T-Pain Wins 'The Masked Singer' as He's Revealed to Be Monster

The monster has won The Masked Singer!

At the wrap of the Fox reality competition series’ finale on Wednesday evening, the monster beat out the bee and peacock, was declared to be the champion of season 1 and took home the golden mask.

After much mounting anticipation — and being crowned the winner — the monster’s identity was revealed: Grammy Award-winning singer and rapper T-Pain was behind the mask!

“I didn’t have a chance to come into the game with my natural voice and a lot of my peers did and they get accepted. This helped me get my voice out there,” T-Pain, 33 — who was the last celebrity to sing for the night and performed Montell Jordan‘s “This Is How We Do It” — said of why he chose to be on the show.

During a previous performance, a disguised T-Pain said on the show, “I’m a father, a husband, a son, a brother and more than anything I’m a person.”

“I never cared about the rules of the game until I became a player in this competition,” he said in a video package. “I learned the hard way that it takes just one slip to make you lose your place in the world. I’ve been vilified and persecuted for sounding like a ringtone. But it ain’t me. Putting on a front made me angry and after doing some soul searching, I was ready for something new. It’s crazy that having my identity stripped has brought me the comeback I’ve wanted for a decade. I’ve been hiding behind faster tracks — until now. I’m finally ready to slow it down.”

During the finale, celebrity panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and guest Kenan Thompson, host Nick Cannon and audiences also learned the identities of T-Pain’s fellow two finalists.

As previously guessed by the panelists, the bee was revealed to be Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Gladys Knight.

“We should always strive to do different kinds of things,” Knight, 74 — who was second to perform and sang Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” — said of the experience.

She admitted of being behind the mask, “It was kind of difficult for me because first of all you can’t see ‘nothin. The eyes are so important. You know, just seeing you guys here look at me, let me look at you. Let me look at you and you and you. That’s what gives me courage.”

After taking off his mask, viewers learned that the peacock was also a well-known performer: Donny Osmond!

“Because it’s fun!” Osmond, 61 — who was the first to sing and performed Ray Charles’ “Shake a Tail Feather” — said of appearing on the show.

“I had the time of my life here. It’s the best thing of my life,” said Osmond. “It’s better than being Donny Osmond!”

Since its premiere in early January, the series has shot to the top of the ratings list, quickly becoming the network’s most-watched unscripted series.

Although the first season of The Masked Singer has wrapped, it won’t be long before viewers see it return to Fox: The network previously announced that the series has officially been renewed for a second season.

“The response to The Masked Singer has been fantastic and we are thrilled to bring it back for another season,” said Rob Wade, president of alternative entertainment and specials at the network. “I am so happy to see a singing Peacock burst into pop culture! The Masked Singer is unique, bold, original and embraces the DNA of all the best FOX unscripted shows. We look forward to Season Two being even more fun, weird and wonderful than the first.”