'The Masked Singer' crowns winner after 'most competitive final'

The Masked Singer season 10 came to an end with an exciting finale and announcement of the champion.

As reported by PEOPLE, the artist underneath the Cow mask was named the winner on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

The finalists Cow, Donut, Gazelle and Sea Queen competed against each other in the finale round.

A group performance of What I Like About You, by The Romantics started off the episode.

At the beginning of the episode, judge Jenny McCarthy said, “I have a feeling tonight is going to be one of the most amazing finales to date.”

About 'The Masked Singer' season 10 champion:

After an exhilarating display of performances and the voting of the audience, Cow was declared as The Masked Singer, season 10 champion.

Cow and Donut faced off each other in one final round of the show leading to the victory of Cow after the audience’s final verdict.

“Even though I’ve won Grammys, I’ve never had the moment televised, never gotten to give my acceptance speech and most importantly, never gotten to give credit to the person who made it all possible: my mother,” Cow said in his last clue package.

Before Cow could unmask, the runner-up, Donut had to expose his identity.

The confectionery masked celebrity was revealed to be Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider while underneath the Cow mask was the singer NE-YO.

During the first round of voting, the results decided the two contestants who would be eliminated amongst the four finalists were Sea Queen and Gazelle.

Underneath the Sea Queen costume was the I Try singer Macy Gray, while Gazelle shocked everyone by turning out to be the Pretty Little Liars star, Janel Parrish.

'The Masked Singer' finale performances:

Cow, Gazelle, Sea Queen and Donut performed at the finale, which panelist Robin Thicke said it would be “the most competitive final we’ve ever had.”

Cow:

Cow began the finale by revealing why he chose the Cow costume saying, “I thought it’d be a super fun way to get my friends in the panel off my scent.”

“Even though I’m used to wearing different hats, being here has challenged me in a whole new way,” Cow continued.

He performed the song Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson and earned panelist Jenny’s praise who said, “This has to be the biggest star we’ve ever had on.”

Gazelle:

Gazelle was second in line onto the stage who sang Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.

Expressing her view on being Gazelle at The Masked Singer she stated, “Deer are really meaningful to me because of the loved one that I lost. But what I didn’t say is that I actually have a deer tattoo for that person with flowers growing out of the antlers.”

“Being the Gazelle has helped me find my voice and my confidence in singing again and now I never want to stop,” she continued. As a result, Gazelle believed her Masked Singer outfit “felt like fate.”

Sea Queen:

Sea Queen came up on stage next who revealed in her clue package, “Wearing this costume hasn’t been all smooth sailing. I’m a seasoned performer, but I’m used to being myself on stage, and having to learn new songs and choreography all while wearing a giant mask has really stretched me as an entertainer.”

The song Rescue Me by Fontella Bass was performed by the underwater royal and ended the performance dropping the mic and collapsing on stage and said, “I did it on purpose.”

Robin called the performance “entertaining times 10” while Jenny hailed Sea Queen as “a legend.”

Donut:

In Donut’s clue package, he confessed that he joined The Masked Singer at “the lowest point in my life.”

Reflecting on losing his wife, he engaged the crowd with his emotional statement, “Becoming the Donut is what I needed to heal from my wife’s passing.”

“I know that she’s getting a big kick out of me in this Donut costume because every Saturday morning, I would make the coffee and my wife would go out and get donuts,” he further added.

Donut sang You Are So Beautiful to Me by Joe Cocker to which Nicole Scherzinger remarked, “It’s honestly an honor right now to witness you on this stage.”