The Masked Singer Unmasked Season 8’s Winner In Most Competitive Finale Yet, Now Can We Try A New Format?

Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer’s Season 8 finale. Read at your own risk!

The Masked Singer finally put cap on Season 8, and after unmasking a ton of notable celebrities, it was time for Lambs and Harp to square off for the Golden Mask trophy. The finale ended up being the most competitive in the show’s history, but in the end, only one of them could win. It was a blast to see a true showdown between the two talented sets of competitors, but now that this season is over, can I suggest we try another new format? 

Before we get into the latter, let’s recap the phenomenal performances given in the all-female finale by Harp and Lambs. Lambs put up a strong night of singing with their take on Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” and Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is.” Harp might’ve been outnumbered but held her own with stunning renditions of Lady Gaga’s “The Edge Of Glory” and John Mayer’s “Gravity.” The studio audience was floored by all performances, but only Harp or Lambs could win. So, who did they pick? 

Harp Won The Masked Singer Season 8

Ultimately, Harp’s performances edged out Lambs, and the latter were eliminated and given second place. The masks came off and The Masked Singer revealed that Lambs were none other than the musical singing trio Wilson Phillips. Ironically, they were unable to “Hold on for one more day” and fell just short of first place in The Masked Singer. That honor instead went to Harp, who was unmasked and revealed to be former Glee actress and singer Amber Riley. Riley had her work cut out for her in the finale, but like she’s done all season long, just kept singing and managed to take down another competitor and keep her undefeated streak going. 

Why The Masked Singer Shouldn’t Repeat The Season 8 Format

Shark Tank’s Daymond John acknowledged The Masked Singer Season 8 had a polarizing format change that had some upsides when CinemaBlend spoke to him, so I was willing to hold off on reaching a final verdict about how I felt about it until the finale. What I learned after the finale was that as fun as the Season 8 ending was, it wasn’t enough to wash away the negative thoughts I had about this season’s format change. Suffice it to say that I wouldn’t rewatch this season with my Hulu subscription, and there are a couple of reasons why. 

While it is true the new format change allowed The Masked Singer to cycle through more celebrities and give fans less time to guess identities, it also drastically reduced their time to shine. Talented singers like NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick got to meet some of their heroes while on the show, but only had one episode to showcase their singing abilities. In any other season, Kirkpatrick could’ve made it deep into the competition, but the format ensured he and other equally talented competitors left after just a single episode. 

Sure, past seasons of The Masked Singer made it much easier to guess competitors because of the length of time viewers had to guess them and gather more clues. At the same time, this season felt like a blur because the only contestants that got a meaningful amount of screen time were the competitors in the finale. This might be why the first half of the finale focused mostly on Harp’s and Lambs’ experience and wasn’t a recap of the season’s major moments with other competitors like in past seasons. 

Ultimately, I wasn’t a fan of The Masked Singer’s Season 8 format. My hope is that the show switches things up again for Season 9, which could happen considering the show has altered its format from season to season over the years. Perhaps there’s a way to make this new format better, but I’ll go on the record now and say I’d be a little disappointed to see the next season play out with the exact same rules.

The Masked Singer is done at Fox for Season 8 and will return for Season 9 this spring. We’ll have to wait and see if this new season sticks with the Season 8 format, or if the show will try to reinvent the wheel once again with some new twists and rules.