Characters / The Masked Singer Seasons 1 To 4

Season 1

Hippo

Ranking: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Antonio Brown
Song sung:

"My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown

Intro Song: "HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar

• Big Eater: A part of his clue package shows him eating a BIG pancake breakfast!
• Foreshadowing:
  • A big appetite is usually important if you're a football player!
  • His clue video mentions that he was used to performing in a mask in front of thousands of fans...
  • Every time he wins a game, he just gotta dance! Even if it gets him into trouble...
  • The $10,000 bill in the restaurant represented the $10,000 fine he got for dancing in the end zone...
• Mr. Fanservice: After being unmasked, he lifts up his shirt to show off his six-pack, much to the delight of the female judges.

Pineapple

Ranking: First-round elimination
Real identity: Tommy Chong
Song sung:

"I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor

Intro Song: “Whatta Man” by Salt-n- Pepa ft. En Vogue

• Anthropomorphic Food: A singing, partying pineapple.
• Beach Episode: "I Will Survive" takes place on a tropical beach with the backup dancers in beachgoing attire. Then a storm starts to come along...
• Cool Old Guy: A self-described OG. At the time, he was the oldest celebrity to have competed on the show, being 80 at the time of competing.
• Cool Shades: Has a pair of oversized sunglasses with striped lenses
• Foreshadowing:
  • The Yin and Yang symbol in his car represents his Chinese heritage.
  • The licence plate on his car: Pure Michigan 52438T represents his birthday: 5/24/38.
  • The Pipe Dreams bumper sticker references Operation Pipe Dream.
  • In his clue package he also mentions "Up in Smoke" a.k.a The movie he and Cheech were famous for.
• Fun Personified: Pineapple looks like he never left the 24/7 beach party.
• Muscle Beach Bum: He wears his Hawaiian shirt open to show off his impressive muscles.
• Non-Human Head: Has human-like abs in spite of having a fruit as a head.
• Parrot Pet Position: There's a red parrot perched on Pineapple's shoulder.
• Perpetual Smiler: Check out that big, goofy grin.
• The Stoner: Of course, he made several weed references in his biography video. It would be more of a shock if he didn't.
• Umbrella Drink: He's got a straw with an umbrella sticking out of his pineapple head.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The setting of "I Will Survive" starts off as a day at the beach, but halfway in the sky turns dark and a storm rolls in to ruin the fun. Behind him the backup dancers and beach equipment are getting blown around by heavy winds, but Pineapple keeps on singing like the chill dude he is.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: The costume includes an exposed chest.

Deer

Ranking: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Terry Bradshaw
Songs sung:
"Thunder" by Imagine Dragons
"Get Your Shine On" by Florida Georgia Line

Intro song: "Black Betty" by Ram Jam

• Cool Old Guy: Known for his soulful country style singing, which oddly contrasts with his intimidating appearance.
• Dramatic Thunder: His performance of "Thunder is accompanied by flashes of lightning. It's a no-brainer, really.
• Foreshadowing:
  • All the trophies in his clues references his times as an NFL and Super Bowl MVP.
  • When he mentions in one of his clues: "Ravens, beware." He wasn't talking about our Raven, he was referring to the fact he was a Pittsburgh Steeler. (Oddly enough, this clue is anchronistic; he retired long before the Baltimore Ravens existed.)
  • His throwing skills hinted at him being a quarterback.
  • His love of horses come from the fact he and his family raise and breed champion quarter horses.
• Gas Mask, Longcoat: For some reason someone thought to build a deer costume from this base idea, and then made it work.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: The only deer covered in more leather than most cows.
• Large Ham: One of his videos has him acting out a Honest John's Dealership routine.
• Signature Laugh: Even with the voice modulation on, Terry Bradshaw's shoulder-shaking laugh is unmistakable.

Poodle

Ranking: Second-round elimination
Real identity: Margaret Cho
Songs sung:

"Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar
"Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper

Intro Song: “Bossy” by Kelis ft. Too $hort

• Foreshadowing: Her info video shows both San Francisco & the Pride Flag, which represents both her hometown and her advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Sums up the Poodle's design aesthetics.
• Pink Means Feminine: Mostly white with pink trim.
• Swing Low, Sweet Harriet: Performs "Time After Time" while swinging rather sweetly on a large swing.

Unicorn

Ranking: Third-round elimination
Real identity: Tori Spelling
Songs sung:

"Fight Song" by Rachel Platten
"Oops!.... I Did It Again" by Britney Spears
"I Love It" by Icona Pop ft Charli XCX

Intro song: "Born this Way" by Lady Gaga

• All Girls Like Ponies: Bumped up to a unicorn in this case.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A place called Unicorn Hills is seen in her info videos. Spelling both grew up and starred in Beverly Hills, 90210.
  • There's a lot of mentions to arts & crafts. Spelling hosted a show called Craft Wars.
  • The 5 unicorns are a reference to her 5 kids.
  • For her "revealing item", she brings in a typewriter. The one her father Aaron used to write his screenplays.
  • They call her "bird" and she references flying a lot. "Tori" means "bird" in Japanese.
• Pimped-Out Dress: With her unicorn mask looking like a stylized chess knight, she resembles classical art.

Raven

Ranking: Third-round elimination
Real identity: Ricki Lake
Songs sung:

"Rainbow" by Kesha
"Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
"Brave" by Sara Bareilles

Intro song: "Centuries" by Fall Out Boy

• Dark and Troubled Past: Which the very dark Raven suit is meant to symbolize.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Two of her song choices are uplifting anthems.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Her mouth is clearly visible through her costume.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Mentions that she's used to listening to other people's problems.
  • Mentions a man that came into her life and changed everything. That man was John Waters.
  • 1969 can be seen in an info video. That was the year she was born.
  • One clue package has her holding a digital clock depicting the time 11:11. Her talk show lasted for 11 seasons.
• Plague Doctor: The one-piece Raven mask over her helmet makes her look more like this.

