The Masked Singer 2023: Medusa vs. Macaw Finale After Semifinal Shock
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The Masked Singer has a new favorite following a shock semifinal, which saw California Roll voted out.
The five-piece sushi character had been at the top of the market for weeks, but following a tense Battle Royale sing-off against Macaw and Medusa, when all three performed a rendition of Bruno Mars' "Runaway Baby," the quintet went home.
But not before they were unmasked as a cappella pop group Pentatonix.
Pentatonix had been hot -250 favorites to be California Roll, and Masked Singer judges Jenny McCarthy and Robin Thicke correctly guessed their identity in the semifinal before the unmasking.
Several clues had pointed to Pentatonix being California Roll, including that "Penta" means five and one of the character's previous visual clues was of a tiger.
This matched up to Pentatonix clinching victory on the reality series The Sing-Off with the tune "Eye of the Tiger."
After 13 episodes, there are now just two characters remaining — Medusa and Macaw.
The pair will battle in next week's finale to see who will win The Masked Singer, and viewers will finally find out which stars are under their masks.
With these hypothetical odds provided by industry sports betting experts, we've looked at who could be behind Medusa and Macaw's masks, and delved into which of the two has what it takes to win the Golden Mask trophy.
Medusa +100
California Roll's Masked Singer exit was a shock considering the character defeated Medusa in episode three, with the latter requiring a Ding Dong Keep It On bell to continue in the competition.
Following California Roll's departure, Medusa is now the +100 favorite to win this year's Masked Singer.
The character would be a worthy winner after defeating Mustang (Sara Evans) and Gnome (Dick Van Dyke) in the first episode, before knocking out Night Owl (Debbie Gibson) and Rock Lobster (Howie Mandel) in episode two.
Medusa then lost out to California Roll in episode three before reappearing in Week 11's redemption episode, where she faced off against Gargoyle (Keenan Allen) and Mantis (Lou Diamond Phillips) — who had also been kept in the competition thanks to Ding Dong Keep It On bells — but the head of snakes defeated them both, too.
Judge Scherzinger agrees with the odds, admitting Medusa is the favorite to win the competition following the character's semifinal rendition of "Take Me To Church" by Hozier.
Scherzinger said: "I have two words and that's called front runner, baby. You turned The Masked Singer into a lion's den tonight."
Briggs Favorite To Be Medusa
The semifinal threw up yet more clues for Masked Singer fans, who already had quite a few to go on for Medusa.
Medusa surprised viewers in the semi by revealing she has a connection to Thicke, telling him: "Robin — both of our voices have taken us on a journey, one that put platinum on our walls."
Thicke deduced that meant Medusa is a "platinum-selling artist" and guessed Grimes (+500) could be under the mask, because she also has a son.
Last week, Medusa said on the show: "Being an artist is my greatest passion, but being a mom is my favorite job."
Bishops Briggs also has a son with her musician husband, Landon Jacobs, and she is the hot +100 favorite to be Medusa.
Several clues have been potential references to Briggs throughout the season, including a photograph of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan on display in the semifinal.
Briggs' real name is Sarah McLaughlin, but she opted to perform under her stage name Bishop Briggs — which is a nod to the Scottish town of Bishopbriggs, where her parents were raised — because she didn't want people to confuse her with McLachlan throughout her career.
Another previous clue that matched up to Briggs was a sign that read "alias" because of her performing under a stage name.
However, this could be a reference to Medusa being Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, who is +200 to be the character.
Her real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, and, like Briggs, Fergie is also of Scottish descent.
Others in contention are Pink (+750) and Ashlee Simpson (+1000), but former candidates Lorde, Apple Martin and Dakota Johnson were ruled out last week after it was revealed Medusa is a mom.
Macaw +200
Macaw has arguably had an easier path to the final.
The bird character triumphed over Fairy and Axolotl, who were unmasked as Holly Robinson Peete and Alexa Bliss respectively, in episode six.
But Macaw didn't have to compete again until episode 12 when he remained in the competition alongside Medusa and California Roll, as Olivia Culpo's UFO character was sent crashing back down to earth and out of the contest.
And Macaw did enough with his performance of "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction in this week's semifinal.
The character is now +200 second favorite to win the competition, and the finale looks likely to be a tight one — but who is behind the two masks?
Archuleta Sitting Pretty To Be Macaw
Macaw will also be unmasked in next week's finale, and the fans and judges were given another opportunity to try to work out who is behind the mask in this week's semifinal.
In the episode, Macaw revealed he has a connection to judge Nicole Scherzinger, whose father is of Filipino descent.
He told her, "Not only do we both love to travel, but we both have a special love for the Philippines."
Afterward, Scherzinger guessed Macaw could be pop singer David Archuleta, who is +100 to be the character.
Archuleta has a connection to the Philippines after his fourth album, "Forevermore," was exclusively released there in 2012, where it was certified gold.
This could also be a nod to a previous clue earlier in the season when Macaw referenced striking "gold."
What's more, Scherzinger thought Glee star Darren Criss, who has a Filipino connection because his mother is a native of Cebu, Philippines, might be under the mask.
Criss, who is +200 to be Macaw, was mentioned by Scherzinger earlier in the season, too.
It came after the character said: "What started as a way to make my parents happy turned into what fills me with glee."
Criss' Glee co-star Kevin McHale is another star in the running at +300, and he could relate to one of Macaw's latest clues.
In the semifinal, Macaw shared a clue that read "vote."
It is thought that could be a reference to McHale taking part in the UK-based The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 when he finished seventh.
But the clue could be a nod to Archuleta finishing second on the seventh season of American Idol in 2008.
Former One Direction star Zayn Malik (+850), Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood (+1200), and singer Doug Robb (+1400) are all outsiders to be Macaw.
Whoever is under Medusa and Macaw's masks, the finale looks set to be a thrilling yet close contest.
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Updated by
James Molloy
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