The Masked Singer semi-finals on Dec. 11 saw Wasp, Strawberry Shortcake, and Buffalos battling to secure a spot in the season finale.
In a heartbreaking elimination, Strawberry Shortcake fell just short of advancing after losing a face-off against Buffalos.
Before her emotional performance of Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me,” Strawberry Shortcake reflected on her challenging Hollywood journey.
“This season’s competition has been no cake walk,” she admitted.
“What no one tells you is that, like a good cake, Hollywood is layered. Sure, it sparkles and is super fun, but there’s also so much pressure to make it big, and it comes with a lot of rejection.”
Opening up about her struggles with early fame, she revealed, “I was so triggered by the trauma of early fame that I decided to take a long break. I had to lose the lights to love what I do again. Becoming Strawberry Shortcake, I’m reminded of why I started this all of these years ago. It’s fun, it’s silly, and it’s so me.”
Following her elimination, Strawberry Shortcake faced Buffalos in a head-to-head showdown with OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars.”
Despite her passionate performance, Buffalos emerged victorious, sending her home.
The judges made bold guesses about Strawberry Shortcake’s identity, with Robin Thicke guessing Kelsea Ballerini, Jenny McCarthy choosing Sarah Hyland, and Ken Jeong picking Joey King.
In the end, the mystery singer was revealed to be AJ Michalka, best known for her roles in Cow Belles and as half of the pop duo Aly & AJ.
AJ shared that she initially planned to compete alongside her sister, Aly Michalka, but scheduling conflicts made it impossible.
“We were like, this would be really fun to do as a team,” AJ told Variety. “But it was going to be really tricky to schedule. So I ended up doing it on my own. And she fully supported it.”
Reflecting on her experience, she added, “I wanted to challenge myself as a solo artist and see how far I could get. And I had a blast. I didn’t realize it would be that hard to sing under a mask that heavy, but I did it, and I’m really proud of myself.”
Also read: Sabrina Carpenter Embraces Self-Care Amid Breakup With Barry Keoghan
