"The Masked Singer "Season 12 Crowns a Winner! Find Out Whether Buffalos or Wasp Took Home the Golden Mask Trophy

12/18/2024 09:02 PM

Host Nick Cannon called the Dec. 19 finale "probably the most legendary episode ever" of the Fox singing competition

Warning: This story contains spoilers from the season 12 finale of The Masked Singer.

Christmas came early for one of the Masked Singer finalists!

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, Buffalos and Wasp battled it out for the Golden Mask trophy and judges Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Rita Ora and Robin Thicke helped decide who would be crowned the king — or kings — of season 12.

First, season 5 winner Nick Lachey (a.k.a. Piglet) opened the show with "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" as host Nick Cannon, dressed as Santa Claus, gave out presents to the judges.

Related: Ken Jeong Puts His Spin on 'I'm Just Ken' on The Masked Singer's Barbie Night — See His Epic Performance! (Exclusive)

Each contestant performed two selections, offered up a snippet of their real voice and reflected on their Masked Singer journey. 

"This experience has felt like it's made for me, like I'm finally getting the recognition I've been craving," Wasp said in his final clue package. "For a long time in this industry, I felt underrated. I started building my empire at a young age, dominated the Billboard charts and collaborated with the best in the business, including a bunch of Masked Singer alums: Lil Wayne, Vanessa Hudgens and, of course, my ambassador NE-YO, who I've been hitting up for advice this whole time."

Still, Wasp said he felt like the world hadn't seen "how vast my talent is."

"I feel like I'm constantly being overlooked at times and like people still see me as that cute little kid with that song," the bug continued. "They don't know the depths of my talent."

Wasp hoped to honor his mom with a Masked Singer win. "I feel my mom here with me tonight in sprit, and she's giving me wings for these last two performances," he said. "I hope she's proud."

For his first selection, Wasp crooned "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars. The judges suggested Wasp could be Mars, 39, Jason DeRulo, Daveed Diggs, Taye Diggs, Mario, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Anthony Ramos or Usher.

Next, Buffalos said that The Masked Singer helped them "rediscover ourselves and our bond."

"We had to fight our way out of the hood, we had to overcome the passing of one of the most important people in our lives and we've even had to change our entire sound when we lost a member," one of the Buffalos said in their clue package.

Another Buffalo said that their time on The Masked Singer "has been for our fans, for our kids, for everyone who stuck with us" over three decades.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Buffalos chose "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye for their first song.

"That range was world class," Thicke, 47, said.

The panel ran through their wide range of guesses for Wasp, which included B2K, Bell Biv DeVoe, Blackstreet, Bone Thungs-N-Harmony, Boyz II Men, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jonas Brothers and Tony! Toni! Toné!

For his second song, Wasp tackled Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Afterwards, Wasp offered advice to his younger self. "Your wings are like your intuition, trust them," Wasp said. "Trust your intuition, believe in yourself. When you feel like you don't have the answers, trust your intuition, they are your wings."

Buffalos returned to the stage with Sam Smith's "Too Good at Goodbyes."

"Those harmonies, they make you feel like you're walking through the gates of heaven," Thicke told Buffalos.

The response brought one of the Buffalos to tears. "This has made me feel like, with these guys, we can do anything," he said.

Related: Every Winner of 'The Masked Singer': See Which Celebrities Took the Trophy

Cannon, 45, called the Dec. 19 finale "probably the most legendary episode ever" of The Masked Singer before announcing the winner: Buffalos, the first group to ever win the show.

"Thank you so much," one of the Buffalos said.

Before the winners could unmask, runner-up Wasp popped off his insect head to reveal "Let Me Love You" singer Mario, 38.

When Buffalos returned and took off their masks, Boyz II Men's Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman appeared.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Masked Singer season 12 is now streaming on Hulu.