Kitty fools the panelists and ‘The Masked Singer’ is down to four

The chances of The Masked Singer (Wednesdays, 8 pET, CTV) naming its first female winner became even slimmer this week after the top five faced off on the show’s latest episode and Kitty was sent paws-packing for receiving the lowest number of votes. You can’t say she didn’t claw her way to the top of the competition though, what with a near purrfect performance of "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse. (Watch enough Robin Thicke and your puns will increase exponentially, too.)

An operatic feline

For weeks, the panelists have been completely confused as to Kitty’s identity, mostly thanks to all of her operatic clues. Even Jenny McCarthy, who has been on a bit of a tear in terms of correctly guessing the performers’ identities lately, wasn’t even close with her guess of Lea Michele. Naturally it wasn’t one of the Olsen twins, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Tisdale, or Vanessa Hudgens either (nice try guys), but it was the person the internet has been saying it was for weeks: Jackie Evancho.

Wow. This show never ceases to surprise me. Tata for meow... #TheMaskedSinger https://t.co/wbpcuYVnow

— Robin Thicke (@robinthicke) May 7, 2020

Everyone was floored when the former America’s Got Talent runner-up smiled up at that table, because she’s quite grown up from the 10-year-old girl who blew audiences away with her gorgeous voice a decade ago. As it turns out, she was ready to prove she’s more than opera, and she felt that participating in another talent show was the perfect venue to prove just how much she’s matured.[video_embed id='1501883']RELATED: Ken Jeong showed us his infamous dance moves and it was the best[/video_embed]“I wanted to show a different side of myself,” the 20-year-old said after her reveal. “Without you, I don't think I would have discovered where I want to take my career and who I want to represent myself as in the future.” While the jury is still out on how “Kitty on Masked Singer” looks on a resume, it’s pretty clear that Evancho and her fans are very much into the idea of her pushing forward with some new music—and soon.

And then there were four

With Kitty’s elimination that means that Frog, Rhino, Night Angel and Turtle are the four left standing. Who knew all those weeks ago when the show began that it would be two amphibians, a water-loving mammal and a purple caricature making it into the final four? Not only that, but each of the contestants brings such a different style to their performances. Jesse McCartney Turtle is obviously a former boy band member or has lived in that popstar world, Bow Wow Frog is a rapping and dancing machine, Barry Zito Rhino has that country kind of whiskey kick, and Kandi Burruss Night Angel brings a soulful performance each week that makes it clear she’s super-comfy up on that stage.

This picture of #NightAngelMask says it all!!! She is a STAR ?#TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/YLgTX7Py9N

— Nicole Scherzinger (@NicoleScherzy) May 7, 2020

At this point it’s hard to guess which three will go on to the finals, let alone who will take it all home. Even the panelists seem torn. One of the fun parts of The Masked Singer is that if a great conversation happens in between commercial breaks, they’ll totally leave it in for the broadcast, and this week the panelists (including guest panelist Jeff Dye) were debating whether it was a great voice or a great performance that makes the audience vote for you. There’s no question these finalists are all great performers, so by now it really will come down to song selection and audience interaction.Luckily there are two more episodes to sort it all out before the big finale, and then a whole fourth season to look forward to after that. Fox made the official announcement on May 6, confirming that once it’s safe for shows to go back into production it is absolutely getting Nick Cannon and co. back into that studio. And hey—considering how many celebs have been looking for fresh creative outlets while in self-isolation, now seems like the perfect time for the powers-that-be to convince them to hop on board with their own funky costumes and performances. The possibilities seem endless.The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.[video_embed id='1953268']BEFORE YOU GO: Adele shares rare photo for her birthday[/video_embed]