Heartwarming / The Masked Singer

The craziest singing competition on television is surprisingly ripe with sweet moments.

As a moments page, no spoilers have been marked. You have been warned.

In General:

• Any time a contestant covers a song that was sung by someone who was on the show previously. Chameleon outright name drops Dragon when he covers his song "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See".
• Any time there's a group song as for once, the singers are singing together rather then against each other.

Season 1

• Ken Jeong's Squee upon the reveal that the Poodle is actually his one-time co-star Margaret Cho. His praise of her as a pioneer in Asian-American comedy and a personal inspiration to him is so sincere that it tugs the heartstrings.
• After going with mostly semi-recent pop tunes, the Bee reverts to her old-school soul diva style with two song choices dedicated to two other music legends, Tina Turner and the late Aretha Franklin. The second one is easily the showstopper of episode 8.
• When Bee, Peacock and Monster come out on stage during the final group number, they're all holding hands.
• Everyone squees over the Bee after she's finally unmasked as Gladys Knight. Kenan Thompson, who made a spot-on guess despite being Late to the Party, takes a moment to thank her for her contribution to African-American culture and much of his growing years.
• After being unmasked, the Peacock/Donny Osmond is asked why he agreed to do the show. His response sums up the appeal of the series in three words.
  Peacock: Because it's fun!
• Nick's words to T-Pain after he's unmasked as the Monster.
  Nick: Some people only thinking that you have the skills to sing through Auto-Tune. I think you proved the world wrong on this show, right here on this stage - that you are an amazing vocalist!

Season 2

• The Panda's letter to her father, Muhammad Ali.
• Nicole Scherzinger's infatuation with the soulful Thingamajig is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming.
  Robin Thicke: Who is he?
  Nicole Scherzinger: My future husband, that's who!
  • On that note, the Thingamajig's performance of "I Just Haven't Met You Yet." The visuals show him on the Tinder-esque dating app 'Date-A-Majig', swiping left on all the female contestants… until the very end, when he swipes right on a picture of Nicole. Nicole was understandably beaming when she saw this.
    Nicole: Oh my God! That's me!
  • The "Road to the Finals" episode reveals that, after Thingamajig was unmasked and revealed as Victor Oladipo, Nicole crashed his "goodbye" interview to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek. He serenades her on the spot. Becomes a funny moment when we're suddenly reminded that, oh, yeah, Ken's there too!
  • Hell, even Ken's presence is heartwarming, since he's such a huge NBA fan and obviously thrilled to meet Oladipo.
  • Upon getting unmasked, Victor told Nicole that, if she was serious, he would happily date her.
• Black Widow went on to do her third performance despite having broken her arm at some point during the season. The result? A performance of Cher's "Believe" in which all of the backup dancers are wearing their arms in slings in solidarity. While being no less powerfully choreographed.
• It's fairly common for contestants to include little nods to people who have been eliminated in previous rounds. The Fox's performance of "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" shows him at a vanity looking at pictures of former contestants with a note that says: "Miss you."
• In the second season finale, Rottweiler and Fox share a hug before the winner is announced.
• After the Fox was crowned the winner for the second season, both Flamingo and Rottweiler said later that he 100% deserved it.
  • It's a little-known fact that Wayne Brady has made a whole network of friends among celebs, not just African-American singers. It's like watching Rule of Kevin Bacon come full circle (and also a subtle Awesome moment when you realize how many people Wayne had to keep it secret from):
    "I wanted to tell you so much!" (hugs Nick Cannon)

