Yahoo News The Masked Singer: Who are the mystery contestants?
The most bizarre competition series in the world, The Masked Singer, is back on ITV every Saturday night.
The show returned to our screens on New Year’s Day, with a new group of celebrities performing from inside giant costumes in a bid to outwit judges Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan.
Here’s a line-up of the mystery contestants and what we know about them so far. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the celebrities who have been revealed already.
Mushroom was the first contestant to perform during the opening show, during which she treated fans to a tuneful rendition of “It’s Oh So Quiet” by Björk.
In her opening night VT, Mushroom spoke with a northern English accent and dropped hints about doing serious work and having a love of trying new things while also holding a gavel.
However, when singing she appeared to have a strong Irish accent, leaving both the audience and judge Davina McCall convinced that Mushroom must come from Ireland.
A number of names were frequently raised by viewers at home, including comedian Aisling Bea.
Many suggested that Mushroom could be one of the Derry Girls, while some said that they thought it was actually Siobhán McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael, behind the mask.
However, a number of viewers guessed that it was actually Pauline McLynn, who is most famous for playing Mrs Doyle in Father Ted.
In the episode on 8 January, Mushroom sang “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” by Stockard Channing from the film Grease.
She gave away hardly any clues. She said the judges need to “get up earlier and dig deeper if they want to catch me out”. She added: “I’ve been lucky to be able to leave my forest and plant myself in lots of exciting places far from home.”
Ora thought Mushroom sounded less Irish than before, so her guess was Saturdays star Rochelle Humes. McCall thought of singer Jane McDonald, while Gilligan got “Yorkshire vibes” from the accent and went for actor Kym Marsh and Ross guessed Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley.
Quite a few viewers on Twitter reckon Mushroom could be Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker or actor Sheridan Smith.
According to the bookies, Mushroom is most likely to be Bea with odds of 10/11.
In her first appearance, Bagpipes took to the stage to perform Blur’s 1997 single “Song 2”.
The tartan-wearing character was introduced in the first episode with a clip filmed on the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland.
The brief video saw Bagpipes discuss his Scottish heritage and accent. Other clues included two bagels, along with the mystery star having a Scotty dog called Annette. The celebrity apparently has a “wee connection to Scotland” and has used an instrument before.
Many fans speculated that Bagpipes could be Perth-born actor Alan Cumming. However, in a succinct post on Twitter, Cumming shut down those rumours, commenting: “Newsflash: I am not on @MaskedSingerUK nor will I ever be. Thank you.”
Other guesses from fans include Doctor Who actor David Tennant, Game of Thrones star Richard Madden and tennis star John McEnroe because “double bagel” is a tennis term.
According to the bookies, Bagpipes is most likely to be revealed as McEnroe with odds of 5/6.
Doughnuts sang “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor for his performance.
In his video introduction, Doughnuts was heard speaking in a Liverpudlian accent and calling himself “extra speedy”.
We also saw some football sweets among a pick’n’mix, as Doughnuts commented: “As well as being sweet, I’ve also been savoury.”
Fans seem convinced that the celebrity must be involved in sports, suggesting football stars including Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Gary Lineker.
On 8 January, Doughnuts sang Spice Girls tune “Spice Up Your Life”. It’s been hinted they have the Capricorn star sign and ornithology (the study of birds) was also mentioned alongside a pair of binoculars.
Gilligan thought the previous clue of “stoke that fire” could be another hint that Doughnuts is footballer Owen. Ross guessed footballer Chris Kamara. Ora noticed the VT hinted at raving so said it could be DJ Chris Moyles. McCall went for former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler.
Owen and Peter Crouch were popular guesses on Twitter. “Doughnuts is defo Michael Owen for the voice alone,” posted one fan.
According to the bookies, Doughnuts is most likely to be Owen with odds of 4/9.
Traffic Cone performed “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and dropped a number of clues about his identity in his VT.
He said in week one that the triangle shape was linked to something close to his heart and that he liked to party. He also made references to both sport and driving.
The judges guessed that Peter Andre, Chris Kamara, Olly Murs or Alistair Brownlee could be behind the mask.
Sharing their guesses online, Twitter users said that they believed Murs, Peter Kay or Rob Brydon might be Traffic Cone.
According to the bookies, Traffic Cone is most likely to be Kamara with odds of 7/4.
Panda
In week one, Panda performed “Levitating” by Dua Lipa.
The biggest clues we know so far about Panda are that their VT was filmed in the woods, they love “adventure”, they are a “solitary creature” and an “introverted extrovert”, and that they have an American accent. Panda also revealed they had “been animated” before.
One fan theory circulating online is that Alesha Dixon is hiding beneath the costume, as the talent show judge voiced a part in Disney’s animation Doc McStuffins.
Others are speculating that it’s the singer Natalie Imbruglia, who provided the voice for Koala in Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe. They also think the outdoorsy clues could relate to her Australian upbringing.
