“The Masked Singer” fans got a jolt last night as the game show booted its first celebrity contestant — one who turned out to be a Denver Broncos football legend.
Judge Ken Jeong guessed the costumed crooner as Hall of Famer John Elway, following guesses from other judges that included Tom Brady (from judge Jenny McCarthy), Billy Bob Thornton (from Rita Ora), and Troy Aikman (Robin Thicke). As such, Elway was the first booted from Season 12 of the Fox series on the Wednesday, Sept. 25, premiere episode.
His guise was heavy misdirection. His elaborate Leaf Sheep costume one-upped the show’s usual animal outfits with a cartoonish take on an actual animal species (the Leaf Sheep is a sea slug) that moved around the stage like a parade float, with Elway in a concealed chair. Could anyone have known it was the 64-year-old, two-time Super Bowl champ underneath?
Well, Jeong did. Elway, who told Fox Digital that he was nervous about singing on stage, chose Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It.” For his pre-taped, audio-only intro — which gave judges a chance to hear the unknown-contestant’ speaking voice — Elway said: “These days, I’m a little sluggish. But you should have seen me in my prime. I made a total splash. Scored headlines, topped the country’s charts and even revived a franchise. And now, I’m here to keep the good times rolling.”
“I was not a very good singer, still not,” he told Fox. “But it was way out of my comfort zone, and I think, for me, it was I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, which put me out of there. Plus, I have 10 grandkids. I thought it would be cool to see poppy on ‘The Masked Singer’ even though I got kicked off, which is fine.”
“The Masked Singer” Season 12 themed episodes feature tributes to Barbie on its 65th anniversary, and “Footloose” on its 40th anniversary, Variety reported.
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