Season 3

• Tony Hawk (The Elephant) picked a song by The Cure because they also performed the song he chose for his and his wife's wedding; he explains that his wife is a big fan of the band.
• Banana, upon successfully qualifying for the Group B finals, starts to head backstage, but stops, heads over to the just-eliminated Mouse and encourages the audience to applaud for her before her unmasking.
• Robin Thicke's surprisingly heartwarming response to Nick's April Fool's joke claiming he's quitting the show.
  Robin Thicke: That's not funny. You don't break up the family.
• After Astronaut was sent to the Smackdown round, he and Turtle share a friendly bro-fist together.
• Bret Michaels, formerly known as The Banana, inviting the whole crowd and Nick Cannon up to sing with him during his farewell encore.
• Night Angel dedicates her top 4 performance to the first elimination of the season with "How to Love" by Lil Wayne. In his absence, guest panelist Jay Pharaoh breaks out his best Lil Wayne impression to acknowledge her.
• Frog seems genuinely saddened by Rhino's elimination, and gives him a warm bro-hug.
• Dionne Warwick, formerly known as The Mouse, led a tribute on part one of the season three finale to the healthcare workers on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic with finalists Night Angel, Frog, and Turtle singing the Burt Bacharach song she once recorded, "What the World Needs Now is Love." During the performance there was cameos from the judges, other season three competitors, and Masked Singer alumni from the first two seasons with handmade posters and personal messages thanking the healthcare workers putting their lives at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

Season 4

• Though his tenure was brief and crazy, The Gremlin (better known as Mickey Rourke) used his song to sing "Stand By Me" in tribute to his friend, the late Willy DeVille.
• Squiggly Monster, who may or may not have known it was his last night there, came bearing a gift for Nick - a top hat decorated in googly eyes that somehow went with Nick's suit.
  • After he is unmasked as Bob Saget, Ken mentions that they met once early in Ken's stand-up career, and that Saget was kind to him. Saget responds that he meant everything he had said, as he saw that Ken was talented and wanted to encourage him to keep at it.
• Serpent's reveal was stated to be the most emotional reveal yet—and it shows as Ken tears up when thanking Dr. Elvis (also a real life doctor) for getting everyone through the COVID-19 pandemic with his singing.
• After Jellyfish is revealed as Chloe Kim, Ken (who managed to guess her correctly and is also of Korean descent) takes the time to thank her for being an inspiration to his young daughters.
• During the recap episode, Clint and Lisa Hartman Black explain why they chose to do the show, and why they picked the Snow Owls: they wanted to do something special to celebrate thirty years of marriage, and snow owls mate for life. Aww.
  • The relationship between the Snow Owls in general is very sweet. Their devotion to each other is on full display during their performances of "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" and "The Prayer".
• In a post-finale interview, the Mushroom, a.k.a. Aloe Blacc, revealed that he tried to make his performances capture the spirit of his daughter. He even picked his final song, Stevie Wonder's "I Wish", based on what he thought his daughter would like.
  Aloe Blacc: I thought, this is going to be a real surprise for her when she sees me unmasked… I sort of embodied the way that she is and plays when she’s wearing her dress-up princess dresses and that kind of thing. So all of the feminine moves and the walks and all of that was very much me embodying the spirit of my daughter.

