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As the "Masked Singer" finale heats up, former contestant Hunter Hayes -- who was Astronaut on the show -- has a special message for Bull ... and TMZ's delivering it.

Next week, we will see who takes the winning spot, and our 'Masked' sources tell us Bull's chosen to perform Hunter's tune, "Invisible" because he feels a strong connection to it.

That prompted the singer/songwriter to record this heartfelt pep talk before Bull steps into the ring for his final performance.

In the video, Hayes congratulates Bull on getting this close to the title, saying ... "I'm excited for you and for the world to hear your voice." He also made sure to thank him for fighting for his song selection.

Apparently, Bull wants to win so bad, that he is overwhelmed with nerves... we'll see if Hunter's words of inspiration are enough to help him take home the W.

Dorit Kemsley has some thoughts on her husband's DUI bust as well as the fatal shooting that befell Clarence Avant's family -- and her reaction to both is ... regret and sadness.

The 'RHOBH' star ran into paps Tuesday night, and there were two relevant topics to ask her about -- the fact her hubby, PK, had been hauled to jail over suspected drinking and driving ... and the recent break-in in town that cost Jacqueline Avant her life.

Luckily, Dorit was in a chatty mood ... so she opened up on each, first addressing Paul's arrest. Sounds like Paul wishes it never would've happened -- and Dorit expresses that quite clearly here.

She also kinda goes to bat for him a little -- explaining that Paul wasn't necessarily smashed ... even though he probably shouldn't have been behind the wheel. Good balancing act here!

As for the Trousdale Estates tragedy -- where Jacqueline was shot and killed by a home intruder -- Dorit is the perfect person to speak on it ... seeing how she too went through a frighteningly similar situation just last month.

It's interesting ... Dorit seems to make a distinction between the Avants' predicament and hers, saying she's still here ... highlighting just how dangerous the whole thing was.

CBS is going back to the well that's served them well for years -- pumping out a new reality show that'll have contestants outwit, outplay and outlast one another, but with a celeb twist.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the network is getting set to debut a new series that we're told is very "Survivor"-esque, but the main difference here -- the contestants are all celebs, including a handful of reality stars.

We're told that, like "Survivor," this show will feature similar challenges -- and will have a similar vibe to what viewers have watched since 2000.

Some of the names we're hearing attached ... Colton Underwood, Metta World Peace, Ray Lewis, Jodie Sweetin, 'RHONY’s' Eboni K. Williams and model Paulina Porizkova. There may be others who end up tagging in, but these folks are for sure playing the game.

Our sources tell us all participants had a certain amount of money donated to the charity of their choice. The show has already been filmed, and we're told a lot of it went down in Panama -- so, sounds like it's straight outta the "Survivor" playbook.

Sharon Gless, the actress who famously played Cagney on "Cagney & Lacey -- says back in the day she was confused about her sexuality, and hit on Rosie O'Donnell.

Gless, who just wrote a memoir with a true 2021 title -- "Apparently There Were Complaints" -- recounted something that happened in 2005, when the actress starred in "Queer as Folk." There was a scene between her and guest star Rosie O'Donnell that called for the 2 to kiss. After the scene was shot, Rosie sent Gless a bouquet of roses with a note ... "You're a good kisser."

Gless's response ... "I was flattered ... It was the first time I'd heard that from a woman. But, then again, it was the first time I'd ever kissed a woman." Gless says in her book she started to question her sexuality.

Now, here's the crazy part ... Gless had dinner with Rosie and at one point she went out on a limb and said, "Ro, I love you so much. I mean, do you feel ... do you think?"

O'Donnell shut her down, responding, "Oh Glessy, no. Never. You are so straight."

Lots of fans of "Cagney & Lacey" thought Gless was gay ... her reaction in the book -- “Well, I gave it my best f–king shot with the number one lesbian on the planet."

Toccara Jones is defending Tyra Banks from being canceled over what some are seeing as exploitation on "America's Next Top Model" ... saying it's unrealistic to pay contestants.

