The Masked Singer US season 3: All the celebrity contestants and theories
The Masked Singer, America's adaptation of the hit Korean format has some of the most elaborate costumes we've seen yet. (And we've all seen the UK version…)
Three seasons in, the likes of Llama and Taco are mesmerising and freaking viewers out in equal measure, but let's face it: you're not here to talk about the costumes. You want to know who's underneath that wild tongue and delicious-looking salad dressing.
The identities of Robot, Llama, Miss Monster, Elephant and Mouse have already been revealed, but what about the remaining contestants?
Join us and get your sleuth on as we make the kind of well-founded guesses the actual judges never could.
Who is The Astronaut?
We might be reaching for the stars here, but The Astronaut costume contains a few hints which might reveal this contestant's identity already.
One of the most popular candidates online is Carson Daly from The Today Show. Back in the late '90s, Carson made his name as a presenter on MTV, and it might be no coincidence that The Astronaut costume strongly resembles a "Moonman," the MTV Music Video Award.
Another strong guess is former NSYNC member Lance Bass. In 2002, Bass trained to visit the international space station, but he was grounded after he couldn't raise the finances needed. If Bass really is The Astronaut, then that might be why his costume is completely covered in gold.
Alternatively, TVGuide reckon Pharrell Williams might be hiding in that helmet. Sure, that's a very big name for The Masked Singer, but his obsession with all things space could explain this costume. Not only is he one half of the Neptunes, a groundbreaking production duo, but his music label is called Star Trak, and this particular costume also bears some resemblance to the logo for his clothing line Billionaire Boys Club.
Who is The Banana?
Try as we might, it's tough to peel back the mysteries surrounding Banana just yet. That costume doesn't give anything away, although sleuths online first speculated that this could be Gwen Stefani, the Hollaback Girl who once taught the world how to spell "B-A-N-A-N-A-S".
Of course, we now know Banana is a guy thanks to his performance of Elvis Presley’s 'A Little Less Conversation'. A cowboy hat and a blowfish seen in the clue video led the judges to guess Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker, but we don't think Banana is a professional singer.
Our money's on a comedian like Bill Engvall or Ed Helms. Banana mentions a blue collar at one point and they were both part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Or what about Weird Al Yankovic, the award-winning comedy singer who happens to have a new autobiography due out later this year?
Failing all that, it could always be Jason Bateman. It's about time he started making some money off that banana stand in Arrested Development.
Who is The Bear?
There's not a lot to go on just yet, so bear with us here, but the Bear costume does suggest this contestant might be female.
While that only narrows things down to the three and a half billion women on this planet, the '70s-inspired tie-dyed dress they're wearing suggests the celebrity in question might have been particularly popular in that decade.
However, that didn't stop fans online from throwing out more modern guesses already, ranging from Cardi B and Mandy Moore to even Kylie Jenner.
Who is The Elephant?
At first we thought we'd cracked this one wide open, guessing that will.i.am was hiding under that Elephant costume.
However, we now know that iconic skateboarder Tony Hawk was bringing that "trunk-y" music instead. Honestly, we were pretty dumb(o) to not see this one coming.
Who is The Frog?
So far, The Frog has told us they're "ribbiting to watch," and that he won't be "frog-otten". While this doesn't narrow things down too much, that hasn't stopped fans from wildly speculating on their identity, name-dropping everyone from Johnny Depp to Seth MacFarlane.
The first clue we have comes from a promo where host Nick Cannon dropped off Frog's costume to someone running on a treadmill with a platinum record on the wall behind them. Honestly, it's a bit of a leap to imagine either of these clues relating to Depp or MacFarlane.
In his debut episode, The Frog then told us he's a "tadpole plucked from a large creek," and the video also included a poster from the 1000-meter event at the 1996 Games, a microphone and $106 split among three bills.
Bow Wow, welcome to The Masked Singer.
Why are we so sure? Not only does the Frog sound just like him, that last clue in particular is a dead give-away. Bow Wow was a host on a countdown music video show called 106 & Park, and given that he used to be called Lil Bow Wow, that tadpole mention suddenly makes a whole lot more sense.
Failing that, Frog could be Bow Wow's mentor, producer Jermaine Dupri. His latest clues mentioned fitting in with the big frogs from "Jump Jump," a 90s Kriss Kross song the rapper produced. That poster of the 1996 Olympics could also tie in here as the games were set in Atlanta, which is where Jermaine hails from.
Who is The Kangaroo?
