The Masked Singer managed to crown a season 8 victor on Wednesday, despite it being "the toughest finale ever," according to Ken Jeong.
His fellow judges Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke helped make the winning call between finalists Harp and Lambs. Each act took the stage twice, with their second performances reimagining a classic pop song.
Harp kicked off finale night. "Being under the mask has allowed me to separate myself from former jobs, my name, what people expect from me and prove myself with just my voice," she said in her clue package.
Harp belted Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."
"That was by far, in all eight seasons, the best performance I've ever seen in a finale show ever," McCarthy, 50, told Harp.
The panel suggested Harp might be Fantasia Barrino, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Amber Riley, Jill Scott or Jordin Sparks.
Lambs — who revealed in their clue package that they call themselves Rose, Lilac and Blueberry because of their dress colors — followed up with Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman."
"That was a brilliant song choice for you Lambs because you three are the true embodiment of women supporting women," said Scherzinger, 44.
The Chicks, the Kardashian sisters and Wilson Phillips all came up as possibilities for the trio's identity.
"This is basically a dead heat," Jeong, 53, said of the close competition.
Before returning to perform their reimagined classic, Lambs said in their pre-taped intro, "We spent 14 years apart and we went our own ways. We became mothers and carved out our own lives and careers."
Then Lambs put their twist on "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner.
"You want to know what love is? You're going to see it when you guys win The Masked Singer," McCarthy told Lambs.
Host Nick Cannon asked Lambs what winning would mean to them. "We have little lambs at home, and we wanted to make them really proud of us," Lilac said.
Harp closed out by covering John Mayer's "Gravity" in her own way.
"That is hands down one of the best things we've ever heard on this stage. Ever," said Thicke, 45.
Scherzinger agreed. "You're truly one of the best that has every graced our stage," she said to Harp.
Harp appreciated the praise. "It just means a lot of be validated," she said. "I've been through a lot in this industry and sometimes you forget who you are and sometimes you need people to remind you."
Once the judges and studio audience voted for their favorite performer of the night, Cannon announced that Harp received the most votes and would be crowned the Masked Singer season 8 champ.
"It feels so amazing," she said. "I'm so excited."
Before Harp revealed her identity, Lambs unmasked. Thicke's guess of Wilson Phillips turned out to be correct, as Chynna Phillips and Carnie and Wendy Wilson popped out from under the oversized bonnets.
"Do you know how great it is to have the mask of and talk right now?" asked Carnie, 54. "It was so wonderful. What an honor. This thing was a trip!"
Finally, it came time for winner Harp to unmask. Scherzinger had it right with her suggestion of Glee alum Amber Riley.
"This has been such an amazing experience just to be able to come out here and be completely covered and let my talent speak for itself," the actress, 36, said after taking off her mask. "And the love that I have for people and wanting people to heal and feel what it is that I'm saying. So I hope everybody felt my soul because I bared it right here on this stage."
When Cannon, 42, asked Riley for her words of advice, she shared a message of persistence.
"Whatever it is that you want in this life, go after it," she said. "It may be hard, it may be a rocky journey, but at the end of that journey it will totally and completely be worth it, so keep going."
