Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer’s Season 8 episode “Muppet Night.” Read at your own risk!
The Masked Singer sent another two competitors packing for “Muppet Night,” and one of the unmasked celebs has come to realize that the producers almost definitely set him up on a shortlist for a quick exit. Despite his rousing rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” former talk show king Jerry Springer ended up being the first eliminated celebrity of the evening after the audience vote. Springer spoke to CinemaBlend about his exit, and why he now suspects the series didn’t expect him to make it too far in the competition.
Springer didn't get a chance to sing a second song on The Masked Singer, and as I learned in our interview, that was probably for the best. The former mayor made it clear that he had a great time taking part in the lighthearted competition, though he has wondered after the fact just how certain everyone was that he would be one of that night's eliminations. Springer voiced some of the clues he picked up on in hindsight that indicated he wasn’t meant to be in the competition for the long haul, saying:
You know, when I saw the other two acts, it immediately became clear that I was filling space. Those people were phenomenal, they really were. I would pay money to buy tickets to see their concerts...And I knew they didn't expect me to last, because–and I just thought about it last night in watching–What happens if I would not have been voted off? I would've had to sing another song. Well, I didn't know any other song! We never rehearsed another song! So they didn't even bother giving me the song for the second round [laughs]. That was crazy! And then, why did the hotel call me in the morning and say, 'Do you want early check out?' How did they know I was leaving town? But no, it was fun.
Jerry Springer was laughing while breaking it all down, so fans shouldn’t be concerned that he was upset, or that he was truly suspicious about the contest being rigged against him. Springer had nothing but praise for the three Lambs and Robo Girl, who advanced to the Battle Royale round. In the end, it was Robo Girl that got the boot and was later unmasked to be former star of The Vampire Diaries, Kat Graham. (Check out our full list of The Masked Singer’s Season 8 reveals here.)
And while Jerry Springer may feel more at home on his chaotic daytime television program (which ended in 2018) or playing a judge in a courtroom, he did better on The Masked Singer than the usual performer with no known singing credits, and he might’ve even advanced had it not been for Season 8’s format. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he felt inspired to drop an old-school crooners album after the response to his performance from the panel, though Springer noted during our interview he’s retired and not as active in Hollywood as he once was.
Maybe we won’t get an album, but we’ll always have this memorable performance to revisit on-demand or with a Hulu subscription should the mood strike. Who would’ve thought we would’ve seen the host of one of television’s most offensive programs of all time on such a wholesome family program? I mean, there have definitely been other shocking unmaskings, but I’d argue this one was certainly high up on the list as well.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. The next round should be interesting with the Lambs being a talented group, and I’m eager to see if the next two competitors will be able to defeat them for a chance at the semifinals.
