‘The Masked Singer’ Reveals the Identity of the Swan: Here’s the Star Under the Mask
By Michael Schneider
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) –
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 8 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 18 on Fox.
Bella Thorne is the latest celebrity to be revealed on “,” and to do so without any of the show’s panelists figuring out her identity.
Thorne, who was costumed as the Swan, performed “I Hate Myself for Loving You” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, a song she jokingly dedicated to “Masked Singer” panelist Ken Jeong. In an interview with Variety, Thorne revealed that she was sick while shooting that performance — which perhaps played a role in her exit.
“I got really, really sick right before I was singing and I basically didn’t have a voice,” she said. “I was like, guys, what happens if I literally lose my voice tomorrow completely and I can’t talk? They were like, ‘well, you’ll still have to sing like that.’ And I was like, ‘what? You don’t have any backup plans? I can’t pre-record or something?’
“But I made it out,” she said. “I did lots of warm tea and honey and whatnot and I really tried to have a voice.”
Thorne said she was filming a project in Puerto Rico at the same time she shot “The Masked Singer,” which added to the hectic experience. “I was doing a lot of fight training, so it was singing and fight training. Singing and fight training,” she said. “It was really a tiring schedule.”
At the same time, Thorne said she was prepared for “The Masked Singer” to be more challenging than it was.
“And then I got there and I realized that I could do this,” she said. Thorne chose the Swan costume because she liked the look, but also because it appeared to be the easiest to navigate.
“And so I got super lucky,” she said. “I didn’t have huge wings, wings are really hard. My head was really big and the hardest part was talking out of my neck. That was a little weird. I couldn’t stand up anywhere except for on the stage because I was so tall. To be squatting anytime I had my mask on, which was so funny looking, my crown would break touching the ceiling. But I could only talk out of my neck and my eye holes had the better sound than my mouth holes, so I actually put the mic to my eyeholes. So singing out of my eyeballs, which was very interesting. Sometimes i couldn’t see because i had a mic in front of my eye.”
Thorne said she was also surprised that no one figured her identity out. Robin Thicke guessed Nina Dobrev, Ken Jeong guessed Olivia Munn, while Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg thought it was Kristen Stewart, Nicole Scherzinger named Megan and guest panelist Joel McHale chose Mila Kunis.
“When you get on set they take everything so beyond to a serious point,” Thorne said. “No names, no face, no inch of skin, no fingernail, nada, nothing. This is way more serious than what I thought. The swan really became my persona because it’s all people could reference me as. People were telling me swan facts all the time. So I also learned a lot about swans, which was pretty cool.”
Thorne may not be continuing on as the Swan on “The Masked Singer,” but she got a pretty great consolation prize: “The Duff” star has sealed a new deal with Fox to develop scripted and unscripted fare.
Thorne is the second star to be kicked off in Group C, the final of three groups of six celebrities (making 18 total) competing in this year’s competition. Describing this collection of six celebrities, Cannon revealed that “between them they have one Guinness World Record, three ‘New York Times’ bestsellers and 36 gold records.”
Thorne’s exit this season follows Lil Wayne, Drew Carey, Chaka Khan, Tony Hawk, Dionne Warwick, Tom Bergeron and Sarah Palin.
Here’s a recap of the other contestants and their performances on Wednesday:
Astronaut
Song: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder
Voice-over: “I have a whole new mission now that I’m connecting with the audience on stage. I am loving this fresh start as the circle of life keeps spinning. It feels like I’m getting a foothold in this new world. When I was young I was a bright star, but then I overreached and got burned. I found myself isolated and so very lonely. But in the wild I kept wandering for what felt like 500 days, using sign language until I found my own voice. Now here I am on an unexpected journey. I’m going to share my story, sing a song from a dear friend and prove I do belong.”
Yearbook quote: “We can all reach the stars. Sometimes it just takes a little help from someone in an organized crime family.”
Panel guesses: Donald Glover, Corey Feldman, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt
Previous song: “You Say” by Lauren Daigle
Previous panel guesses: Adam Devine, Josh Hutcherson, Lance Bass, Zac Efron
Night Angel
Song: “Million Reasons,” by Lady Gaga
Voice-over: “Being on that stage revitalizes my confidence and reminds me of the joy I have for music. Years ago, I was sitting up in my room surrounded by other angels but lost in the crowd. I had a thirst for more. So bang bang, I left my safe place and chose to fall down to earth. Real talk, being on my own was scary, because I felt rejection for the first time. But I taught myself how to survive. I hustled and with hard work and commitment, built an empire. Destiny le me back to the stage and hopefully I can give you a million reasons why I belong here.”
Yearbook quote: “If you’re willing to lend a helping wing, then you too can break barriers.”
Panel guesses: Regina King, Jessica Simpson, Taraji P. Henson
Previous song: “You Give Love a Bad Name,” by Bon Jovi
Previous panel guesses: Taylor Dayne, Monica, Lil Kim
T-Rex
Song: “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa
Voice-over: “OMG, being the T-Rex is dino-mite. Picking up where I left off, I was hanging with my friends on T-Rex island when out of nowhere, boom rang the island. After the impact I looked around and was devastated to see only singles and doubles of us left. I didn’t want my career to go downhill fast. My heart was beating like a bumblebee. To survive, I had to dive or survive. No one wants to be a one-hit wonder. Now my dreams of being a superstar as Rex are finally within my little arms’ reach. This is my one shot, and I double dare you to stop me.”
Yearbook quote: “If you dream big, your face can be everywhere. And you’ll never go extinct. Unless a meteor hits.”
Panel guesses: Lily Singh, Liza Koshy, Mikaela Shiffrin
Previous song: “So What,” by Pink
Previous panel guesses: Kourtney Kardashian, Maddie Ziegler, Rebecca Black
Rhino
Song: “Nice to Meet Ya,” by Niall Horan
Voice-over: “After last week’s performance, I am flying high. Just like on stage, standing on these wings is wild and nerve-wracking. But I’ve always been a risk taker. Which has led to many ups and downs. For so long it felt like was free falling through life. And just when it felt like I might hit the bottom, I met my wife, my guardian angel. She taught me balance and gave me stability so I could defy gravity. She saved my life. And inspired me to pursue other passions and take on new risks. Which has led me to this stage tonight. How can you not be romantic about something like that.”
Yearbook quote: “Family is very important for success, especially when performing for a king is in your blood.”
Panel guesses: Tim Tebow, Chris Pratt, Ryan Lochte
Previous song: “Have a Little Faith in Me,” by John Hiatt
Previous panel guesses: Jason Aldean, Tim Tebow, Tim McGraw
