The Masked Singerfans are desperately trying to figure out which celebrities are under the mask this season, and while clues and guesses are rampant, many of the characters have yet to be revealed. Nessy, a long-necked, amphibian-like monster wearing Scottish-inspired plaid (and modeled on the Loch Ness Monster), is afan favorite whose identity has been kept under wraps, but that hasn’t stopped people fromguessing that Nessy is anyonefrom Edwin McCain to Kiss' frontman Gene Simmons.
Nessy hasn’t been unmasked yet, but he’s been delightingThe Masked Singerseason 13fans since his debut as part of group C. His performances have run the gamut from classic pop to an 80s power ballad. Since he has such a long neck, he holds his mic at the midway point, where the human underneath’s mouth would be, which is a funny little detail that adds to Nessy’s mystique. Keep reading to find out which Nessy performances were my favorite, ranked from worst to best.
5"Hard To Handle" By Otis Redding
Nessy Battled With Yorkie During Battle Royale
Judges Rita Ora, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Robin Thicke were rocking out to this Battle Royale showdown between Nessy and the character Yorkie, later revealed to beReal Housewives Of Beverly Hillsstar Erika Jayne. I’m ranking this performance as Nessy’s worst, not because he sang poorly, but becausehe didn’t get as much time to shine if he were singing a solo. His voice was arguably better than Erika’s, but Erika isn’t really a professional singer (she’s more of a performer).
Nessy’s high note at the end hit all the right notes, and proved he has vocal chops.
4"Tearin' Up My Heart" By *NSYNC
Nessy Performed This On Boy Band Night
For Boy Band night, Nessy took it back to the millennium with a performance of “Tearin' Up My Heart,” the classic *NSYNC bop that catapulted the band into mega stardom. Though we do know he’s a singer,Nessy isn’t a member of a boy band, as he revealed a clue that he used to compete against boy bands for a spot on the charts.
“I was fighting these guys forTRLspots, charts, and CD sales—but there was one boy band that kept getting in my way: *NSYNC. We always seemed to be neck-and-neck and it tore up my heart when those boys constantly came out on top.”
Nessy managed to sing the song, but his voice isn’t as smooth as those in boy bands (maybe Nessy’s voice is a bit more mature and refined than a youthful boy band member). It was a solid performance, but not my favorite.
3"Roxanne" By The Police
Nessy Sounded Like The Original
In his clues package, Nessy revealed that, like The Police,he was also a legendary musician, albeit a very private one. He said he prefers to live an anonymous life, and that most of his neighbors have no idea how hugely successful he is. This is by design, as it offers Nessy privacy.
While Sting had been mentionedas a potential for who was hiding under Nessy’s mask, none of the judges guessed him when giving their critique of Nessy’s performance of the classic 80s hit, “Roxanne,” by The Police (whose original members were Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland).
This song felt more in line with Nessy’s capabilities, and he nailed the routine.
The red graphics and stage design worked nicely with the lyrics of the song: “You don’t have to turn on the red light.”
2"Can’t Fight This Feeling" By REO Speedwagon
I love a good 80s power ballad, and few are more iconic than “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon.
Nessy killed it with this performance, and the flashy pyrotechnics and 80s style backup guitarists allowed Nessy’s voice to shine.
The judges, especially Ken, seemed especially hyped for the song. Jenny McCarthy even called Nessy “an epic performer” after this number.
Before his performance, in the clue package, Nessy said he grew up a huge fan of REO Speedwagon. “Their music taught me how to put lyrics to the feelings of love,” he said. REO Speedwagon were a huge influence on Nessy,who’s also become known for love ballads. Nessy said he even got to open for REO Speedwagon once, making his performance a full-circle moment.
1"Stargazing" By Myles Smith
One Of The Few Contemporary Songs Nessy Performed
Nessy’s performance of “Stargazing” by Myles Smith, which was released in 2024, genuinely blew me away. Maybe it’s because it’s one of the few newer songs Nessy performed, but I was struck by his voice and the way it sounded almost identical to the original singer.It’s the perfect song for Nessy, as it’s right in his range, and his voice sounded smooth and silky as he belted it out. Judge Robin said Nessy’s “vocals are stunning,” and the rest of the judges agreed.
Robin also dropped that after this performance, he had an idea who the singer under the mask was, but he didn’t elaborate. When it was Jenny’s turn to question Nessy after his performance, she asked whether he had a famous love song in his catalog. Nessy said that indeed he did, and it was “arguably one of the most famous” love songs.
The Masked Singerairs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on FOX.
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