'The Masked Singer' unmasks a rockin' banana

Rocker Bret Michaels peeled back the costume Wednesday night to show himself to the crowd on the 10th anniversary of the brain hemorrhage that left him fighting for his life, he said.

Michaels grew emotional, saying, "The irony, not knowing that these two dates would ever line up on any level, but here it is -- April 22 -- and the song selection I chose came down to two songs, and I went with 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' to sing tonight.

"Exactly as this show aired is when I was in emergency room, in the operating room, they were operating on my brain. And I'm singing that song. Life is ironic. A moment of surrealness tonight, for sure."

The Poison front man said he was thrown by guest panelist Sharon Osbourne because they've been friends for over 30 years. Osbourne guessed it was her old pal, saying, "I know his voice so well... I've known you, what, 35 years?"

Jenny McCarthy also picked Michaels, as did Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke. Ken Jeong had guessed it was Brad Paisley.

Michaels' unmasking comes as he is set to release a book, "Bret Michaels: Auto-Scrap-Ography," on May 12.

Left for this season of "The Masked Singer" are Turtle, Frog, Kitty, Rhino, Astronaut and Night Angel.