Warning: This text accommodates spoilers for the season 10 finale of The Masked Singer.
Donut has made us cry for the ultimate time on The Masked Singer stage.
As he is executed all season, the mouth-watering masks introduced the emotion along with his performances of “You Are So Lovely” by Joe Cocker and “Drift Away” by Dobie Grey. He managed to beat out Gazelle (who was not Constance Wu, a.ok.a. Janel Parrish) and Sea Queen (Macy Grey), however Cow edged him out for the Golden Masks Trophy.
When it got here time for him to unmask, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong each guessed Donut was Tom Jones, and Nicole Scherzinger was satisfied he was Engelbert Humperdinck. It was simply Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg who accurately guessed he was none aside from Dukes of Hazzard actor and singer John Schneider.
Forward of the reveal, EW spoke with Schneider about why he thinks he is stronger for doing the present, and the way it helped him heal within the wake of the lack of his spouse Alicia Allain Schneider, who died in February at age 53 after a battle with most cancers. Plus, he shares his recommendation for these grieving misplaced family members, and opens up about why it was vital for him to sort out so many new tasks in “what’s, by definition, the worst yr of [his] life.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Hello John. How are you?
JOHN SCHNEIDER: I am good. Do I sound like a Donut?
Effectively, now I’m attempting to think about what a Donut ought to sound like.
Effectively, I assume like me, I do not know. It was actually such an honor to be the Donut man. And I believe now that I’ve seen the opposite costumes on tv, I did not actually see any in individual, and I believe the shoppers actually rocked the Donut costume. I believe that was the most effective one. I actually do.
I received to see it in individual, so I’ve to agree with you there.
It was large. It was a variety of enjoyable. There was a variety of costume. It was actually, actually enjoyable. And other people, they handled me so extremely effectively there and I actually wanted it. It is a very fragile time for me, however I am stronger for having executed The Masked Singer. I really am.
Thanks for being so uncooked and sincere on the present. I by no means thought a Donut would make me cry.
It was one of many exhibits that Alicia wished me to do. She’s the one which received me on Dancing With the Stars, and he or she stated, subsequent, it may be Masked Singer. And I stated, “Child, babe, come on. No person is aware of I sing.” And so I do assume that she had rather a lot to do with it from heaven. I actually do. I actually assume that someway she put a bee in anyone’s bonnet, and there I wound up on The Masked Singer. I do know that she loved it. I do know there’s lots of people on the market who’re grieving, and I prefer to assume that story that TMS selected to underline for me helps different folks get via, not solely get via their grief, however get via their grief in the course of the holidays. That is my first Christmas, my first New Yr’s with out Alicia proper right here by my facet. So this can be a exhausting time. However now, I imply now that if folks know that it was me, I believe I will usher into a complete new space of therapeutic as a result of folks have stated that they really feel higher for having heard what I used to be speaking about on the present. So I am enthusiastic about it. And I inform folks if I did not cry, my ears water. So I am form of an emotional man, or Donut, anyway. However it was a beautiful expertise, and I am solely sorry I did not do it sooner, however I believe this was an ideal time.
Michael Becker / FOX
Do you are feeling prefer it helped you heal?
Sure, completely. It helped me heal. I inform you, watching the judges reply to the story and to the songs, that, for me, was essentially the most therapeutic a part of it. Watching them really cry, the feedback that that they had about Robin [Thicke] dropping his dad — there was a bunch of individuals hurting. So I may inform that my story, my very own private challenges whereas doing the present, really, I believe even helped the judges. So I am delighted. And now a bunch extra folks know that I do really sing. Perhaps they will run out and get the brand new album, which is my twenty sixth album, and it is known as, We’re Nonetheless Us, and it is a lovely tribute to My Smile, my tribute to Alicia. So I believe they will actually take pleasure in that. Particularly in the event that they’ve misplaced family members or in the event that they’ve misplaced a partner particularly, I believe they will take pleasure in it. It’s extremely therapeutic music.
