Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer's Season 12 episode, "Barbie Night." Stream the episode with a Hulu subscription and read at your own risk!
There are many things ingrained into the DNA of The Masked Singer at this point that make it one of the most unique television shows to hit the Fall TV schedule. The costumes and shocking celebrity unmaskings certainly make up a bulk of its draw, but the whacky theme nights also factor in. This show has highlighted everything from Harry Potter to the NFL, and sometimes it's great, and other times not so much. All that said, "Barbie Night" was the Fox series' best theme night in a long time, and we need more of it.
Sure, referencing Barbie in 2024 will be a win for any show, even more than a year after its release. It's one of the best movies of 2023, bolstered by one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Margot Robbie. The bonus is that this week's unmasked contestant, Laverne Cox (Chess Piece), has a Barbie modeled after her. Even so, there were a few reasons this was the perfect movie for The Masked Singer to model an episode after, and I'm hoping they look to what worked here and look at other natural fits for future theme nights.
Ken Jeong's Performance Of "I'm Just Ken" Was Fantastic
Ken Jeong has only taken the stage to sing sparingly, with his most memorable performance before this being his rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy" during a holiday special. The panelist is not the most talented singer on the panel, but he does all right, which is what made him so perfect for "I'm Just Ken."
Ryan Gosling is also not the best singer, but the "Kenergy" he brought to the stage performance made for a show-stopping moment at The Oscars. Jeong seemingly took notes because he killed it with a performance that ended on a pink unicorn.
The Barbie Theme Made It So Easy To Find Great Songs
The Barbie movie is filled with songs, so it's no surprise The Masked Singer had little trouble finding the right song for contestants. Granted, the songs focused more on women's empowerment than directly pulling songs from the soundtrack, though we did get Bluebell doing Dua Lipa's "Dance The Night."
In any case, this theme gave a wide berth of what contestants could sing, and Group B gave a stunning night of performances. The lesson? Find themes that allow competitors a wide variety of songs to choose from.
Barbie Is Still Very Relevant Since The Movie's Release
While Barbie was released in theaters a year ago, it's still very much top of mind for those who follow pop culture. No disrespect to the show themed after Footloose, but I preferred watching this episode over that one because it didn't feel as random. I would love to see more exciting themes that feel as relevant to the show as they do to our everyday lives and less of stuff like the disappointing Queen night.
I'm sure The Masked Singer's team can only do so much when negotiating for these partnered theme nights, but let's get another big movie planned for Season 13 if the show returns. Deadpool & Wolverine night, perhaps?
The Group B competition rages on as The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. As we get deeper into Season 12, take a look at the 2024 TV schedule and get a look at what else is coming to networks in the fall season.
