The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 12

The Masked Singer
Season 12
Promotional poster for season twelve, featuring "Chess Piece"
Starring	Robin Thicke Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Ken Jeong Rita Ora
Hosted by	Nick Cannon
No. of contestants	15
Winner	Boyz II Men as "Buffalos"
Runner-up	Mario as "Wasp"
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 25 (2024-09-25) – December 18, 2024 (2024-12-18)
Season chronology

The twelfth season of the American television series The Masked Singer premiered on Fox on September 25, 2024, and concluded on December 18, 2024. The season was won by vocal R&B group Boyz II Men as the "Buffalos", with singer Mario finishing second as "Wasp".

Panelists and host

Season 12 panelists and host

Robin Thicke

Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg

Ken Jeong

Rita Ora

Nick Cannon

Nick Cannon, singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, television and radio personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, actor and comedian Ken Jeong and recording artist Rita Ora all returned from the previous season. Ora was absent in the eleventh episode due to illness, so Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, and Ken Jeong appeared alone.

William Shatner, who portrayed "Knight" during the eighth season, appeared as a special guest during the first episode. Kevin Bacon appeared as a special guest during the second episode. Joel McHale and Nikki Glaser (who portrayed "Snowstorm" in the eighth season) appeared as guest commentators in the fourth episode. The Peanuts gang appeared during the ninth episode. Season five winner Nick Lachey, Robin's mother Gloria Loring, and Rita's husband Taika Waititi, the latter two appearing in the audience, appeared in the season finale.

Production

Much like the previous four seasons of the series, the twelfth season features the return of themed nights. Throughout the season, themes include nights dedicated to Miley Cyrus and the film Footloose. Additionally, other themes include a night dedicated to the toy-film brand Barbie, "60s Night", "Sports Night", "Who Are You Fest", and "Peanuts Thanksgiving".[1] "Soundtrack Of My Life" was featured once again after having already been represented in the previous two seasons.[1]

Contestants

The contestants were revealed between August 15 and September 23, 2024.[1][2][3] The season features 15 contestants divided into three groups of five.[1] This is the first season since the seventh season to not feature Wild Card contestants or contestants that join the competition later than the rest. Additionally, the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell returned from the previous three seasons. The bell allows the panel to save one contestant from being eliminated throughout the three group finals and bring them to the quarterfinals.

On August 15, 2024, it was confirmed that former contestants such as Dick Van Dyke, Jewel, Ne-Yo, and DeMarcus Ware would appear as Mask Ambassadors for the new contestants throughout the season. Each Mask Ambassador has a connection to the contestant and serves as a clue to their identity.[1]

The Buffalos made history as they became the first group ever to win in the American edition of the Masked Singer.

Stage name	Celebrity	Occupation(s)	Mask Ambassador	Episodes
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
				Group A			Group B			Group C
Buffalos	Boyz II Men	Vocal R&B group	Nick Lachey	SAFE	SAFE	WIN							SAFE	RISK	WINNERS
Wasp	Mario	Singer	Ne-Yo				SAFE	SAFE	WIN				SAFE	WIN	RUNNER-UP
Strawberry Shortcake	AJ Michalka	Actor/singer	Hayley Orrantia							SAFE	SAFE	WIN	RISK	OUT
Goo	Kobie Turner	NFL player	Keenan Allen				SAFE	SAFE	KEPT[a]				OUT
Sherlock Hound	Bronson Arroyo	Former MLB player	Barry Zito							SAFE	SAFE	OUT
Royal Knight	Jana Kramer	Actor/singer	Savannah Chrisley							SAFE	SAFE	OUT
Ice King	Drake Bell	Actor/musician	Hanson							SAFE	OUT
Macaron	Bethany Hamilton	Surfer	Willie Robertson							OUT
Bluebell	Natalie Imbruglia	Actor/singer	Kelly Osbourne				SAFE	SAFE	OUT
Chess Piece	Laverne Cox	Actor/activist	Nikki Glaser				SAFE	OUT
Dust Bunny	Andy Richter	Actor/comedian	Dick Van Dyke				OUT
Ship	Paula Cole	Singer	Jewel	SAFE	SAFE	OUT
Woodpecker	Marsai Martin	Actor/producer	Jenifer Lewis	SAFE	SAFE	OUT
Showbird	Yvette Nicole Brown[b]	Actor	Joel McHale	SAFE	OUT
Leaf Sheep	John Elway	Former NFL quarterback	DeMarcus Ware	OUT

•  WIN  The masked singer won with their performance and advanced in the competition.
•  KEPT  The masked singer was saved from elimination by a panelist using the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell.
•  SAFE  The masked singer was safe from elimination.
•  RISK  The masked singer was in the bottom two, but was not eliminated.
•  OUT  The masked singer was eliminated from the competition and unmasked.
•   The masked singer did not perform.

