FOX’s The Masked Singer isn’t the kind of show I normally watch, but I had to check out tonight’s episode of the popular reality competition series because it featured none other than the most famous felt friends in the history of entertainment, The Muppets.
“Muppets Night” on The Masked Singer opened with Kermit the Frog (performed by puppeteer Matt Vogel) singing and playing his beloved banjo along to the classic song “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie, accompanied by panelists Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke.
Then the four panelists were joined by Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson) and treated to a performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” by the contestant known as Robo Girl, with Kermit the Frog joining her on piano– I guess Rowlf the Dog, the Muppets’ resident canine piano player, wasn’t available for this gig. Miss Piggy became the guest interrogator for the episode, getting some good information out of Robo Girl before the panelists made their guesses as to the costumed singer’s true identity. Ever the narcissist, Piggy became convinced that it was somehow she herself behind the mask, Fozzie Bear (also Jacobson) then appeared backstage to conduct post-performance interviews with his trademark sense of humor. Next it was time for a new contestant named the Beetle to take the stage, complete with a mop-top haircut. The Beetle performed Frank Sinatra’s timeless hit “The Way You Look Tonight” (which originally appeared in the 1936 Fred Astaire film Swing Time) as Kermit sat on a crescent moon-shaped prop behind him. The third group of performers in this episode were called the Lambs singing Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold,” and there were some very interesting guesses from the panel about who this trio may be.
Once the voting began, the Beetle was the first to be eliminated, and when his mask was removed, panelist Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg’s prediction was proven right when infamous talk show host Jerry Springer’s face was underneath. Then Robo Girl and the Lambs faced off in a Battle Royale by singing their own unique takes on Blondie’s 1980 smash hit “Call Me.” Next it was time to say a fond farewell to Robo Girl, who was shockingly revealed to be actress Kat Graham from The Vampire Diaries. I still don’t think The Masked Singer is necessarily my kind of television, but it was fun watching the Muppets goof off with the panelist quartet and host Nick Cannon. I would have liked to see even more Muppets pop up throughout the episode (or even performances of Muppet-related songs instead of the usual pop fare) but it was nice to see cameo appearances by Uncle Deadly (also Vogel), Animal (Jacobson), and the Snowths, who popped up– literally– for a minute to sing “Mahna Mahna.” After guesting on ABC’s Holey Moley for the entirety of this past season and appearing in their own Disney+ specials and series like Muppets Haunted Mansion and The Muppets Mayhem, it’s great that these characters are back in the cultural zeitgeist on a regular basis.
New episodes of The Masked Singer air Wednesday evenings on FOX.