With The Masked Singer preparing to return for its fourteenth season, the panel and host are looking back at the jaw-dropping performances that helped turn the show into a pop-culture phenomenon.
Ahead of the season 14 premiere, Parade asked host Nick Cannon and panelists Rita Ora, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg a deceptively simple question: Who has been your favorite performer from the show’s first 13 seasons?
While their answers came from different eras and musical worlds, one thing quickly became clear: some performances are simply impossible to forget.
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'Masked Singer' panelist Rita Ora and host Nick Cannon interview (7:13)
For Cannon, the choice came down to a performance that redefined what contestants could do on the Masked Singer stage.
“I mean, for me, I would probably have to say Wayne Brady,” Cannon said. “Wayne killed it—it's between Wayne Brady and Lil Wayne."
Brady famously won the show's second season, dressed as the dapper Fox, complete with a cane, top hat and cape. Lil Wayne was a contestant on season 3, though he did not win—in fact, he was the first celebrity unmasked and eliminated on the third season.
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Rita Ora: Nostalgia, Fangirling and Fun
Ora, now several seasons into her role on the panel, said her favorite moments came from artists who tapped directly into her musical roots.
“I just loved Dru Hill and Sisqó and that whole era,” she said, laughing as Cannon pointed out just how excited she became. “I started singing all his songs back to him.”
Sisqó was part of Ora's debut season, which was the show's eleventh. He was the Lizard and was the fifth celebrity eliminated.
She also singled out another unexpected standout.
“And Method Man,” Ora said. “Those are sort of my two. Method Man was always my crush in real life."
Cannon added, "And the fact that Method Man would do this show, because he’s not a singer, and hip-hop artists take themselves really seriously. So he came to have fun with us.”
Method Man was the Stud Muffin during season 13, finishing in eighth place.
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Thicke and Jeong agreed with Cannon’s pick, explaining why Wayne Brady changed expectations forever.
“Wayne Brady was pretty amazing. He won. He really—for the first time—rapped, sang, and did dance choreography,” Thicke said. “He blew our minds in the finale.”
Jeong cut straight to the point, saying, "Wayne Brady. OK, next [question].”
Thicke also shouted out T-Pain, the Monster, and the winner of the show's inaugural season. Jeong later admitted that despite years on the panel, his guessing skills remain questionable—but the fun, he says, is always the point.
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Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg: 'Her Voice is Literally From Heaven'
McCarthy Wahlberg took a different approach, choosing a performance that left a lasting emotional impression.
“The one that I would say that I would want to come back is LeAnn Rimes,” she said. “Her voice is literally from heaven. I’ve never heard a more angelic, perfect voice than LeAnn Rimes.”
“She won, rightfully so,” McCarthy Wahlberg added. “But we got to hear her every episode, and I just wanted her to continue every season.”
Rimes famously won season 4, beating out some really impressive other singers that included Aloe Blacc, Nick Carter, Tori Kelly, Taylor Dayne, Clint Black and his wife Lisa Hartman Black, and the legendary Paul Anka.
Looking Ahead to Season 14
If the panel’s favorite performances are any indication, season 14 has a high bar to clear—and they’re confident it will.
Nick Cannon has teased a “blockbuster” season packed with themed nights inspired by major pop-culture franchises, while Ora says the ever-evolving costumes continue to surprise even the people sitting at the judges’ table.
The Masked Singer returns for season 14 on Wednesday, January 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
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