Country singer Hunter Hayes was revealed to be the Astronaut on Wednesday’s episode of The Masked Singer.
The five-time Grammy award winner, 28, called being on the show ‘an unbelievable experience,’ joking that it was ‘out of this world.’
‘This time in my life is a great chance for me to hit a reset button, and to try a bunch of things that I was scared of,’ the What Goes Down singer said.
Country singer: Hunter Hayes revealed that he was underneath the Astronaut mask as the final six competed on Wednesday’s episode of The Masked Singer on Fox
‘I’ve never danced properly before, I’ve never worked on choreo,’ he added. ‘Trying new songs, trying new things with my voice? it’s just been incredible.’
Nicole Scherzinger, 41, was ecstatic when the Astronaut unmasked, having been the only one to guess his identity in a last-minute ‘lightbulb moment.’
‘I finally got one!’ she cried, after having realized how hints from the Astronaut fit together.
The singer once told Nicole that they ‘had gone to a big birthday party together,’ which she figured out was a concert they’d both played on ‘America’s birthday,’ the Fourth of July.
Grammy winner: The five-time Grammy award winner called being on the show ‘an unbelievable experience,’ joking that it was ‘out of this world’
Got it: Nicole Scherzinger was the only panelist to correctly guess that Astronaut was Hunter
‘I remembered because I loved him, and I loved his voice,’ she explained, before telling Hunter that his heart, energy and spirit had made him her ‘personal favorite’ on the show.
At one point, it seemed like the evening might be Astronaut’s to lose, after judge Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, 47, singled out his voice for praise.
‘You sing beautifully,’ she said after his performance of One Direction’s Story Of My Life. ‘You knocked it out of the park. Actually, you knocked it out of the universe tonight.’
Crucial clue: The singer once told Nicole that they ‘had gone to a big birthday party together,’ which she figured out was a concert they’d both played on ‘America’s birthday,’ the Fourth of July
High praise: At one point, it seemed like the evening might be Astronaut’s to lose, after judge Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, 47, singled out his voice for praise
In a video package, the Astronaut confessed that he’d been looking for a change in his life.
‘Back on my home planet, I was very comfortable for a very long time, but then I started to feel like I was frozen,’ he said. ‘Like I’d stopped growing. So I decided to light my candle and seek out new worlds.’
With the unmasking, past clues to the Astronaut’s identity were explained, among them a visual of Orion, the hunter constellation, which alluded to Hunter’s name; a bridge that nodded to his hometown of Beaux Bridge, Louisiana; and a reference to having been helped by the Mob, which referenced the fact that Godfather star Robert Duvall, 89, gave him his first guitar.
In honor of guest judge Gordon Ramsay, 53, each contestant had been tasked with producing ‘Masked Munchies,’ or special snacks that contained hints of who they were.
Guest judge: In honor of guest judge Gordon Ramsay, 53, each contestant had been tasked with producing ‘Masked Munchies,’ or special snacks that contained hints of who they were
Astronaut’s was a Louisiana King Cake, which also pinged Nicole’s radar. Hunter called it ‘one of my all-time favorite foods for celebrating. It’s filled with sugar, butter and tons of clues.’
Incorrect guesses to his identity included singers Jonathan Groff, 35, Ben Platt, 26, Skylar Astin, 32, and actor Jonathan Taylor-Thomas, 38.
Hunter was part of The Masked Singer’s Battle Of The Sixes,’ which found the remaining six singers trying to reach next week’s quarterfinals.
The panelists: Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Gordon, Ken Jeong and Nicole were panelists as the final six performed
Dr. Drew Pinsky, who portrayed The Eagle in season 2, counseled them as the episode began.
As the first singer of the evening, the Kitty performed a soaring cover of Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, which earned her a standing ovation from the judges.
‘I’ve been on many stages and played many roles in my nine lives, but none have ever felt like they fit quite like this one,’ she said in her video package.
First singer: As the first singer of the evening, the Kitty performed a soaring cover of Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, which earned her a standing ovation from the judges
‘Tonight, I’m taking a cue from some of the great soloists I’ve performed with before, to show a shiny new side of myself the panel has never seen.’
Clues to her identity included a swordfight, a wardrobe rack, a silver apple, a clapping monkey, a jewelry box, a red cape, and a record that said, ‘Mind Your Manners, by Seal Sisters.’
The Kitty’s snack was a sweet, layered ‘gateaux opera’ cake that she said echoed her personality.
Key clues: Clues to Kitty’s identity included a swordfight, a wardrobe rack, a silver apple, a clapping monkey, a jewelry box, a red cape, and a record that said, ‘Mind Your Manners, by Seal Sisters
The judges thought Kitty might be singer Charlotte Church, 34, or Lea Michele, 33, or actress Eva Longoria, 45.
