The Masked Singer Cuts Showbird Loose on Footloose Night — Who Are the Other Season 12 Celebrities?

Andy Swift
·5-min read

Nary a Sunday shoe went unkicked on Wednesday as The Masked Singer celebrated the 40th anniversary of the movie Footloose — complete with a visit from Kevin Bacon, himself. (Come to think of it, he and wife Kyra Sedgwick should totally be on this show at some point.)

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The second episode of Season 12 brought back the remaining members of Group A — Buffalos, Ship, Showbird and Woodpecker — for a night of performances from the film’s chart-topping soundtrack, beginning with Showbird’s take on Deniece Williams’ iconic anthem “Let’s Hear It For the Boy.”

While we’re at it, let’s also hear it for Showbird, who absolutely killed this performance, as well as for Ken Jeong, who finally identified his feathered friend. Given how closely they’ve worked together in the past, not to mention how obvious some of those clues were, we still can’t believe it took him this long.

Unfortunately, the audience wasn’t as impressed by Showbird as it was with her competitors; Ship stunned with a beautiful rendition of Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise,” Woodpecker delivered a solid take on Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” and the Buffalo trio turned up the heart with Foreigner’s “Waiting For a Girl Like You.” (In other news, does Footloose have one of the best soundtracks of all time? Bop. After. Bop.)

Sadly, this turned out to be Showbird’s swan song. And as we predicted last week, the golden-voiced warbler turned out to be none other than Jeong’s Community co-star Yvette Nicole Brown.

Read on for a complete breakdown of everything we’ve learned about the other remaining contestants, complete with performance videos and our best guesses, then drop a comment with your own predictions below. Who are the celebrities in these costumes?

BUFFALOS

CLUES | What we thought was a single Buffalo turned out to be three, as introduced by Nick Lachey, who claims that one of the Buffalo is always the center of attention at his Super Bowl parties. One of the Buffalo grew up poor and practiced his craft at bus stops, before eventually getting his big break (“it was game on!”) at a cattle call. The so-called “national treasure” went on to star in two of the biggest sitcoms of all time. Visual clues included Betty White and Vanna White on a slot machine, and a crown.

Episode 2 explained that the Buffalos were “rebels” who “found each other along the trail.” They’re funny, they’re corny and they’re apparently rich. As one Buffalo explained, “We’re a little tired right now, because we’re busy using this tractor to mow lawns all around town.” Visual clues included a game of poker and a bottle of poison.

OUR BEST GUESS | The internet is convinced that Boyz II Men is under those Buffalo costumes, but do the clues really line up? Allow us to throw in another option: Cedric the Entertainer, an original member of the Kings of Comedy (hence the crown). Not only did he share the screen with Betty White during a crossover between The Soul Man and Hot in Cleveland, but he also appeared in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s play American Buffalo. Could the other two Buffalo be Cedric’s fellow Kings of Comedy, Steve Harvey and D.L. Hughley? Boyz II Men feels too obvious — wouldn’t this be so much more fun?

LEAF SHEEP (John Elway!)

Leaf Sheep — which is a real creature, if you’re brave enough to Google it — was revealed to be NFL great John Elway in the Season 12 premiere.

SHIP

CLUES | Ship was introduced in Episode 1 by Jewel, with whom she’s “always had a great relationship.” Ship made history with a string of massive hits, but the tides changed “from angry to serene,” and she lost control, often feeling forgotten. Years later, she’s finally back with the career she always wanted. Visual clues included an airplane with a clock on it, a wanted poster, an old TV set with rabbit ears and a sparkly cowboy hat.

Episode 2 revealed that Ship was class president, star cheerleader and prom queen in high school. A foot injury sidelined her for a year, which ultimately led her to the piano. Visual clues included a blackbird, a pair of white cowboy boots and a heart. She’s also three degrees separated from Kevin Bacon via Melissa Etheridge.

OUR BEST GUESS | We were siding with Robin Thicke’s original guess of Enya, but after those clues from Episode 2, we’re changing our tune — the Ship is Paula Cole! Not only does Cole have well-documented relationships with both Jewel and Etheridge, but the cowboy boots/hat are clearly a nod to her 1996 single “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” The clock in Episode 1 could have also been hinting at her smash hit “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which was used as the theme song for Dawson’s Creek (hence the TV with the rabbit ears).

SHOWBIRD (Yvette Nicole Brown!)

SHOWBIRD (Yvette Nicole Brown!)
SHOWBIRD (Yvette Nicole Brown!)

One of the more obvious Season 12 contestants, Showbird was revealed in Episode 2 to be none other than Ken Jeong’s Community co-star Yvette Nicole Brown. We’re just glad he finally guessed her correctly — that could have been embarrassing.

WOODPECKER

CLUES | Woodpecker was introduced by Jenifer Lewis, who claims to have known her since her start. The young celeb is already a mogul with a world record, and she intends to become the youngest CEO — so it probably helps that she’s already friends with Beyoncé.

Episode 2 took us into Woodpecker’s childhood, which involved less “playing in treehouses” and more “planting roots in Hollywood.” She grew up in front of the world, and another bird from the Masked Singer family apparently shares her “stylish” obsession with shoes. Visual clues included a rubber ducky and a briefcase.

OUR BEST GUESS | This one is too easy. Woodpecker is obviously 20-year-old Marsai Martin, who starred alongside Lewis on ABC’s black-ish. At 13, Martin became the youngest person to ever produce a movie (2019’s Little), and at 17, she became the CEO of her own luxury nail brand (MARI). A quick Googling also confirms that Martin is indeed friends with Queen Bey.

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