The ex-"America's Next Top Model" contestant tells TMZ ... Tyra did nothing wrong by collecting a fat paycheck on the long-running modeling competition show while the girls only got a $40 per diem and no residuals.

Toccara says that's just the way things go in the modeling industry ... and she says it's unheard of for people to be paid to be in a contest ... because the whole point of a competition is to win and get the prize money.

The 'ANTM' exposure certainly worked out for Toccara, even though she had her own struggles on season 3 ... in part because she was a plus-sized model.

Tyra and 'ANTM' are getting dragged back under the microscope after a fan of the show went viral this week by bringing up the fact Tyra pulled in a huge paycheck as a judge while the models got scraps.

'ANTM' alum Sarah Hartshorne tweeted the fan's complaint, saying models didn't get residuals and had to pay for their own food during the show.

"Guardians of The Glades" star Dusty Crum was involved in a scary car accident down in Florida ... and things were so bad he was in serious danger of losing his right leg.

The snake hunter from the Discovery show tells TMZ ... he was riding shotgun in a truck on a Florida highway last month when a tire blew on the trailer and the driver lost control, causing the truck to fishtail before flipping 3 times.

Dusty says the crash caused severe damage to his lower right leg and knee, and he was airlifted to a hospital in the Fort Meyers area, where doctors were able to save his leg with 5 different surgical procedures.

It's pretty scary ... Dusty says his window broke when the car flipped and his leg went out the window, and got crushed by the weight of the vehicle. He says as the vehicle kept rolling he managed to pull his leg back inside.

Dusty says he thought he was going to die after the accident ... using his shirt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding as he tried to keep himself awake waiting for paramedics from the side of the highway.

While doctors were able to save the leg, Dusty's been in the hospital for nearly 4 weeks ... and he's hopefully moving to a rehab facility in the next few days.

Dusty is not insured and will be facing a ton of medical bills, so a friend has started a GoFundMe and they are asking for people to consider buying holiday gifts from his store.

Eddie Mekka, who most famously played Carmine, the "Big Ragu," on "Laverne & Shirley" has died ... TMZ has learned.

Eddie's brother, Warren Mekjian, tells TMZ ... Eddie was found dead at his home in Newhall, CA on Saturday. We're told friends and neighbors became concerned when they hadn't heard from him in a few days and called cops to go over and check on him.

Warren tells us Eddie had recently been hospitalized for blood clots and could barely walk ... there's no indication his death was suspicious or that there was any foul play involved.

Eddie played Carmine Ragusa -- Shirley's boyfriend on the show from 1976-1983. Carmine would regularly sing on the show. Eddie also had a role on one of "Laverne & Shirley" producer Garry Marshall's other shows, "Blansky's Beauties" -- and he'd been nominated for a Tony Award for his role in "The Lieutenant" ... prior to his TV career taking off.

Like a lot of 70s and 80s TV stars, Eddie also had guest roles on "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat" ... and later he was on the ABC hit, "Family Matters."

Eddie has one daughter, Mia, with Yvonne Marie Grace who he married in 1994.

He was 69.

The Pussycat Doll is taking the stage for the first time on "The Masked Singer" ... Nicole Scherzinger is getting out from behind her judge's table and grabbing the mic.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Nicole will perform on the FOX singing competition show after 6 seasons of fans begging to see her show off her pipes.

It sounds like this will be a duet ... we're told Nicole will join the stage with the Queen of Hearts.

While the performance is a long time coming, our sources say it wasn't exactly easy to pull off.

We're told Nicole wanted to make her debut extra special -- ya can't blame her after 6 seasons sitting back and judging everyone else -- so she had 3 outfits to pick from and did 3 wardrobe changes during rehearsals, asking production to rehearse the song 3 times before settling on her look.

Dr. Mehmet Oz can't have his Senate cake and eat it too -- his decision to run for office means his TV fans in several major cities won't see his show for at least the next 11 months, potentially ... and maybe permanently.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us "The Dr. Oz Show" will be yanked off the air shortly in all Pennsylvania markets -- including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the capital of Harrisburg. But wait ... there's more bad news for Oz fans.