Alien

Ranking: 6th Place
Real Identity: La Toya Jackson
Songs sung:
"Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man
"Lovefool" by The Cardigans
"Happy" by Pharrell Williams
"Ex's & Oh's" by Elle King

Intro Song: "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas

• The Cameo: Appears in 2 of Astronaut's performances in season 3. She's on the screen of the monitors is "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and drives an interplanetary rover in "If I Can't Have You".
• Foreshadowing:
  • Mentions that privacy was a rarity in her family. With how notorious her brother's antics have been, privacy wasn't exactly something the Jacksons had in their lives.
  • One of her info videos is stylized to look like a law firm commercial. La Toya actually wanted to be a lawyer.
  • Snakes can be seen throughout her videos. These are a reference to her pet snakes.
• Latex Space Suit: Deliberately wears a figure-hugging suit that led to Ken Jeong (playfully) lusting over her, even before (and just after) her face is revealed.
• Little Green Man: The core of her design.
• My Brain Is Big: Granted all of the masks are oversized heads, but the Alien was designed with this trope in mind.

Lion

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Rumer Willis
Songs sung:

"A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" by Fergie
"Feeling Good" by Nina Simone
"California Dreamin'" by Barry McGuire (as covered by Sia in San Andreas)
"Diamond Heart" by Lady Gaga
"Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" by Stevie Wonder

Intro Song: "Barracuda" by Heart

• Actually Pretty Funny: JB Smoove's comments made her fall to her knees laughing.
• Animal Gender-Bender: Although female, the costume is distinctly based off the male lion.
• Bling of War: A stunningly golden suit, with a very large and very gold mask.
• Foreshadowing: Mentions coming from Hollywood royalty. She's the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.
  • She says her pride is full of a lot of women, a reference to her and her 4 sisters.
  • One of her info videos looks like an old gangster film, alluding to the time she performed in Chicago.
  • What's all this talk about growing her empire? It's a reference to her role as Tory Ash on Empire.
  • A newspaper with the headline "Gold found in Hailey" is seen. She was raised in Hailey, Idaho
• High Collar of Doom: The Lion's 'mane' is really a furry collar that's wider than her shoulders!
• Melismatic Vocals: One reason she's one of the top contenders to date.

Rabbit

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Joey Fatone
Songs sung:

"Livin la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin
"Wake Me Up" by Avicii feat. Aloe Blacc
"Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe
"Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder
"My Girl" by The Temptations

Intro song: “Remember The Name” by Fort Minor ft. Styles of Beyond

• The Cameo: Makes a brief post-commercial break appearance in one of Season 2's episodes unmasked.
• The Casanova: "My Girl" was dedicated to all the female singers. Rather appropriately, he's revealed to be Italian-American.
• Character Tic: A deliberate head-twitch meant to throw people off.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Many lyrics or titles from songs he's sung are dropped. Possibly the sneakiest one is in his final clue, when he mentions "Trashin' the Camp" — specifically the Tarzan song that was covered by Phil Collins and *NSYNC.
  • Mentions he found comfort in a group, particularly synchronized singing.
  • Some shots of Coney Island are dropped.
  • The cooking hints are a nod to Joey's hot dog joint Fat Ones in Florida.
  • Admits that he's a trickster. Or rather, a joker — Joey's good friends with the Impractical Jokers, and hosts their after-show. NSYNC also had a reputation for being jokesters.
• Keet: Brings the high-energy dance moves every time.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Rabbit mask has light-up eyes!
• Scenery Gorn: The backdrop during "Livin' La Vida Loca".
• Troubled, but Cute: It's an adorable white rabbit in a white straitjacket.

Bee

Ranking: 3rd place
Real Identity: Gladys Knight
Songs sung:
"Chandelier" by Sia
"Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars
"Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus
"What's Love Got to Do With It" by Tina Turner
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin
"I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt

Intro song: "Black and Yellow" by Wiz Khalifa

• Big Creepy-Crawlies
• Cool Old Lady: Claims to have started singing in the 1950s. We kid you not. And yet she's deliberately gone with more contemporary songs each time. And seeing as it's the 76 year old Gladys Knight under there, she's telling the truth.
• Feminine Women Can Cook: Several references to food and cooking in her clue packages. She's published several cookbooks and even owns a chicken and waffle restaurant
• Foreshadowing: In one package, she declares "You can call me queen bee, but empress also suits me." One of her most famous monikers is the "Empress of Soul".
  • Peaches appear frequently. She's from the peach state of Georgia.
  • A train on a shelf alludes to her arguably biggest hit, "Midnight Train to Georgia."
  • Those roses are an allusion to the fact that she recorded the theme song for Licence to Kill.
  • Mentions that success was always in the cards. Was famously backed up by The Pips, the symbols that denote a card's suit and value.

Peacock

Ranking: 2nd Place
Real identity: Donny Osmond
Songs sung:

"The Greatest Show" by Hugh Jackman and the Greatest Showman Ensemble
"Counting Stars" by OneRepublic
"All of Me" by John Legend
"Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd
"Let's Go" by Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo
"Shake A Tail Feather" by Ray Charles

Intro song: "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars

• Agent Peacock: Goes without saying.
• Acrophobic Bird: Admits to being afraid of height—and yet he stands on platform that rises 30 feet into the air during his 2nd performance.
• Cool Old Guy: One time he admits that "your mother may have had a poster of me in her bedroom".
• Excuse Me While I Multitask: When show tapings where done he'd fly off to Vegas to perform in shows, with no one none the wiser.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Admits to being a former Teen Idol. He indeed was in the 70's.
  • Many allusions to magic and Las Vegas are included in his info videos.
  • For his "revealing item", he brings in a wig that he claims got him thrown in jail. Remember Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?
  • The Angel Moroni is seen in a photo at one point. He's a member of the Mormon church.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Just look at that train.
• Large Ham: Every time he goes on that stage he owns it!
• Proud Peacock: He's very proud of his long career and won't hesitate to show off any chance he gets.

