The Masked Singer took Us again to the early aughts with an all-time pleasant reveal through the Group B Finals.
The Beets had been unmasked as — spoiler alert — American Idol’s Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken through the Wednesday, Might 1, episode of the Fox actuality competitors collection, and the panelists couldn’t get sufficient.
The duo carried out “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Invoice Medley and Jennifer Warnes with Gumball in an try to avoid wasting themselves within the ultimate moments of the present however had been in the end unsuccessful regardless of not one of the judges precisely guessing their identities.
“It’s been superb, we had fun. It’s quite a lot of enjoyable and the viewers is superb. It’s good to see everybody, it’s a great time,” Studdard mentioned, whereas Aiken gushed over being in comparison with a number of the choose’s guesses like Boyz II Males and Ok-Ci & JoJo.
Aiken and Studdard, each 45, competed on season 2 of Idol, which aired in 2003. Studdard was topped the victor, however the slender margin of his win — simply 134,000 votes — brought on controversy on the time. Since then, nevertheless, the 2 singers have remained buddies. In 2023, they launched into a joint tour celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their time on Idol.
Final yr, Aiken admitted that he didn’t prefer it when attendees informed him they voted for him or vice versa.
“We often will see any individual within the viewers with an previous Ruben shirt, like a woman final night time … and I joked along with her,” he informed The Washington Publish. “However I don’t even prefer it after we do a meet-and-greet and somebody says, ‘I voted for you,’ when [Ruben] is within the room. It pisses me off! And if somebody says that to him, then [he] higher be pissed too.”
Studdard countered that interactions like that didn’t hassle him as a result of followers are the explanation they had been capable of do the anniversary tour within the first place.
“It doesn’t make me mad,” he defined. “As a result of we wouldn’t be right here if any individual hadn’t voted for him, and vice versa, so he must relax.”
In earlier weeks, Masked Singer panelists guessed that Beets could possibly be Arrested Growth alums Jason Bateman and Will Arnett or Solely Murders within the Constructing stars Steve Martin and Martin Quick. In hindsight, nevertheless, all clues pointed to Studdard and Aiken.
The 40 million eyes on Beets trace referred to the truth that almost 40 million individuals tuned in to observe the season 2 finale of Idol. The duo additionally talked about the truth that the world was decided to pit them towards each other although they see themselves as brothers.
“We don’t get to decide on our household. Most household is predetermined by blood; some are predestined by God to come back into our lives,” Aiken wrote by way of Instagram in December 2022. “I’ve acquired one brother who was born into my household and one brother who the great Lord launched me to in 2003. … In case you have the blessing of understanding Ruben Studdard, you perceive: There aren’t many people extra selfless or gracious or loyal than he. America fell in love with him as a result of his performances made them really feel comfortable and welcomed; that’s who he’s in actual life too.”
The Masked Singer airs on Fox Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.