Cities neighboring the Pennsylvania area are also axing his show, and that includes the #1 TV market of NYC, and at least one midwestern city. The issue, of course, is fairness to all the other candidates. The reason ... folks in Pennsylvania can pick up Fox in NYC.

A FOX source tells us ... this is all about the FCC's equal time doctrine. Although it's unclear how much that's being enforced these days, we're told execs are concerned about providing each candidate the same amount of air time.

Remember, Oz's talk show is an hour daily, and there are currently 7 other Republican candidates and 7 Democrats vying for Sen. Pat Toomey's seat in the Senate. Ya get the potential issue. ... just ain't enough time in the day.

As for everywhere else in America ... Oz's show will be airing, but with guest hosts while he's busy on the campaign trail. No word on who's sitting in yet, but we're told they won't be doctors.

An episode of "The Simpsons" that lasers in on oppression in China has mysteriously disappeared from Disney+ in Hong Kong ... but there are clues as to who caused it to be yanked.

The episode -- titled "Goo Goo Gai Pan" -- aired in 2005, chronicling the Simpsons' trip to China. One of the main plotlines .... Marge's sister, Selma, is there to adopt a baby, but the infant is yanked from her arms by a Chinese official.

In another scene, the fam visits Tiananmen Square ... the legendary scene of protest, violence and defiance. A sign in the Square reads, "On this site, in 1989, nothing happened."  It's a not-so-subtle dig at China trying to sanitize what actually went down.

Tibet is also part of the show -- where religious oppression reigned supreme at the hands of Beijing.

Sheree Whitfield's boyfriend isn't talking to her, but he wants a chat with the folks at Bravo ... because he's pissed off about his past appearances on his girl's reality show.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's BF, Tyrone Gilliams, had his legal team fire off a cease and desist letter to the TV network ... claiming the show's been using his name and likeness without his permission.

According to the legal threat, obtained by TMZ, Tyrone says he never gave the green light for him to become a recurring 'RHOA' storyline back in the day. Even when he wasn't actually on camera, he was often discussed by cast members, and he says the network's been profiting off him without permission.

In the docs, Tyrone is threatening legal action if Bravo doesn't stop using his name and image STAT ... and he's going even further, demanding the network scrub every trace of him from 'RHOA' footage and social media posts, as well as putting the brakes on any marketing or advertising involving him.

Tyrone's been upset lately ... as we first told you, he's not on speaking terms with Sheree because 'RHOA' filming almost put him back in prison due to Sheree's plans to shoot scenes with him at a restaurant. That would've been a huge problem because he's currently sentenced to home confinement.

Jon Gosselin was bitten by a spider, and it really messed him up.

Jon tells TMZ ... he doesn't know exactly where it happened, but his leg swelled up to twice its normal size. He says ... and the pain was "excruciating." He could barely walk and rushed himself to an Urgent Care, where he got an Rx for antibiotics and antibiotic cream.

Jon told The Sun he believes it was a brown, recluse spider. If he's right, these critters are super dangerous. People have lost limbs after being bitten. Some have even died.

Jon made it clear to The Sun, 2021 has sucked for him ... "My first thought was 'What now?' I have had a rough year, my breakup was hard, then I got COVID, which was bad. It was really weird because when I looked at my leg I realized it was twice the size and there's a red-looking blister with a large red circle around it."

Gosselin went on to say ... "It kind of looked like a cigarette burn, but really raised. The doc immediately knew the pain was from a brown recluse, which is a deadly spider. My entire leg had swollen up from the cellulitis."

He wasn't done ... "The doctor told me that I was lucky to come in because if you don't treat this you can lose limbs or die from a bacterial infection. I just wish I knew where the spider was so I can take my revenge."

Dallas Jenkins says his show about Jesus isn't the same old, same old we've seen done time and again -- and as Christmas nears ... his latest installment might just be what everyone needs as we exit the pandemic.

We talked to the TV producer -- who's the EP of 'The Chosen,' which gives a modern take on Jesus' journeys -- and he tells us why he thinks his latest holiday special spinoff, 'Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers,' is going to resonate with audiences.

