No one guessed Cluedle-Doo’s identity on 'The Masked Singer' — not even his wife on the judging panel
Guessing the right identities of 'The Masked Singer' contestants is not a piece of cake for the judges! During the semi-finals of 'The Masked Singer' Season 5, which aired on May 19, 2021, four contestants, including Black Swan Chameleon, Piglet, Yeti, and Cluedle-Doo, took the stage. At the end of the episode, Cluedle-Doo and Yeti were picked to be unmasked. After performing a rendition of 'Celebration' by Kool & the Gang, Yeti was revealed to be none other than singer and rapper Omarion. But at the time, judge Robin Thicke figured out that it was Omarion beneath the mask.
On the other hand, when we talk about Cluedle-Doo, he sang Mark Morrison's 'Return of the Mack'. According to USA Today, Judge Ken Jeong gushed over Cluedle-Doo's performance and said, "That was outstanding. That was like insanely good." Later in the episode, Cluedle-Doo was revealed to be musician and actor Donnie Wahlberg. None of the judges managed to guess that it was Wahlberg beneath the unique mask, including his wife, Jenny McCarthy, one of the four judges on the Fox singing competition. McCarthy predicted that the celebrity hiding his identity under the Cluedle-Doo mask was 'Smack That' rapper Akon. Guest judge Darius Rucker and Jeong went with 'The King of Queens' actor Kevin James, meanwhile, Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger placed their bets on Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx.
McCarthy was shocked when she saw her husband Wahlberg below the mask. Then, McCarthy nearly fell to the floor after seeing the unmasking of her husband Wahlberg on the beloved singing show and quipped, "Oh my god! I'm shaking. Donnie, have you been telling me each week a lie?" Wahlberg cheekily replied, "I have been sneaking in and out." However, McCarthy, who couldn't believe her eyes, exclaimed again, "Oh my god!" Meanwhile, Thicke said, "We'll talk about that later."
When Nick Cannon, the host of the show, asked Wahlberg about his reason for being on 'The Masked Singer', Wahlberg responded, "Well, there are two reasons why I'm here, honestly. One, obviously, to see my wife, and two, you know, it's been so long since I've performed for my fans and New Kids on the Block fans, eventually known as Blockheads, they are like my family, they are my heart. So I did it for my ladies, my brothers, and of course, my lady too."
Shortly afterward, McCarthy, who was still reeling from the shock, said, "But you understand, I have golden ears and I didn't recognize my husband's voice." Following that, Thicke grabbed McCarthy's Golden Ear trophy, which she bagged after making the highest number of correct guesses last season. Furthermore, Scherzinger advised her fellow judge Thicke to "take it and run." After the episode aired, McCarthy took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and shared her honest thoughts on her husband Wahlberg's unmasking. "This is gonna take a while to get over. The shame. Thank God @DonnieWahlberg still loves me. Amazing job tonight, mister. I love you. #themaskedsinger," McCarthy tweeted at that time.