Kangaroo's Australian heritage instantly led some to suspect she's Iggy Azalea, but that's about as likely as Jordin Sparks, another bizarre guess which is bouncing around online.
Judge Nicole Scherzinger fared slightly better, guessing Kelly Rowland because of her stint as a judge on The Voice Australia.
However, the most likely candidate seems to be the American model Jordyn Woods. One of the biggest clues revolved around a recent loss in her family, and her father died not too long ago. He was a sound engineer in the music industry, which would explain why a gramophone appeared in the video too.
Kangaroo also discusses how she was thrust into the spotlight for "all the wrong reasons," which could refer to Jordyn's feud with the Kardashians. Either way, it's tough keeping up with all these clues.
In her third appearance on the show, Kangaroo's brother revealed another clue during her video, saying, "When tragedy hit our family, she was the glue that held us all together." Does Jordyn Woods have a brother? Yes she does...
Who is The Kitty?
We weren't (ahem) kitten when we said this was going to be tough, but there are a few small clues which may have already revealed The Kitty's identity right meow.
Given her Vegas-themed attire, along with the fact she has one blue eye and one green eye, fans are starting to suspect The Kitty could be Saved By The Bell's Elizabeth Berkley. Not only did she star in the kitsch classic Showgirls, she also has heterochromia, too.
For her debut on the show, Kitty sang Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman," which led some viewers to believe that she could be Elizabeth Gillies. The actress played Jade West in the Nickelodeon series Victorious where she became friends with Ariana.
It might seem improbable, but some fans are starting to suspect that Emma Watson could be under the mask too. References to wizards and rose petals hint at her roles in Harry Potter and Beauty & The Beast. Sure, Kitty doesn't sound English, but Watson is an actress, after all, and it wouldn't be hard for her to switch up her accent.
Failing all that, we're hoping this could turn out to be Dame Judi Dench, the Queen Mother of terrifying cats and digital fur technology.
Who is The Llama?
After losing out to Miss Monster, White Tiger, Kangaroo, and Turtle, the man behind Llama's wild tongue was revealed to be Drew Carey, a famous US comedian who hosts The Price Is Right.
Who is Miss Monster?
Following Miss Monster's performances, the judges guessed a wide range of singers, including Mary J Blige, Dolly Parton and Dionne Warwick. We said they were all wrong, and it turns out we were correct. In the third episode, Miss Monster was finally unmasked as the legendary Queen of Funk.
Chaka Khan, welcome to The Masked Singer.
Speaking to Billboard about her experiences on the show, the singer otherwise known as Yvette Marie Stevens described it as "the weirdest" gig of her career.
The clues about her identity were clear from the very beginning. We could talk about that locker with the number ten on it, and how that matches the number of Grammys she's won over the years.
We could also talk about how the video clues referenced some of her classic songs, including 'Will You Love Me?' and 'Papillon [aka] Hot Butterfly', as seen in a drawing during the second episode's VT.
Or, and most convincingly of all, Miss Monster just sounded exactly like her. That is Chaka Khan, and we feel sorry for you if you didn't guess that sooner.
Who is The Mouse?
We were SO sure that Mouse was Paris Hilton.
Did you see those pink sweatpants in the promo video? And the chihuahua? How about that sparkly golden gate buzzer? While some poor misguided viewers believe Mouse must be Reese Witherspoon serving some Legally Blonde realness, we thought she could only turn out to be The Simple Life star.
After all, her first video even included the number 3340, which just so happens to be the same house number of Hilton's actual abode in Beverley Hills.
However, we can now admit that we were wrong. After hearing the Mouse sing, it became clear that this was a soul legend.
Dionne Warwick, welcome to The Masked Singer.
Unfortunately, the Grammy-award winning singer of hits like "Walk On By" has walked on out of the competition after receiving the least amount of votes in the Feb 26 episode.
Who is The Night Angel?
Until The Night Angel actually performs on the show, we're completely in the dark on this one. Some fans suspect that American makeup artist Jeffree Star might be hiding under the mask, but without any substantial clues to go on, there's not much light to shed here just yet.
Who is The Rhino?
This Rhino outfit is just plane ridiculous. We all know these land-loving creatures can't fly! Still, his pilot get-up is the only real clue we have to go on just yet.
Some fans have guessed that Rhino could turn out to be John Travolta. Not only is he known to fly airplanes in his spare time, but the Grease star is no stranger to singing either.
Failing that, there's an itty bitty chance that Rhino might be Nick Jonas instead. The aviator costume is serving some Jumanji realness, after all.
