Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer episode "I Wanna Rock." Read at your own risk!
The Group B finals are now finished for The Masked Singer contestants and judges, and we know for sure which remaining competitors will be advancing to the finale. After Tiki was unmasked as hard rocker Sebastian Bach, and Husky as R&B crooner Ginuwine, Sea Witch was announced to be the big winner from this batch. While I'm not mad about the result specificaly, I do feel as if this round wasn't nearly as fair as the previous round.
The Group A finals featured a stunning upset, but it fortunately allowed a way for both Cow and Gazelle, my personal favorite, to advance. The "Ding Dong Keep It On Bell" ensured that two competitors moved forward, so why was it not still present for the rest of the competition?
Nick Cannon Explained The Bell Had Already Been Used Once
I was shocked at the top of the episode when Nick Cannon explained that because The Masked Singer panel had already used the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell once, it would not return for the rest of the finals. I guess I thought each round would be allow the opportunity, instead of just a single shot.
In fairness, Cannon did say in the previous episode that it could only be used once, which I went back and double-checked with my Hulu subscription. In any case, since it was used on Gazelle, the bell could not be used again, and will not show up again in Season 10.
Bringing Back The Bell For One Round Felt Unfair
Regardless of such Bell rules being in place, it still felt unfair to bring back a game-saving twist just for one round of The Masked Singer's group finals. To me, it felt like a way to conveniently ensure that the animalized tandom of Cow and Gazelle, who have long seemed like easy shoo-ins to last the entire season, both made their way to the finale. They may be the frontrunners, but it soured the competition and in hindsight made it feel like they were given an advantage.
I've appreciated that The Masked Singer Season 10 has felt like a throwback in many ways, but this potential manipulation of the results via a twist wasn't one of them. Had I realized sooner that the bell would be gone for the rest of the season, I might've been ok with Gazelle going home in the previous episode. If there are too many twists being thrown in to alter the competition, how can the series help former competitors like David Archuleta feel healed after their run?
With the potential future exception for The Masked Singer finally deciding to air a live season, Season 10 has been my favorite run of the show. I've loved the wild themes and reveals so far, but a finale that doesn't feel earned could jeopardize my enjoyment of the season overall. I'm hoping the removal of a fair chance at saving competitors in each round doesn't make it all too predictable who wins at the end.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Season 10 is rolling right along, but there aren't many episodes left. Be sure to tune in for the final stretch, and see who will be the winner of this landmark season.
