Ashley Parker Angel, a former member of O-Town, has stopped touring in order to concentrate on his health and wellness business, High Level. But he was powerless to resist when “The Masked Singer” made an offer: “It was a hell yes, right from the start,” he told.
On Wednesday, it was made public that Angel is the newest celebrity to take part in Season 10 of “The Masked Singer.” This week, he made an appearance on the show as the S’more and performed KC and the Sunshine Band’s “That’s the Way (I Like It).”
“It had been 20 years as a performer traveling all over the world, ‘Pop Star,’ boy band, TV shows on MTV, Broadway, and I was ready to kind of pivot into something else,” Angel said. “So, I really had not been performing in quite some time. And I was a huge fan of ‘The Masked Singer.’ I was like, I got to do this. This is just the perfect show.”
All of the panellists on the show had worked with boy bands, but Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg was the only one who really got Angel. Backstreet Boys’ AJ MacLean was chosen by Ken Jeong. Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson was mentioned by Robin Thicke. Nicole Scherzinger joined New Kids on the Block’s Jordan Knight.
Regarding performing while wearing an S’more costume, Angel noted, “There was a learning curve.” “As a performer, you’re usually not in a giant costume like this. What’s so awesome about ‘The Masked Singer,’ I felt like each performance, I got a little better each performance. It can be a little terrifying when you’re on stage and you’re doing all sorts of choreography. They had asked if I would be willing to do choreography because of my boy band past and my Broadway experience. I was like, ‘Yeah, give me all the choreography.’ Then I actually got in the suit, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is so much more of a physical challenge than I had anticipated.”
Angel claimed that his favourite KC and the Sunshine Band song was from their “Disco Night” performance. Angel was going to sing “When September Ends” or “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day if he had gone on.
Angel stated he has no current plans to resume performing, so it’s unclear if this has awakened his boy band tendencies.
“’Masked Singer’ filmed over the course of several weeks, so it didn’t require me taking months off, which is a lot different than a lot of other productions,” he said. “So, it was really kind of the perfect way to celebrate my past. But now I’ve really been focused on building my health and wellness company.”
Angel as S’more was the singer who received the fewest votes of the evening. Cow and Gazelle were the final two competitors, and they would square off in a smackdown to see who would go to the finals. The two contestants performed a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s song “I Will Survive.”
Cow was chosen as the Group A winner. For Gazelle, Ken Jeong named Constance Wu, Nicole Scherzinger selected Vanessa Hudgens, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg selected Shay Mitchell, and Robin Thicke selected Maggie Q.
Gazelle wasn’t, however, revealed. The “Ding Dong Keep It On” bell, which could only be rung once in the finals, was chosen by the panel to prevent Gazelle from losing. Thus, Cow and Gazelle advance to the grand finale. Sea Queen, Husky, and Tiki will compete in the Group B Finals next. The teams competing in Group C Finals are Anteater, Candelabra, and Donut.
On “The Masked Singer,” it was “Disco Night,” and the Trammps kicked things off with their popular song “Disco Inferno.” Later, “I Will Survive” was also performed by Taylor Dayne, who played Popcorn in Season 4 of the show.
Among the Season 10 unmasked celebrities thus far are Ashley Parker Angel as S’more, Metta World Peace as Cuddle Monster, Luann de Lesseps as Hibiscus, Tyler Posey as Hawk, Billie Jean King as Royal Hen, Michael Rapaport as Pickle, Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky, and one-time special guest Demi Lovato as Anonymouse.
This season of “The Masked Singer,” there is a change in format: three groups are followed by episodes from the Battle Royale semifinal. The “Ding Dong Keep It On Bell” is returning in the Battle Royale semi-final episodes, where the judges can choose to spare one competitor from elimination and take them directly to the finals. The season also features the return of Wild Card contestants, with one Wild Card introduced to each group.
A life-size ‘S’More’ with new costumes such as ‘Donut’, ‘Anteater’, ‘Hawk’, ‘Hibiscus’, ‘Diver’, ‘Gazelle, ‘Royal Hen’, ‘Husky’, ‘Tiki, ‘Pickle, ‘Rubber Ducky’, ‘Candelabra, ‘Cow, ‘Sea Queen Celebrities who have been unmasked since the show’s inception are also making a return to celebrate its tenth anniversary. As per the show, the competitors of Season 10 “boast a combined 40 medals, 33 Grammy nominations, seven hall of fame awards, three lifetime achievement awards and over 50 tattoos.”
