On March 10, the fifth season of Fox’s runaway hit reality singing competition “The Masked Singer” came on air. One significant difference was the presence of TV actress Niecy Nash as the temporary host on account of regular presenter Nick Cannon having come down with COVID-19 just before the season began production. It was hoped that it would only be a matter of time before Cannon returns to shepherd the current season to its finale, as fitting. Come this Wednesday, April 14 in the US, Cannon will finally return as host, although he surprised the whole show with his sneaky appearance in last Wednesday’s episode.

Entertainment Weekly would have it that everything is okay now where “The Masked Singer” season 5 is concerned. As shown in a Fox TV spot, Nick Cannon is back in the saddle as host following his bout with COVID, after five episodes with Niecy Nash on stage. Her last outing as “Masked Singer” host did turn out to be rather exciting, as Cannon apparently got an early start on his comeback in the show. It was probably not as he planned, because if the panelists have not singled him out he might have remained anonymous.

For season 5, the show introduced a “Wild Card” contestant mechanic, with new Masked Singers replacing eliminated ones beginning in Episode 3. For Episode 5 (April 7), the Wild Card was Bulldog, who performed New Edition’s “Candy Girl.” The regular panel of Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger were shocked when Nash announced that she gets to decide who among Bulldog, Chameleon, Black Swan, Crab and Piglet will get unmasked. She chose Bulldog, who then took off his mask to reveal Cannon all along. Cue the panel and audience losing their minds, with the panelists also giving him a hearty welcome back.

The fifth season of “The Masked Singer” has been hitting some home runs with several milestones for the whole show’s run. The first contestant unmasked in March 10 (Snail) was Muppet Kermit the Frog, the first fictional character to feature. On the following episode, Phoenix was unmasked as Caitlyn Jenner, the first trans contestant in the show. Still in the running are the Masked Singer/s Russian Dolls, the second contestant composed of more than one celebrity and the first to have three people in disguise. It will be Group A Finals for April 14 as Nick Cannon returns for “The Masked Singer,” Wednesdays on Fox.

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