Season 5 of The Masked Singer might be the wildest of the show to date. Throwing in the chaotic Cluedle-Doo encapsulated that madcap energy at its highest, and his identity was revealed to be New Kids on the Block alum and Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg. Wahlberg’s reveal was almost spoiled earlier in an atypical fashion. There was a wild way Cluedle-Doo’s identity was almost given away before the big unmasking.
Yes, the Fox singing competition might’ve spoiled the clue master’s identity weeks ago. Series executive producer Craig Plestis appeared to be aware of giving away Donnie Wahlberg earlier than his big reveal. The Masked Singer producer said to EW of the possible Cluedle-Doo slip-up:
There were Easter eggs with Donnie all the way through the show. Two episodes ago — just so you know, and no one's picked up on this at all — we had a producer interviewing all of our contestants in the clue packages. So, when we were doing it, I called up Donnie, and I said, ‘Donnie, I want to record you asking all the questions, and we're not going to change your voice. We're just going to put it on air and see if anybody picks up at all that that is actually you.’ And he did it! We were trying to put like these little Easter eggs all the way through, because that really is the DNA of our show. He just loved playing the game all the way through and got a thrill out of it.
Not disguising Donnie Wahlberg’s voice was very risky for the singing competition, but it was a nice switch up for The Masked Singer by allowing the Blue Bloods star to ask the questions. What’s even more surprising was that no one picked up on the actor-musician’s voice. Things could’ve gone sideways if his wife Jenny McCarthy had recognized him in the interview footage. But thankfully, no one detected Wahlberg’s voice.
The addition of Cluedle-Doo was confusing yet enthralling for Masked Singer viewers. Hopefully, the sly trickster will return to make more mischief for viewers and judges. Craig Plestis alluded to the character’s possible return in future seasons. He also played with the idea of bringing in another Cluedle-Doo-like character for next season. As great as the character was, there might need to be some changes before Cluedle-Doo returns or another character appears.
Getting Donnie Wahlberg to participate in The Masked Singer was a nice touch. Since he appeared on the show, he can be taken off the list of usual suspects. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about Jamie Foxx. With both Cluedle-Doo and Yeti out of the Final 3, the competition is wide open as Black Swan, Piglet and Chameleon vie for the golden mask on May 26.
