Sharon Osbourne shows everyone how it’s done on ‘The Masked Singer’

Following a mini-break that allowed everyone to get their song on at home in last week’s inaugural Sing-Along episode, The Masked Singer (Wednesdays, 8pET on CTV) was back in all its costumed glory on Wednesday night to dole out four major performances, another Smack Down, and one sad farewell. So who did the panelists and host Nick Cannon call on to help them preside over such festivities? The one and only Sharon Osbourne, of course. And considering how well she did, the powers that be may want to consider adding her full-time.

Getting her flirt on

First thing’s first: Osbourne knows her way around a reality show. Not only was she a judge for six seasons on America’s Got Talent and on four cycles of The X Factor, but she and hubby Ozzy let the world get pretty intimate with their family on The Osbournes during the early Aughts. So basically she knows what the camera wants. And what it wanted on The Masked Singer face-offs was a bit of leapfrog-like banter with the Frog, naturally. When Frog and Kitty faced off in the first round, Sharon was all over Frog’s leggy dance performance to Pitbull’s “Fireball.” “What are you doing later? He’s so smooth!” she said laughing besidepanelists Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger.

“She's authentic, she's funny, she's smart. And she came on and not only slayed, but she's so on point with her guesses, and it doesn't surprise me. She's been in this business. She can spot a voice." - @jennymccarthy on @MrsSOsbourne guest judging on #TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/X5iNm21oWq

— The Talk (@TheTalkCBS) April 22, 2020

It remains to be seen whether her guess of Alfonso Ribeiro was correct or not (most fans seem to still have money on Bow Wow, whom the panelists have not yet guessed), because Frog easily leapt over Kitty with the audience and remained safe for another week. Then, when it came time to Rhino versus Banana, it really seemed like both performers had some clear advantages. However, the panelists should never underestimate the power of the Biebs: a rendition of Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber’s “10,000 Hours” easily won Rhino a spot in the Top Six.

Feeling the sympathy

By the time Kitty and Banana took the stage for the Smack Down, Osbourne knew exactly how nervous the competitors were feeling. Why? Because her own daughter, Kelly Osbourne, did the show last season. Who could forget how shocked the panelists were when Kelly turned out to be the purple-haired crooner under the Ladybug costume? (And according to her mum, the nerves that audiences saw were real.) So Sharon was in her feelings for the remaining two contestants as they waited to see which one would be sent home.As it turned out, Kitty will purr for another week and it was Banana’s time to split. So it was appropriate that Osbourne pounced all over Jenny McCarthy’s new guess that the yellow character was Bret Michaels. In fact, good ol' Sharon was so sure that Banana was the Poison frontman that she convinced Nicole and Robin Thicke to change their guesses too. In the end the only holdout was Jeong, who went with Brad Paisley for no other reason than Ken has a rep to keep up: being wrong is kind of his thing.

I told you it was @BretMichaels!#TheMaskedSinger @MaskedSingerFOX pic.twitter.com/wGD0sZkODw

— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) April 23, 2020

The ultimate showmanship

Everyone was feeling the Rock of Love when Michaels (who was also the Internet’s best guess), indeed emerged from that yellow costume—signature red bandana and all. Coincidentally, the reveal came on the 10-year anniversary of the brain hemorrhage that sent him to the ICU for almost two weeks. Kind of makes his song selection, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” even more meaningful now.“I gotta tell you, I would have done anything to get here,” Michaels said after the reveal. “This is the most awesome show. I've never had such a great time… I love the show, [my] kids love the show. It’s such a positive, upbeat party. The world needs this right now.” (If only he knew how accurate that last statement would be by the time his episode aired.) The rocker then belted out his song one more time, but before that, he proved that he knows how to run a stage by calling up a bunch of audience members to jam out with him. And just like that the show is down to the Top Six: Kitty, Frog, Rhino, Night Angel, Astronaut and Turtle.At this point it’s going to take a Sharon Osbourne to figure out who they all are.The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.