The celebrities who competed in the twelfth season of The Masked Singer, pictured in order of elimination (L-R):
John Elway ("Leaf Sheep"), Yvette Nicole Brown ("Showbird"), Marsai Martin ("Woodpecker"), Paula Cole ("Ship"), Andy Richter ("Dust Bunny"), Laverne Cox ("Chess Piece"), Natalie Imbruglia ("Bluebell"), Bethany Hamilton ("Macaron"), Drake Bell ("Ice King"), Jana Kramer ("Royal Knight"), Bronson Arroyo ("Sherlock Hound"), AJ Michalka ("Strawberry Shortcake"), Mario ("Wasp") and Boyz II Men ("Buffalos")

Not pictured: Kobie Turner ("Goo")

Episodes

Week 1 (September 25) - "Season 12 Premiere: Who Can It Be Now?"

Guest performance: Panelist Rita Ora performs "Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work

Performances on the first episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Buffalos	"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" by Cutting Crew	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Woodpecker	"Flowers" by Miley Cyrus	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Leaf Sheep	"I Like It, I Love It" by Tim McGraw	John Elway	OUT
4	Showbird	"Just Fine" by Mary J. Blige	undisclosed	SAFE
5	Ship	"Pompeii" by Bastille	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 2 (October 2) - "Footloose Night"

Guest performance: Panelist Robin Thicke performs "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins

Performances on the second episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Showbird	"Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams	Yvette Nicole Brown	OUT
2	Ship	"Almost Paradise" by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Woodpecker	"Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler	undisclosed	SAFE
4	Buffalos	"Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 3 (October 9) - "Group A Finals: Soundtrack of My Life"

Group performance: "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco

Performances on the third episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Ship	"Because the Night" by Patti Smith Group	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Woodpecker	"Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae	Marsai Martin	OUT
3	Buffalos	"Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Ship	"Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac	Paula Cole	OUT
	Buffalos		undisclosed	WIN

• After being unmasked, Cole performed her signature song "I Don't Want to Wait" as her encore performance.

Week 4 (October 16) - "Group B Premiere: Sports Night"

Guest performance: Panelists Rita Ora and Robin Thicke perform "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by Scorpions

Performances on the fourth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Wasp	"Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Chess Piece	"Believe" by Cher	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Bluebell	"We Belong" by Pat Benatar	undisclosed	SAFE
4	Dust Bunny	"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond	Andy Richter	OUT
5	Goo	"Lose Control" by Teddy Swims	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 5 (October 23) - "Barbie Night"

Guest performance: Panelist Ken Jeong performs "I'm Just Ken" by Ryan Gosling

Performances on the fifth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Bluebell	"Dance the Night" by Dua Lipa	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Goo	"Miss Independent" by Ne-Yo	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Chess Piece	"I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan	Laverne Cox	OUT
4	Wasp	"Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 6 (November 6) - "Group B Finals: '60s Night"

Group performance: "Fun, Fun, Fun" by The Beach Boys

Performances on the sixth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Goo	"The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Bluebell	"Do You Love Me" by The Contours	Natalie Imbruglia	OUT
3	Wasp	"Ain't No Way" by Aretha Franklin	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Goo	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye	undisclosed	KEPT[a]
	Wasp		undisclosed	WIN

Week 7 (November 13) - "Group C Premiere: Who Are You Fest"

Performances on the seventh episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Royal Knight	"You and I" by Lady Gaga	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Sherlock Hound	"Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers	undisclosed	SAFE
3	Ice King	"Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae	undisclosed	SAFE
4	Macaron	"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen	Bethany Hamilton	OUT
5	Strawberry Shortcake	"Slow Burn" by Kacey Musgraves	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 8 (November 20) - "Miley Cyrus Night"

Group performance: "Party in the U.S.A."

Performances on the eighth episode

#	Stage name	Miley Cyrus song	Identity	Result
1	Sherlock Hound	"Used to Be Young"	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Ice King	"Midnight Sky"	Drake Bell	OUT
3	Strawberry Shortcake	"Wrecking Ball"	undisclosed	SAFE
4	Royal Knight	"When I Look at You"	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 9 (November 28) - "Group C Finals: A Peanuts Thanksgiving"

Guest performance: Panelists Rita Ora and Robin Thicke perform "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates

Performances on the ninth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Strawberry Shortcake	"I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack	undisclosed	SAFE
2	Royal Knight	"Holiday" by Madonna	Jana Kramer	OUT
3	Sherlock Hound	"Ho Hey" by The Lumineers	undisclosed	SAFE
Battle Royale
4	Sherlock Hound	"Shivers" by Ed Sheeran	Bronson Arroyo	OUT
	Strawberry Shortcake		undisclosed	WIN

Week 10 (December 4) - "Quarter Finals: Merging of the Masks"

Performances on the tenth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Result
1	Wasp	"Standing Next to You" by Jungkook	SAFE
2	Goo	"Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls	RISK
3	Strawberry Shortcake	"Closer" by Tegan and Sara	RISK
4	Buffalos	"You're Still the One" by Shania Twain	SAFE
Smackdown			Identity	Result
5	Goo	"Hold On, I'm Comin'" by Sam & Dave	Kobie Turner	OUT
	Strawberry Shortcake	"Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara	undisclosed	SAFE

Week 11 (December 11) - "Semi-Finals: The Final Three"

Group performance: "Some Nights" by Fun

Performances on the eleventh episode

#	Stage name	Song	Result
1	Strawberry Shortcake	"Lose You to Love Me" by Selena Gomez	RISK
2	Buffalos	"Africa" by Toto	RISK
3	Wasp	"Beautiful Things" by Benson Boone	WIN
Smack Royale			Identity	Result
4	Strawberry Shortcake	"Counting Stars" by OneRepublic	AJ Michalka	OUT
	Buffalos		undisclosed	SAFE

• After being unmasked, Michalka performed her signature song "Potential Breakup Song" as her encore performance.

