After weeks of exciting competition featuring a slew of costumed contestants, Fox's hit show crowned a new winner on Wednesday!
*Caution: Spoilers ahead!
The Masked Singer season 8 crowned an all-new champion on Wednesday! After some truly breathtaking performances from the final two contestants -- The Harp and The Lambs -- only one of them was able to walk away with the Golden Mask Trophy!
First, we're going to look at how the night unfolded. Scroll down to find out who won and who came up just short.
In the long tradition of The Masked Singer, the format of this season's gameplay and competition was wildly different from every other season that has come before it.
So, The Harp had to battle it out and defend her crown three weeks in a row before earning her spot in the semi-finals. The Lambs, on the other hand, only had to win two weeks in a row, and Snowstorm only had to win one to make it to the semifinals.
However, The Lambs and The Harp beat out Snowstorm last week, leaving them to go head-to-head in Wednesday's finale -- each of them belting out two different performances in an effort to win the votes of the audience.
The Harp was the first to hit the stage, and the golden goddess delivered a fun, energetic rendition of "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga, which left the judges in absolute awe.
"Oh my god," Nicole Scherzinger marveled. "That's how it's done!"
"Girl, you put every awards show to shame just then. That was, by far, in all eight seasons, the best performance in a finale show I've ever seen," Jenny McCarthy gushed.
The Lambs were up next, and the trio of songstresses were certainly not sheepish when it came to their cover of Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman" that got the audience clapping along, brought the judges onto the stage, and ended with a literal pyrotechnic bang.
"We gotta send out an SOS because we are in trouble, because that was phenomenal!" Jenny praised.
Meanwhile, Nicole said the performance was the perfect embodiment of "women supporting women."
For the second round, The Lambs went first, and they went for a more emotional, romantic vibe with a performance of "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner. Slowing things down can be a risk, but the number brought the audience to tears and proved to be an impressive showcase for their vocal skills.
"Thank you for the love that you spread on us," Nicole shared, in awe.
While The Lambs certainly brought the feels to the stage, The Harp still had one last chance to pull out the victory -- and she went with John Mayer's "Gravity," an understated tune that wasn't a show-stopper in the traditional sense, but was a masterclass in owning the stage.
It gave her a chance to hit some impressive high notes and ended with a backing choir, sparks, fog, and served as an undeniably perfect capstone to another wild season.
"I think we all got chills," host Nick Cannon said.
"I thought the opener was fantastic, but that was hands down one of the best things we've ever heard on this stage, ever!" Robin Thicke said. "You just took that into the stratosphere... that was pure."
After all the songs were sung, it was time to count the votes and crown a new champion... and the winner is...
... The Harp!
However, before we learn the identity of the new Masked Singer Queen, it was time to see who The Lambs were. After all the final guesses were made, Robin proved he has a great ear by correctly guessing that The Lambs were actually Chynna Phillips, Wendy Wilson and Carnie Wilson of the iconic pop group Wilson Phillips!
The songstresses confirmed his guess when they removed their giant lamb heads, and marveled over the experience of being on the show.
"It's a journey that we will never forget," Wilson shared. "It's been amazing. I have no words. I'm speechless."
After an unmasked encore performance from Wilson Phillips, it was time for The Harp to reveal her real identity -- and this time, it was Nicole who got a chance to show off her guessing skills when she correctly predicted that The Harp was actually Glee alum and musical theater superstar Amber Riley!
All the panelists climbed on top of their table to cheer on Riley with enthusiasm, as the actress reflected on her time on the show.
"This has been such an amazing experience, just to be able to come out here and be completely covered and let my talent speak for itself," Riley said. "I hope everybody felt my soul, because I bared it all right here on this stage."
When asked if she had a message for her fans after her big win, Riley shared, "I just want to say, whatever it is you want in this life, you go after it. It may be hard, it may be a rocky journey, but at the end of that journey it will totally and completely be worth it, so keep going!"
In the closing moments of the finale -- right before Riley delivered a fun, unmasked performance -- Cannon confirmed that The Masked Singer will be returning next year for season 9!
In the meantime, congrats to the latest Golden Mask Trophy winner!
Check out the gallery below for a look at every single contestant who has ever had to "take it off" throughout the history of the show!
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