The process of being on The Masked Singer can be stressful. Contestants often have to keep the secret of appearing from their family and friends, the costumes can be difficult to manage, and they can get very hot. It's easy to imagine that celebrities have to do a bit of soul-searching before committing to all that... unless that celebrity is singer Debbie Gibson, who went from committing to the stage in less than 24 hours.
Though her Night Owl was ultimately unmasked in the battle round of The Masked Singer, Debbie Gibson deserves all the credit in the world for how quickly she went through the process. Gibson explained how it all went down and how she went from a flight home to The Masked Singer in a very short amount of time:
Yeah, I mean, it was even less than 24 hours' notice. I was landing in Vegas around 5:00 p.m., I was in L.A. by 10 p.m., and I was on set by 8:00 a.m. It all kind of transpired while I was on a flight from the East coast to Vegas, where I live. I envisioned doing the show at some point, but then [when they asked] I was like, ‘You know what? This is so wacky and exciting.’ To be the go-to girl that gets to, pardon the pun, ‘swoop’ in, and help them out.
Debbie Gibson had no trouble at all committing to The Masked Singer, the Night Owl costume, or performing ABBA's "Alejandro," which she learned the lyrics of in the hours before. Gibson noted to CinemaBlend that she felt it wasn't the best vocal performance she could've given, though I'd personally vouch that it was a great performance. Still, as great as it was, the pop singer was unable to dethrone Medusa.
Medusa, whose identity remains unknown because of her two-episode winning streak, proved to be a tough competitor as she edged out Debbie Gibson in the final duel. Gibson hinted The Masked Singer needed her as a stronger competitor to Medusa than Howie Mandel's Rock Lobster could provide, and had nothing but kind things to say about the show and its fans:
I think they needed a vocalist because they needed someone to go up against Medusa. I was so honored to be a part of it. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours of so much love from the Masked community fans who were are like off the chain so cool.
Debbie Gibson will now go from The Masked Singer to "The Body Remembers Encore Tour," which officially kicks off on May 25th. Gibson told CinemaBlend that her shows feature hits readers might remember, like "Electric Youth" and "Out of the Blue," as well as requests from the audience and fresh takes on her other songs. Those looking to attend can check out the presale page for her concerts and see if they're nearby one of her upcoming performances.
CinemaBlend learned before speaking to Debbie Gibson that The Masked Singer had to do a bit of last-minute shuffling in Season 9. Country singer Sara Evans, who performed in the premiere, was initially slotted for ABBA night but explained she had to switch things up after someone dropped out. This could mean that Evans' spot was taken by Gibson unless more flip-flopping took place that we're unaware of. In either case, credit is owed to Gibson for jumping in the mix on such ridiculously short notice.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Readers looking for something new to watch can tune in or check out our 2023 TV schedule for a list of all shows premiering or returning in the coming months.
