'The Masked Singer' finale recap: LeAnn Rimes' Sun rises to victory above Nick Carter, Aloe Blacc

Spoiler alert! The following contains details from the Dec. 16 episode of "The Masked Singer," including the identities of the unmasked celebrities.

The Season Four finale of "The Masked Singer" has finally arrived.

In the holiday-themed episode, Sun, Mushroom and Crocodile gave their final performances — and clues — for in-house detectives Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy and Ken Jeong. Though Crocodile and Mushroom left it all on the stage, Sun ultimately eclipsed the competition to become the winner.

But who are these singers?

Here's everything that went down during Wednesday night's two-hour finale, which saw three singers unmasked, two trophies awarded and a slew of holiday clues unwrapped.

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The road to the finale...

Before they performed, each of the remaining contestants reflected on the journey to the finals — and reminded viewers of their past clues.

Sun has shined bright throughout the season — but wearing her costume hasn't been easy. She said her heavy mask has made her feel like she was going to fall over at times, and she's even had her costume restructured so she could hit certain notes. Her clue packages have been full of nature hints, like woods and an icicle, and she even breathed fire in one episode. Her clues have also involved creatures like a blue butterfly, tiny cows, a chihuahua and a jaguar.

As to who's behind the mask? Panelists' guesses throughout the season have included Mandy Moore, LeAnn Rimes, Katharine McPhee, Carrie Underwood, Kate Hudson and Demi Lovato.

Crocodile's clues have included plenty of water references, like a slip n' slide, toy boat, anchor and a pi?ata full of dolphins. There also have been flags, including an Italian flag, American flag and a Jolly Roger flag. His super clue was a rat eating pizza, and past guesses from the panel have included Jon Hamm, Jared Leto, Adam Lambert, Justin Guarini, Jordan Knight and Nick Lachey. Plus, don't forget that he's a dad (He's only mentioned his "crocklings" about 20 times).

Mushroom's past clues have been breakfast themed, with eggs, pancakes and orange juice eating together at a table, as well as a hot dog stand with a hat for an umbrella. Plus, he's said that "the name that I go by now was not my name when I first sprouted." Past guesses have included Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Usher, Jordan Fisher, Jaden Smith and Donald Glover.

But that's not all — to kick off final performances, each contestant offered a new clue, in the form of a holiday cookie (a clue-kie, if you will).

Mushroom's cookies spelled out the number "50," with the zero showing the solar system in frosting. Sun's cookies were a sun and a 2,000 pound weight. Crocodile's two cookies were both heart-shaped, one with black frosting, the other with blue frosting.

Crocodile

Then it was showtime, with Crocodile taking the stage first.

Crocodile said he chose a "deeply personal" song to perform and described growing up "dirt poor" and having to mow lawns in order to buy his first album: Frontiers by Journey. He sang the rock band's song "Open Arms."

To get into the holiday spirit, each contestant also presented their final clue in the form a gift to a panelist. Crocodile's gift, a small angel, went to McCarthy.

“Looks like you, Jenny," Scherzinger said. McCarthy quipped back, “Just as plastic, also!”

Mushroom

Turns out, Crocodile isn't the only parent in the final three. Before taking the stage, Mushroom revealed he's a dad too, describing how his daughter has influenced his performances.

"I channel her mannerisms, her voice, her love of dressing up, every time I step out on this stage, and she doesn’t even know I’m doing this!" he said.

According to Mushroom, many have heard his music shopping in supermarkets and on the radio — though few may know his name. He sang his daughter's favorite song, "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder.

"Music is truly the universal language that connects us all, and Mushroom is a connector," the singer said, after his rousing rendition. "And here we are in masks and costumes, just delivering messages that can resonate with everyone."

This gave McCarthy an idea. "So he’s a producer that can sing, probably," she said. Mushroom then gifted Scherzinger a tub of "mushroom cookie dough ice cream."

Sun

Last but not least, the Sun rose for her final performance on "The Masked Singer" stage.

Before doing so, she revealed she's been in the entertainment industry since she was a kid, before singing “The Story” by Brandi Carlile.

For her gift, she gave a lot of mistletoe to Thicke. "This is just a little something to say thank you for all your compliments and encouragement this season," she said.

And the winner is...

And just like that, it was time to reveal the winner, as well as the people behind the final three masks.

First up, finishing third, was Crocodile. Jeong's first impressions guess from earlier in the season was Bradley Cooper, but clues have since led him to settle on Lachey. Scherzinger's first impression was Lachey, but she switched to Knight. Thicke's first impression was Knight, but he ultimately settled on Howie Dorough. McCarthy had picked Nick Carter, and, after her angel gift, decided to stick with that guess, noting Carter has a sister named Angel.

When it was time to take the mask off, McCarthy was correct: It was Carter.

Next up, in second place, was Mushroom.

McCarthy first guessed singer-songwriter Maxwell, but the ice cream gift was a "game-changing clue," she said. Thinking of Neapolitan ice cream, McCarthy settled on Ne-Yo. Jeong had guessed Justin Timberlake, but switched to Pharrell Williams after considering the hat clue. Scherzinger switched her guess from Glover to Aloe Blacc. Thicke also settled on Blacc, switching from his first guess of Billy Porter.

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And, after the unmasking, Scherzinger and Thicke were right: It was singer, songwriter and record producer Blacc.

Last but not least, the winner of "The Masked Singer," the Sun, was revealed.

McCarthy had guessed Lovato, but clues about the Northern Lights made her settle on Rimes, who starred in the 2009 film "Northern Lights." Jeong used to think Sun was Gwyneth Paltrow but landed on Mandy Moore, while Scherzinger switched from McPhee to Rimes after clues with the color blue made her think of Rimes' Grammy-winning song “Blue.” Thicke had thought it was Natasha Bedingfield, but settled on McPhee.

And Scherzinger and McCarthy were right: the Sun was Rimes!

“This has been an overwhelming experience," she said. "I didn’t expect this to be this much work, I have to say... It was a blast.”

But she wasn't the only winner.

In case you forgot, this season also saw the panelists competing for the first time for the Golden Ear trophy, bestowed to whoever had the most correct first impressions guesses.

With four correct first impressions, McCarthy took home the prize.

"I’d like to thank my ENT for cleaning out my earwax before this season," she said. "And, of course, my fellow judges for not trying as hard as me."

Episodes of "The Masked Singer" can be watched on Fox's website.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Masked Singer' finale: LeAnn Rimes' Sun rises to victory