It’s that time of year once again, folks: The return of Fox’s The Masked Singer, the reality singing competition that’s all about the anticipation of decapitation. With the series returning for its 10th season premiere tonight, the show has already unleashed the first of its signature reveals, removing the head of The Rubber Ducky for delivering what even he had to admit was a pretty sub-par, lyrics-forgetting performance of Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen.”
The waterfowl in question was in a five-way battle with its fellow competitors, including Gazelle (“Uninvited” by Alanis Morrissette), Diver (“Any Way You Want It” by Journey), S’More (“Slow Hands” by Niall Horan), and Cow (“Bones” by Imagine Dragons), all of whom did mostly manage to remember their words, and thus were spared the wrath of Nick Cannon, the headsmen of singing TV.
Of course, the Ducky in question wasn’t really a singer at all, given that it was comedian and actor Anthony Anderson, who attempted to explain, in his exit interview, that he had “over-rehearsed” his song. (Listening to the clips, that would not have been our immediate judgment of the Black-ish star’s performance, but who are we to quibble? He also claimed that he has “a huge head” and was given a small mask, so it’s just excuses for days with this guy.) Anderson’s is actually technically the second reveal of the season, after a season kick-off special a few weeks ago saw a non-competing Demi Lovato be unveiled before the masses.
Anyway: One horrifying monster down, 15 more to go, as the show’s 10th season continues to roll along for the next several months. Who will fall next? Looking at you, “Pickle.” Your number is up.