Monster

Ranking: 1st Place
Real Identity: T-Pain
Songs sung:

"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
"I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw
"American Woman" by The Guess Who (as covered by Lenny Kravitz)
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
"Stay With Me" by Sam Smith
"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan

Intro song: "Let's Get it Started" by The Black Eyed Peas

• Big Fun
• Breakout Character: Ever since his victory, Monster became the de-facto face of the franchise. Most of the following seasons had their own take on him, and he himself appeared as a guest panelist in two of those seasons as well.
• The Cameo: He (or at least the costume) appears halfway through Miss Monster's first performance in Season 3 to dance alongside her.
• Classy Cane: Due to the cumbersome Monster outfit, he gets a custom mike on an extended rod that resembles this trope. (Also serves as a nice tribute to Freddie Mercury, who carried his mike the same way.)
• Cute Monster
• Foreshadowing:
  • Constantly mentions feeling not wanted by others and "the game" abandoning him. Being one of the more frequent users of Auto-Tune, many artists have criticized him for such, which has made him ostracized in the music world.
  • Say "game on" at one point. He's an avid gamer and has been known to stream on Twitch.
  • In his 2nd clue package he said he drove up from the south. He was raised in Tallahassee, Florida.
  • Mentions being in the swing of things. In 2009 he was involved in a golf cart accident which knocked out 4 of his teeth
  • One of his final clue packages has him saying "I'm on a boat." Now, who appeared alongside The Lonely Island on that very song?
• He Cleans Up Nicely: For his iconic "Stay with Me" performance, someone decided to break out the hairbrushes and straighten out not just the tuft of hair on his head but all of his fur. In addition, he also rocks a suit.
• Hidden Depths: For someone considered to be the Trope Codifier for rappers using Auto-Tune, the fact that he won the competition using his natural voice makes his victory all the more impressive.
• Took a Level in Badass: In a post-series interview, Monster revealed that he wasn't expecting to last more than one week, but actually being in the bottom three the first time became a serious wakeup call for him, and since then he sought to ramp up his game. Now? He's the grand champion.
• Ugly Cute

Season 2

Egg

Ranking: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Johnny Weir
Songs sung:
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
"One Way or Another" by Blondie (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE

• Advertised Extra: Was featured heavily in promos for the season (and was even one of the first 5 costumes revealed) but was the first one eliminated. * Anthropomorphic Food: He's a humanoid egg with a dapper set of attire.
• Foreshadowing: The skateboard in his package is play on words alluding to the fact that Johnny Weir is a figure skater, while the dress references the fact that he is also a fashion designer.

Ice Cream

Ranking: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Tyler "Ninja" Blevins
Songs sung:
"Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus
"Whip It" by Devo (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Ice Cream Paint Job" by Dorrough

• Anthropomorphic Food: His head is made of several scoops of ice cream, while his suit is patterned like a waffle cone.
• Cool Car: Well, Cool Tractor. During "Old Town Road" he's seen sitting on a yellow tractor painted to look like it's covered in chocolate sauce and sprinkles.
• Cowgirl: Several of his backup dancers during "Old Town Road" are sexy cowgirls.
• Foreshadowing:
  • He says that he got a lot of flak for doing the thing he loved most, but has over a billion reasons to celebrate his success. This is all referencing the fact that he is a Fortnite [invoked] gamer (the game has a particularly Broken Base) with over a billion views from his videos.
  • Ice Cream would be right at home among the numerous Anthropomorphic Food DLC skins in Fortnite.
  • He does a karate chop in his package. This is a reference to his professional name being "Ninja".
  • He's comprised of light blue and pink ice cream, just like his hair.
  • During his first song, his dancers do an interesting dance. It’s the same dance he does when he scores his first win on a livestream.
• Windmill Scenery: The are several giant pinwheels in the background of the set for "Old Town Road".

Panda

Ranking: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Laila Ali
Songs sung:
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson
"All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Panda" by Desiigner

• Does Not Know His Own Strength: After some playful joshing around with Nick, Panda gave him a smack on the arm that actually looked like it hurt. You'd think a professional boxer would be better at controlling that...
• Foreshadowing: She mentions that she comes from the world's greatest family. Muhammad Ali's (Laila's father) nickname was "The Greatest"
  • There's a bee in her package. One of Ali's most famous catchphrases was "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee".
  • Says that she learned to fight for all her dreams and that the competition will be no match for her.
• Voice Over Letter: Panda's package is in the form of a letter to her father, and is spoken. Then we find out exactly who her dad was...

Eagle

Ranking: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Dr. Drew Pinsky
Songs sung:
"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf
"These Boots are Made for Walking" by Nancy Sinatra (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum

• Braids, Beads and Buckskins: Their fashion borrows heavily from Native American designs.
• The Cameo: Appears in one Cold Open for season 3, doing his regular thing as he heads a group therapy session for the remaining singers.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A radio in his clue package is dialed to 106.7. That was the station Dr Drew used for 3 decades.
  • States that he's ready to be a rock star after hanging out with so many.
  • Mentions that he's used to listening to other people's stories.
  • There's a Lincoln High sign in his package because he's obsessed with Lincoln.

Skeleton

Ranking: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Paul Shaffer
Songs sung:
"Rapper's Delight"/"Good Times" by The Sugarhill Gang/by Chic
"Hard to Handle" by Otis Redding (Smackdown)
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet

Intro song: “Sing Sing Sing” by Alan Silvestri

• Borrowin' Samedi: Looks like a bowdlerised version of Baron Samedi of voodoo lore.
• Foreshadowing: The keys in his package are supposed to allude to piano keys, referencing Shaffer's status as the keyboardist/bandleader of David Letterman's house band.
  • 2 men in his clue package dance like the Blues Brothers. Which was co-created by Shaffer.
  • Mentions being inducted into the Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
  • Says he's tired of being second banana, which he was to David Letterman.
• Goth Spirals: Cleverly incorporated into the tails of his outfit.
• Jump Scare: Attempts this with Nick, much to the latter's annoyance.
• Red Herring: After his unmasking, Paul Shaffer confesses to trying to throw the judges off by alluding to fellow Canadian Martin Short in his package. Ken Jeong was previously convinced that it was Short.

