The Risky Move That Almost Got The Masked Singer Runner-up Eliminated Early
The Masked Singer Season 14 runner-up Phillip Phillips — Pugcasso behind the mask — says he came within a whisker of eliminating himself, even plotting an early exit before a last-minute pivot kept him in the game.
So, you know how usually people go on reality competitions and do whatever it takes to stick around? Well, Phillip Phillips, the guy who ended up as the runner-up on season 14 of 'The Masked Singer', kind of tried to do the opposite. Apparently, he was perfectly fine with the idea of getting booted early and even tried to nudge the process along. No, really.
Phillip Phillips and His (Not-So-Secret) Escape Plan
In case you missed it: Phillips—yep, that's the 'Gone, Gone, Gone' and 'Home' guy from 'American Idol'—was the voice (and costume) behind Pugcasso this season. If you were wondering if he took the show super seriously, the answer is not exactly. In an interview with Parade, he admitted that he didn’t feel much pressure about his identity being discovered. As he put it: 'They’re not gonna guess who I am unless the clues are just like super obvious.'
The really fun part, though? He was ready to peace out in week 9. That week was, for some reason, 'Care Bears Night', which was about as confusing to him as it was to most of us. Here’s how he described it:
Care Bears night was super bizarre. I didn’t know anything, like why the heck am I doing Care Bears?
To try and expedite his exit, Phillips decided to take Fleetwood Mac’s 'Dreams' and turn it into a bluegrass number. His thinking: this will definitely get me sent home and I can see my family sooner.
I wanted to change ['Dreams'] into bluegrass. I was like, this is definitely going to get me kicked off so I can go home faster to my family.
So how did that go? About as well as any self-sabotage attempt on a reality show. The judges loved it and called it their favorite performance. His reaction:
Are you kidding me?! Now I gotta stay another week!
Why Did He Even Sign Up?
Phillips also shared a bit about why he finally said yes to 'The Masked Singer', especially since the show apparently tried to recruit him a couple years ago. Back then, the timing wasn’t right. This time, he didn’t really have anything scheduled when they started filming, so he figured, why not?
There’s also a more wholesome reason: his kids. Phillips said that his son is all about costumes, superheroes, and Star Wars, so getting to see dad all dressed up on TV sounded like a fun family moment. And apparently, they’re a big Halloween family, so a singing dog in a wig fits right in.
- Phillip Phillips was Pugcasso on The Masked Singer season 14
- He tried (and failed) to get himself eliminated with a bluegrass cover of 'Dreams' during Care Bears night
- The judges loved it and kept him around anyway
- He did the show partly for his costume-obsessed kids and free time in his schedule
So next time you see someone absolutely going for it with a left-field song choice on a reality show, just know: they might actually be trying to get out. Sometimes, it just makes the judges want to keep you more.