The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 9

The Masked Singer
Season 9
Promotional poster for season nine, featuring "Doll", "Axolotl", "Moose", and "French Hen"
Starring	Robin Thicke Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Ken Jeong Nicole Scherzinger
Hosted by	Nick Cannon
No. of contestants	21
Winner	Bishop Briggs as "Medusa"
Runner-up	David Archuleta as "Macaw"
No. of episodes	14
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	February 15 (2023-02-15) – May 17, 2023 (2023-05-17)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 8 Next → Season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season of the American television series The Masked Singer premiered on Fox on February 15, 2023, and concluded on May 17, 2023. The season was won by singer Bishop Briggs as "Medusa", with singer David Archuleta finishing second as "Macaw".

Panelists and host

Season 9 panelists and host

Robin Thicke

Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg

Ken Jeong

Nicole Scherzinger

Nick Cannon

Nick Cannon, singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, television and radio personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, actor and comedian Ken Jeong, and recording artist Nicole Scherzinger all return as host and panelists. ^[1]

The second episode included Nick Viall and Shangela as additional guests, the third episode included Luann de Lesseps and Theresa Caputo as additional guests, the fourth episode included Helen Mirren, Zachary Levi, and Jim Lee as additional guests with Jennifer Nettles appearing in a post-credit gag, the fifth episode featured Nettles as a guest panelist, with Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Count von Count, Abby Cadabby, and Elmo's puppy Tango as additional guests, the sixth episode included Bill Engvall, Robert Woods, and Deana Carter as additional guests, the seventh episode included Young MC, Donnie Wahlberg (who portrayed "Cluedle-Doo" during the fifth season), Erik Estrada, and Charlene Tilton as additional guests, ^[2] and the ninth episode included Daphne Zuniga and Mike Massimino as additional guests.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin appeared as a guest in the fifth episode along with his younger brother, Damir. The episode was filmed in January 2023, a few weeks after his cardiac arrest medical incident. ^[3]

Production

The season is formatted similar to its predecessor, featuring three contestants in each episode, with one eliminated mid-show and taken to the VIP section and the other two battling it out in a Battle Royale. A champion is crowned at the end of each episode who then moves on to the following episode, with the other singer in the top two unmasking. However, it also introduces a gimmick known as the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell, which allows a panelist to save a singer from elimination. ^[4] The bell can only be used once per group. ^[5] As a result, there was a special episode where those saved by the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell compete for a second chance to stay in the competition.

The season also features the return of themed nights, a gimmick introduced in the previous season. ^[6] The season includes themes such as "Opening Night", "ABBA", "New York", "DC Superhero", "Sesame Street", "80s Night", "Country", "Movie Night", "Space", and “British Invasion”. ^{[7] [8] [5]}

The twelfth episode of the season ended with a dedication for TV host Jerry Springer who died on April 27, 2023. ^[9] Springer portrayed "Beetle" in the previous season. ^[10]

Contestants

The contestants in this season are reported to have a combined 95,231,000 records sold, 28 Emmy nominations, 26 books, 10 gold albums, six Grammy wins, five lifetime achievement awards, five medals, four Golden Globe nominations, four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and two Tony Award nominations. ^{[11] [12]}

One mask, "French Hen", was revealed in promotional material prior to the airing of the season, ^{[6] [13]} but did not participate in the season. Although nothing has been officially revealed about the celebrity participant, Variety has reported that a celebrity exited the season after testing positive for COVID-19, ^[14] which ultimately led to Debbie Gibson's participation. ^{[15] [16]}

Results

Stage name	Celebrity	Occupation(s)	Episodes
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	11	12	13	14
			Round 1			Round 2			Round 3
Medusa	Bishop Briggs	Singer	WIN	WIN	KEPT [lower-alpha 1]							WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WINNER
Macaw	David Archuleta	Singer						WIN					SAFE	SAFE	RUNNER-UP
California Roll	Pentatonix	Acapella group			WIN								SAFE	OUT
UFO	Olivia Culpo	Model/internet personality									WIN		OUT
Gargoyle	Keenan Allen	NFL player				KEPT [lower-alpha 2]						OUT
Mantis	Lou Diamond Phillips	Actor								KEPT [lower-alpha 3]		OUT
Lamp	Melissa Joan Hart	Actor									OUT
Dandelion	Alicia Witt	Actor/singer								WIN	OUT
Doll	Dee Snider	Singer							WIN	OUT
Scorpio	Christine Quinn	TV personality							OUT
Moose	George Wendt	Actor/comedian							OUT
Fairy	Holly Robinson Peete	Actor/singer					WIN	OUT
Axolotl	Alexa Bliss	Professional wrestler						OUT
Jackalope	Lele Pons	Internet personality					OUT
Squirrel	Malin Akerman	Actor				WIN	OUT
Wolf	Michael Bolton [lower-alpha 4]	Singer				OUT
Polar Bear	Grandmaster Flash	DJ/rapper			OUT
Night Owl	Debbie Gibson	Singer		OUT
Rock Lobster	Howie Mandel	Comedian/TV personality		OUT
Mustang	Sara Evans	Singer	OUT
Gnome	Dick Van Dyke	Actor/comedian	OUT