Penguin

Ranking: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Sherri Shepherd
Songs sung:
"The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey
"Worth It" by Fifth Harmony (Smackdown)
"All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor

Intro song: "Hand-Clap" by Fitz and the Tantrums

• Foreshadowing:
  • What's this about "standing up" in her package? A reference to her being a stand up comedian.
  • Someone holds up a sign saying "I'm not your secretary". She used to be a secretary before she became famous.
  • Mentions being in relationships with the presidents. She interviewed a lot of them during her time on The View.
  • There's a picture of Queen Rania of Jordan in one of her packages. She's made appearances on 30 Rock for the Show Within a Show called Queen of Jordan.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: She really can't keep her fins off of Nick Cannon's ass.
• Polar Penguins: She sings "The Middle" on an iceberg backdrop. Her backup dancers are appropriately dressed in cold weather gear with goggles and stylish yellow scarves.

Black Widow

Ranking: Third-round elimination
Real Identity: Raven-Symoné
Songs sung:
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston
"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
"Believe" by Cher

Intro song: “Black Widow” by Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora

• Arachnid Appearance and Attire: Wears an abdomen piece with 8 legs on it, in addition to red markings on a black figure and silver traces of webs.
• Foreshadowing: All that fortune telling paraphernalia in her clue packages references one of her most iconic roles as Raven Baxter.
  • Those sweaters reference her earliest acting gig on The Cosby Show.
  • All that cheetah print? She was a Cheetah Girl.
• Handicapped Badass: Suffered a broken arm after her initial performance and still managed to pull off two incredible performances afterwards.

Ladybug

Ranking: Third-round elimination
Real Identity: Kelly Osbourne
Songs sung:
"Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler
"Hit Me With your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar (Smackdown)
"Juice" by Lizzo
"Youngblood" by Five Seconds of Summer

Intro song: "London Bridge" by Fergie

• Fake American: Osbourne knew that her natural British accent would have been a dead giveaway to her identity combined with the clues; the American Southern accent she used was spur-of-the-moment, and ultimately stuck.
• Foreshadowing: Her first clue package features a wheel with a plethora of objects on it. All referencing iconic moments from The Osbournes. Like how the ham alludes to the time her mother threw one at their neighbors.
  • That bat references the time her father bit the head off one.
  • Heck, her entrance song counts as this seeing as she's from London, England!
• Precision F-Strike: Drops an F-Bomb after being unmasked just in case anyone forgot that she's Ozzy's daughter.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Inverted - the mask has a mustache, lampshading the fact that real ladybugs can be male as well, but the singer is definitely a woman.

Flower

Ranking: Fourth-round elimination
Real Identity: Patti LaBelle
Songs sung:
"9 to 5" by Dolly Parton
"Cheap Thrills" by Sia
"Amazed" by Lonestar
"Alone" by Heart
"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor

• Foreshadowing: Those bluebell flowers allude to her first band—Patti and the Bluebells.
  • Mentions that in her off time she likes kicking off her shoes. Patti has been known to perform concerts barefoot.
  • The statue of Apollo was seen at one point. She's performed many times at the legendary Apollo Theatre
  • A price tag with the number 13 on it references her 13 Grammy nominations.
  • She's shown baking in her first clue package. She sells sweet potato pies through Walmart.
• Garden Garment: Her dress resembles a stalk adorned with leaves and purple roses.
• Garden of Love: The setting of "Amazed" featured two backup dancers playing a pair of lovers on a balcony adorned with flowers and lush vines.
• Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Her petals are purple and her performance style is very graceful and mature.
• Love Bubbles: The background and staging for "Cheap Thrills" provides a rare live-action example.
• Sassy Black Woman: The way she speaks during her clues make her come off as this. It comes off as no surprise once she's unmasked.
• Something about a Rose: Her head is a beautiful purple rose and she has plenty of smaller purple roses adorning her dress.

Butterfly

Ranking: Fourth-round elimination
Real Identity: Michelle Williams
Songs sung:
"Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
"Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones
"Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato
"Believer" by Imagine Dragons (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Wings" by Little Mix

• Big Creepy-Crawlies: A butterfly with a Macabre Moth Motif for some reason.
• Determinator: Was shocked by an exploding carbon dioxide canister while rehearsing for her "Livin On A Prayer" performance yet didn't call it quits.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: Her outfit contains over 10,000 sequins.
• Foreshadowing: All the images of London reference her time working on West End.
  • Recalls working with giants. Of course she's talking about Beyoncé.
  • In her preview package she said that she's praying not to fall over. That references the infamous moment she fell off the stage while performing on BET's 106 & Park.
  • The "Hot! 100" teabag is a nod to her 14 songs on The Billboard Hot 100.