Season 5

• The sheer, near-universal delight at the first unmasking and the reveal that the Snail is none other than Kermit the Frog must be seen to be believed. The joy permeating the room is positively raucous, and the panel is practically overwhelmed. Ken says it best by calling the frog "the most famous celebrity" ever to be on the show.
• The Raccoon is not the best singer by a long shot, but his enthusiasm is contagious. Whoever he is, he's clearly having the time of his life, and in fact says as much.
  • This even extends to his unmasking, as even after being eliminated, Danny Trejo still thanks everyone for the opportunity and admits he had the time of his life being a cute raccoon.
• When Grandpa Monster gets eliminated, Black Swan takes a moment to console him with a gentle shoulder pat before returning backstage.
  • After being unmasked, Logan Paul returns the favor by wishing her luck and saying he hopes she wins.
• Everyone is completely shocked by Niecy Nash denying the usual voting and instead announcing that the Bulldog is being eliminated and must unmask immediately, while the other contestants are still onstage. But then the mask comes off and it's Nick Cannon, fully recovered from COVID and back to resume his hosting duties! The pure delight of the audience, and particularly of the panelists, as they welcome him "home" is powerful and sweet; the panelists all call to him that they've missed him and they love him. They then assure Niecy that she's done a wonderful job and they love her too.
  • Nick then offers an absolutely beautiful short speech to Niecy, thanking her for stepping in for him while he was deeply ill and telling her how much he enjoyed watching her. He dedicates his performance of "Candy Girl" to her, adding that she is an undisputed queen. Touched, Niecy's response is a simple and heartfelt "I love you, friend!"
• After Bobby Brown is unmasked as the Crab, the entire audience lights up in joy upon seeing him, with Nick excitedly announcing that "The King is in the building!"
  • The panel's reactions to Bobby's reveal are all heartwarming in their own way. Jenny immediately praises Bobby for continuing with his performances even after he suffered a panic attack on stage, and Ken calls him "one of [his] favorite artists of all time".
  • Doubles as a Tearjerker, but Bobby and the panel get rightfully emotional when he reveals that he dedicated his tenure as Crab to his children Bobby Jr. and Bobbi Kristina, who died in 2020 and 2015 respectively, as well as to show his youngest kids that daddy still got it.
• Donnie Wahlberg is unmasked as Cluedle-Doo after weeks of guessing, and Jenny is absolutely ecstatic to see her husband on stage. Donnie wastes no time in joining her at the panel's table and giving her a Big Damn Kiss.
  • Also, one that's easy to miss on a first viewing, but Jenny's initial reaction to the reveal is to literally collapse to the floor. Robin, Nicole, and guest panelist Darius Rucker are all cheering and laughing. Ken's reaction, however, is to rush to help Jenny and make sure she didn't hurt herself.
  • Nicole can also be seen gently rubbing Jenny's back as she gets up from the floor.
• Black Swan gives Yeti a farewell hug when his elimination is announced.
• Piglet and Chameleon exchanging high-fives when the latter finishes in third place.
  • Chameleon being such a great loser in the end adds to this too. He's just so happy to be there.
• Nicole's first impression guess for Chameleon was Nick Cannon. Sure, the fact that this was only revealed after Nick had returned for hosting duties does cross it over into Funny territory, but the thought is sweet all the same - she thought Nick had been one of the contestants from the start, before he was revealed to be Bulldog.
• Just before she's unmasked, Black Swan admits that, despite having been performing since she was a child, she still suffers a degree of stage fright, especially when the pandemic forced her to take a year off performing, and that she was incredibly anxious that she's suddenly forget how to sing or lose her edge as a performer. Guest panelist and previous champion LeAnn Rimes assures her that she knows exactly how she feels. (And given that both Black Swan's true identity, JoJo, and Rimes debuted at the age of thirteen and have been in the spotlight ever since, she's not kidding.) Black Swan greatly appreciates it, saying it helps to know she's not alone in her fears.

Season 6

• In the first episode, First Impression guesses are put into a box which has a gloved hand inside taking the envelopes from the panelists. When Jenny goes to put in one of her guesses, the hand grabs her and pulls her down, sinking her arm into the box up to her shoulder. A very alarmed-looking Dr. Ken runs to help pull her back out, evidently concerned that she was injured.
• After getting unmasked, Dwight Howard admits that he went on the show because it's his mom's favorite and he even brought her to the studio with him so she could see him put his costume on.
• When Pufferfish is announced to be eliminated, the other singers are all shocked, implying that they all assumed she was moving to the next round.
• During his performance of "Circus", Bull works "Free Britney" into the lyrics of the song.
• The other panelists are notably less caustic toward Ken in this season, often complimenting his guesses (while still razzing him for the ones they think are ridiculous). Jenny even dances with him sometimes.
• Cupcake reveals that they came on the show in hopes of cheering up a family member who got some bad news about their health.
• After Dalmatian collapses due to him being eliminated, Banana promptly helps him get back up.
• When Baby is eliminated, he's shown making crying noises, and fellow Wildcard Hamster goes over to hug him and calm him down.
  • And just as the hug was being given by the Hamster.
  Ken Jeong: (to Baby) Don’t cry! Don’t cry!