Week 12 (December 18) - "Finale: A Champion Is Crowned"

Guest performance: Nick Lachey performs "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams

Performances on the twelfth episode

#	Stage name	Song	Identity	Result
1	Wasp	"When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars	Mario	RUNNER-UP
		"I'm Your Baby Tonight" by Whitney Houston
2	Buffalos	"Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye	Boyz II Men	WINNERS
		"Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith

• After being unmasked, Mario performed his signature song "Let Me Love You" as his encore performance, and Boyz II Men performed their signature song "Motownphilly".

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 12

No.	Title	Air date	Timeslot (ET)	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Season 12 Premiere: Who Can It Be Now?"	September 25, 2024	Wednesday 8:00 p.m.	0.5/6	2.90	[4]
2	"Footloose Night"	October 2, 2024		0.4/5	2.86	[5]
3	"Group A Finals: Soundtrack of My Life"	October 9, 2024		0.4/4	2.60	[6]
4	"Group B Premiere: Sports Night"	October 16, 2024		0.4/5	2.81	[7]
5	"Barbie Night"	October 23, 2024		0.3/4	2.77	[8]
6	"Group B Finals: '60s Night"	November 6, 2024		0.4/5	2.91	[9]
7	"Group C Premiere: Who Are You Fest"	November 13, 2024		0.4/5	2.98	[10]
8	"Miley Cyrus Night"	November 20, 2024		0.3/4	2.69	[11]
9	"Group C Finals: A Peanuts Thanksgiving"	November 28, 2024	Thursday 8:00 p.m.	1.2/11	5.16	[12]
10	"Quarter Finals: Merging of the Masks"	December 4, 2024	Wednesday 8:00 p.m.	0.3/5	2.76	[13]
11	"Semi-Finals: The Final Three"	December 11, 2024		0.4/5	3.12	[14]
12	"Finale: A Champion Is Crowned"	December 18, 2024		0.4/5	3.16	[15]

Notes

1. While in the middle of their unmasking and per the chanting of the audience, panelist Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg used the "Ding Dong Keep It On" bell to save Goo from elimination, allowing the portrayer to keep their mask on and continue in the competition.
2. Brown was previously a guest panelist during the third season.

References

1. Lauren Huff (August 15, 2024). "Masked Singer announces Footloose and Miley Cyrus theme nights, plus Dick Van Dyke and Jewel return". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
2. "The Masked Singer Season 12 Contestants". bracketology. September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
3. Dixon, Marcus (September 15, 2024). "'The Masked Singer' Season 12 costumes, judges and host". GoldDerby. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
4. Pucci, Douglas (September 26, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: ESPN Bests Fox and NBC in Demos Due to Caitlin Clark-Fueled Cable Record WNBA Playoff Game". Retrieved September 26, 2024.
5. Pucci, Douglas (October 3, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: ESPN Networks Top Prime Time Demos with MLB Postseason". Retrieved October 3, 2024.
6. Pucci, Douglas (October 10, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: Abbott Elementary Season Premiere on ABC Builds in Demos from Lead-In". Retrieved October 10, 2024.
7. Pucci, Douglas (October 17, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: Bret Baier's Sit-Down with Kamala Harris on Fox News was Most-Watched Interview of 2024 Election Season". Retrieved October 17, 2024.
8. Pucci, Douglas (October 24, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: CNN Outdraws All Networks Except NBC During Kamala Harris Town Hall". Retrieved October 24, 2024.
9. Pucci, Douglas (November 8, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: ESPN and Fox News Tops in Prime Time Demos". Retrieved November 8, 2024.
10. Pucci, Douglas (November 14, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: NBC and CBS Share Prime Time Victory". Retrieved November 14, 2024.
11. Pucci, Douglas (November 21, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: ABC Wins the Night Despite Slight Slippage for CMA Awards". Retrieved November 21, 2024.
12. Pucci, Douglas (December 3, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC and Peacock Sets New All-Time Viewer Record". Retrieved December 3, 2024.
13. Pucci, Douglas (December 6, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: 'Abbott Elementary' on ABC Delivers its Most-Watched Wednesday Night Telecast in 22 Months". Retrieved December 6, 2024.
14. Pucci, Douglas (December 13, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: CBS Tops Neatly All Key Demos in Prime Time with Two Hours of 'Survivor 47′". Retrieved December 13, 2024.
15. Pucci, Douglas (December 19, 2024). "Wednesday Ratings: 'Survivor' on CBS Hits Season-High in Viewers and 18-49 with 47th Finale". Retrieved December 19, 2024.