The Masked Singer crew will get a very special visit from a musical superstar on Wednesday night’s (Dec. 4) “Quarter Finals: Merging of the Masks” episode. None other than 13-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer Babyface dials into the show to deliver words of encouragement to the three-headed singing sensation Buffalos.
Calling in on the show’s fuzzy, rainbow-hued handset, the R&B legend first lets the horned crooners know that they are “just killing it. I’ve never seen you look better… or more ridiculous,” he says in a preview of tonight’s episode shared with Billboard. “So keep it up, bring home the trophy.”
The high praise for the triple threat team comes after they impressed on the season opener with a cover of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died in Your Arms,” followed by an equally spot-on take on Foreigner’s 1981 power ballad “Waiting For a Girl Like You” and a soulful ramble through The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.” The singers then won the Battle Royale over Ship (Paula Cole) with their version of Fleetwood Mac’s iconic “Go Your Own Way.”
After the visit from Babyface, one of the Buffalos notes that their dream had always been to work with the R&B icon, and after they did it “changed our lives,” which was a pretty big clue. Robin Thicke then rounds up some of the other clues to date, including Mo-Town, a Super Bowl halftime-like performance and the trio setting it up for the next generation, which leads him to guess that it might be one of the most legendary Motown vocal groups of all time.
Fellow judge Ken Jeong goes a bit more contemporary with is pick, suggesting an Oakland-bred 1980s-1990s vocal trio who’ve also worked with Babyface, though host Nick Cannon was quick to shut that one down. Rita Ora goes with another 1990s R&B vocal group with a distinctive new jack swing.
Who are they? You’ll have to tun in to tonight’s show — which will feature the masked celebs singing songs including “Standing Next To You,” “Iris,” “Closer” and “You’re Still the One” — to find out who will advance to the semi-finals. The Masked Singer quarterfinals episode airs at 8 p.m. ET on Fox tonight.
Check out the preview below.
