‘The Masked Singer 12’ Episode 11 recap: Who was unmasked in the ‘Semi-Finals: The Final Three’?

It’s the “Semi-Finals” on “The Masked Singer” and the top three were ready to battle it out for the last two spots in the blockbuster finale. The semi-finalists opened the show with a spectacular performance of “Some Nights.” Then, Buffalo, Strawberry Shortcake, and Wasp hit the stage as panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, and Ken Jeong played detective. Were the celebrity sleuths able to guess the masked singers’ identities?

Strawberry Shortcake kicked off the competition with “Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez. Fighting back tears, McCarthy said, “It was beautiful! It was so emotional. Did you guys feel the power in her voice? You are truly a star.” Strawberry Shortcake revealed, “I have learned that I’m resilient and strong. I’m so happy to be here on stage. Those words mean so much to me. I love being on stage, this is what I love to do. I took a long break from it and I’m so glad I came back. This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Next, the tasty treat gave out a friendship bracelet to Jeong with “Press Tour” inscribed on it. She stated, “One of the highlights of my career was the press tour we did together. You made me laugh the entire day.” This prompted Jeong to guess Strawberry Shortcake was Joey King.

Second up were the Buffalos, who stampeded the stage with a rendition of “Africa” by Toto. McCarthy called them “GOATS dressed as buffalo,” adding, “that was the best performance of the entire season!” Then they revealed, “Never in a million years did I think I would be in a Buffalo mask, but I’m glad I’m doing it with my brothers and the best friends I’ve ever had.”

They handed out their friendship bracelet to Jenny with “Donnie” on it. Then they revealed, “We go back with Donnie. We also go way back with you.” As Jenny continued to brainstorm, she eventually landed on Boyz II Men as a final guess.

SEE ‘The Masked Singer’ Goo: Kobie Turner on his music aspirations and his Goo-inspired football cleats

Last to perform was Wasp, who belted out “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. Jeong said it was “quite simply your best performance of the season.” Wasp then addressed his fans, saying, “I want you to remember your power. As you get older, never forget that child you once were. Always keep dreaming and believe in yourself to the fullest no matter how dark it gets. No matter how many times you fall, you can always get up and fly again.”

Wasp then gave a friendship bracelet to Thicke that said “Nashville.” He revealed: “Robin and I had a blast when we painted the town red in Nashville. We had such a good time! You remember?” This led Thicke to guess the Wasp was “Hamilton” and “In the Heights” star Anthony Ramos.

Following the closest live audience vote ever, host Nick Cannon revealed the first finalist was… Wasp!

For the first time ever, the Battle Royale and Smackdown were fused into the “Smack Royale.” Buffalos and Strawberry Shortcake sang “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic and it was the Buffalos who emerged victorious, advancing to the Season 12 finale.

Before Strawberry Shortcake unmasked, the panelists guessed her real identity one last time: Kelsea Ballerini (Robin), Sarah Hyland (Jenny), and Joey King (Ken). At last, Strawberry Shortcake pulled off that mask and revealed she was actually singer and actress AJ Michalka! All the panelists got it wrong. Did YOU guess AJ was under the mask?