Tree and Thingamajig faced off on last night’s episode of The Masked Singer, titled Clash of the Masks.
Tree performed Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart. Her performance delighted the panelists and the audience. Jenny McCarthy mentioned that Tree makes her happy every time she sings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54-VlX1BQXw
Her clues at first stumped the panelists. McCarthy had no idea what Tree meant by “What is a Friend?”
“Being the Tree is so much fun, I love it. It’s all-consuming, though, and I’ve let my responsibilities fall to the wayside when I’m doing this,” Tree said after her performance.
Guest panelist Joel McHale also had no idea who Tree might be. However, Nicole Scherzinger suggested that the clue “smelly cat” could be a reference to a famous song from the NBC sitcom Friends, performed by actress Lisa Kudrow.
Scherzinger’s suggestion, based on the “smelly cat” clue, appeared to offer an insight into the meaning of the enigmatic question “What is a Friend?”
Many fans became convinced that Tree might be Lisa Kudrow.
I really enjoyed the clues! As soon as they said “smelly cat” for the tree I was thinking Lisa Kudrow! I also definitely don’t think the Thing-a-majig is Dennis Rodman.
— That guy (@ThatGuy4442) December 5, 2019
The smelly cat reference makes me think the tree is lisa kudrow #TheMaskedSinger
— meagan Bell (@meaganmb92) December 5, 2019
But others disagreed.
I don't know who the Tree is, but it isn't Lisa Kudrow. That woman is too thick for her. #TheMaskedSinger
— Nangbaby (@nangbaby) December 5, 2019
Lisa Kudrow is NOT the Tree. She famously thought it was absurd that Phoebe was a singer because she herself admittedly can't sing a lick ("Smelly Cat" is *how she sounds,* guys) #TheMaskedSinger
— Clare (@ClareTweetsALot) December 5, 2019
Tree’s performance came after Thingamajig did a beautiful cover of Michael Buble’s Haven’t Met You Yet.
Thingamajig flirted with Scherzinger. He told her she was a perfect date and that he wanted to start planning ahead. The panelists took that as a hint he was still single.
McCarthy argued that Thingamajig’s height suggested he was a basketball player. Robin Thicke guessed he was Montell Jordan, while Ken Jeong suggested he was Brian McKnight.
Guest panelist McHale said at first that he had no idea. However, when McCarthy started a conversation about Dennis Rodman having married himself, McHale interrupted and said he thought Thingamajig was Dennis Rodman.
The panelists and audience eventually voted in favor of Tree.
Thingamajig later defeated Butterfly in the Smackdown, and when she unmasked, fans who had believed she was Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams were vindicated.
Butterfly earlier lost to Fox, who got a standing ovation and wild cheering from the audience for his stirring performance of Chris Stapleton’s Tennessee Whiskey.
Who is Lisa Kudrow?
Lisa Kudrow is an actress and comedian who has appeared on several sitcoms. She played Phoebe Buffay on NBC’s Friends. She also appeared on other TV shows, including Grace and Frankie.
Kudrow was born in Encino, California, in July 1963, but grew up in Tarzana. She attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychobiology. She wanted to become a researcher but ended up an actress.
Kudrow has won many awards and accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Phoebe on Friends. She also won multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards for her role in that series.
The Masked Singer airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.