What did you make of everybody considering you had been Tom Jones all season?
Is not that loopy? That is loopy. Yeah, they did catch me although, ultimately. It was Tom Jones after which Engelbert Humperdinck. I do know of all of them. They’re fairly a bit older than me. What a fantastic comparability, as a man who sings, that they assume I am Tom Jones. That is simply great. What larger praise would there be? So I used to be delighted with that. I used to be laughing as a result of I do know Robin and I do know Nick [Cannon], really. I do know Nick higher than I do know anyone there. In order that was the humorous factor is I am standing there subsequent to Nick and he is helped with my Kids’s Miracle Community Hospitals occasion yearly for the final eight years, 10 years. So I’ve seen Nick rather a lot, and I believe he was the one which was most blown away when he discovered that was me.
You talked about your album, however you have got a lot occurring. There is a guide, moonshine, a film…
It is loopy. Yeah. Effectively, this yr needed to be, if I did not select to make this the best, it was going to be a really dangerous down yr for me. And I do know Alicia wouldn’t stand for that. So yeah, the brand new album is We’re Still Us. There is a new guide, In the Driver’s Seat: Love, Loss & Living With No Regrets, which I wrote with Alicia. That’s about taking cost of your personal prognosis. She had stage 4 breast most cancers. So it is a fantastic learn. It is a good way to offer you energy and a plan if somebody has instructed you you have got most cancers. Then there’s my new film, which is hysterically humorous, and we’d like a few of that. It is known as Jingle Smells. And you then talked about it, there’s, due to Dukes of Hazzard, I prefer to say I have been on probation since 1979, however now lastly I’ve my very own moonshine and I will attempt to dunk a donut in my moonshine, see what that tastes like. [Laughs] But that’s called Revenuer’s Reserve. So, in case you like moonshine, then try it out. In order that’s an terrible lot to have executed in what’s, by definition, the worst yr of my life.
However like I stated early on in my Fb put up about Alicia, she’d say, look, go get one thing executed. Do not conceal your self away. Do not stick your head within the sand. Use this as a chance to talk to different people who find themselves grieving. So when the chance got here to do all these different issues, yeah, however to do The Masked Singer, what a fantastic alternative to have the ability to publicly present that it is okay to grieve. After all it hurts. It’ll damage. It’ll damage in locations you did not know you had, however do it publicly as a result of there are folks on the market who want an instance of what to do if you end up dealing with this sort of devastation.
So I do imagine with all my coronary heart and soul that Alicia may be very pleased with the Donut on The Masked Singer. Very, very proud. And he or she’s laughing and he or she’s dancing. She known as me her “without end 4-year-old.” So, [she’s saying], “Strategy to go my without end 4-year-old.” What higher method to show that you’re without end 4-years-old than to point out up in entrance of tens of millions of individuals dressed as a Donut and singing a few of the biggest songs ever — “Georgia on My Thoughts,” and “You Are So Lovely” and “Drift Away.” I imply, I actually had a chance to sing a few of the biggest songs of all time.
Cindy Ord/Getty
I think about she’d be very proud, and completely satisfied to see how a lot you retain her reminiscence alive in all the pieces you do.
Look, we have now to maneuver on someway. We’re nonetheless right here, however no matter you are able to do publicly, no matter phrases you say… They are saying that individuals die twice. As soon as after they cease respiratory, and the second time is the final time their title is talked about right here. So my purpose is to say Alicia’s title to ensure that an increasing number of folks know who she is, who she was. And that is not simply because I am a celeb. Anybody can try this. So I urge you people, in case you’ve misplaced a partner, do not allow them to go away. Speak about them subsequent time you have got a donut and low, speak about them. The subsequent time you exit and also you go bowling otherwise you play golf or no matter it’s you do, we have now an obligation, I believe, to maintain our family members within the dialog. So that is what I select to do.
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