•  WIN  The masked singer won with their performance and advanced in the competition.
•  KEPT  The masked singer was saved from elimination by a panelist using the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell.
•  SAFE  The masked singer was safe from elimination.
•  OUT  The masked singer was eliminated from the competition and unmasked.
•   The masked singer did not perform.

The celebrities who competed in the ninth season of The Masked Singer, pictured in order of elimination (L–R):
Dick Van Dyke ("Gnome"),Sara Evans ("Mustang"),Howie Mandel ("Rock Lobster"),Debbie Gibson ("Night Owl"),Grandmaster Flash ("Polar Bear"),Michael Bolton ("Wolf"),Malin Akerman ("Squirrel"),Lele Pons ("Jackalope"),Alexa Bliss ("Axolotl"),Holly Robinson Peete ("Fairy"),George Wendt ("Moose"),Christine Quinn ("Scorpio"),Dee Snider ("Doll"),Alicia Witt ("Dandelion"),Melissa Joan Hart ("Lamp"),Lou Diamond Phillips ("Mantis"),Keenan Allen ("Gargoyle"),Olivia Culpo ("UFO"),Pentatonix ("California Roll"),David Archuleta ("Macaw"), and Bishop Briggs ("Medusa")

Episodes

Week 1 (February 15)

Performances on the first episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Mustang	"Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Gnome	"When You're Smiling" by Billie Holiday	Dick Van Dyke	OUT
3	Medusa	"Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Mustang	"Diamonds" by Rihanna	Sara Evans	OUT
	Medusa		undisclosed	WIN

• After being unmasked, Van Dyke sang "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins as his encore performance.

Week 2 (February 22) - "ABBA Night"

Performances on the second episode

#	Stage name	ABBA song	Identity	Result
1	Medusa	"Dancing Queen"	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Night Owl	"Fernando"	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Rock Lobster	"SOS"	Howie Mandel	OUT
Battle Royale
4	Medusa	"The Winner Takes It All"	undisclosed	WIN
	Night Owl		Debbie Gibson	OUT

Week 3 (March 1) - "New York Night"

Guest performance: Panelist Robin Thicke performs "Living in New York City"

Performances on the third episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Medusa	"New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Polar Bear	"Rapture" by Blondie	Grandmaster Flash	OUT
3	California Roll	"Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Medusa	"Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel	undisclosed	KEPT [lower-alpha 1]
	California Roll		undisclosed	WIN

• After being unmasked, Grandmaster Flash scratched along to "Good Times" by Chic as his encore performance.

Week 4 (March 8) - "DC Superheroes Night"

Guest performance: Panelist Nicole Scherzinger performs "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler

Performances on the fourth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Gargoyle	"One Call Away" by Charlie Puth	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Wolf	"Break On Through" by The Doors	Michael Bolton	OUT
3	Squirrel	"Try" by P!nk	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Gargoyle	"Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down	undisclosed	KEPT [lower-alpha 2]
	Squirrel		undisclosed	WIN

• After being unmasked, Bolton performed his signature song "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" as his encore performance.

Week 5 (March 15) - "Sesame Street Night"

Guest performance: Sesame Street characters ^{[lower-alpha 5]} perform "Dynamite" by BTS

Performances on the fifth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Squirrel	"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr. feat. Bill Withers	Malin Akerman	OUT
2	Fairy	"You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Jackalope	"Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Jackalope	"On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons	Lele Pons	OUT
	Fairy		undisclosed	WIN

Week 6 (March 22) - "Country Night"

Performances on the sixth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Fairy	"Angel from Montgomery" by Bonnie Raitt	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Axolotl	"Can't Fight the Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes	Alexa Bliss	OUT
3	Macaw	"Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Fairy	"That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain	Holly Robinson Peete	OUT
	Macaw		undisclosed	WIN

Week 7 (March 29) - "'80s Night"

Guest performance: Young MC performs "Bust a Move"

Performances on the seventh episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Doll	"Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Scorpio	"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Moose	"The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News	George Wendt	OUT
Battle Royale
4	Scorpio	"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran	Christine Quinn	OUT
	Doll		undisclosed	WIN

Week 8 (April 5) - "WB Movie Night"

Performances on the eighth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Doll	"Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley (from Elvis )	Dee Snider	OUT
2	Dandelion	"Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland (from The Wizard of Oz )	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Mantis	"Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger (from Risky Business )	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Dandelion	"(I've Got A) Golden Ticket" by Jack Albertson & Peter Ostrum (from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory )	undisclosed	WIN
	Mantis		undisclosed	KEPT [lower-alpha 3]

• After being unmasked, Snider performed an acapella version of his signature song "We're Not Gonna Take It" as his encore performance.

