The Baby Alien is none other than… former NFL player Mark Sanchez! After the Crocodile, Seahorse, Baby Alien, Whatchamacallit, and Serpent took the stage during the Oct. 14 episode of The Masked Singer, the Baby Alien was eliminated. HollywoodLife talked EXCLUSIVELY with Mark about becoming the Baby Alien.
“They needed somebody who was in decent physical condition that could carry the weight of this costume because it wasn’t going to be light,” the former New York Jets quarterback revealed to HollywoodLife. “Somebody who wanted to have fun and expand their skill set and all that kind of stuff, so they picked the right guy I think. We had a blast coming up with that character and learning how to use a puppet, and then learning how to sing more or less without getting booed off stage.”
Performing in the Baby Alien costume wasn’t easy whatsoever. Mark opened up about how he prepared to hit the stage. “I’m thankful for Tamara [Beatty], the vocal coach, who instructed me to get winded before I practiced singing,” Mark explained. “So I ran up and down the stairs in my house, and then threw on this backpack that was like 35-40 pounds. I just put dumbbells in it. I put the music on the Sonos in the house and belt out the songs with this mini karaoke setup that I have. That’s how I practiced for the performance because you can’t simulate that costume without the weight of it. The displacement of that weight kind of on your chest and shoulders and back, and you need a lot of those muscles to sing, to hit notes that you’re not comfortable with every day. She was instructing me and saying, ‘This is how you got to practice these muscles. You can train them, you’ve just got to train them a lot because this thing’s coming pretty quick.’ So I’m very thankful that she was able to help me through that and had the insight and intuition to push me in that direction.”
Mark is not a trained singer, but he loved being able to perform on The Masked Singer. He opened up about how The Masked Singer has changed how he listens to music! “It’s very different, but I do love karaoke. I’ve always loved karaoke,” Mark said. “I was in chorus and choir and all that growing up, but never had real training. So this was my first time doing that. There’s definitely a ceiling on my talent. I’m not blinded by some false reality, trust me. I understand what my skill set is. But in that range that I can work with, there’s room to improve and be the best version of that range that I could be. That’s really what I was striving for. Just keep it realistic, keep it light, keep it fun. I really thought I did that. And thanks to Tamara, she helped me understand so much more about performing and music and breathing, how you’re supposed to sing different pitch, different tone. I just learned so much about it. It was really interesting to me because I do enjoy singing, but just as much as you enjoy singing, the other people need to enjoy you singing as well or else it’s not as fun. I think we accomplished that. It’s funny… I listen to other music now, and I can’t hear it the same way ever again.”
With the Baby Alien going home, that means Crocodile, Whatchamacallit, Serpent, and Seahorse are still in the running to win. The Serpent was the first masked singer to perform. The Serpent revealed that singing is a “childhood dream come true.” When he was starting out, the Serpent could “barely make rent.” He sold clothes, did manual labor, but he “stayed driven.” He sings “The Bones” by Maren Morris. His childhood clue was a baby bottle on wheels, which stumps the panelists. Jenny McCarthy guesses Taye Diggs, while guest panelist Joel McHale thinks the Serpent could be Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams. Nicole Scherzinger believes the Serpent could be Brian McKnight!
The Crocodile admitted that The Masked Singer has “revived” his love for performing. He revealed that his own father didn’t believe in his talent at first. The Crocodile said he’s “putting toxic parts” of his past behind him. The masked singer wowed with his rendition of “Toxic” by Britney Spears. His childhood clue is a baby crocodile pinata with a little dolphin inside. The panelists guessed Adam Lambert, Lenny Kravitz, and Harry Connick Jr.
Whatchamacallit confessed that he’s been through some “rough patches.” At the height of his career, he got a call that shook his world. His mom was “in bad shape” and wanted to be by her side. But his mom made him realize that his dream was her dream. Whatchamacallit showed off his rap skills to “Money Maker” by Ludacris. He told the panelists in his final clue that he loves bedtime stories, and he’s an open book. The panelists lean towards athletes like Cam Newton and Terrell Owens. Ken Jeong’s wild guess was Armie Hammer.
The Seahorse ended the night with a gorgeous rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” In her clue package, she admitted that she’s “faced rejection” and “acted so hard to be a hero.” She revealed that she’s “experienced unimaginable loss and pain” recently. Her childhood clue was a balloon of feathers. Robin Thicke stuck to his prior guess of Bebe Rexha, while Jenny and Joel go with Camila Cabello and Jessica Simpson.