• After Jenny and Ken get into one of their usual arguments, Queen of Hearts leaves everyone in awe with her rendition of "La Vie en Rose", and Jenny and Ken somehow forget their differences and start slow dancing together.
• When Hamster gets eliminated, Bull goes over to give him a hug before going backstage.
  • Skunk can also be seen giving Hamster a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
• Beach Ball, aka Honey Boo Boo and Mama June, reveal that, while June's addiction problems led to them not seeing each other for two years, June is now two years sober and they've since reconciled. The show was the first project they worked on together since June got clean. June also admits she missed a line of their song because she was tearing up—as she always does when watching her daughter perform.
• Upon being unmasked as the Jester, Johnny Rotten takes a moment to explain that he decided to come on the show to honor his wife Nora, who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, because Masked Singer is one of her favorite shows, and he knew she'd get a kick out of seeing him on stage.
• When Pepper is eliminated, Bull falls to his knees in shock and starts shaking his fists in the air as if he's screaming a Big "NO!". He and Skunk then take turns giving Pepper a hug before going backstage.
  • After being unmasked as Pepper, Natasha Bedingfield admits that the reason she was so excited about getting the Pepper costume was that her son's favorite color is red.
• During his unmasked interview, Willie Robertson, formerly Mallard, is joined by his wife Korie.
• After Caterpillar is announced to be going home, both members of Banana Split and Queen of Hearts give him a Group Hug.
  • After being unmasked, Bobby Berk takes the time to thank the panel for helping to cheer America up in such a bad time.
• When Bull is announced to be going through to the finals, he runs around the stage jumping for joy as Skunk applauds him. He and Skunk then share a warm hug before Bull returns backstage, and Skunk is still clapping for him as he runs off.
• After Nicole finishes her duet with Queen of Hearts, Jenny, Robin and Ken are all standing on the desk, cheering wildly for her. A clearly touched Nicole's reaction once she sees this?
  "That's the family, right there."
• Nicole wins the Golden Ear trophy, breaking Jenny's streak and just barely edging out Ken by a single point. Ken's response? He's the first one to hug Nicole and congratulate her on the victory.

