‘The Masked Singer’ Season 12 Wins Buffalo Revealed as Boyz II Men

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Masked Singer season 12, episode 12, “Finale: Champion Is Crowned.”

The Masked Singer season 12 all came down to some very lame news in Wednesday night’s holiday-themed finale.

It was all kicked off by Season 5 winner Piglet (aka Nick Lachey), who chose to ring in the season with a joyous rendition of Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Even if he sang against a beautifully festive backdrop of decorations, it wouldn’t be The Masked Singer without some truly unsettling backup dancers dressed as faceless peppermint candies or nightmare-inducing yetis to complete the set, and to that end the show did not disappoint.

The episode also featured the return of panellist Rita Ora, who had to miss the semi-final due to illness. While Lachey appeared on stage, Ora and fellow panelists Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Robin Thicke, plus host Nick Cannon, who is bare all the time, gathered around a Masked singer-themed Christmas tree to exchange gifts and happy wishes (and of course have Jeong put the star on top).

However, it wasn’t just the panel that received gifts. The audience was treated to two performances from each of the finalists, Buffalo and Wasp. Both contestants had the chance to do a slower song and a more energetic hit, ensuring each played to their strengths.

To that end, Wasp performed “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars and “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston, and Buffalo sang “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye and gave the final performance of the season with ” Too Good that Goodbyes” by Sam Smith.

Throughout the performances we were reminded of the immortal words spoken by Elizabeth Banks’ character in Pitch Perfect: “Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who sings like a boy.” Or in this case three of them.

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Thicke seemed to pick up on this, at one point telling Buffalo, “Man, all the ladies in here right now are like buff-hello, you know,” which got a gleeful cackle from Jeong.

Jokes aside, it was also a surprisingly emotional night for everyone. Both contestants teared up throughout the episode, sharing in their clue packets and on stage what doing the show meant to them and how surprised they were by the experience. The panelists also had a touching moment when Thicke pointed out that his mother, Gloria Loring, was in the crowd. Ora then called out her husband, Oscar winner Taika Waititi, who was also in the audience. This prompted McCarthy-Wahlberg to turn her attention to her son, Evan, who worked on the crew this season. This group of cast family members even got together for a cute photo op when it was all said and done.

Ultimately, someone had to win the Golden Mask Trophy, and according to Cannon, the final vote tally was unsurprisingly “very, very, very close,” but in the end, Buffalo was deemed the winner of Season 12. With the win, the trio was officially made Masked singer history because a group or duo has never won the show before.

After the plaudits were handed out for Buffalo, it was time for the final unmaskings. As is tradition, Wasp as runner-up went first. This year, the panelists won’t be on Santa’s naughty list for their bad guesses. Although McCarthy-Wahlberg and Jeong both got it wrong when they guessed Jason Derulo and Usher, respectively, Ora and Thicke both guessed correctly that Wasp was two-time Grammy-nominated R&B singer and actor, Mario.

But it was the last guess of the evening that certainly gave the panel more than a bone in their socks. For once, the group was unanimous in their choice of Buffalo, with everyone ultimately agreeing that it was none other than four-time Grammy winners and R&B legends Boyz II Men (consisting of Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris) under the Western-themed Wild Masker.

And so ends another year and another insane season The Masked Singer. The show returns in the new year with season 13 starting on February 12.