'The Masked Singer' Season 9 Kicks Off With a Shocking Unmasking That Brings Judges to Tears

etonline.com:

is back, and kicking things off with one of the most unexpected and delightfully shocking episodes ever!The hit Fox reality competition mystery series kicked off its ninth season on Wednesday, helmed by host Nick Cannon and overseen by stalwart panelists Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger.The show introduced fans to the first three performers of the season — The Mustang, The Gnome and Medusa — and revealed this season would be keeping the same format as season 8.This means, instead of one star getting revealed and the rest moving on, only one would be getting a chance to sing another day, and the others would all be taking it off after just one solo performance.The Mustang was the first character to hit the stage, rocking an all-black, leather ensemble and a giant, red-eyed horse head.

She chose to showcase her vulnerable voice with a cover of Whitesnake's «Here I Go Again» which earned a massive standing ovation from the audience.After The Mustang wowed the judges, fans were introduced to The Gnome.After a fun clue package, The Gnome brought a smile to everyone with a lighthearted rendition of Billie Holiday's «When You're Smiling» which was a total delight from start to finish.«I wanted to say that your vocals, your voice, just melted my heart,» Nicole said after his performance. «You made this entire country smile after that performance.»Finally, Medusa hit the stage rocking a next-level costume covered in snakes and absolutely dripping with mystery and intrigue.