Season 7

• When Firefly unexpectedly starts choking during her performance, Ken immediately jumps up from the desk and runs down to the main stage to help her, all while pleading for the medics to hurry. Once a doctor, always a doctor.
  • The second they realize what's happening, Nicole and Robin start shouting for someone to help Firefly, evidently concerned for her well-being.
  • Later in the show, Nick updates the audience on Firefly's condition, and assures everyone that she's doing much better and is being cared for by the show's medical professionals.
  • Firefly eventually returns to the stage to complete her song, much to the joy and relief of both the panel and the audience, who reward her with a resounding standing ovation.
• After McTerrier is announced to be going home, Thingamabob can be seen giving him a pat on the shoulder.
  • Upon being unmasked, Duff Goldman explains that he came on the show to honor his daughter, who recently just turned one. This prompts some joyful applause from the panel, as well as some wishes of "Happy birthday" from Nicole and Jenny.
• Thingamabob's absolutely soulful performance of "Perfect" leaves the panel completely speechless, and Ken tearfully thanks him for bringing such authentic joy to the stage during a difficult time.
  • During this moment, Nicole immediately reaches over to Ken and pulls him into a hug to comfort him.
• Thingamabob and Firefly sharing a hug before the former is unmasked.
• Once Jordan Mailata is unmasked as Thingamabob, Nicole asks him what his nationality is, and Jordan confirms that he is of Samoan descent. Nicole, herself of native Hawaiian ancestry, thanks him for representing their culture on stage, and the two share a hearty cheer of "CHEE-HOO!"
• Ken's sheer child-like glee at correctly guessing Christie Brinkley as the Lemur, despite getting heckled for his bonkers guesses for most of the night.
  • When Christie is first revealed, Jenny and Nicole begin to applaud Ken for nailing his guess, and Robin's immediate reaction is to run over to Ken and swoop him up into a Bear Hug.
• When Armadillo accidentally falls over during his second performance, the panel's immediate reaction is full of concern, evidently worried that he might have been injured. Their concern fades away into relieved laughter when he gets back up and continues on despite the slip up.
• After Hydra is revealed to be the one going home, Armadillo sends them off with a friendly handshake and chest pat.
  • Upon being unmasked, Penn reveals that he insisted that Teller be the one to do most of the singing during their time as Hydra, so his friend could get a chance to show off.^note Teller famously doesn't speak during their magic shows. Teller simply responds with a warm smile and a nod, clearly grateful for Penn's kindness.
• Armadillo's heartfelt rendition of "Amazing Grace" in honor of his mother. The entire panel is left speechless, and Nicole is left in tears, declaring his performance to be her new favorite version of the song.
  • Right at the end of the song, Ken can be seen reaching over to a crying Nicole and asking if she's okay.
  • Robin also rightfully gets emotional, revealing that he too has a special familial connection to the song through his kids, as well as the song helping him through his darker moments.
• After the winner of Group B is revealed to be Ringmaster, Miss Teddy congratulates her rival for winning, showing that despite being runner up, she respects her.
  • Ringmaster, for her part, is also highly respectful of Miss Teddy, even outright calling her amazing before returning backstage.
• Nicole's sheer joy when it's revealed that Miss Teddy is Jennifer Holiday, who was one of Nicole's biggest idols growing up. She even takes the time to thank Holiday for being such a huge part of her childhood.
• Upon getting unmasked, Jennifer Holiday reveals that her reason for doing the show was to surprise all of her fans who had wanted to see her do it.
• As controversial as Rudy Giuliani is, his reason for being on the show is pretty sweet: he just got a granddaughter and he wanted to show her that you should always try anything.
• Paying close attention to the panelists' interactions over the seasons, you really get the impression that Nicole and Ken have become close friends. Nicole seems almost annoyed at times over the way the others heckle Ken, making a point of complimenting many of his ideas. He, in turn, shows concern for her when she seems emotional and is the quickest to congratulate her whenever she has any sort of victory. The panelists and Nick have all formed something of a Family of Choice, but the bond which has grown between those two is particularly clear and moving.
• Space Bunny, now unmasked as Shaggy, getting the crowd to sing his encore with him.
• Everyone's sheer excitement when Queen Cobras are unmasked as En Vogue, especially Nicole and Robin, who both admit to growing up with the band.
• Prince, now revealed to be Cheyenne Jackson, reveals that before he was planning to appear on the show, he confessed to his daughter that he was scared. In response, his daughter gave him a rock with "courage" written on it. Once they noticed it, the costume people actually had it sewn into his costume so it would always be with him when he performed.

National Tour

• Sure, it's a pretty weird pairing, but the subplot of Alien and Taco falling in love is rather sweet. The audience even gets to watch their marriage!

