The Masked Singer winner, season 10
The Masked Singer winner of season 10 is the Cow, unveiled to be Ne-Yo, an R&B singer best known for songs like “So Sick” and “Sexy Love”.
“I’ve been very blessed to have a lot of success in my career. And trust me, I’m grateful. But even though I’ve won Grammys, I’ve never had the moment televised,” Ne-Yo/Cow said in his pre-taped “The Masked Singer” package.
“Never gotten to give my acceptance speech. And most importantly, have never gotten the chance to give credit to the person who made it all possible: My mother. I’ve helped so many other artists achieve their dreams and make their big moments possible. But sometimes I feel like I haven’t truly had my moment. To be recognized not only as an artist, but as a creator. But here, I’ve certainly felt that shine… I’m hoping that when I win the Golden Masked Trophy, I can finally read that acceptance speech after all of these years.”
According to a Gold Derby poll, the Cow was the predicted winner and that matches with the BetOnline prediction, too, which has the Cow firm favorite. Here were all the clues that it was Ne-Yo in the Cow costume.
“Cows like me don’t often make it out of their pen. When I was younger, I felt destined to stay home and live out a simple life in black and white” (Week 1)
- Ne-Yo’s 2008 music video for his song, “Mad” was filmed in black and white.
“The gift eventually led me to No. 1.” (Week 1)
- Ne-Yo achieved his first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006 with his single “So Sick” from his debut album In My Own Words. The song was his second single after his debut single “Stay” in 2005.
“I won Grammys, traveled the world and made hit after hit after hit. I guess you could say I was kind of my own cash cow!” (Week 1)
- Ne-Yo has won three Grammy Awards: Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2008; Best Male R&B Performance in 2009; and Best R&B Song in 2009.
Calendar with July 4 (Week 1)
- July 4 is also known as Independence Day. One of Ne-Yo’s most successful songs is his 2008 single “Miss Independent” from his album, Year of the Gentleman. The song went number one on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
“Two-step coffee” (Week 1)
- Ne-Yo released a remix of Cassidy’s “My Drink n My 2 Step” in 2007 with Kanye West and Swizz Beatz in 2007.
Las Vegas magnet (Week 1)
- Ne-Yo was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and attended Las Vegas Academy. He’s also a frequent performer at Drai’s Nightclub in Las Vegas.
Aviator wings (Week 1)
- Ne-Yo played 2nd Lt. Andrew “Smokey” Salem in the 2012 movie, Red Tails. The film followed the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black United States Army Air Forces servicemen during World War II.
“Tonight I’m honored to be part of NFL Night, even though I don’t have many memories of watching the big game with my dad — he wasn’t really around and I didn’t have a lot of positive male role models growing up.” (Week 2)
He was raised in a house of all women who made him the “sensitive cow” that he is.” (Week 2)
- Ne-Yo’s parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother. Ne-Yo has one sister, Nicole Smith, and no brothers.
As a parent, he now knows the “value of being present” for his kids. (Week 2)
“I’ve always achieved a lot of success in my life but my greatest accomplishment has always been my kids” (Week 2)
- Ne-Yo has seven children: Madilyn and Mason Grace with ex-fiancee Monyetta Shaw; Shaffer, Roman, and Isabella with ex-wife Crystal Renay; and Braiden and Brixton with ex-girlfriend Sade Jenea.
“Smoke and mirrors of fame” (Week 2)
- Ne-Yo has a song titled “Mirror” from his debut 2006 album In My Own Words.
Boxing gloves (Week 2)
- Ne-Yo revealed that he boxes and has studied martial arts in an interview with ESPN in 2012. “It’s honestly just for the workout,” he said. “I studied martial arts for about five years when I was a little younger, and I’ve been a boxing fan pretty much forever. As of right now, it’s just part of the workout. I don’t go as far as to spar or anything like that. I would love to. It’s definitely a great way to stay in shape. To do what I do, I’ve got to keep my wind up, I’ve got to get my stamina right and boxing definitely helps that.”
“I feel absolutely psyched to be here for 2000s Night, because that’s the decade it all started for me.” (Week 3)
- Ne-Yo released his first album, In My Own Words, and first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100, “So Sick,” in 2006.
He and his friends went to the Capitol Records building in Hollywood determined to get a record deal. They performed in the parking lot on top of a van and security kicked them out. His photo hangs in the hall at Capitol Records “and big-wigs see me all the time.” (Week 3)
- In an interview with the University of Southern California in 2021, Ne-Yo explained how he and four friends drove to Capitol Records in Los Angeles with no place and no money and stood on their van singing every day for six months hoping that someone will sign them. “There was no Spotify or anything digital so you had to rely on the labels at that time. You had to use the tools you are given and work harder than the guy next to you,” he said.
Birthday cake with one candle (Week 3)
- Ne-Yo competed as Badger on Season 2 of The Masked Singer UK in 2022, one year before Cow appeared on The Masked Singer US.
