Warning! This article contains spoilers for “The Masked Singer.”
Even though the man behind Leaf Sheep was a clutch performer during his professional career, his drive to the season 12 finals of “The Masked Singer” came to an end Wednesday night.
Leaf Sheep sang a rendition of the Tim McGraw hit “I Like It, I Love it.” But there will be no more of it after the character was eliminated on the first episode.
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Leaf Sheep was the first character eliminated from season 12 of “The Masked Singer.” (FOX)
But who was behind Leaf Sheep?
Robin Thicke guessed Troy Aikman, Rita Ora guessed Billy Bob Thornton and Jenny McCarthy guessed Tom Brady. But it was Ken Jeong who nailed it.
The contestant was revealed to be Denver Broncos legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway. The reveal stunned the crowd as Elway emerged from the costume. He has been away from the football spotlight since his role with the Broncos ended in April 2023.
Elway, 64, told Fox News Digital he had a “great experience” being on the show, and he had to think about whether to do it because he wasn’t totally comfortable singing in front of an audience. But he decided to step outside of his comfort zone and get behind the mic.
“The Masked Singer” judges (FOX)
“I was not a very good singer, still not,” he said. “But it was way out of my comfort zone, and I think, for me, it was I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, which put me out of there. Plus, I have 10 grandkids. I thought it would be cool to see poppy on ‘The Masked Singer’ even though I got kicked off, which is fine.
“But for them to be able to see poppy on ‘The Masked Singer,’ that kind of got me over the edge. I think the key thing, though, it felt like an accomplishment once I got it done because it was hard. I had never done anything like that before. In the long run, when I got it done, I was really glad I did it.”
Elway also had some advice for those who may be approached about competing on “The Masked Singer.”
“First of all, I would say, do it. I think that it’s something that, you know, football players or athletes, we’re not really comfortable doing. I’ve got such a great respect for entertainers and singers and how good they are at what they do,” he told Fox News Digital.
Denver Broncos consultant John Elway during training camp at the UCHealth Training Center in Englewood, Colo., Aug. 5, 2022. (Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports)
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“You’re going to be nervous going in but put yourself out there and do something that gets you out of your comfort zone. And when you’re done with it, it’s a great feeling of accomplishment knowing that I wasn’t great at it, but I went ahead and put myself out there. That’s what I would tell them.”
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
