Big woof. The Masked Singer‘s season 7 premiere made history — and it wasn’t for a happy reason.
While performing Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend,” new character McTerrier accidentally knocked off his mask during the Wednesday, March 9, episode of the Fox series. The singer managed to keep his head and face hidden from the judges, but viewers were still shocked by the surprising moment.
“WHAT IN FRESH HELL???? McTerrier done up and lost his mask?!” tweeted one fan. “First McTerrier’s mask falls off now firefly is choking omg what is happening,” added another Twitter user, referring to the moment when Firefly had to take a break because she was coughing on stage.
Even panelist Robin Thicke was surprised by the incident, which was a first in Masked Singer history. “Wasn’t expecting that,” the “Blurred Lines” singer, 45, tweeted on Wednesday.
Though the judges didn’t see McTerrier during his mishap, he didn’t get much farther in the competition. At the end of the episode, he was voted off an unmasked as Duff Goldman.
The Ace of Cakes alum, 47, seemed unbothered by his short run on the show, saying that he was just happy to participate in the delightfully strange world of The Masked Singer. “I love absurdist humor. Because life is absurd,” he told Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday. “We are constantly surrounded by absurd situations and you have to kind of be able to enjoy that, enjoy the chaos, enjoy the absurdity of things.”
While the Charm City Cakes founder said his near-unmasking was an accident, some fans wondered why McTerrier’s head fell off so easily when post-elimination reveals usually require help from host Nick Cannon. “I’m sorry, but I’m not buying this,” tweeted one skeptical viewer. “I swear the McTerrier knocked its own mask off on purpose. This error does not need to be happening.”
McTerrier’s near-disaster also isn’t the first controversy season 7 has faced. Last month, Deadline reported that Thicke and fellow panelist Ken Jeong walked off set during filming after one of the contestants was unmasked as Rudy Giuliani. The outlet noted that the other judges, Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy, stayed behind to chat with the former New York City mayor, 77.
The disgraced politician’s costume hasn’t yet been revealed, but few fans think he was one of the contestants introduced during Wednesday’s season premiere: Firefly, Ram, Cyclops and Thingamabob.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
