The Masked Singer season 9’s Medusa, who was revealed to be platinum-selling singer Bishop Briggs, won the Golden Mask trophy after competing against David Archuleta’s Macaw, and even though they were both fantastic throughout the season, Medusa deserved her win. As Medusa, Bishop made history on the show as the first-ever contestant to be saved by the panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger, with the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell. After sailing through the first two weeks with her stunning performances, she was dethroned by Pentatonix as California Roll during New York Night after the audience vote.
However, The Masked Singer season 9 panelists chose to save Medusa, whose identity stumped them throughout the competition. Every time they received new clues, instead of her identity becoming more clear, they were even more puzzled. What they did know was that Medusa is one of the most dynamic and unique contestants they’d ever seen on the show. As Medusa, Bishop had some groundbreaking performances, singing in a way that hadn’t been heard before on The Masked Singer. She left the audience chanting, “Medusa! Medusa!” after every performance.
5 The Masked Singer’s Medusa Kept The Panelists Guessing
The fun of The Masked Singer is trying to guess which celebrities are singing under the masks. Although Bishop’s fans recognized her as Medusa right away, she stumped the panelists until the end. It was thrilling to watch them try to solve the mystery week after week. The judges had a wide range of guesses. Jenny and Robin thought she might be singer Ellie Goulding, while Nicole continuously guessed singer, Lorde. Ken first wondered if Medusa was the Duchess of Sussex (and former actress) Meghan Markle.
Other Medusa guesses included singers Susan Boyle (Ken), Ke$ha (Robin), Halsey (Jenny), Ashlee Simpson (Jenny), Grimes (Robin), Dido (Ken), and Fergie (Jenny). It wasn’t until the quarterfinals that Nicole finally mentioned Bishop in a list of singers who fit Medusa’s clue package, which also included Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor, and Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence. She later guessed Bishop correctly during the finale. Bishop was the perfect fit for The Masked Singer because she kept the panelists guessing while entertaining everyone with her stunning performances.
4 The Masked Singer’s Medusa Was The Underdog
As The Masked Singer’s Medusa, Bishop began the competition as the frontrunner, easily winning the first two rounds with her captivating renditions of “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish on Opening and “Dancing Queen” on ABBA Night. Bishop won the first two The Masked Singer season 9 Battle Royales versus Sara Evans as Mustang (“Diamonds” by Rihanna) and Debbie Gibson as Night Owl (“The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA). During the third round, which was New York Night, she sang Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” However, she was bested by Pentatonix during the Battle Royale when they both sang Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl.”
Bishop went from being the Queen of The Masked Singer to having to compete in the Battle of the Saved. After the panelists saved her, she had to wait until week 11 for that round, along with Lou Diamond Phillips’ Mantis and Keenan Allen’s Gargoyle. She sang “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes and then beat Keenan in the Battle Royale when they both sang “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy. Bishop earned her place in the quarterfinals but had to take one more step to get there than her competitors, Pentatonix, David, and Olivia Culpo as UFO.
Bishop was certainly the underdog but made it to the semi-finals when Olivia was eliminated. After Bishop’s Battle of the Saved performance, Jenny even predicted Bishop’s win. She said it would be “so awesome” if someone they saved took home the trophy.
3 The Masked Singer’s Medusa’s Performances Were Deeply Emotional
Throughout The Masked Singer, Bishop sang with vulnerability. The panelists often commented about how she opened her heart on stage. Nicole even called her “fearless” and “a revelation.” After her stunning quarterfinals performance of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” host Nick Cannon asked her where the deep emotions in her performances come from. She explained that she has “experienced devastating loss in my life. And I think my goal as an artist was for people to feel less alone.” Bishop wasn’t afraid to get emotional on stage, which was truly inspiring.
Bishop was referring to the loss of her sister, Kate, who died of ovarian cancer at the age of 30. The Masked Singer is mostly a silly show that allows celebrities to showcase different sides of themselves. However, as Medusa, Bishop transcended the competition and gave performances that were beautiful and mystical. She brought the show to another level, proving it could be more than funny or surprising. It could also be a place where singers express themselves through their artistry. Bishop deserved the win because she tried to help others deal with their pain through a form of catharsis from her art.
2 The Masked Singer’s Medusa Brought Her Unique Style To Every Genre
As Medusa, Bishop brought something completely new to The Masked Singer stage. As she became emotional during her performances, there was a distinct cry in her voice. This was especially evident during her moving semi-finals performance of “Take Me to Church” by Hozier, which blew everyone away. However, she took on songs from many different genres, including disco, rock, pop, standards, and R&B, and made them all her own.
1 The Masked Singer’s Medusa Has An Incredible Voice
Bishop’s vocal range and storytelling ability were another reason she deserved to win The Masked Singer season 9. During the semi-finals three-way Battle Royale, she and David emerged victorious over Pentatonix after singing “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars. Bishop completed her incredible run on the show with a jaw-dropping performance of “Elastic Heart” by Sia and her rousing rendition of “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, which was her late sister’s favorite song. She has one of the most unique voices and is an overall superb singer.
Bishop’s journey on the show was inspiring, as she went from an underdog who was saved by the panelists to the champion. She had the most performances of anyone in the competition, which meant she had to work even harder to secure her win. As Medusa, Bishop changed The Masked Singer forever because she proved that current artists could perform credibly on the show while maintaining their authenticity. Her sound was like nothing that was ever heard on TheMasked Singer stage before. Her iconic routines raised the bar for future contestants. As Medusa, Bishop was a magical The Masked Singer legend, and she deserved her win.
