Lou Diamond Phillips Surprised By Masked Singer Panelists’ Wrong Guesses

The Masked Singer season 9’s Mantis was revealed to be Lou Diamond Phillips, and the legendary actor was surprised that the panelists didn’t guess him because he thought that his clues were obvious. On WB Movie Night, Lou sang “Old Time Rock and Roll.” He then went head-to-head with Dandelion (Alicia Witt) in the Battle Royale, during which they sang “(I’ve Got A) Golden Ticket.” Although Dandelion advanced to the next round, panelist Robin Thicke rang the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell, saving Mantis from elimination. After his Battle of the Saved performance of “You Really Got Me,” Lou was unmasked.

In an interview with EW, Lou shared that he was “a little surprised” that panelists Robin, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger didn’t guess his identity during The Masked Singer season 9. Their final guesses included Dennis Quaid (Robin), Kevin Bacon (Jenny), Brendan Fraser (Ken), and Steve Buscemi (Nicole). Lou admitted, “I thought some of the clues were so darn obvious, but that’s just the undercover person getting paranoid.” Lou thought the fact that he played someone famous and the Broadway, poker, and Texas clues “would give it dead away.” However, he added, “I do think that the guesses were all in the ballpark.” He was flattered to be in their company.

Lou Diamond Phillips Admits He Wouldn’t Vote For Himself On Masked Singer

Although Lou previously won I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here and Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, he admitted that, on The Masked Singer, he “did not expect to go that far, so I had managed expectations.” On The Masked Singer, he looked back at “amazing” Grammy winners Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, and Toni Braxton, who didn’t win, and thought he wouldn’t go far. He continued, “And then when I heard some of the other competitors sing, I’m like, well, good grief, these guys are amazing, especially both Dandelion and Medusa. Those ladies have incredible voices. So if we’re comparing apples to apples here, I wouldn’t vote for me.”

Although Lou might not have thought that he was the strongest singer on The Masked Singer, he was a fan-favorite who stole everyone’s hearts. He impressed the panelists with his voice, which confused them because he so easily switched from rock to Broadway-style singing. This makes sense because Lou revealed that he was in an elevated garage band in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He also played a singer on The Ranch. Lou was nominated for a Tony Award for his starring role in The King and I on Broadway. He also sang in the animated Disney shows Elena of Avalor and Firebuds.

Lou is a very versatile singer who stumped the panelists. Robin, Jenny, Ken, and Nicole were completely shocked, and it was one of the most unexpected unmaskings for them in the history of The Masked Singer. However, Mantis’ Masked Singer clues did give away that it was Lou. His unmasked song of “La Bamba,” from the 1987 film in which he starred, was joyful and fun. Lou’s performances as Mantis were really special, and he will be remembered on The Masked Singer for a long time to come.

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on FOX.

Sources: EW, The Masked Singer/YouTube