A whopping 10 starry contestants took the stage in the season opener.

*The Masked Singer *season 14 kicks off with massive star power, a baseball legend, and twisty double elimination

A whopping 10 starry contestants took the stage in the season opener.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

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January 7, 2026 10:05 p.m. ET

Googly Eyes on the special two-hour Season 14 premiere of 'The Masked Singer'. Credit:

Trae Patton/FOX

**This article contains spoilers for *The Masked Singer* season 14 premiere.**

Welcome back *The Masked Singer*!

After the longest hiatus to-date for the disguised celebrity singing show, the reality series is back, and dare we say better than ever?

It's certainly *bigger* than ever: Right off the bat in the premiere, longtime host Nick Cannon tells us the evening will feature 10 starry performances from 10 all-new masks, one of whom is teased as the most decorated star in *TMS* history.

The format of the episode essentially pairs everyone off into five groups of two. The singer with the most votes from each pair moves on, and the one with the least gets sent to the "unusual suspects" group in the bottom five, where, following a second vote, two will be sent home.

Handyman on the special two-hour season 14 premiere of 'The Masked Singer'.

Trae Patton/FOX

The season's major twist, dubbed America's Insider, also introduces herself in pre-taped offstage videos for the audience's eyes only. In case you missed it, in a first for the show, *Descendants* star and singer Kylie Cantrall revealed herself to the audience on social media before the season aired. All season long, she'll be taking viewers inside her journey on the show under the Cat Witch mask. And, since the episodes are taped months in advance of airing, the panelists had no idea this was going on during filming. (More on how all of that works, here.)

Before getting to all of that, though, returning panelist Rita Ora kicks the night off with a showy performance of *KPop Demon Hunters* smash hit, "Golden," where she is eventually joined by fellow panelists Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg.

With so much more to get to, the show wastes no time in getting down to brass tacks. Here are all the pairings, and what everyone sings:

1) Galaxy Girl vs. Handyman

- Galaxy Girl sings "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" by Chappell Roan

- Handyman sings "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb

2) Pugcasso vs. Queen Corgi

- Pugcasso sings "Ordinary" by Alex Warren

- Queen Corgi sings "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand

3) Scarab vs. Croissants

- Scarab sings "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele

- Croissants sing "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley

4) Snow Cone vs. Stingray

- Snow Cone sings "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls

- Stingray sings "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees

5) Googly Eyes vs. Cat Witch

- Googly Eyes sings "Turn Down for What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon

- Cat Witch sings "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga

Everything to know about 'The Masked Singer' season 14

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Galaxy Girl, Pugcasso, Scarab, Stingray, and Cat Witch win their respective pairings, thus sending Handyman, Queen Corgi, Croissants, Snow Cone, and Googly Eyes to the bottom five.

Before getting to the final vote and double eliminations, Cannon also quickly reveals the five new costumes for next week: Le Who Who, High Voltage, Calla Lily, Owl, and Eggplant. Oh my.

When it's all said and done, Googly Eyes has the honor of being the first to go home. The panel picks up on the baseball-heavy clues, and guesses accordingly. Final predictions for Googly Eyes are: David Ortiz (Jeong), Derek Jeter (McCarthy-Wahlberg), Pedro Martínez (Thicke), and Manny Ramirez (Ora).

He unmasks himself to reveal Big Papi himself, Baseball Hall of Famer and legendary Boston Red Sox designated hitter, David Ortiz. Which means, against all odds, Jeong starts the season off on top of the leaderboard... for now.

The Croissants take the 'Masked Singer' stage in the season 14 premiere.

Trae Patton/FOX

The show then says au revoir to the Croissants. Final guesses from the panel include: *Jersey Shore *stars Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (Thicke), Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (Jeong, who else?!), Todd and Julie Chrisley (McCarthy-Wahlberg), and Spencer and Heidi Pratt (Ora).

But, in a twist sure to infuriate viewers, the Croissant duo unmasks to reveal... two blurred-out faces with question marks over them? Yup, everybody has to wait until next week to find out which celebrity couple is behind the flaky pastry masks.

As credits roll, Cannon tells us: "Who are Croissants? Find out next week at 8/7 Central." Boo.

*The Masked Singer* airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.**

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