Week 9 (April 12) - "Masked Singer In Space"

Performances on the ninth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Dandelion	"Starlight" by Muse	Alicia Witt	OUT
2	Lamp	"Venus" by Bananarama	undisclosed	SAFE
3	UFO	"Yellow" by Coldplay	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Lamp	"Rocket Man" by Elton John	Melissa Joan Hart	OUT
	UFO		undisclosed	WIN

Week 10 (April 19) - "Supreme Six"

Performances on the tenth episode

#	Stage name	Song
1	California Roll	"Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
2	Macaw	"Photograph" by Ed Sheeran
3	UFO	"Stargazing" by Kygo

Week 11 (April 26) - "Battle of the Saved"

Performances on the eleventh episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Medusa	"Mercy" by Shawn Mendes	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Gargoyle	"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" by Usher ft. Pitbull	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Mantis	"You Really Got Me" by The Kinks	Lou Diamond Phillips	OUT
Battle Royale
4	Gargoyle	"Centuries" by Fall Out Boy	Keenan Allen	OUT
	Medusa		undisclosed	WIN

• After being unmasked, Phillips performed "La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens as his encore performance.

Week 12 (May 3) - "Quarter Finals" (British Invasion Night)

Performances on the twelfth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Macaw	"Your Song" by Elton John	undisclosed	SAFE
2	California Roll	"Creep" by Radiohead	undisclosed	SAFE
3	UFO	"Tears Dry on Their Own" by Amy Winehouse	Olivia Culpo	OUT
4	Medusa	"Someone Like You" by Adele	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 13 (May 10) - "Semi-Finals"

Performances on the thirteenth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	California Roll	"Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson	Pentatonix	OUT
2	Medusa	"Take Me to Church" by Hozier	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Macaw	"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale	"Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars

Week 14 (May 17) - "Finale"

Performances on the fourteenth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Macaw	"Hold Back the River" by James Bay	David Archuleta	RUNNER-UP
		"All by Myself" by Eric Carmen
2	Medusa	"Elastic Heart" by Sia	Bishop Briggs	WINNER
		"Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance

• After being unmasked, Briggs sang her signature song "River" as her encore performance.

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 9

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Season 9 Premiere"	February 15, 2023	0.6/6	3.71	[17]
2	"ABBA Night"	February 22, 2023	0.6/6	3.83	[18]
3	"New York Night"	March 1, 2023	0.6/5	3.68	[19]
4	"DC Superheroes Night"	March 8, 2023	0.7/6	4.02	[20]
5	"Sesame Street Night"	March 15, 2023	0.7/6	4.01	[21]
6	"Country Night"	March 22, 2023	0.5/5	3.68	[22]
7	"'80s Night"	March 29, 2023	0.7/6	3.91	[23]
8	"WB Movie Night"	April 5, 2023	0.6/6	3.69	[24]
9	"Masked Singer in Space"	April 12, 2023	0.5/5	3.78	[25]
10	"Supreme Six"	April 19, 2023	0.5/5	3.45	[26]
11	"Battle of the Saved"	April 26, 2023	0.5/5	3.40	[27]
12	"Quarter Finals"	May 3, 2023	0.5/5	3.41	[28]
13	"Semi-Finals"	May 10, 2023	0.5/5	3.54	[29]
14	"Finale"	May 17, 2023	0.6/5	3.73	[30]

Notes

1. While in the middle of their unmasking, panelist Nicole Scherzinger used the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell to save Medusa from elimination, allowing the portrayer to keep their mask on and continue in the competition.
2. While in the middle of their unmasking, panelist Jenny McCarthy used the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell to save Gargoyle from elimination, allowing the portrayer to keep their mask on and continue in the competition.
3. While in the middle of their unmasking, panelist Robin Thicke used the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell to save Mantis from elimination, allowing the portrayer to keep their mask on and continue in the competition.
4. Bolton previously appeared in the sixth season as a special guest.
5. Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, Abby Cadabby, and Count von Count

References

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4. "(MS-901) "Season 9 Premiere"" (Press release). Fox. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023– via The Futon Critic.
5. Lauren Huff (February 6, 2023). "The Masked Singer season 9 reveals new costumes, themes, and big elimination twist". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
6. "The Masked Singer Is Back with Season Nine, Premiering Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 8/7c on FOX!" (Press release). Fox. January 11, 2023. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023– via The Futon Critic.
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