At 97-years-young, the iconic Dick Van Dyke went back on the stage. This time, to compete on the singing competition show The Masked Singer. The 9th season of the popular show premiered on Wednesday (Feb. 15), and featured three celebrities, dressed as their alter-egos Mustang, Gnome, and Medusa.
First up was Mustang, who performed the Whitesnake song “Here I Go Again.” The judges thought she could be Pink, Suzanne Somers, or and Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K2ziBJMEdU
Next, Gnome took on the Frank Sinatra classic “When You’re Smiling,” which had the judges perplexed. They all knew they recognized his voice, but could not place it. The judges thought he could be either Dustin Hoffman or Robert DeNiro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg_Jpget9TQ
Next, Medusa performed Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” and the judges guessed she was Ellie Goulding, Meghan Markle, or Lorde.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtUQIFwbLsI
The audience placed their votes for their favorite performer, and the artist who received the least amount of votes was unmasked, and that performer was…Gnome. Before revealing himself, the judges made one last guess as to who they think he is. The final guesses were Robert De Niro, Tony Bennett, and Dustin Hoffman. They were all wrong.
Gnome revealed himself to be…the legendary Dick Van Dyke!
Dick Van Dyke is trending.
All for good reasons.
As a child I really wanted to be this amazing human.
Still do.#dickvandyke pic.twitter.com/XkFHweJbAb— Steve Martin (@UnrealBluegrass) February 16, 2023
Right when everyone realized who it was, judge Ken Jeong jumped on the desk to try and give Van Dyke the biggest standing ovation possible. Fellow judges Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy followed his lead. Nicole Scherzinger stood in awe and began to cry. They all really could not believe who they were looking at, and as Scherzinger said through tears, “It is an honor to have you on our show.”
Host Nick Cannon said, “This is the most seasoned and decorated entertainer we’ve had on our show!”
Ken told him he is one of the reasons he wanted to get into comedy, that Van Dyke “IS comedy,” and that he is the “GOAT,” or the Greatest Of All Time. Van Dyke revealed he had a blast, even though he couldn’t see a thing in his costume! He also got a kick out of the judges thinking he was Robert DeNiro! He also blushed when Scherzinger told him, “You look so gorgeous, you look so handsome!”
Jeong called the moment, “Our greatest reveal ever.”
Watch Dick Van Dyke’s full reveal below.