The Masked Singer season 11 premiere recap: The book is revealed

SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue reading if you have not watched the season 11 premiere of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 6 on Fox.

“The Masked Singer” kicked off its 11th season Wednesday night, and in perhaps the show’s most unusual reveal, comedian Kevin Hart brought his prank war with host Nick Cannon to the show.

Hart made his one-night-only appearance on “The Masked Singer” as Book, singing the song “So Sick” by Ne-Yo (who turned out to be the show’s season 10 winner). The performance… it was a little hectic, man. By the end of the song, the show’s panelists seemed to get it. But after Robin Thicke quickly identified Hart, the star took off his costume to reveal himself.

“This is a joke, you had no idea I was coming here, Nick, and guess what, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Hart exclaimed to Cannon, who was allegedly not informed about the appearance beforehand. Hart and Cannon have a long history of pranking each other, and have even turned it into the series “Celebrity Prank Wars.”

“This is stupid!” —Cañon exclaimed. “That was the worst performance in the history of this show!”

Hart claimed his out-of-tune performance of “So Sick” was on purpose, but Cannon wouldn’t have it: “You embarrassed yourself! “You look very stupid.” Hart replied: “I look good, Nick. There is nothing stupid about me. You know who looks stupid? You, with that stupid jacket.

In the end, with Hart revealing himself, none of the other celebrity contestants on Wednesday’s premiere were unmasked.

Before revealing himself, Hart-as-Book added: “I’m excited. I have done a lot. I like it a lot. But what I’m doing now, this might be my most novel experience yet. I’ve been waiting for this. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. And the fact that I can come here and express myself excites me.”

Returning for season 11 are host Nick Cannon, along with panelists Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, while Rita Ora joined the desk to replace Nicole Scherzinger, who was in London to star in West’s “Sunset Boulevard.” End.

Ora opened season 11 performing “Who Are You?” by The Who. – one of the characteristic themes of the program.
“The Masked Singer” season 11 will feature themed episodes including “The Wizard of Oz,” celebrating the classic film’s 85th anniversary; “Transformers” (commemorating the brand’s 40th anniversary) and musical tributes including “Billy Joel Night” and “Queen Night.” Bonus tracks include “Girl Groups,” “Soundtrack of My Life,” “TV Theme Night,” and “Shower Anthems.”

Featuring a total of sixteen famous singers, including three “wild cards,” season 11 features new costumes including “Gumball,” “Lizard,” “Ugly Sweater,” “Goldfish,” “Starfish,” and “Book.”

These were the other performances of Group A in Wednesday’s premiere episode:

Goldfish

Song: “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo

Panel guesses: Lea Michele, Selena Gomez, Carly Rae Jepsen

Clue: Golden disc. “Let it be known that gold is my lucky color.”

Voiceover package: “It’s official. You finally caught me in the ‘Masked Singer’ web. When I started, I was an overnight sensation. But all that success made me feel like I was living in a fishbowl, with eyes and expectations of everyone placed on me. I had big decisions to make. I could play it safe or dive into deeper, darker and more daring waters. So I took the step. Although it was a risk, I swam against the current and broke molds. And to this day “Today, I still love to keep people guessing. That’s why I’m here. Hollywood can suck a little bit of the soul. So I’m proud to have kept my head on my shoulders. Just like this mask will be.”

Starfish

Song: “The Material Girl” by Madonna

Panel guesses: Catherine O’Hara, Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon

Clue: Clock that says “50 billion.” “I have had more than 50 billion minutes streamed to me. And that was just in one year!

Voiceover package: “I heard they were having a premiere party. So I put on a swimsuit and came immediately. When I was first starting out, I served steaks to the stars. I rubbed shoulders with people like Steve Martin and Whitney Houston. All I heard was, ‘Please check!’ Then I got the job of my life. One that would make my name known throughout the world. Now I have everything. And I can afford it! So trust that your yes will come. Or find a rich, sugar mama like me to enjoy.”

ugly sweater

Song: “The Best”, by Tina Turner

Panel guesses: Charlie Wilson, Nile Rodgers, Verdine White

Clue: “Showing up” in an ugly sweater. “Ugly Sweater is always in fashion. “That must be why the biggest stars want to work with me.”

Voiceover package: “When I came onto the scene as a young, handsome Ugly Sweater, I was the epitome of style and the top of the world. I lost focus. And my whole world fell apart. I went from living in attics to sleeping on park benches. My life was hanging by a thread. But when I hit rock bottom, I realized I had to change. And I began to fight to recover my voice. Now I’m back on top, better than before. That’s why I want to win that trophy for all the people who helped me recover and live a life that is simply the best.”

Parakeet

Song: “Home” by Phillip Phillips

Panel guesses: Travis Kelce, Odell Beckham Jr., Nick Viall

Clue: Television that says “Leading Man.” “I may be a great Love Bird, but you know I’m even better as a leading man.”

Voiceover package: “It’s very fitting that it’s a Lovebird. Because what can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic. Every decision I have made in my life is out of love. Either the hope of finding it or the fear of losing it. And you know how they say, love makes you do crazy things. Well, they were right. Okay, let’s move on. I have been successful in many fields. But I always followed my heart. And I ended up in front of millions. I even won awards for being so adorable. But my greatest achievement is finally finding someone to nest with. And now, I have followed my love for music to be on this stage. I’m not a singer, but I always wanted to be on this show for seasons. And I am very happy to be here tonight.”

Book

Song: “So Sick” by Ne-Yo

Panel guesses: Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Eddie Murphy, Kevin Hart (Robin)

Voiceover package: “Of course I am the book. I’ve had stories for days and a vocabulary that’s really…what’s the word? Good. And I owe everything to my mom. Look, my brother was a troublemaker. A true detective novel. So, my mom had to lay down the law…on me. So I was good at everything, from school to sports. But when it came to acting, he was obnoxious. There’s that vocabulary again. That means horrible. But I knew I was destined to achieve it. And today I am a best seller. Grossing more than 4 billion dollars at the box office. That’s a lot of paper! Now I’m here with a version of last season’s champion. With the mission of impressing a special friend.”

Last season’s performers included Ne-Yo as Cow, John Schneider as Donut, Macy Gray as Sea Queen and Janel Parrish as Gazelle, along with John Oates as Anteater, Keyshia Cole as Candelabra, Sebastian Bach as Tiki, Ginuwine as Husky , Ashley Parker Angel as S. ‘more, Metta World Peace as Cuddle Monster, Luann de Lesseps as Hibiscus, Tyler Posey as Hawk, Billie Jean King as Royal Hen, Michael Rapaport as Pickle, Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky and one-time special guest Demi Lovato as Anonymous.

Fox Alternative Entertainment is behind “The Masked Singer,” which is executive produced by showrunner James Breen, Craig Plestis and Nick Cannon. The series is based on the South Korean format created by Mun Hwa Broadcasting Corp.