The Masked Singer has crowned a surprise winner - but the runner-up delivered the "best performance the show has ever seen."
After an occasionally bumpy five-week season (thanks, coronavirus), three celebrities were tonight left standing on The Masked Singer: Queen, Frillneck and Bushranger.
In the end, Bushranger took home the crown - and revealed that underneath the helmet, she was Neighbours star Bonnie Anderson.
Singer Kate Miller-Heidke's Queen came second - but stole the show with a gravity-defying final performance that was immediately dubbed "the best performance The Masked Singer has ever seen." That incredible showing had some fans declaring KMH was robbed.
And Eddie Perfect's rockin' Frillneck had to settle for bronze, booted out first tonight after singing an INXS classic.
We liveblogged all the action as it happened below - take a look...
Not to take anything away from Bonnie Anderson's win – she sang her arse off every episode, reminding Australia of her vocal talents – but it seems Kate Miller-Heidke's second placing has triggered some PTSD in fans who are still smarting at watching her place ninth with her incredible Eurovision entry last year:
Let's not forget, this is also a woman who's been nominated for 13 ARIA awards and never won a single one. Someone give Kate-Miller Heidke a trophy, stat!
Neighbours star Bonnie Anderson, meaning Jess Mauboy can now breathe a sigh of relief that she'll no longer be bugged with questions about whether she's the Bushranger.
Anderson was the first winner of Australia's Got Talent in 2007 back when she was just 12, but in recent years, acting has been her focus. Winning The Masked Singer might be just what she needs to return to her first love: "Neighbours has kind of taken a lot of my time, so it has kind of sparked up a little bit of fire in me… It's nice to know that I can do this, you know?"
Guys, I hope you're sitting down. You're never going to believe this. The Queen is…. Kate Miller-Heidke!
Finally out of her giant Queen head, Kate seems grateful for the fresh air. "I can barely see anything out of the mask, so this is the first time I've ever seen you guys. This is the first time I've seen what this room looks like," she reveals.
She says she went on the show because it was "super liberating. I got to leave myself and my own normal hang-ups behind and just step into this really strong, larger-than-life character."
Another probable reason: Miller-Heidke releases her first album in six years next month, and just spent six weeks reminding millions of Australians what an incredible singer she is. Get that promo, Queen!
Bushranger! Much like Eurovision, Kate Miller-Heidke was robbed. Unmaskings to come…
Frillneck's out – and as so many people guessed, it's Tony-nominated actor, singer and composer Eddie Perfect, star of Shane Warne The Musical and TV's Offspring.
Perfect tells the judges he did the show because "it just scared me. It was, like, a scary thing to do. I didn't want to say no to something just because it scared me. I think I thought I would live to regret that."
Now it's Bushranger's time to shine – and she sure does, with a soaring, energetic rendition of the David Guetta / Kelly Rowland dancefloor classic When Love Takes Over.
The Bushranger admitted in her final clues package that she'd "neglected singing for a while," which leads Dannii Minogue to lock in Neighbours star Bonnie Anderson – the people's popular guess. Hughesy insists it's Jess Mauboy, which Urzila backs. Jackie also guesses Bonnie Anderson, saying she's recognised the voice all season.
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The Queen brings the house down with a dramatic, operatic performance of the disco classic I Will Survive that sees her hoisted up to the rafters. She's literally defying gravity – huh, that reminds me of a certain Kate Miller-Heidke Eurovision showstopper…
The judges' faces are a treat as she soars metres into the air, her giant dress billowing underneath:
Jackie says it's "hands down, the best performance Masked Singer has ever seen."
Now for the judges' guesses: Hughesy says it's Tina Arena, Dannii and Jackie both pick Kate Miller-Heidke, and Urzila thinks it's fellow Kiwi Lorde. Exactly half of you are right!
Props to Ten, it's barely noticeable that this finale has a cast spread across Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand. Osher's been green-screened in remarkably well:
And you hardly notice that half the judging panel aren't actually in the room:
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The Frillneck – or Eddie Perfect to his mates – sings a rocking rendition of the INXS track Devil Inside.
Urzila's had a crush on the frillneck all season, and now she declares they're a "power couple: the lizard and the lesbian."
The judges' final guesses: Dannii thinks it's Jon Stevens, Hughesy says Shannon Noll, Jackie O says Tim Minchin and Urzila guesses Eddie Perfect.
The show opens with a performance by all 12 contestants singing the Sia track Together – obviously pre-recorded at the start of the season, right? Surely week one evictee Mark Philippoussis didn't come back just for this brief cameo? But then, the performance leads up to a reveal of the finalthree contestants left in the game, so how could they have filmed it at the start of the season… I'm confused! Body doubles? Sneaky editing?
After that headscratcher, we see our host and judges – spread across Sydney, Melbourne and, in Urzila Carlson's case, dialing in from hotel quarantine in New Zealand:
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