First off, he acknowledges a lot of people have turned to religion during the pandemic -- plus everything else we've been through as a society over the past year-plus ... and his series is perfect for scooping those folks up and bringing them on an entertaining, spiritual journey.

As DJ explains ... he thinks the neat thing about Jesus, specifically, is that getting onboard with him is more about building a relationship and less about the institution of religion itself -- something that seems to come through on 'The Chosen,' which has been on since 2017.

Speaking of his show -- you might've heard about it ... it's very modern, in the sense that it plays like a comedy-drama from a major network -- and JC isn't portrayed as lily white stiff.

Adam Trent is one of the best in the biz when it comes to the ol' abracadabra -- but he's just as magical when he gives his gift to others, which is what he's doing for a new TV special.

We spoke to the veteran magician about his new ABC special, "The Magic Maker," and it's all about him helping ordinary people wow loved ones with out-of-this-world feats that deceive the eyes.

Of course, Adam and the network had to figure out who exactly was deserving of getting crowned with an honorary magician's hat ... and he explains how that process worked.

Sounds like Adam and co. did, in fact, hone in on the best sorts of people -- everyone from children's doctors to firefighters and service members ... and even head over heels in love folks.

That last mention is a nod to what looks like an incredible stunt Adam was somehow able to pull off with a guy proposing to his GF ... leading up to it with a walk on water that seems way too real to believe.

That's just one of the many incredible magic tricks Adam teaches others ... and he did it live, on camera. The special was obviously pre-taped, but word is -- all the tricks were performed front and center without any assistance from video editing.

"Selling Sunset" star Mary Fitzgerald is throwing girl code out the window ... she's got no problem with co-star Chrishell Stause dating her ex, who just so happens to be their boss.

Mary joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and we asked her about girl code on the show, or lack thereof, as it relates to Chrishell continuing to move on from her divorce by getting with Mary's former flame, Jason Oppenheim ... who owns the agency featured on the show.

As we reported ... Chrishell and Jason went public with their budding relationship back in July, on a European group getaway with Mary and her husband, Romain Bonnet.

Mary says she was actually one of the driving forces behind Chrishell and Jason announcing their romance to the world ... so she's definitely putting her money where her mouth is here, telling us how she egged them on to go Instagram official.

Mary and Jason dated a few years ago, but remained close ... and she tells us what advice she gave to JO when he started showing an interest in Chrishell.

While the relationship has Mary's blessing, it's still too fresh to be featured on the upcoming season 4 of "Selling Sunset," which drops Wednesday on Netflix. She says that'll be on season 5.

Another person featured in 'Tiger King' has died -- only this time, by suicide ... one which happened right in front of a family member, so say cops.

Former reptile dealer Jeff Johnson -- who made a brief appearance in episode 4 of 2020's 'TK' docuseries to talk Carole Baskin -- shot and killed himself in September, and did so in the immediate presence of his wife ... this according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Per the incident report, obtained by TMZ, Johnson was arguing with his spouse in their garage on Sept. 8 -- while their children were home as well -- and at one point, the man brought a Glock-style handgun up to his head ... and pulled the trigger.

Johnson's wife called 911 for attempted suicide, and when officers arrived ... they say he still had a pulse and was rushed to a hospital. Unfortunately, Johnson was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The cops note Johnson's wife said her husband had not suffered from any mental illness and had not experienced any prior attempted suicide -- so it's unclear why he did this.

Like we said, Jeff's time on 'Tiger King' was short-lived ... but memorable in that he explained the beef between Joe Exotic and Carole. Interestingly enough, Jeff and Joe are also said to be one-time pals turned foes. Story goes ... Jeff and Joe were cool in the past -- as they both worked in the exotic animals world -- but had a falling out once Jeff Lowe came into the picture. At that point, Jeff bashed them early and often ... and vice versa.

There's a report that Jeff's home was actually burned down during this feuding -- but it's unclear if his beef with Joe and JL are in any way connected. Jeff Lowe tells us that he was in Las Vegas at the time and denies any involvement.

Jeff was 58.