Tree

Ranking: 6th Place
Real Identity: Ana Gasteyer
Songs sung:
"High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco
"Think" by Aretha Franklin
"No Excuses" by Meghan Trainor
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
"The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga

Intro song: "Good As Hell" by Lizzo

• The Cameo: Appears in season 3 as Kitty's "Super Secret Clue"
• Everything's Better with Rainbows: The stage lights all begin flashing rainbow during "The Edge of Glory" when the chorus hits.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: The Tree costume is very sparkly and shiny. Also the backdrop during "Total Eclipse of the Heart" features sparkles flying about.
• Fantastic Fireworks: There are fireworks going off in the shapes of Christmas trees and palm trees in the background of "The Edge of Glory".
• Foreshadowing: The entire Christmas setup in her packages is a reference to Ana's holiday album Sugar and Booze, which was released during the season.
  • A lot of cooking and baking supplies are seen in her clue packages. These reference the Saturday Night Live sketch Schweddy Balls.
    • One time she's playing a piano. Her recurring character Bobbi Mohan-Culp sings with Will Ferrel as Marty Culp on the piano.
  • Proclaims that soup is what started her career. Her first TV appearance was on the iconic "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld.
  • One package has a witch’s hat. She, at one point, acted in Wicked.
  • One package had her saying, "I'm not a regular tree, I'm a cool tree." Another had her saying she was "alone, like the new girl at school." Both were allusions to the movie Mean Girls, in which Amy Poehler's character says "I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom," and main character Cady Heron starts off as a lonely new girl at school. Gasteyer played Cady's mom in the movie.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Ana's old show Saturday Night Live spoofed the Masked Singer with Eddie Murphy's famous SNL character Buckwheat as Corn on the Cob.
• Gospel Revival Number: The performance of "Think" has the Tree belting out the Aretha Franklin classic while accompanied by a pair of dancers dressed in sparkly gospel robes.
• Irony: The Tree was eliminated one episode before the Christmas special.
• Playing a Tree: A Christmas tree at that. The backup dancers during "High Hopes" are also carrying large tree cutouts.
• Rhymes on a Dime: To fit her Christmas aesthetic her first two clue packages rhyme like Christmas cards.

Thingamajig

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Victor Oladipo
Songs sung:
"Easy" by Commodores
"Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations
"Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Bublé
"Caught Up" by Usher (Smackdown)
"Ordinary People" by John Legend
"Winter Wonderland" by Felix Bernard (as covered by Bing Crosby)

Intro song: "Wild Thing" by The Troggs

• Fashionable Asymmetry: Most of his outfit is blue tartan but the left leg and right arm have some tan tartan to them.
• Foreshadowing: Is seen performing magic tricks in several clue packages. It's a reference to his former team, the Orlando Magic.
  • At the start of his first clue package, he also says, "Pick up the pace." As in his current team, the Indiana Pacers.
  • For his "physical clue" he brings out a sign language dictionary. One of his sisters is deaf.
  • Mentions that his darkest moment was when he went to rehab. Not for drugs or alcohol but for his knee.
  • All those shoes in his clue packages reference his $2 million sneaker collection.
  • The feathers allude to his nickname Mr. Feathery.
  • For his second "revealing item", he revealed the trademark fedora and whip of Indiana Jones. As Ken Jeong pointed out, these items are a reference to the Indiana Pacers.
• Gentle Giant: One of the tallest Masks on the show, and has a singing style more inclined towards emotional ballads and slower tunes.
• Our Monsters Are Weird: Thingamajig is tall and thin, and sports a nice tartan suit.
• The Matchmaker: The theme of "Haven't Met You Yet" has Thingamajig's two green-haired backup dancers trying to set him up with a girl using the 'Date-A-Majig' app. He swipes left on several of the other competitors' profiles, before ending the performance by swiping right on Nicole.
• Rhymes on a Dime: His first clue package was spoken entirely in rhyme.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: With his fuzzy monster aesthetic and soulful singing style, he's very much a retread of the Monster. This did not escape the notice of The Monster's secret identity when he guest judged.
  The Monster: Hello, son.

Leopard

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Seal
Songs sung:
"Somebody to Love" by Queen
"Respect" by Otis Redding (as covered by Aretha Franklin) (Smackdown)
"Stitches" by Shawn Mendes
"Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
"September" by Earth, Wind & Fire
"Don't Cha" by Tori Alamaze (as covered by the Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes) (Smackdown)
"We Are Young" by Fun.
"Big Spender" by Shirley Bassey

Intro song: "Free Your Mind" by En Vogue

• Cat Folk: Is an anthropomorphic leopard in a very fancy dress. The backup dancers for "Somebody to Love" and "Teenage Dream" are also these.
• Cat Girl: Behaves more like this between (and during certain) songs, despite already being outed as a dude.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A clue package has a house with the number 1963 on it. Naturally, that was Seal's birth year.
  • The blueprint he brings out references his associate degree in architecture.
  • Mentions that he's sick and tired of being known for his relationships. He was married to Heidi Klum for a few years.
  • Those 4 grandmas reference his 4 Grammy award wins.
  • Just the Leopard identity itself, considering the existence of a certain very vicious predatory sea mammal. The leopard seal.
  • The bat in one clue package is a reference to Batman — as his song, "Kiss From A Rose" was remixed for "Batman Forever"
• Large Ham: To fit with his costume's rather over-the-top nature, he adopts a very flamboyant, diva-esque sort of persona to go with it and stays in character right up until his unmasking.
• Living Statue: The performance of "Stitches" takes place in fancy garden with a quartet of Greek statues. Partway through the song the statues come to life and start dancing.
• Trrrilling Rrrs: He often emphasises this while speaking and singing to sound like purring in order to highlight his feline nature. One obvious example is during his Smackdown against Panda.
• Pimped-Out Dress: A very flashy Elizabethan-styled one to boot.
• Regal Ruff: Wears one around the neck to accessorise with his giant collar.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: The panel is very surprised when Leopard starts singing and a very distinctly male voice comes out.

