They say the third time’s a charm, but that definitely wasn’t the case for the judges during the third episode of The Masked Singer (Wednesdays at 8pET on CTV). While Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger knew it was Busta Rhymes under that dragon mask in week one and Jenny McCarthy was dead-on when she said Gremlin was Mickey Rourke last week, no one was even close to guessing Giraffe’s identity on Wednesday night. Well, no one except Joel McHale, that is.

A WELCOME RETURN

That’s right, following his hot streak as a guest judge on previous seasons of the show, McHale was welcomed back with open arms (by everyone except Ken Jeong) as the first official guest judge of season four. And he came with a bang, too, dancing onto the stage doing a spot-on Robin Thicke impression (mask and all) singing "Blurred Lines" for the edited-in audience. You almost feel sorry for any other surprise guests this season, because that’s a tough act to beat.

.@kenjeong just called me —so it’s official. And I quote “Joel you just did the best performance in @MaskedSingerFOX history.” #fact #maskedsinger @robinthicke @JennyMcCarthy @NicoleScherzy https://t.co/FH6eNrEvEY

— Joel McHale (@joelmchale) October 8, 2020

The really surprising thing is that he also brought it on the panel. After Group A returned for a playoff round (Masked Singer loves switching up that format on viewers), it was the Giraffe and his performance of "Get Down on It" by Kool and the Gang that just didn't make the cut.Ken thought it was Shia LaBeouf (and then gave an explanation that stretched on longer than Giraffe’s neck and across a commercial break), Nicole went with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jenny McCarthy believed it was Seth Green, and Robin went with Travis Barker. But Joel was getting some serious 90210 vibes and he guessed Jason Priestley, which was oh-so-close. In fact, it was Brian Austin Green who emerged from the costume, shocking everyone.

Masked Singer was a blast!!I was super excited for my kids to watch it with me ? should be on earlier in LA ? pic.twitter.com/XGBWVlO5yb

— Brian Austin Green (@withBAGpod) October 8, 2020

ROBIN AND BRIAN "THINK TWICE"

No one up on that judging panel lost their mind more than Robin Thicke when Giraffe was unmasked, because as it turns out he and Green were BFFs growing up. “I can’t believe it’s you!” he said with his jaw on the floor. And fans couldn’t believe it when Green and Robin revealed that growing up, they had their own band called Think Twice. Or, as host Nick Cannon described it, they were basically the, “White Kris Kross.”

This week's lesson: #THINKTWICE@withBAGpod #TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/ewKuUFb4Pb

— Robin Thicke (@robinthicke) October 8, 2020

Green even alluded to Robin in his clue package, when he was pictured with a Robin on his shoulder. Oh, and that Megan Fox connection that Ken made to Shia LaBeouf with Transformers? Green was convinced that the judges would know it was him immediately once they hit on Megan Fox. Nope. Everyone missed that one, just like they missed all of those peaches, which were clearly a reference to The Peach Pit (the diner from 90210, for the uninitiated).[video_embed id='1965505']RELATED: Megan Fox told Brian Austin Green she's happier alone [/video_embed]“It’s been fun, it’s been a really good time. I loved messing with Ken,” Green said, speaking for pretty much all of the contestants before taking to the stage one more time. Naturally, Robin rushed down to perform with him, and it was the Think Twice reunion no one knew they needed in their lives.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

For those keeping track, that leaves three performers in Group A: Popcorn, Sun, and the Snow Owls. If you look at the past three seasons of the show and the unexpected way the voting has gone down (guys, remember when Gronk somehow outlasted Dionne Warwick??), it’s anyone’s guess who will rise to the top. Then again, the sun always rises, and Sun may be the best female vocalist the show has ever seen. Or so says Nicole, anyway. And Sun’s performance of Kesha’s “Praying” was definitely memorable.

Literally my favorite female vocal EVER!!! #SunMask is just SHINING! #TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/Wp4VDsx2BF

— Nicole Scherzinger (@NicoleScherzy) October 8, 2020

But fans shouldn’t count out Popcorn or Snow Owls just yet. Popcorn had a fun rendition of Harry Styles’ “Falling” that totally had the judges thinking she was a legend like Vanessa Williams or Madonna (okay, that last guess was just Ken). And Snow Owls mixed up their vocals this week with “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend, and the judges were totally here for that, too.Luckily everyone has some time to let those performances sit now because next week it’s back to Group B as they ready themselves for the playoffs. That means another chance to see Baby Alien, Crocodile, Seahorse, Serpent and Whatchamacallit in action before another celebrity is unmasked. Bring your best guesses, because there’s no telling who will be revealed next.Watch The Masked Singer Wednesdays at 8pET on CTV.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Friendly kitty desperately tries to befriend chicken [/video_embed]