Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 9 finale. Read at your own risk!
The Masked Singer closed out Season 9 with an epic finale. The two final competitors, Macaw and Medusa, battled it out onstage for the Golden Mask trophy, and one of them would join the list of eliminated Season 9 contestants. Host Nick Cannon announced the big winner of the competition at the end of the episode, and if you're an American Idol fan, you might've had some painful flashbacks when it happened.
Those who missed the episode should definitely check it out with their Hulu subscription, but in the meantime, you can read on for full spoilers on the finale. As for how how American Idol factored into The Masked Singer Season 9 finale... well, if you guessed it was because a former contestant was unmasked, you guessed right.
Macaw Was David Archuleta
Macaw put up a valiant effort in the finale and performed "Hold Back The River" by James May as well as "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen. Both performances were incredible and deserving of the Golden Mask trophy. Unfortunately for him, the audience felt differently, and Macaw finshed runner-up and was revealed to be professional singer and former American Idol contestant David Archuleta.
Why David Archuleta's Exit Might Be Painful For American Idol Fans
American Idol fans know this is not the first time that David Archuleta finished second despite being a near-flawless singer in a competition. Archuleta was seen as an overwhelming favorite in Season 7 of Idol but ended up finishing second to David Cook.
I won't say that this loss on The Masked Singer is as big of an upset as that American Idol finish, but it is interesting to me that this will be the second time in David Archuleta's career he's placed second in a singing competition in Fox primetime. He opened up in recent years about Idol being a miserable experience, so I hope this loss won't leave him with the same feelings.
Medusa Won And Was Revealed To Be Bishop Briggs
Medusa won The Masked Singer Season 9 and was revealed to be rocker Bishop Briggs. Her win was well-earned with her performance of Sia's "Elastic Heart" and My Chemical Romance's "Welcome To The Black Parade." The latter song choice, Briggs explained, was dedicated to her sister, who passed away back in 2021. It was an emotional moment for the finale, and definitely a performance that might've helped Briggs edge out David Archuleta for the win.
Overall, The Masked Singer Season 9 finale was a great capstone to the season. Two of the most talented performers met in the finals, and we didn't have the usual trend of talented competitors leaving far too soon. Hopefully, future seasons will only build this into a positive trend, even if I'm still not crazy about the double-elimination format in the early rounds.
The Masked Singer Season 9 is over on Fox, which means it's time to hit up the 2023 TV schedule and see what other shows are coming in the months ahead. The Masked Singer has already been renewed for Season 10, so there is no need to worry about not seeing it again later this year.