Flamingo

Ranking: 3rd Place
Real Identity: Adrienne Bailon-Houghton
Songs sung:
"Sucker" by Jonas Brothers
"Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
"Never Enough" by Loren Allred
"Lady Marmalade" by Patti Labelle (as covered by Christina Aguliera, Pink, Mya and Lil Kim)
"Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac
"Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley
"Proud Mary" by Tina Turner

Intro song: "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings

• The Cameo: Makes a brief appearance in Season 5 during one of Raccoon’s numbers.
• Genki Girl: She's practically hopping up and down after "Never Enough" went down as the showstopper of the week. The following week, she churns out another showstopper, with Jaw Drop-inducing dance moves to boot.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Has over 1,800 feathers, some of which are over 3 feet long.
• Foreshadowing: For one clue, she revealed a globe marking the country of Israel, which she claims she was baptized in. Punny Name is in effect here—Israel is the name of Bailon's husband.
  • Her first clue package is a ZooTube video referencing her youtube channel All Things Adrienne.
  • For her physical clue she brings out an NAACP Image award, which she won for co-hosting the talk show The Real.
  • For one of her final clue packages, she was shown a good luck tweet from the Black Widow. With the Black Widow being Raven-Symoné, this is basically a show of encouragement from one former Cheetah Girl to another.

Rottweiler

Ranking: 2nd Place
Real Identity: Chris Daughtry
Songs sung:
"Maneater" by Hall and Oates
"Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic
"Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran
"Grenade" by Bruno Mars
"Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
"Alive" by Sia

Intro song: "Who Let The Dogs Out" by Fatt Jack and his Pack of Pets (as covered by Baha Men)

• Big Friendly Dog: Real rottweilers are famously vicious guard dogs, but this guy has a big dopey grin 24/7. Amusingly, his first song is called "Maneater".
• Foreshadowing: The blue roses represent one of his tattoos.
  • While not a sportsman, he has a bunch of sports-related items in one clue package, saying that competition is how he got his start. Which was another singing competition, American Idol.
  • For his "physical clue" he brings out a sketch of Triumph. Daughtry has worked as a comic artist.
  • The vacuum alludes to his time as a vacuum cleaner salesman.
• No Shirt, Long Jacket: Revealing some very fuzzy abs.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Used as a gag when Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was a guest judge. Apparently Triumph is the Rottweiler character's Disappeared Dad, and he's desperate to win his approval with art.
• Worthy Opponent: The Flamingo called him a "dope vocalist."

Fox

Ranking: 1st Place
Real Identity: Wayne Brady
Songs sung:
"This Love" by Maroon 5
"Hey Look Ma, I Made It" by Panic! at the Disco
"Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown
"Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton
"Blame It" by Jamie Foxx
"This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway
"Try a Little Tenderness" by Val Rosing (as covered by Otis Redding)

Intro song: “Finesse” by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B

• Doting Parent: Four of his clue packages show him interacting with his kid through reading books, playing piano or tucking them into bed.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Throughout the season, he made references to being a superhero. This references Brady's then-upcoming role in the superhero show Black Lightning—ironically, as a super villain!
  • In his second clue package, he said "shazam". This could be a reference to Shazam!, a superhero from DC Comics—the same company behind Black Lightning.
  • His customized verse during "Try a Little Tenderness" in the finals could be seen as this too. Wayne is widely known for improv comedy, and notably improv singing, through Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
  • One clue package shows a blackboard with the words, "Yes, and...". This is a dead giveaway to anyone familiar with the cardinal rule of improv, which is to accept and build off whatever your partner gives you — always continue with, "Yes, and...". This is a rule Wayne has followed countless times on Whose Line.
    • Another clue mentions that he's known for working with a group of very talented people. That would be the improv troupe on 'Whose Line Is It Anyway,'' where he's worked alongside fellow improv artists Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie for many, many years.
  • His final clue is a warning to Rottweiler and Flamingo, "I've already won a famous duel on stage." In the role of Aaron Burr, against Alexander Hamilton.
  • In his first clue package, 9 foxes are seen in 3 rows of 3. This is meant to resemble the iconic opening of The Brady Bunch, referring to his last name.
  • Mentions being made fun of for his bark. He had a stutter until he was 16.
• Last Guy Wins: He's the last contestant introduced in this season's competition, and also the last masked celebrity standing.
• Steampunk: His main aesthetic.

Season 3

Robot

Ranking: Group A: First-round Elimination
Real Identity: Lil Wayne
Songs sung:
"Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz
Intro song: "Mr. Roboto" by Styx

• Advertised Extra: Much like Season 2's Egg, Robot was among the most promoted and earliest-revealed costumes of the season—but also the first one to be eliminated and unmasked.
• Foreshadowing:
  • One of the scientists points to the symbol for platinum on a periodic table. Lil Wayne has several verified platinum albums.
  • Toys of a skateboard and a firetruck are seen being played with. He's a fan of skateboarding and notably once sustained injuries at a skate park. The firetruck is a reference to his song "Fireman".
  • He claims that he relates to the Robot because it has a tough outer shell and comes off as "inhuman", which is something he believes has "stunted" his potential. These are references to both his album "I Am Not a Human Being, and his song with Birdman titled "Stuntin' Like My Daddy".
  • Says that he has a heart with plenty of love to give. Another song reference, this time to his track "How to Love".
  • Claims that he has come to "tip the scales". Lil Wayne's star sign is Libra.
• Mad Scientist: His clue package shows him being put together by a couple of mad scientists. He's also accompanied by a pair of guitar-playing mad scientists during "Are You Gonna Go My Way".
• Retraux: The backdrop of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" a techno-neon take on the maze from Pac-Man.
• Tin-Can Robot: Looks exactly like an old-fashioned toy robot.
• Wind-Up Key: Has a big key on his back. His scientist creators wind him up so he can perform "Are You Gonna Go My Way".