A tribute to Elton John, “Trolls Night,” which is connected to the November release of DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls Band Together,” “Harry Potter Night,” which airs the week of Halloween, “NFL Night,” “One Hit Wonders,” “Disco,” “2000s Night,” “I Wanna Rock,” and “Soundtrack of My Life” are just a few of the themed episodes for the season. Nick Cannon, the presenter, and panellists Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, and Robin Thicke are all returning for Season 10.
Here were the other performances on this week’s episode:
COW
Song: “Ring My Bell,” by Anita Ward
Panel guesses: Ne-Yo,Usher,Nelly
Clue: “Husband.” “My husband, your husband Jenny. This cow is absolutely a lady. However, I have spent some time with your hubby.”
Package voiceover: “Getting everyone up and moo-ving on 2000s night was such a blast. I’m so thrilled to be in the Group A finals. My mom is the strongest person I’ve ever met. She’s been my foundation forever and she still is. Growing up, I recall my mom having seven jobs at one time. Like literally coming home from one, long enough to eat a sandwich, and then on to the next one. Watching her struggle was hard. So, it was always my dream to find a way to take care of her in the way she took care of me. And the day I was able to support her with my music was the day I felt like I really made it. If I learned nothing from her, it’s that you can fall a million times, but if you get up on a million and one, you’re still in the race. That advice has been the secret to my success, and I’m channeling it tonight to make it into the finale.”
Previous songs: “Bones,” by Imagine Dragons; “Treasure,” by Bruno Mars; “Cry Me A River,” by Justin Timberlake
Previous panel guesses: Shawn Stockman, Usher, Leslie Odom, Jr., Trey Songs, Ne-Yo, Mario, Nelly, Jason Derulo, Ne-Yo, Taye Diggs
GAZELLE
Song: “On the Radio,” by Donna Summer
Panel guesses: Auli’I Cravalho, Vanessa Hudgens, Maggie Q, Constance Wu
Clue: “Island Vibes.” “Hey Nicole, just like you, I too hold the islands close to my heart.”
Package voiceover: “Making it to the Group A finals feels incredible. And one step closer to the finale. And I’m not going to stop here. I was truly a hammy performative kid. Every night I would wear a different costume, sit at the top of our stairs and put on a show for my family. But I was definitely the black sheep. My parents were athletes, my sister was always focused on academics. Despite being so different from them, they’ve always showed me nothing but support. My parents made a lot of sacrifices for me. They uprooted their entire lives just so I could live my dreams. And I wouldn’t be here without them. So tonight, this performance is a thank you for their unconditional love.”
Previous song: “Uninvited,” by Alanis Morrisette; “The One That Got Away,” by Katy Perry; “Lucky,” by Britney Spears
Previous panel guesses: Camila Mendes, Lucy Hale, Vanessa Hudgens, Leighton Meester, Constance Wu, Auli’i Cravalho, Mandy Moore, Hillary Duff, Ashley Tisdale
S’MORE
Song: “That’s the Way (I Like It),” by KC and the Sunshine Band
Panel guesses: Kevin Richardson, Ashley Parker Angel, Jordan Knight
Clue: Key. “Robin, I’ve been inside your house. And you have great taste in music and home décor.”
Package voiceover: “I’m on fire after beating Pickle in the smackdown. Now, making it into the finale would be a dream come true. When I got here, I’ve got to be honest, I was a little nervous. This has been unlike any other experience I’ve had as a performer. This costume is hot and it’s heavy. And it’s a hell of a lot of cardio. I’ve been up until 2 or 3 in the morning practicing my choreography. It’s like I’m back in boy band bootcamp. But, me and the S’more are becoming one, and I’m really starting to feel a different level of confidence in this competition. Before I got here, the thought of returning to the stage felt scary. But hearing the panel’s comments week after week has meant so much to me and has made me feel like I still belong on a stage. So tonight, I’m bringing my ‘A’ game and I’m here to roast the competition. No pun intended, or pun intended.”
Previous songs: “Slow Hands,” by Niall Horan; “Moves Like Jagger,” by Maroon 5; “Hey There Delilah,” by Plain White Ts
Previous panel guesses: Joey McIntyre, Justin Guarini, Kevin Richardson, JC Chasez, Simu Liu, Jordan Knight, James Marsden, Rob Thomas, Ashley Parker Angel
“The Masked Singer” is produced by Fox Alternative Entertainment, with James Breen (who is also showrunner), Craig Plestis and Cannon as executive producers.