The Masked Singer brought viewers its Group C final on Wednesday, with Candelabra among the three celebrities performing during an evening featuring a double elimination.
Donut and Anteater were also vying for a spot in the season final, but only one could advance.
Contestants performed songs that had a personal meaning and strong significance for them in their lives.
Early on, Anteater was eliminated and unmasked as a rock and roll legend, stunning all the panelists as they’d been stumped with their guesses.
Anteater’s departure set up a Battle Royale round between Candelabra and Donut.
While Candelabra wowed panelists, she still didn’t receive enough votes and was revealed as R&B singer and reality TV star Keyshia Cole.
Candelabra competed on Soundtrack to My Life Night for Group C final
During her latest interview segment and clue package, Candelabra talked about trying to make things work out with a significant other for the sake of their kid but realized it wasn’t worth it and finally walked away.
With the theme Soundtrack to My Life, each costumed celebrity performed a song with special significance. That song was Mary J. Blige’s I’m Goin’ Down for Candelabra, as she admitted she idolized the R&B singer.
She belted out the song in impressive fashion, with the panelists and audience members giving a standing ovation after the performance.
“That was perfection. You delivered. You murdered it. To know that you’re telling your story with that song is so powerful,” Robin Thicke said.
“I think you’re a fantastic star, and I think you’re a bada**, because when you sang, you feel the pain, you feel the cry, but you feel the strength and you feel the power. And because you have that power, you empower us, so thank you for that,” Nicole Scherzinger told Candelabra.
Candelabra revealed as Love & Hip-Hop star after unmasking
For the Battle Royale, Donut and Candelabra performed Hunter Hayes’ song, Wanted, after Hayes, Season 3’s Astronaut, performed it first.
Following the two contestants’ renditions, a panelist vote determined that Donut was moving on to the final, with Candelabra eliminated.
A final round of guesses arrived before Candelabra unmasked, and most of the panelists had the right idea, but only two guessed the correct R&B singer.
Ken Jeong speculated that a clue involving an angel related to Destiny’s Child performing a song for the Charlie’s Angels movie, so he guessed Candelabra was Kelly Rowland.
Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg thought it was Brandy since she played a princess in the live-action Cinderella, which tied in with a previous clue.
However, Nicole and Robin were both spot on. They guessed it was singer Keyshia Cole since one of her clues was “Real Tea,” a nod to her reality TV appearances.
Cole first appeared in a 2006 six-episode docuseries called Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is on BET. That success led to a 2011 reality TV show, Keyshia & Daniel: Family First. That was followed by 2015’s Keyshia Cole: All Woman and 2019’s Keyshia Cole: My New Life.
In addition to her shows, she appeared in Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood Season 4, which aired in 2017. Princess Love, Safaree Samuels, and Brandy’s brother Ray J were among her castmates.
Cole, 42, has released seven studio albums, including Just Like You in 2007 and A Different Me in 2008. Both reached No. 1 on the US R&B Billboard chart.
Among The Princess of Hip-hop Soul’s biggest hits are Let It Go and (When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me. Cole also appears with singer Monica on Nicki Minaj’s brand new song Love Me Enough.
A new studio album is believed to be forthcoming for Cole, although the release date is unknown.
Just as she was revealed on The Masked Singer, Cole was also announced as part of the Love Hard Tour, featuring K. Michelle, Jaheim, and Trey Songz. The 26-concert North American tour runs from February through April 2024.
Upon unmasking, Cole mentioned the unique competition show and how she defeated an Anteater but “lost to a Donut.”
“Only on The Masked Singer! No, he’s not a donut; he’s somebody spectacular, and I can’t wait to see him get unmasked because he was fabulous,” Cole said of Donut.
With Group C sending Donut on to the final, he’ll appear in The Masked Singer’s two-hour Season 10 finale, taking on Gazelle, Cow, and Sea Queen to see who gets the Golden Mask Trophy.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.