Gretchen Wilson Unmasked As ‘Pearl’ To Win ‘The Masked Singer’s’ 13th Season

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Gretchen Wilson wins The Masked Singer. Photo: Courtesy of FOX Entertainment

Gretchen Wilson emerged from her lavish sea-themed costume to hoist the Golden Mask Trophy as the winner of The Masked Singer‘s 13th season last night (May 7) after eight performances and a plethora of incorrect guesses as to the identity of her character “Pearl.”

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. 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, and KT Tunstell’s “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” landed her in the Top Three. After singing The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You,” she was announced as the Season 13 winner.

“This is without a doubt the craziest thing I ever agreed to do, and it ended up being one of the most rewarding,” says Wilson. “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!”

Wilson will be on hand at the ACM Awards in Dallas tonight (May 8) to present the Top New Artist of the Year and the Female Artist of the Year Award, 20 years after winning Female Artist of the Year herself. She’ll also appear in the special role of “Tour Manager” on The Road, a new music competition series airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ this fall.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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