The Masked Singer recap: Russian Dolls twist open to reveal famous family

See who was under the mask(s)!

By

Published on May 12, 2021 09:15PM EDT

Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Masked Singer season 5 episode 11.

We lost three people on The Masked Singer tonight, and no it wasn't a triple elimination. Russian Dolls, the first-ever trio on the Fox competition series, were eliminated during the Quarter Finals.

Still, they delivered a solid performance to Elton John's "I'm Still Standing," with stage design that would impress an Anglophile. From Union Jack imagery, to the Queen's Guard dancers, to one of the Dolls dressed just like John while playing the piano — it was a sight to behold.

Their performance brought the panelists to their feet, including Rob Riggle, who gave the show his stamp of approval.

"I think this show is one of the most entertaining, fun shows on television," he began. "It's the weirdest show I've ever seen, and it did not disappoint."

This week, the show kept it short and sweet with the clues. Russian Dolls referenced their friend Weird Al Yankovic, before receiving fan mail on stage that referenced a band and the phrase "love you to the moon."

Ken Jeong, feeling inspired, guessed that Russian Dolls were Savage Garden or Barenaked Ladies, while Riggle was certain they were the band Devo.

Black Swan then delivered her upbeat twist on Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud," which both Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy said gave them goosebumps.

Her super fan clue was Cher, as they were both "part of iconic fantasy films," and her fan mail hinted that she appeared on Oprah and deserves "major recognition."

Jeong thought Black Swan sounded just like Dua Lipa, while Robin Thicke noted that Normani has dressed up as Cher for Halloween and appeared in Oprah's magazine. I did not take Thicke for a regular O reader, but just like his shirts, the man contains multitudes.

Then, the Piglet completely switched the mood around with his dramatic, operatic introduction to Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." In his clues segment, he gave a shout-out to Bruce Willis, a "fellow action star," and his fan mail mentioned that they discovered the Piglet in the '90s on TV and "in my headphones."

McCarthy speculated that Justin Timberlake could be in the costume, as he's worked with Willis. Thicke guessed another former boy bander, Nick Lachey, who's a singer and father like the Piglet.

Another contestant who showed versatility tonight was Yeti, who covered Rascal Flatts' "Bless the Broken Road." The last remaining Wildcard has done R&B, pop, hip-hop, and now country, which means I'm hoping next week must be his heavy metal or hard rock moment.

Then came the fan mail — and Thicke's underrated sherpa joke — which called Yeti a "quadruple threat" and someone who's "stepped up with a Masked Singer legend." His super fan clue was Diddy, and he said he's worked with the mogul before.

Thicke connected the on-stage clue to Step Up star Channing Tatum, and Jeong said rapper Twista, who's worked with Diddy. McCarthy guessed Neo, as he's collaborated with Diddy and T-Pain, TMS' season 1 winner.

But none of them were right, according to Cluedle-Doo. He said he would ruffle their feathers one more time next week before showing his real identity.

Chameleon then stepped into the spotlight with another Snoop Dogg song, "Drop It Like It's Hot" featuring Pharrell. His clue package mentioned his "personal hero" Jackie Chan, and his fan mail referenced Martha Stewart and Madison Square Garden.

Of course, with all the clues that applied to Snoop, Scherzinger had to guess the iconic rapper. However, Thicke countered that Snoop performing his own song should've sounded a lot more like him.

"Season 5 and the wheels start turnin'," Thicke joked.

Riggle thought Chameleon could be Blake Griffin, while Jeong once again suggested his "family friend" Young Thug.

Host Nick Cannon announced that this week's votes were one of the closest of the entire season. Then, he revealed that Russian Dolls were eliminated.

They were revealed to be ... Hanson! All three brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson were squished inside the costume.

Zac Hanson, Taylor Hanson and Isaac Hanson of Hanson — Zac Hanson, Taylor Hanson, and Isaac Hanson of Hanson. Justin Lloyd/Newspix/Getty Images

Three of the five panelists settled on Hanson right before the Dolls' unmasking, but none wrote down correct first impressions.

Scherzinger put down "the entire cast of Glee," McCarthy said Boyz II Men, and Riggle also abandoned his Devo guess to go with the "MMMBop" singers.

Thicke and Jeong had no luck either time, with the former going with the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and Fergie before guessing Sugarland. The latter said Donny and Marie Osmond, though his final answer was the Jonas Brothers.

After their masks were taken off (twisted off was more like it), the brothers talked about why they decided to go on The Masked Singer.

Yeti, Black Swan, Chameleon, and the Piglet have made it to the Semi Finals next week. Then there's just the finale on May 25, when all three finalists will be unmasked and someone will take home the Golden Mask trophy.

Check out our daily must-see picks — plus news, celeb interviews, trivia, and more — in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.