Llama

Ranking: Group A: Second-round Elimination
Real Identity: Drew Carey
Songs sung:
"She Bangs" by Ricky Martin
"It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones
Intro song: "Llama In My Living Room" by AronChupa & Little Sis Nora

• Advertised Extra: Much like the Robot before him, Llama was among the most promoted and earliest-revealed costumes of the season—but also among the first to be eliminated and unmasked.
• Foreshadowing:
  • One of his clue packages has him say "spinning my wheels". Drew hosts The Price Is Right, where one of the rounds has contestants spin a big wheel.
  • He's also shown as a radio host. Which he is - he has a show on Sirius XM's Underground Garage.
  • There's a statue of Buddha on Llama's desk. Drew is a Buddhist.
  • One of the record covers in his collection is titled "Sounds of Seattle". Drew spends a lot of time in Seattle because he owns part of the Seattle Sounders soccer team.
  • His second clue package puts a lot of focus on Llama playing an accordion. An instrument his character on The Drew Carey Show was known to play.
  • Mentions "thinking on my feet". Naturally, this is a reference to his past role on the improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which he hosted.
  • He claims that he's likely to be near firing cannons. He spent time as a radio operator in the Marine Corps Reserve.
• Nonstandard Character Design: He's actually a llama centaur, with an additional hindquarters and hind legs mounted behind his actual butt.
• Our Centaurs Are Different: You don't see a llama centaur everyday.

Miss Monster

Ranking: Group A: Third-round Elimination
Real Identity: Chaka Khan
Songs sung:
"Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt
"Fancy" by Bobbie Gentry
"Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys (Group B performance)
"You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore
Intro song: "Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama

• Advertised Extra: Once again, we have one of, if not THE most promoted and earliest-revealed costume of the season—but also one of the first to be eliminated and unmasked.
• Distaff Counterpart: To the Monster from Season 1.
• Expy: Not the first pink, one-eyed female counterpart to the Season 1 Monster. The Australian version featured one first.
• Foreshadowing:
  • There's a locker designated with the number 10 on it. This reference Chaka Khan's 10 Grammies.
  • A queen chess piece appears in another clue package. A well-known nickname for Chaka Khan is the "Queen of Funk".
  • There's a key with a tag saying "FUN" on it. Punny Name is in effect here, as it's a fun-key. As one of Khan's nicknames is the "Queen of Funk" she'd be known as a funky lady.
  • During Miss Monster's hairstylist's description of her, we see a camouflage-colored cloth hanging on a clothesline. One of Chaka Khan's albums is named Camouflage.
  • The same clothesline also includes white socks and a teddy bear. Both reflect Khan's hometown by alluding to Chicago's sports teams—the white socks allude to the White Sox baseball team, while the bear represents the Chigago Bears football team.
• Paparazzi: Miss Monster is swarmed by a couple of these at the start of "You Don't Own Me".
• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: When paired with Monster.
• Tabloid Melodrama: "You Don't Own Me" is all about this, with photo reels displaying gossip magazine covers about Miss Monster.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Is pink, has a bow, lipstick, eyelashes and fingernails to differentiate herself from Monster.

Elephant

Ranking: Group B: First-round Elimination
Real Identity: Tony Hawk
Songs sung:
"Friday I'm in Love" by the Cure

Intro song: "Seven Nation Army" by White Stripes

• Foreshadowing:
  • Mentions "parading through white houses". Hawk skateboarded at the White House for a Father's Day event.
  • At one point, Elephant and his group pass by some birds. Not only is it a reference to Hawk's company Birdhouse, but it also reflects his last name—a type of bird.
  • Elephant says the term "ramping up" at another point. Of course, he's talking about skateboard ramps.
  • At the end of his clue package, Elephant forms an X with his drumsticks. A clear reference to the X-Games.
• Retraux: From what we've seen of him, Elephant sure loves The '80s.
  • The Elephant costume gives out some serious 80s vibes. This is actually based off of one of Tony Hawk's helmets, as revealed in his post-show interview.
  • The staging for "Friday I'm in Love" is one big love-letter to Synthwave visuals. With a lot of bright neon purple and blue lighting, backup performers wearing low-poly animal masks, and even palm trees and other tropical plants lit up by the retro-lighting.
• Tron Lines: In bright orange.

Mouse

Ranking: Group B: Second-round Elimination
Real Identity: Dionne Warwick
Songs sung:
"Get Here" by Oleta Adams
"This Will Be (an Everlasting Love)" by Natalie Cole

Intro song: "Love Fool" by The Cardigans

• The Bus Came Back: During the first part of the Road to the Finals, Dionne Warwick led a heartwarming tribute to the healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic with Night Angel, Frog and Turtle singing Warwick's hit single "What the World Needs Now is Love." During the performance there was cameos from the judges, other season three competitors and Masked Singer alumni from the first two seasons, with handmade posters and personal messages thanking the healthcare workers putting their lives at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Cameo: Appears in season 6, playing the guitar during Hamster's 2nd performance.
• Cool Old Lady: Her sweet personality and pretty dress make her come off as this. She's also the oldest female celebrity on the show as of now. She was 79 at the time of competing.
• Fairytale Wedding Dress: She wears a gorgeous wedding-style dress.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A photo of praying hands is seen in one package. One of Dionne's biggest hits was "I Say A Little Prayer".
  • There's plenty of gold in her clue packages, with 19 and 79 being jersey numbers on the players in one such. This is a nod to her stint as a host of Solid Gold starting in 1979.
  • Football is also a big highlight of her first clue package, which references Dionne being an honorary coach of the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders.
  • Arguably a subtle one - every time she comes onstage, she has to be escorted by the men in black doing their best to keep her upright, suggesting that she's rather delicate and fragile. She was 79 years old during filming, one of the oldest contestants on the show to date.
• Nice Mice: In personality, she's very sweet and grandmotherly.
• Wings Do Nothing: There's a pair of fairy wings on the back of her dress. They're only there to help enhance the prettiness of the dress.