Rhino next crooned Thomas Rhett’s Die A Happy Man, earning praise for his husky voice.
In his video package, Rhino described himself as a ‘solitary creature’ who sought tranquility, adding that his ‘chief source of power’ was his love for his ‘wife and baby rhinos.’
Husky voice: Rhino next crooned Thomas Rhett’s Die A Happy Man, earning praise for his husky voice
‘Tonight, I hope I can obtain nirvana, and nama-stay in this competition,’ he said. ‘I wanna show my family it’s never too late to rewrite your story.’
Clues to the Rhino’s identity included yoga, American flags, a stool, guitar picks, boots, and sunglasses.
His special snack was spaghetti, cheese and meatballs, which he called his ‘favorite dish.’
Good times: The panelists were on their feet several times as the contestants performed
‘Now is my name on the tip of your tongue?’ he asked the judges.
They wondered if he was actor Jeff Bridges, 70, singer Charles Kelly, 38, or former pro baseball player Barry Zito, 41.
Frog had the judges on their feet with his cover of Imagine Dragons’ Whatever It Takes, which had Nicole saying, ‘Whoever you are, you’re born to be on this stage.’
Fantastic frog: Frog had the judges out of their chairs with his cover of Imagine Dragons’ Whatever It Takes, which had Nicole saying, ‘Whoever you are, you’re born to be on this stage’
In his video, Frog said he hadn’t expected to make it past the second round of the competition, but the experience had shown him ‘I can do anything if I just take the leap.’
Clues to his identity included chocolate, basketball, a Twinkie, a sports jersey with the number 23 written backwards, a police station marked Frog P.D., and the number 13.
His special snack was a plate of catfish, which Frog emphasized was from the South.
Singing star: Robin smiled while watching a contestant perform
The judges sensed he could be a singer like Lil Jon, 49, Little Bow Wow, 33, or Omarion, 35.
Night Angel’s sultry performance of Alannah Myles’ Black Velvet was up next and led Jenny to call it ‘the best performance of Masked Singer ever.’
In her video, Night Angel said that getting the call to be on the show was ‘a blessing,’ adding that she’d gotten ‘a lot of calls’ in her life, some of which ‘even upended [it]. But the key to my success is, I’ve answered them all.’
Sultry performance: Night Angel’s sultry performance of Alannah Myles’ Black Velvet led Jenny to call it ‘the best performance of Masked Singer ever’
‘Do you ever feel alone?’ she cooed, picking up a phone. ‘Need a person to talk to? Well, free your mind and dial the Angel Hotline. Press one for thoughts, two for prayers!’ ;
The screen spelled out more information about her ‘hotline,’ including its phone number, 555-0100, cost, $2.85 per minute, and availability to those ‘2000 years or older.’
Gold phones, fish hooks and TV static were also shown in her package.
Killed it: The judges were impressed yet again by Night Angel
‘Being here has reawakened parts of myself I’ve been keeping on the down-low, reminding me I don’t have to go chasing anyone else,’ she said. ‘I can stand alone.’
The Night Angel’s munchies were bugs on a stick, which show host Nick Cannon, 39, dutifully tasted as Gordon led the audience in chanting, ‘Eat, eat, eat!’
‘That might be the worst thing I’ve ever done on television,’ Nick said afterward, cringing.
‘I’ve done way worse,’ Jenny quipped.
Way worse: ‘I’ve done way worse,’ Jenny quipped after Nick Cannon ate bugs on a stick
Guesses to Night Angel’s identity included: TLC singer Rozonda ‘Chili’ Thomas, 49, En Vogue’s Dawn Robinson, 54, and musician/reality star Kandi Burruss, 43.
Last up was the Turtle, whose rendition of Alessia Cara’s Stay had the crowd swooning and showed he could be ‘a full-package entertainer,’ as he’d hoped.
‘My whole career I’ve been riddled with insecurities about not being good enough,’ the Turtle explained. ‘Despite my strategizing, I always seem to put myself in last place.’
Final singer: Last up was the Turtle, whose rendition of Alessia Cara’s Stay had the crowd swooning
Clues to his identity included a chessboard, a heart with a tiara, a dog’s growl, a goat stuffed animal, a book with a nuclear symbol, a Masked Singer award and the numbers 3:23 and 9:14.
Everyone was stymied by his special snack of tortilla chips with apple salsa, but the judges thought he could be a singer, such as Gavin DeGraw, 43, Adam Lambert, 38, or Zayn Malik, 27.
The Masked Singer will return next week with the quarterfinals on Fox.
Special snack: Everyone was stymied by Turtle’s special snack of tortilla chips with apple salsa