“Pearl” stumped the judges until the end
After eight performances and a plethora of incorrect guesses as to the identity of Pearl, Gretchen Wilson emerged from the lavish sea-themed costume to hoist the Golden Mask Trophy as the winner of The Masked Singer‘s 13th season tonight (Wed, May 7th). Judges Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, Rita Ora, and Robin Thicke and host Nick Cannon were all over the map trying to guess Pearl’s identity after each performance. Following her last performance, Thicke finally named Pearl as Gretchen Wilson.
“This is without a doubt the craziest thing I ever agreed to do, and it ended up being one of the most rewarding,” Wilson said following the win. “The cast and crew were some of the craziest people I’ve ever worked with, and they all became like family. ‘Pearl’ is safely back in the ocean, but her gloves may resurface on the ACM Red Carpet!”
Week after week, Pearl stumped all four judges by effortlessly moving from Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again,” to Whitney’s “Saving All My Love For You,” Gloria Estefan’s “Conga,” Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” and The Outfield’s “Your Love.” A beautiful version of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” sent her into the Top Four. KT Tunstell’s “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” landed her in the Top Three, and after singing The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You,” she was announced as the Season 13 winner.
It was also revealed that Brian Kelley was revealed as The Mad Scientist, Meg Donnelly as Coral, and Andy Grammar as Boogie Woogie, rounding out the final four.
Wilson will be on hand at the ACM Awards in Dallas on tomorrow (Thurs, May 8th) to present the coveted Female Artist of the Year Award, 20 years after winning the same award and Top New Artist of the Year. The show celebrates 60 years, airing live on Amazon Prime at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.
CBS recently announced that Wilson will appear in the special role of Tour Manager on The Road, a new music competition series from executive producers Taylor Sheridan, Blake Shelton, David Glasser, Lee Metzger and Keith Urban. As Tour Manager, Wilson will provide support and guidance to the emerging musicians while they make their way across America, ensuring the tour’s success while sharing with them her own expertise and experiences on the road as a touring artist. Wilson also takes to the stage to deliver a performance of her own as part of the show. The Road is set to premiere in fall 2025 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
🚨 SPOILER ALERT 🚨
#PearlMask is…#TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/FiyeRroJDA
— The Masked Singer (@MaskedSingerFOX) May 8, 2025
