'The Masked Singer' reveals Griffin as star of beloved teen show

Yahoo

21-03-2025

Warning: This article contains spoilers for season 13, episode 6, "Group B Finals."
Yeehaw! The Masked Singer is going country for Grand Ole Opry Night, but it's sadly the last rodeo for two Group B contestants.
This week's episode kicked off with host Nick Cannon moseying on out to round up Boogie Woogie, Griffin, and Pearl for a boot-scootin' group performance of "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)," by Big & Rich, before each would return to take on a solo country hit.
Overseeing the night's performances were the usual panelists, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, and Ken Jeong, but sitting in for Rita Ora was first-time Masked Singer guest, Happy Endings star, and Saturday Night Live alum Casey Wilson, who proved herself to be a worthy addition to the show.
Related: Breaking down The Masked Singer season 13's biggest clues and guesses
For the night's first solo, Pearl sang "Here You Come Again," by Dolly Parton, whom the glistening singer teased she had shared the stage with before. After some wild previous guesses, including Jeong thinking Pearl was Madonna, the panel had more reasonable (though obviously swayed by the night's theme) predictions for who could be under the mask. Jeong picked Sheryl Crow this time around, while Wilson thought it was Carrie Underwood, and McCarthy-Wahlberg couldn't decide between Trisha Yearwood and Kellie Pickler.
Next up was Griffin, who shared more details about the "really tough year" he'd experienced, saying he'd received news that "changed everything" but was able to face the challenge together with his family in their new home in the country. Fittingly, he sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads," by John Denver. The panel's guesses for Griffin included Kyle Chandler for Thicke, Josh Hartnett for Jeong, and James Van Der Beek for Wilson.
Lastly, Boogie Woogie took the stage to lovingly dedicate "Something in the Water," by Carrie Underwood, to his mother, who died a few years ago. After a final clue about the smooth-voiced crooner "hitting a home run" at the World Series, McCarthy-Wahlberg declared, "If this is an athlete, I'm gonna pull my wig off!" But the other panelists were convinced there was a professional musician under the Boogie Woogie mask, with Thicke guessing OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, Wilson going with Josh Groban, and Jeong emphatically proclaiming it must be his good friend Gavin DeGraw. If there is one thing we've learned from watching 13 seasons of this show, it's that when Jeong is convinced his close friend is on The Masked Singer, that celeb most definitely is not.
Related: Celeb revealed as The Masked Singer's Space Ranger thinks he'll be 'first and only' to do a Taylor Swift song
Pearl was voted the best of the night and will move on to the later Lucky Six round, while Boogie Woogie and Griffin went mask-to-mask in a Battle Royale to "I Had Some Help," by Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen. The push-ups Boogie did to prepare seemed to pay off, as he won the round to advance in the competition, joining Pearl, Group A's Coral and Paparazzo, plus two upcoming Group C contestants in the final six.
Before it was time to unmask Griffin, we got the return of Lucky Duck. The rascally season 13 detective popped up in the audience to roast the panel for their bad guesses and give an additional clue: All three Group B finalists have a connection to season 6's Banana Split, who was revealed as Katherine McPhee. Before he waddled off, Lucky Duck also provided a hint about himself, saying, "Casey, good to see you again. Here's a clue about my famous identity: We were in a historic TV series together." The panel thought it could refer to SNL, while Wilson noted she'd also been on Drunk History.
On to the unmasking! Cannon provided a final clue for the eliminated contestant: a football, which Griffin called "a big part of my career." The panelists each thought this confirmed their previous guess, so Thicke stuck to Friday Night Lights star Chandler, Wilson with Varsity Blues star Van Der Beek, and Jeong to former high school football player Hartnett, while McCarthy-Wahlberg named Chad Michael Murray, who played a football star in A Cinderella Story.
Related: The Masked Singer season 13 reveals: See every unmasked celebrity contestant so far
Turned out Wilson was right in her very first guess on The Masked Singer, as Griffin was revealed to be Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek! He follows in the footsteps of the iconic teen show's "I Don't Want to Wait" theme song singer, Paula Cole, who was revealed as Ship last season.
Here's hoping Wilson brings her expertise back soon! Until then, next week will be the Group C premiere, introducing a new batch of contestants: Cherry Blossom, Mad Scientist Monster, Nessy, Stud Muffin, and Yorkie.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly