Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 12, Episode 12, “Finale: Champion Is Crowned.”

After a season full of epic performances, the Wasp has officially taken off The Masked Singer stage for the last time.

In Wednesday’s holiday-themed Season 12 finale, the dancing, high-pitched performer was named runner-up after a final vote that host Nick Cannon described as “very, very, very close.” When it came time to unmask, two panelists – namely Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Ken Jeong – guessed Jason Derulo and Usher, respectively. Not a bad guess, but not quite as good as Rita Ora and Robin Thicke’s guess: hit R&B artist, actor and Rich Star Mario. In a Christmas miracle sort of way, they were right.

Before the big reveal, Weekly entertainment spoke with Mario about the unique challenges of releasing an album while impersonating the Wasp, the advice he got from Ne-Yo, working with the show to cultivate those sweet dance moves, and how it felt real to dance with that sting.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: To start things off, you just released a new album. I’m glad you cameon December 13th. How has the reception been for your new music?

MARIO: I was in awe of that place, both releasing an album The Masked Singer happens at the same time. I’m glad you cameFor me it’s kind of like the title of this place in my current life. I feel like people are coming to see me live The Masked Singerbut they don’t know that it’s actually me. I feel like they’re listening to this new album that represents a new era and a new, elevated version of who I am as an artist, but that’s reminiscent of the feeling they felt with my first few albums, but with a sublime lyric production. So I have that feeling I’m glad you came is kind of the title of my life in this time that I’m in, which is amazing because as an artist you dream of things coming full circle.

There are so many moving parts to creating an album. I work with James Fauntleroy, who is my executive producer, and we both went away for a week and then came away for two weeks and then came back. Through it all, we tried to maintain the intent of the album and I think we did that well. And I think the reception has been great so far and I can’t wait for more people to get their ears and hearts on the album. And being the Wasp this season Masked singer is kind of just an extra bit of nostalgia for me because I’m able to make records and take it back to when I was a kid (when I was still very imaginative about music, my love for it) . The same thing Wasp had to do is have imagination, and it’s like merging the voice with the costume and the songs with the costume and the art direction intent, all of it. For me it’s all Broadway and music. So it was never an option for me to leave there to work on the album and finish the mix of the album. Everything felt very connected. So the whole trip was just wonderful. But yeah, the album is out right now and I’m excited to take it on tour.

Ne-Yo (aka Season 10 winner Cow) was your masked ambassador, and in the finale you said you talked to him throughout the season for advice. Was he the reason you did the show?

No no no. I wouldn’t say he’s the reason I did the show in the first place. No, I think it was just the support of someone who actually made the show. Ne-Yo told me what to look out for and what to expect backstage. Obviously it was all my own experience, but there were a few times when I asked him questions about certain things and what it was like to be backstage, what it was like to make that transition into costume. Apparently it was his costume a lot is different from mine, but a lot of my questions were answered through the experience alone, and because I had time to live with the costume before the show, that helped me a lot. For example, I’m in rehearsal for an hour or two with the actual mask on because I wanted to know what my limitations are, how I can use my breathwork and my air to sing, dance and move even though I’m limited in the air a little.

The challenging part was also a big part of it because to be a great artist you have to know how to breathe and use your voice and breathwork in different ways. So that was something that no one could give me advice on because my mask is different than everyone else’s mask and their mask is different than mine. So you really have to become one with your costume. I mean, that’s something I learned. It’s like when you put it on you literally have to adapt to the world of that character, and I think that was one of my favorite parts about it, that you really become the Wasp every day. And the worst part was that I couldn’t take the costume home with me afterwards. I could have put that in the contract, but we thought about it too late.

I’m glad you brought that up because I think what made the Wasp so special was not just the notes you could hit, but also all the dance moves you added. So I was curious if the show worked with you to design a special costume so you could do that, because with a lot of the costumes you really can’t move.

Right, right. No, I think her instincts were pretty good. I feel like when they called me about the show, I actually think it was another call the next day and they showed me the costume and I was like, “Hey, that’s fire.” It suits me, that Character of the wasp, the design, the colors, the fact that the wings weren’t quite perfect if you look at it that way. There were a few broken wings, so you could tell he’d been through a lot, you know? So I love that I was able to choose this character and identify with him and bring him to the stage and bring these songs to life in different ways. As angelic as the wasp is and how she can fly and have wings and so on, she was still very grounded and had experienced real things in life. So it was just a matter of bringing these characters together. I enjoyed it.

How difficult was it to dance with the giant spike?

Oh man, you’re the first to ask. It took some getting used to because I had to work on my space, especially when we had dancers, to make sure I didn’t hit them or stab them with the stinger. And it happened a few times during rehearsal, but then I got used to it. I think the mentality became one with it and used it as an actual part of me. For example, on certain songs, when I was dancing, I would point the spike at the audience to use it as a prop, and the choreography was intentional, and I just got used to the way it moved, the weight it had That’s why I rehearsed with it and with the mask at every rehearsal. I didn’t want to feel it for the first time on stage. But when you do this, like anything else, you learn that repetition is key and that you just have to take it and make it work for you.

Be honest, did you find out that you would be facing Boyz II Men in the final?

When the finale started, I definitely knew exactly what to expect. Boyz II Men, I have been hearing these voices since I was a child and studying their singing. And they’re part of my R&B Mount Rushmore, period. There’s no question that if I were to name a group it would be Boyz II Men. They would be #1 for me because of their vocal abilities, their song choices and because it’s very hard to be in a group. So it’s something I definitely respect them for, what they’ve done with R&B.

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