Who is The Robot?
Lil Wayne was the very first contestant to leave The Masked Singer US season three, and he's already more famous than anyone we've seen unveiled on the UK's version.
Who is The Swan?
Among all the terrible guesses Ken Jeong has made over the years, one of the most relentless is Bjork. Time and time again, he's wrongly suspected that the petite Icelandic icon is hiding inside one of The Masked Singer costumes.
Because of this and because she famously wore a swan dress to the Oscars, the internet has begun to wonder if The Swan could actually turn out to be Bjork, after all.
Alternatively, there's a chance Jessica Simpson might be wading in here instead. Her youngest daughter is called Birdie, and Simpson is exactly the kind of celebrity you'd expect to take part here. Oh, and we're not even going to entertain any wild Natalie Portman guesses.
Who is The Taco?
Every day is Taco Tuesday now The Masked Singer has introduced this edible delight in season three, but who the guac could be hiding under that mask?
One of the most popular guesses so far is basketball player LeBron James. That might seem random, but his love for tiny tacos is well documented, and, as ESPN and others reported, he even tried to trademark the phrase "Taco Tuesday" at one point.
Another candidate is the actor Danny Trejo, who runs his own business inventively called Trejo's Tacos. Would The Masked Singer really get this literal, though? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
Continuing this food theme, some fans have started to suspect Taco could be none other than Guy Fieri, the Food Network star and celebrity chef.
While that does make sense, our money is on a long-running TV host like Tom Bergeron from Dancing With the Stars. The anchor in his video and that clue about being "a comforting part of your lives for decades," certainly suggest someone older and more well-established like him.
Failing all that, Tim Allen is a likely contender too. His "last mask standing" comment could refer to his current Fox series, Last Man Standing, and that whoopee cushion clue hint at his comedic roots.
Who is The T-Rex?
Anyone can see that this blast from the past is no ordinary dinosaur thanks to the costume's Shakespearean elements, which suggest this celebrity might be an actor instead of a singer.
While that doesn't really narrow things down much, that hasn't stopped some over-zealous fans from already making predictions, which include Neil Patrick Harris and even Jeff Goldblum.
However, if we're really going down the Jurassic Park route, let's go all out and say the T-Rex must be Laura Dern, purely because the world deserves more Laura Dern right now.
Who is The Turtle?
The judges are way off with their guesses so far. There's no way The Turtle is Zac Efron or Donnie Wahlberg, although they're right on the money about his boyband roots.
Jesse McCartney, welcome to The Masked Singer.
How can we be so sure? Well, following his role as a child actor on All My Children, McCartney joined the boy band Dream Street, and there are a bunch of video clues which reference that.
Early on, The Turtle talked about fighting "tooth and nail for the dream," and in episode two, the words "Don't rave ever at my school – Turtle" are written on a chalkboard? Wondering why that's relevant? Look at what the first letter of each word spells. D-R-E-A-M-S-T.
Jesse The Turtle also talks about moving away from his childhood image, echoing what many former Disney and boyband stars have said before: "People have always expected me to act in a certain way... I want to rebel from all that."
On top of that, The Turtle cleaned a surfboard in one of his clue videos, which looks like a direct reference to the three Teen Choice Awards McCartney won in 2005.
Oh, and Turtle also sounds just like him too.
In the third episode, Turtle's 9th grade biology teacher said the secret celebrity always loved to sing in class, much like every other singer on the show we imagine. However, a more intriguing clue came from Jesse Turtle himself, who told judge Nicole Scherzinger that: "I'll never forget the morning we spent together. It was Turtle-y awesome."
Who is The White Tiger?
The White Tiger revealed in the premiere that he's a "scaredy-cat" when it comes to singing in front of an audience. Now that we've heard his vocals, it's easy to see why, so we can safely assume he's not a professional singer. In fact, with all the clues we've been given so far, it looks like there can only be one man behind that mask.
Rob Gronkowski, welcome to The Masked Singer.
At one point, The White Tiger shows off eight blue stones, which just so happens to be the same number of rings Gronkowski now owns thanks to his three Super Bowl and five Pro Bowl appearances.
The reference to "four score and seven years" is obviously linked to the football player's number, 87, and it's safe to say that the "five-time clam shucking champ" clue refers to his 5 AFC championship titles.
New clues in the third episode included the kind of foam fingers you see at sport games, too. And then, there's Gronk's physicality and that larger-than-life persona to consider. Honestly, what more do you need to know?
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