The Masked Singer Sends Another Music Legend Home, and It's So Not Cool

I see now why producers at The Masked Singerhad the foresight to not put any of their costumed celebrities in a turkey get-up: Thanksgiving occurs a few days from now in the U.S. and The Masked Singer won't air an episode during that week. Could you imagine if it did and the turkey was eliminated right around this time? Someone would have to reassure some frightened child that the turkey didn't really get eaten, and the poor dear would never be able to enjoy the holiday ever again. I see what you did there, Masked Singer! Anyway, on "Mask And You Shall Receive," the competition intensified and took a dark, anarchic turn when a true soul legend was eliminated -- marking the second time The Masked Singer popped the head off a bona fide music icon. This week the Flower was unmasked, and you probably already know who it is, but the confirmation you seek is at the bottom of the post. For more on what happened and some more clues about who's left, read on.

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Matchup No. 1: Flamingo vs. Leopard

Flamingo
I'm sure Patti LaBelle is hurling Patti Pies at her TV while watching some youngin' slay her classic "Lady Marmalade," but here we are. Flamingo, who is absolutely Adrienne Bailon, nailed this like she's nailed so many other songs this season, sounding a lot like Christina Aguilera herself. Everyone who has done this show has said it's incredibly hard to sing in the costume -- you can't hear yourself, you can't see, and it's hard to move -- so whoever's in there is definitely a pro.
The clues: She said she's living in a fantasy. Elements of Miami life and culture, like the pastels and, well, flamingos, abound in the background, although we did also see the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal as well. She said she was finally finding her center, and we saw a mariachi band. See more previous clues hereand here.
The guesses: Jenny McCarthy said Adrienne Bailon, which is smart because this is Adrienne Bailon. Ken Jeong, whose job it is to say dumb things, obviously, says Bella Thorne. Guest host Joel McHale suggested celebrity trainer Julia Michaels, and Robin Thicke said Fantasia even though he knows that we know he knows in his heart that is nonsense.

Leopard
Singing "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, Leopard still displayed that raspy voice that sure does sound like Seal, but then again Seal is a much better singer than this. Oh, the suspense!
The clues: Leopard said he never imagined how liberating this would be; he can now do things he never could've imagined thanks to the mask. He said he was a teenager when he set himself free for the first time and has done his best to treat the world as his catwalk. He mentioned New York and Paris -- pronounced "pare-eee" -- and referenced channeling his inner glamazon and champion, both of which are titles of RuPaul albums. We saw a picture of four seemingly random white ladies (Robin literally said "Who are those old white people?" lol) and a megaphone with the Australian flag on it. (Fun fact: RuPaul's Drag Race is coming to Australia in 2020.) He said his little ones are going to be utterly shocked when they find out it's him. See more clues here.
The guesses: Ken said Donald Glover, proving that yes, he's here to say dumb things. Noted savant Nicole Scherzinger clocked the RuPaul titles but refused to be fooled by them and said Leopard must be Seal. Robin agreed.

Matchup No. 2: Rottweiler vs Flower

Flower
Doggone it, Flower just cannot get a song to suit her unique voice. "Alone" by Heart caught her again doing material that's not a great fit. What's that quote about judging a fish by its ability to ride a bicycle? That's what this is.
The clues: We saw a disco ball, a bottle of perfume and people playing patty cake, which might as well have been a copy of Patti LaBelle's photo ID. See more clues here if you STILL need confirmation this is Patti.
The guesses: Jenny, Robin and Nicole said this was Patti LaBelle and by now this is embarrassingly anti-climactic.

Rottweiler
Singing "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, Rottweiler unleashed some powerful blue-eyed soul on the judges, furthering suspicions this is Chris Daughtry after earlier hints he's from North Carolina and has an affiliation with football, since the American Idol alum played in high school and has performed at NFL games.
The clues: He said he's terrified of people finding out his real identity and judging him. We saw him in boxing gloves and someone holding a grill that read "Platinum" before putting it in his mouth. He said everything is zen, and we saw several award statues. September was circled on a calendar.
The guesses: Gavin Rossdale's name came up, as did Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day. Joel McHale cracked that it was Mario Lopez, but it's not the worst guess. Nicole and Robin seemed to think it was Darren Criss.

After Leopard and Flower got sent to the bottom of the pack, they slugged it out, with Leopard doing a pretty cute rendition of "Don't Cha" by Pussycat Dolls and Flower doing "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Poor Flower. She started out great, making us wonder why she didn't sing this sooner, but it fell apart towards the end. Flower had to pull off her petal head, revealing none other than ... Patti LaBelle.

It's sad to see her go but even sadder to realize that she's not the first R&B architect to get shown the door: in Season 1, T-Pain famously knocked off Gladys Knight, which is a bit like one of the Harlem Globetrotters winning a spot on the Olympic basketball team over LeBron James. Seeing veteran performers like Knight and LaBelle perform alongside whippersnappers is cute and all, but if The Masked Singer is going to keep bringing musical deities on the show, they've got to stop losing. Maybe a cameo? I don't know, but I can't continue watching pioneers suffer defeat. It's too painful!

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.