According to the bookies, Panda is most likely to be Imbruglia with odds of 1/1.
In week one, Rockhopper performed “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood.
The biggest clues we know so far about Rockhopper are that they are a big entertainer, they are related to the circus, they might have an American accent, and they have the ability to jump. They also “made headlines by being the first” and there have been mentions of the “greatest show”.
One fan theory circulating online is that Zendaya is hiding beneath the costume, as the actor starred in The Greatest Showman.
Ora was convinced Rockhopper was Zendaya, too, and the clue hinting towards the star’s ability to jump could tie into Zendaya’s boyfriend, Spider-Man star Tom Holland.
According to the bookies, Rockhopper is most likely to be Zendaya with odds of 6/4.
Firework performed during the first show, lighting up the stage with their rendition of “Domino” by Jessie J.
In their opening VT, they said: “I’ve always been a pocket rocket, a total bundle of energy, but that’s just my style. Maybe that’s because fireworks are designed to make people smile.”
In the video, a wooden human model and a dog figurine were shown on a shelf.
Firework added that normally “you find us in the sky, but this one also lit things up in another fashion”.
“I light up the street with a different kind of flash,” they said in a final clue.
Guesses from the judging panel included Spice Girls’ Mel C, Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague, model Jodie Kidd and Michelle Keegan.
In the third episode, Firework danced to “Fame” by Irene Cara. The biggest clues were that they have jumped from sport to sport, from swimming to running to gymnastics.
They said they won a gold medal once and have taken part in “games”.
Ross guessed singer Anne-Marie, Ora guessed Dannii Minogue, McCall guessed TV personality Kate Lawler and Gilligan guessed Keegan again.
A few Twitter users guessed it could be hockey player Sam Quek, others thought it might be gymnast Beth Tweddle.
According to the bookies, Firework is most likely to be Keegan with odds of 6/5.
This furry friend performed a winning rendition of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” during episode one.
Poodle’s VT gave viewers plenty of clues to chew on. Hints included references to queens, performing, flamboyance, and dogs. The character also nodded to the Royal Variety Performance.
“I’ve always loved a bit of glamour and I don’t mind telling you that flamboyance is a little bit fabulous. It’s something I’ve always admired,” said the persona.
They added: “I can’t wait to be let off the leash in this competition. I’m very eager to start. Are you r-r-r-ready for me? Ruff!”
In their final clue, Poodle said: “I once went on a very long walkies.”
Some viewers on Twitter guessed that Paul O’Grady could be Poodle given that the comedian and broadcaster presents a show called For the Love of Dogs.
O’Grady also performed in drag as Lily Savage for years. He has also starred in the Royal Variety Performance.
According to the bookies, Poodle is most likely to be O’Grady with odds of 8/11.
The half-robot-half-animal character won fans over with their rendition of “Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston on the first weekend.
In their first VT, Robobunny gave a number of clues, stating: “You thought I was a real tough guy, aye? That’s just my shell. I’m actually a real softie, who’s part of a machine.”
They added: “Now I’m not going to ‘rabbit’ on about hard exterior but I will say that I’m here to ‘Control-Alt-Delete’ what you know about me.”
Their final clue was: “I might be made of metal but that doesn’t stop me making a splash.”
Some viewers thought the character could be Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, due to Robobunny’s voice, others thought it could be Westlife’s Mark Feehily as he appeared in an episode of Doc Martin called “ctrl , alt , delete”.
Given the size of the costume and the fact the character speaks in what appears to be two voices, many fans speculated that Robobunny could, in fact, be two people, for example Ant and Dec.
The judges guessed celebrities including Vinnie Jones, Drake and Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness.
On 8 January, Robobunny sang “Shallow” from A Star is Born by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Clues included a police badge, cowboy boots, a ranch and line dancing.
Ora thought it could be Danny O’Donohue from The Script, Gilligan guessed Richard Blackwood because of the letters “R” and “B” and McCall reckoned it could perhaps be actor Kevin Bacon.
Viewers were still keen on Feehily. “Robobunny is Mark Feehily from Westlife and I’ll not hear another word about it,” tweeted one fan.
According to the bookies, Robobunny is most likely to be Feehily with odds of 6/4.
Chandelier - Heather Small
The Nineties singer – famed for hits like “Moving On Up” and “Proud” – was unmasked on the very first Saturday. Her song was “Crazy” by Patsy Cline.
Snow Leopard - Gloria Hunniford
The Rip Off Britain and Loose Women presenter sang Shirley Bassey classic Big Spender on the hit ITV show. Her true identity was discovered on the first weekend.
Lionfish - Will Young
The “Leave Right Now” singer was the third mystery celebrity to be revealed after losing in the dance-off against Firework. Judges Ora and Ross had both guessed his identity correctly.
The Masked Singer airs on Saturdays on ITV at 7pm.
