The latest contestant to lift the helmet on season nine of The Masked Singer now has extra time for sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide do its stuff.
Wednesday night’s (March 8) episode was a flex for the DC comic universe, with the judges all playing their part in costume, and the show appropriately opening by way of Nicole Scherzinger (in a Catwoman suit) tackling Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.”
Three new contestants showed their best, with Gargoyle striking the first blow with a performance of Charlie Puth’s “One Call Away”.
Next up, Wolf with a rendition of the Doors’ “Break on Through,” followed by Squirrel’s take on Pink’s “Try”.
The canine, however, got canned.
When the helmet came off, the celebrity inside was none other than late ’80s/early ‘90s crooner Michael Bolton, who, during his career, has bagged a brace of Grammy Awards and Billboard Hot 100 leaders, with “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and “When A Man Loves A Woman.”
“I could get used to being the Wolf,” he told host Nick Cannon on his exit. “It’s great, the audience is great, the show’s great,” said the clearly-disappointed singer.
And what next for the blue-eyed soul man? “I’ve got some things going on, an album coming out in the spring. It’s about making this a beautiful world, despite what’s going on, whatever the climb we’ve got to do our best to make it a beautiful world.”
With Bolton unmasked, Squirrel and Gargoyle entered a Battle Royale, squaring off to 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite.”
Squirrel won, but Gargoyle was handed a reprieve by the judging panel.
Earlier, during the premiere of season nine, the Gnome was unmasked to reveal the Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony and Grammy-winning entertainer and comedian Dick Van Dyke. Also unmasked on episode one was the Mustang, who turned out to be “A Little Bit Stronger” singer Sara Evans.
Fox’s unusual hit returns next week with a Sesame Street-themed episode.
Watch Bolton’s performance of “Break On Through,” his unmasking, the Battle Royale and Gargoyle’s save.