‘The Masked Singer’ (Michael Becker/FOX)

by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya | Another celebrity was unmasked at the end of the night. FOX’s ‘The Masked Singer’ – Season One. THE MASKED SINGER: Deer in the ‘Mask On Face Off’ series premiere of THE MASKED SINGER airing Wednesday, Jan 2 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

The Masked Singer continued on Fox on Wednesday night, with five of the remaining 10 undercover singers returning to the stage to sing once more in front of a studio audience and celebrity panelists Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke. This week, the celebrity panelists were joined by special guest Joel McHale. Nick Cannon returned as host. The lion, deer, peacock, unicorn and monster all gave performances and dropped additional clues about who they might be.

The lion, who was suspected last week of being in a girl group, went first. New clues hinted that she’s involved in political activism, with footage of protests playing during her new clip package. “Now I feel like I can be a frontrunner,” she said, adding that she likes the anonymity of the mask. “Using my voice to help others has always been very important,” she said.

For her performance, the lion sang “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone and, as with her first performance on the show, she proved that she has some singing training. “I just love how you’re always so poised onstage,” Scherzinger said, commending her presence. “Your grace, power, control are unbelievable,” McCarthy added. “You’re way more talented than Ken Jeong,” McHale joked. McCarthy guessed that it was Kelly Rowland again. Scherzinger guessed Hailey Baldwin, McHale guessed Emily Blunt. McCarthy asked the lion if she currently has a platinum album, and she replied, “I have nothing gold or platinum on my walls yet.

The deer was up next, and his next clue package referenced the fact that he was in the bottom after his first performance. “Being in the bottom ain’t my style,” he said. “I used to be able to sell salt to a slug,” implying that he has done car commercials before. “I know how to throw,” he also said before throwing a bunch of objects around.

He sang “Get Your Shine On” by Florida Georgia Line and didn’t do many dance moves. He had a Southern twang, and the panelists picked up on the fact that he might be on the older side. “I can tell you’re not a professional singer, but I can tell that you’re definitely game,” Jeong said. The general consensus was that he is an athlete. McHale guessed Brett Favre, Thicke guessed Ben Roethlisberger, and Scherzinger guessed Terry Bradshaw. “I have multiple world titles,” the deer said. “I started in track and field then went to horses.” McHale posited that it could be a player from the Denver Broncos or the Indianapolis Colts.

“When I stepped on that stage for the first time, I loved being able to perform without anyone knowing who I was,” the peacock said in his next clip package. “Everyone thinks they know me.” He said that he started as a teenybopper and also mentioned a fear of heights. “But there’s more than meets the eye,” he said.

The peacock sang “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic and put on another fun show. “I think you’re a professional singer,” Jeong said. “I thought it was another electrifying performance,” Scherzinger added, calling him a natural-born performer. McHale guessed Neil Patrick Harris. Thicke floated the names David Copperfield and Criss Angel, still thinking he could be a magician. “I have performed in Las Vegas,” the peacock hinted. Thicke guessed Tom Jones.

In the unicorn’s second clip package, she once again referenced the fact that she lacks confidence. “I came here to conquer my fear of singing and of being judged, and I did it,” she said. “This week, I’m going to exude model behavior.” Three baby unicorns also appeared in the video.

She sang “Oops!… I Did It Again” by Britney Spears, and the performance was autotuned, but McCarthy praised her vulnerability. “You have such a sweet, kind, gentle voice,” Thicke said. Scherzinger guessed Denise Richards, but also wondered if she could be a gymnast because she had said she was going for gold in her clip package. Thicke guessed Gabby Douglas, and McCarthy guessed Mary Lou Retton. Kayla Maroney was also one of the guesses. The panelists asked her if she was known for being a gymnast, and she replied: “in the bedroom.”

The monster closed things out ahead of the reveal. “When I was given a second chance, I realized I had to do a little reset and move forward,” he said in reference to almost being eliminated. “From behind this mask, I can finally show the world my true self.” He said he’s back in the swing of things, and it was implied that he has traveled around a lot.

He sang “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw. His vocals were strong, and he even hit a really high note at the end. “After watching you perform, I’m, like, this is the weirdest show on television,” McHale said. Thicke called it his favorite performance, particularly praising that high note. Scherzinger said that he must have sung before. Thicke guessed Nelly. “I like to keep my head in the game,” the monster said. Thicke then guessed Derek Jeter, and Cannon threw out Kevin Hart.

The studio audience and panelists voted between the singers, and the bottom artist was the deer. The panelists made their final guesses as to who could be under the mask. Scherzinger guessed Terry Bradshaw again, and Thicke and McHale agreed. McCarthy used the horses clue to guess Peyton Manning, formerly of the Colts and Broncos. Jeong guessed John Elway. The deer struggled to get his mask off, but finally revealed himself to be two-time Super Bowl MVP Terry Bradshaw.

kayla kumari upadhyaya  @KaylaKumari

staff writer @autostraddle / writes about tv @theavclub @vulture @thr / reporter @eaterny / co-creator @sidetrackseries, a gay webseries u should watch