The Masked Singer arrived in 2019 and no one knew what to expect.
The idea of celebrities dressing up in giant costumes and singing songs while a panel of judges tries to guess their identities while fans at home get to vote on their favorites seemed like a different take on a singing show.
The show could either be a giant train wreck or one of the greatest things on television.
In some cases, it was both.
This is what helped The Masked Singer become one of the most popular reality competition shows on television and a true hit for Fox.
The Masked Singer picked up Emmy nominations and had high ratings, proving to be a massive hit.
With all the success, here are the 10 greatest performances in The Masked Singer history so far, as chosen by the show itself.
10. Peacock – ‘The Greatest Show’
From the first season of The Masked Singer, Peacock sang “The Greatest Show,” which was originally performed by Hugh Jackman in the movie The Greatest Showman.
This was the song that Peacock sang in the first week of the season, and that set the tempo for how great The Masked Singer’s performances could be.
Peacock unmasked at the end of the season as the runner-up Donny Osmond. He was a former star with his sister Marie Osmond, and at the age of 60, was the oldest competitor to ever end up the runner-up in a season.
9. Yeti – ‘Lonely’
Yeti is one of the more recent performances, happening earlier in 2021 from the fifth season of The Masked Singer.
In the seventh episode of that season, Yeti came out and sang Justin Bieber’s “Lonely.” He had also previously sung New Edition’s “If It Isn’t Love,” but “Lonely” was his best performance and one of the best in the show’s history.
Yeti unmasked as Omarion when he was eliminated in Week 11, just missing out on an appearance in the finals.
Omarion is a singer who was the lead singer of the boy band B2K. Hew went on to pick up a Grammy nomination for his debut album in 2005.
8. Seahorse – ‘My Heart Will Go On’
In Season 4, Seahorse came onto the scene and was one of the best singers of the season.
Seahorse really turned heads when she performed the Celine Dion song “My Heart Will Go On” in Week 4 of the competition. She proved her range with songs by Rihanna, Britney Spears, and Bruno Mars before her elimination.
Seahorse unmasked as Tori Kelly in Week 10, just barely missing the finals.
Tori Kelly is a singer who was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys in 2016. She also voiced the teenaged elephant with an amazing voice in the animated movie Sing.
7. Thingamajig – ‘Rainbow’
Thingamajig was a contestant in Season 2 of The Masked Singer.
The best song for Thingamajig, and one of the best in The Masked Singer history, came in Week 4 when he sang Rainbow by Kacey Musgraves. He showed his versatility by also covering The Commodores, The Temptations, Michael Buble, Usher, John Legend, and Bing Crosby before his elimination in Episode 11.
What made it so shocking was that Thingamajig wasn’t a trained singer. It was NBA star Victor Oladipo, a player still in the league today.
6. Frog – ‘Jump’
Up next is a Season 3 competitor on The Masked Singer with Frog.
This performance was a fun and lively one, as Frog sang the song Jump by the band, Kris Kross.
Frog ended up placing third in Season 3, making it all the way to the finals. On top of Kris Kross, Frog also sang MC Hammer, 50 Cent, The Gap Band, Pitbull, Imagine Dragons, Young MC, and finally Black Rob, Mark Curry & P Diddy in the finals.
Frog unmasked as rapper Bow Wow. He has three platinum albums and movie fans know him from his appearance in the Fast & Furious franchise.
5. Bee – ‘Wrecking Ball’
The fifth-best performance of all time on The Masked Singer was another from Season 1, this one from Bee.
Bee came out and sang Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” in Week 6. What is even more impressive is that the woman who sang a Miley song on The Masked Singer is an icon and legend in the music industry.
This was Gladys Knight, who made it all the way to the finals and placed third that season. Knight has two number one hits in her library of songs with “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “That’s What Friends Are For.” She is also part of the Grammy Hall of Fame.
As for the rest of her season on The Masked Singer, Knight also sang songs by Sia, Bruno Mars, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and Bonny Raitt.
4. Turtle – ‘Fix You’
Up next is The Masked Singer Season 3 competitor Turtle.
The performance in question here was a Coldplay song, with “Fix You.” Turtle sang the song in Week 13 and he pushed on all the way to the finale in Week 15, where he ended up the runner-up.
On top of Coldplay, Turtle also sang songs by Seal, James Arthur, Shawn Mendes, Steve Winwood, James Bay, Alessia Cara, Nick Jonas, and Lewis Capaldi.
Turtle unmasked as Jesse McCartney, an actor who originally made his name on the daytime soap All My Children.
3. Sun – ‘When The Party’s Over’
The third best performance in The Masked SInger history came in Season 4 with Sun singing “When the Party’s Over.”
“When the Party’s Over” is a Billie Eilish song and Sun sang it in Week 10, where she won the week for Group A.
What is most impressive is that it was a country music star who sang a Billie Eilish song that turned everyone’s head. Sun unmasked as LeAnn Rimes, and she won the entire competition in Season 4.
Rimes also sang songs by Lizzo, Kesha, Janis Joplin, and Brandi Carlile in the finals.
LeAnn Rimes is a country music star who has won two Grammys (both in 1997) and 12 Billboard music awards over her career.
2. Fox – ‘Try A Little Tenderness’
The second-best performance of all time on The Masked Singer came in Season 2 with Fox.
This performance came in the finals of Season 2 and Fox performed Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” The performance was good enough to allow Wayne Brady to unmask and take home the big win.
On top of Redding, Fox also performed songs by Donny Hathaway, T-Pain, Chris Stapleton, Bobby Brown, Panic! at the Disco, and Maroon 5.
Wayne Brady is a comedian and talk show host who had his own show, The Wayne Brady Show, on Fox.
1. Monster – ‘Stay With Me’
The best performance in The Masked Singer history came in the first season with Monster.
Monster went on to win the series and he was so good that he set the bar for what every contestant after him did in their performances.
Monster sang “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith in the eighth week of the season. What was most impressive was that he sang songs from just about every genre on his way to the finals.
Monster also sang the classic rock song “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, the pop song “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin Degraw, the rock anthem “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz, the rock and roll anthem “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and finally the Montell Jordan song, “This is How We Do It” for the win.
Monster unmasked as a rap star in T-Pain.
The Masked Singer airs on Wednesday nights at 8/7c on Fox.