Season 8

• Robin is absolutely thrilled to see William Shatner upon his unmasking, and recalls how Shatner was a close family friend of his father's and thanks him for being on the show.
• After being unmasked as Hedgehog, Eric Idle leads the audience and panel in a rendition of "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life". Ken and Nicole can even be seen with their arms around each other, swinging to the rhythm.
  • After the unmasking, Eric revealed that a reason why he chose to do the show in the first place was to basically celebrate after surviving pancreatic cancer.
• Similar to the above, Montell Jordan gets the crowd to sing along to "This Is How We Do It" after his unmasking and everyone from the crowd to the judges are having a blast jamming to it. Even Jeff Dunham can be seen using his miniature rat dummy to join in on the fun!
• After opening the show for TV Theme Night, Robin reveals that his mother Gloria Loring is in the audience tonight, and the crowd goes nuts as Gloria stands up to wave at her son.
• Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, and Mike Lookinland being unmasked as the Mummies, which prompts rounding applause from the audience as one of TV's most famous trio of brothers make their return to the stage. The three men are also clearly overjoyed with being able to perform together again after so many years of being out of the spotlight.
• In a moment that doubles as a Tearjerker, Ken tearfully thanks Harp for her soulful rendition of "Everywhere You Look" following her Battle Royale against Fortune Teller, expressing his belief and hope that the late Bob Saget is looking down on them from above.
• Right before Maize is unmasked, Andrew Lloyd Webber himself compliments him on his fantastic performance, and even expresses an interest in working with him in the future.
• Robo Girl bowing in respect when Andrew Lloyd Webber comes to give her her staff after she's crowned Queen of episode 4.
• Muppets Night opens with the entire panel and Nick performing "Rainbow Connection", along with former contestant Kermit the Frog himself.
• After George Clinton is unmasked as Gopher, he happily invites special guess Sheila E and Robin to sing with him.
• The tribute to Leslie Jordan at the end of Hall of Fame night.
• After Bride is unmasked as Chris Jericho, Ken, who is a longtime wrestling fan (he did join Jeremy Piven in banning The Miz from The Summerfest after all), takes time to tell Chris he is a huge fan of his work and is honored to have a wrestling legend with them.
• During Fright Night, before the first unmasking, Scarecrow decides to interrupt the process and willingly vote herself off of the show. As for why, she not only believes that Snowstorm and Sir Bug a Boo are good enough to move on to the Battle Royale, but because her main reason for participating on the show in the first place is to thank everyone involved for creating such an entertaining show for all to see.
• This moment doubles as both heartwarming and a tearjerker. For Snowstorm's clue on Thanksgiving Night, she has a procession of balloons that spell out "Squiggly", as in Squiggly Monster (a.k.a Bob Saget). Snowstorm admits that she was incredibly close to him, and rightfully gets choked up when talking about how Saget supported her throughout her career.
• Before her Semi-Finals performance, Harp takes a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
• After getting unmasked, the Lambs, now revealed to be Wilson Phillips, reveal that the show actually brought the trio back together after so long.

Season 9

• Everyone goes absolutely bonkers when Dick Van Dyke is unmasked as the Gnome, and Nicole even bursts into Tears of Joy at seeing one of her childhood icons on stage.
• Rock Lobster is unmasked as Howie Mandel, who worked with Nick on America's Got Talent and it's clear the two of them are overjoyed to be reunited with Howie even breaking his personal no touching rule just to give Nick a hug after all this time. Granted he was wearing the costume so he didn't have to worry too much about germs but the thought still counts.
• During their Battle Royale, Medusa can be seen dancing along when it's Night Owl's turn and even claps for her once the song is finished. In fact, that becomes a trend with her, as she can be seen dancing or clapping when her Battle Royale opponents are going.
• Nicole assuring Debbie Gibson that her mother was no doubt smiling down on her during her time on the show.
• Nicole, unable to watch Medusa go home, becomes the first person to ring the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell and spares her from elimination. This would be reciprocated in kind with Medusa eventually winning the season.
• An episode after Medusa's save, the bell's used again, as Jenny spares Gargoyle from a premature unmasking.
• Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin makes a surprise appearance on Sesame Street Night to deliver a clue, fully recovered from his sudden heart attack. The panel is absolutely ecstatic to see him, especially Ken, who expresses his relief that Damar is healthy.
• After Alexa Bliss is unmasked as Axolotl, Jenny takes a moment to say that she's beyond proud of her for managing to overcome her stage fright to appear on the show.
• Charlene Tilton's sheer excitement over being on the show is infectious, even if it's just to give out a clue.
• After Mantis is announced to be going home, Robin decides to use the last Ding-Dong Keep It On bell to save Mantis from elimination. When asked why he chose to do so, Robin cites Mantis' two song choices as a key factor: "Old Time Rock N Roll" and "I've Got a Golden Ticket". The former was his late father's favorite song, and his son performed the latter in a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and that nostalgic connection convinced him that Mantis deserves to stay in the competition.
• During the Battle of the Saved episode, Nicole, Jenny and Robin all make it clear that they in no way regret saving their respective champions and said champions are all shown to be very grateful to be saved.
• When Nick is going over who could get voted out during the Quarter Finals, which singer causes the crowd to start booing at the idea of them going home? Medusa, who just returned to the game.
• Macaw, unmasked as David Archuleta, giving a beautiful speech about how everyone deserves to be accepted, which has everyone moved and leads to the judges pulling him into a Group Hug.

