘I love a good block party. And this may sound kind of crazy, but dancing heals my body after taking a beating.’
White tiger: The White Tiger danced like a professional onstage as he covered Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s Good Vibrations
Clues to his identity included a photo of a skiing cow, a horse pinata, feather boas, leis and wigs, a ‘No Talking’ sign, and a book called ‘Wild World of Cats.’
‘Your energy is so infectious, it just lifts the whole room up, you know?’ Robin said. ‘You could have muted the song, and it still would have been an incredibly entertaining performance.’
‘You could have ”muted the song”?’ Nick repeated slowly, as everyone got what he was saying, and laughed. ‘On a show about singing?’
Incredibly entertaining: Robin said White Tiger could have muted his song ‘and it still would have been an incredibly entertaining performance’
When he was asked the evening’s question, the White Tiger said that he was ‘most likely to go to the mat for a friend …and I did, literally.’
That answer put Jason in mind of wrestler Hulk Hogan, 66, while Robin picked football players Charles Haley, 56, or Rob Gronkowski, 30, based on a previous clue about the Super Bowl.
The Kangaroo hit the stage after the Tiger, wowing with a version of Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good, which impressed after her emotional performance last week.
Nailed it: The Kangaroo hit the stage after the Tiger, wowing with a version of Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good
She’d earlier hinted at having gone through some trauma last year, and trying to recover.
‘Sometimes it feels like everyone is against me,’ the Kangaroo said in her clip, as lipstick and nail polish were shown. ‘But I know I just need to have courage and get back in the game.’
‘I’m owning this underdog story,’ she added. ‘And I’m not pulling any punches.’
Owning it: The Kangaroo singer said, ‘I’m owning this underdog story. And I’m not pulling any punches’
Clues in her video package included a basketball, boxing gloves and shoes, a shirt marked ‘Dee Jay,’ and the mention of her ‘little roo,’ a child.
The Kangaroo earned a standing ovation for her song, and Robin called her ‘the frontrunner right now.’
‘I was so into this music and this voice, and forgot that you were a giant kangaroo,’ Jason said.
Another frontrunner: The performance earned Kangaroo a standing ovation for her song, and Robin called her ‘the frontrunner right now’
Kangaroo also answered Nick’s special question, saying: ‘I was voted most likely to appear on a list with Seal and Mike Tyson. And I might have been.’
Robin thought she could be WNBA player Candace Parker, 33, while Jason sensed she was actress Tatyana Ali, 41, and Ken chose actress Gabrielle Union, 47.
Last up was the Turtle, who crooned James Arthur’s Say You Won’t Let Go, after declaring that ‘if I want to sing a love song, I’m going to sing a love song.’
Turtle time: ast up was the Turtle, who crooned James Arthur’s Say You Won’t Let Go, after declaring that ‘if I want to sing a love song, I’m going to sing a love song’
‘People have always expected me to act a certain way,’ Turtle said in his video, shot in a school cafeteria. ‘Well, I wanna rebel from all that.’
He dropped a tray of food to play an electric guitar and don a studded leather jacket, then was next seen writing on a chalkboard: ‘Don’t rave ever at my school—Turtle.’
Additional clues included a menu with Dover sole and beets, and a soda can marked ‘Pop!’ with six plastic rings being cut by one of the men in black.
Rebel song: The Turtle said, ‘People have always expected me to act a certain way. Well, I wanna rebel from all that’
‘You gave the rest of the contestants tonight a shell-acking,’ Jason cracked when he was done.
Turtle said he was voted ‘most likely to hunt for booty, and I have …often.’
Ken thought the Turtle looked like Backstreet Boys’ AJ MacLean, 42, while Robin suggested it could be Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, 47, and Jason opted for Darius Rucker, 53.
Boy band: Ken thought the Turtle looked like Backstreet Boys’ AJ MacLean, 42
Judge Nicole Scherzinger, 41, selected Zac Efron, 32, citing the ‘act a certain way’ reference.
‘We definitely know who you are,’ she emphasized. ‘But we don’t.’
When the audience votes were revealed, the Llama was out.
The Masked Singer will return next Wednesday on Fox.
Not certain: Nicole Scherzinger guessed that Turtle was Zac Efron, 32, citing the ‘act a certain way’ reference
