The plan backfired when the judges raved it was their “favorite performance.”

*The Masked Singer *runner-up Pugcasso reveals how they tried to get kicked off show early

The plan backfired when the judges raved it was their "favorite performance."

By Kathleen Perricone

April 2, 2026 11:05 p.m. ET

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Pugcasso performing on 'The Masked Singer'. Credit:

Trae Patton/FOX

Pugcasso made it all the way to the finale of "*The Masked Singer*," but if the runner-up had it their way, they would have gone home weeks earlier.

Phillip Phillips, who won season 11 of *American Idol* back in 2012, donned the artsy dog costume for *The Masked Singer*'s most recent 14th season, a decision he says was inspired by his 5-year-old son.

His family was also behind why Phillips, 35, longed to leave the FOX competition show early.

For Week 9's "Care Bear Night," Phillips chose to perform The Cranberries’ 1992 hit "Dreams," an alt-rock song that he turned into a country ditty.

"Care Bears night was super bizarre," Phillips admits to *Parade* in a new interview. "I didn't know anything, like why the heck am I doing Care Bears? And so then I wanted to change ['Dreams'] into bluegrass. I was like, this is definitely going to get me kicked off so I can go home faster to my family."

As luck would have it, the judges — Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora — all raved it was "their favorite performance," added Phillips. "I'm like, are you kidding me?! Now I gotta stay another week!"

See every winner of 'The Masked Singer's 14 seasons — and where they are now

'The Masked Singer' season 14 winner revealed in finale as 4 celebs unmasked

*Masked Singer* producers had been asking Phillips for years to join the show, but the timing was never quite right for the married father of two. When they came calling ahead of season 14, he said, "I didn't really have anything going on when they would start filming."

His decision to join the show was also due in part to his son who "loves costumes."

"He loves, you know, *Star Wars* and *Spider-Man* and all of that stuff," Phillips told *Parade*. "I thought it might be cool for him to see dad in a costume. We love Halloween, so… that was like it kind of ties into it a little bit."

And as Pugcasso, dressed in multi-colored clothing inspired by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, Phillips didn't feel any pressure — mostly because he's lived a quiet life out of the spotlight the past 14 years since winning *American Idol* in 2012.

Phillip Phillips won season 11 of 'American Idol' in 2012.

"They're not gonna guess who I am," he thought, "unless the clues are just like super obvious."

Fans of the show were equally shocked by the unmasking of Galaxy Girl, who beat out Pugcasso in the April 1 finale: Ashlee Simpson. Third place went to Cat Witch (singer-actress Kylie Cantrall), followed by Crane (Normani, formerly of Fifth Harmony) in fourth.

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The "Pieces of You" singer was surprised, too, she tells **.

"Doing this show was something I wanted to do for fun," says Simpson, who competed alongside her husband Evan Ross (Stingray). "I thought my kids would love it. It's a show we all watched together as a family.… I kind of thought I'd go off earlier, but as I started doing it, I was like, 'Oh, I'm feeling competitive and I'm into it.' And it just became this whole fun, exciting game that I was playing."

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW TV”