Season 10

• The sheer infectious delight of the panel at being on the show's 10th season, especially when Ken tells the other panelists how much he loves them.
• Nicole immediately getting a crush on S'more is equal parts funny and adorable, especially when S'more comes up to the panel's table to give Nicole a marshmallow bouquet and a kiss on her hand.
• After her NFL Night performance, Ken gets teary-eyed as he says that Gazelle may be Constance Wu, voicing his deep admiration for her and commending Gazelle for giving such a stirring performance. Gazelle responding by squealing "I love you, Ken!" is also incredibly adorable.
• When Diver is eliminated, S'more looks utterly shocked, while Gazelle gives him a fist bump.
• At the end of his performance of "Hey There, Delilah", S'more adds Nicole and Ken's names in place of Delilah and then tells Jenny and Robin he loves them once he finishes.
• Pretty much everything involving Cool Old Bird Royal Hen, from her seasoned career given in her only clue package, to her great respect to the much younger Hawk, even after she lost to him in the smackdown. Bonus points when she’s revealed to be Bille Jean King, and reveals that she was ecstatic to sing "Philadelphia Freedom", which was written about her.
• Gazelle's reaction to Ken using the panel's only Ding Dong, Keep It On bell to save her from being unmasked and send her through to the finale is sure to have you going "Aww!" right alongside the audience.
• After Gazelle is revealed to be Janel Parrish, she takes a moment to apologize to Ken for not being Constance Wu like he had hoped she was. Ken makes it clear that, even though she's not his friend, he doesn't regret using the bell on her and loved her performances all the same.

Season 11

• The panel is very kind to newcomer Rita Ora, welcoming her with open arms and showing no hostility towards her for replacing Nicole.
• Lizard giving a high five to Spaghetti and Meatball after the former gets saved in the Smackdown.
• In her TV Theme Night clue package, Poodle Moth talks about how she learned to love herself in the wake of her father abandoning her—something Jenny praises her for after her performance, much to Poodle Moth's appreciation.
• Lizard and Sir Lion sharing a hug after their showdown and doing so again after Lizard is declared the winner.
• When it comes time for Poodle Moth to unmask after losing to Clock in the Battle Royale, the crowd is so against it that the chant of "Ring the Bell" overpowers Nick telling her to take it off! At that point, Rita rings the bell, admitting she had no other choice.
• After Lovebird is announced to be going home, both newcomer Koala and Starfish give him a hug before returning backstage.
• Speaking of Koala, when he got eliminated, he took the time to give high fives to Ugly Sweater and Starfish.
• During Queen Night, as Rita Ora is theorizing that Goldfish could be Vanessa Hudgens, Rita highlights how she considers Vanessa a friend who was nice to her from the first time she arrived in the United States and expresses sympathy for Vanessa in regards to the 2016 loss of her father. Afterwards, Ken gives the emotionally moved Rita a comforting hug.
• After Robin successfully guesses Ugly Sweater as Charlie Wilson, Jenny gives him a big hug and cheers him on for getting it right.
• Ken manages to successfully figure out that Miss Cleocatra is Jenifer Lewis, leading to the panel congratulating him to getting it right.