Taco

Ranking: Group B: Third-round Elimination
Real Identity: Tom Bergeron
Songs sung:
"Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra
"Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys (Group B performance)
"Bossa Nova Baby" by Elvis Presley
"Can't Help Myself" by The Four Tops

Intro Song: "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc

• Anthropomorphic Food: If you thought a banana was wacky enough, here comes a singing taco!
• Celestial Body: His backup dancers during "Fly Me to the Moon" are dressed in costumes that invoke this.
• Class Clown: He mentions having to sit in a closet in school due to bad behavior, but preferred it to being in class.
• Cool Old Guy: His song choices and voice pretty much betrayed his age from the get-go.
• Foreshadowing:
  • His first clue package showed a stack of VHS tapes. Bergeron was a former host of America's Funniest Home Videos.
  • There was also an anchor in said clue package. Bergeron served as a TV anchor for various talk shows.
  • The second clue package included a whoopie cushion at one point. Whoopi Goldberg was the producer and center square for much of his time as host of The Hollywood Squares.
  • Taco's final clue package had a menu shown—with the letters M and E being highlighted. Bergeron managed to win two Emmys for his hosting.
  • The bonus clue shown during the Group B performance mentioned him enjoying a lot of salsas in his time. As host of Dancing with the Stars, Bergeron saw a lot of people do the salsa—and as a bonus, the show's theme music sounds a bit salsa-esque.
  • One of the clue packages showed a trolley, a reference to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Bergeron recorded a song for the album "Thank you Mister Rogers: Music & Memories".
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Claims that he used to have one of these.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Outright flees the scene when guest panelist Gabriel Iglesias jokes about having him as a snack.

Bear

Ranking: Group C: First-round Elimination
Real Identity: Sarah Palin
Songs sung:
"Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot

Intro song: "Barbie Girl" by Aqua

• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: The costume is comprised of blue, pink and purple, making them look more like one of the Care Bears than a real bear.
• The Cover Changes the Gender: After being unmasked, she specifically calls attention to how she swapped "Baby Got Back" around so that she was praising men's butts.
• Doting Parent: Literally a Mama Bear.
• Foreshadowing: Bear's sole clue package holds the most out-there clues yet—clues that Ken Jeong is more likely to guess than anyone else.
  • The calendar shown in her clue package had the word "live" labeled under Saturday. This is a reference to Saturday Night Live comedian Tina Fey frequently playing as Palin on SNL.
  • We see a stack of cards with two aces and three kings. They represent her five kids: two sons (the two aces) and three daughters (the three kings); plus the ranks reference Palin's home of Alaska — abbreviated as AK.
  • There's a model elephant head in her den. No, it has nothing to do with the Elephant competing in her season. It's the symbol of the Republican party.
  • In addition, the head of the Fox from Season 2 is also present. Being a staunch Republican, she's obviously had her fair share of appearances on Fox News.
  • The hockey memorabilia? Palin's well known for being a "hockey mom".
• Stuffy Old Songs About the Buttocks: The one song she sang before elimination was the infamous "Baby Got Back".

Swan

Ranking: Group C: Second-round Elimination
Real Identity: Bella Thorne
Songs sung:
"Fever" by Peggy Lee
"I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Intro song: “Glamorous” by Fergie ft. Ludacris

• Abhorrent Admirer: Towards Ken near the end of her "I Hate Myself for Loving You" performace, leaving the docter flustered.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: It's a huge swan in a white feather dress.
• Foreshadowing:
  • One person in her first clue package wears some fake vampire fangs. And much like the Leopard in the previous season, this and the Swan identity references Twilight — particularly Kristen Stewart's Star-Making Role, Bella (Thorne's first name) Swan.
  • Those shaking thermos? Thorne started as CeCe in the show Shake it Up during her younger days.
  • Those dolphins allude to the fact that she grew up in Miami.

T-Rex

Ranking: Group C: Third-round Elimination
Real Identity: Jo Jo Siwa
Songs sung:
"So What" by P!nk
"Push It" by Salt n' Pepa
"Jai Ho (You are My Destiny!)" by the Pussycat Dolls

Intro song: "Dinosaur" by Kesha

• The Baby of the Bunch: At the age of 16, T-Rex is the youngest celebrity to ever be on the show.
• The Bus Came Back: She, or rather, Jojo Siwa sent Firefly a message in Season 7.
• Foreshadowing:
  • There's a couple of boomerangs in her final clue package. Siwa's hit that propelled her to stardom was called "Boomerang".
  • Mentions starting out on an island filled with other talented creatures. She got her start on Dance Moms.
  • Those lips allude to the fact that she used to host Lip Sync Battle Shorties with Nick Cannon.
  • The compass pointing in the direction of northwest is an allusion to how she used to babysit for Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's daughter, North West.
  • Her bonus clue during the Group C Championships states she "occasionally parties with teddy bears". Siwa gained her very own Build-a-Bear modeled after her.
• Genki Girl: Like you wouldn't believe. She's dancing across half the stage before the performance even starts, and her singing voice sounds particularly young. Given who's underneath the mask, it's a given.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Her outfit looks like something Romeo Montague might wear.

White Tiger

Ranking: 9th Place
Real Identity: Rob Gronkowski
Songs sung:
"Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice
"Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
"We Will Rock You" by Queen
"I'm Too Sexy" by Right Side Fred

Intro song: "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

• The Cameo: Appears in season 6 as a "house party DJ."
• Foreshadowing:
  • One of the clue packages made note of a picture of famous historical Americans. Gronk spent most of his career playing for the New England Patriots.
    • The board also has the first words of the Gettysburg Address on it, "Four score and seven years ago". That adds up to his jersey number, 87.
  • A board with pictures of former contestants Raven, Lion, and Eagle is shown. They are all NFL team names.
  • The pat of butter from his friend's clue package also references the "Pat"-riots.
  • There’s a book about cats in another package. Gronk got his start in football playing for the University of Arizona Wildcats.
  • His second dance has him do the floss and his fourth clue package has him say, "Swish swish", and at one point he’s seen shooting basketballs. That refers to Gronk making a cameo in Katy Perry’s music video for Swish Swish. He’s the guy holding up the sign reading "When does football season start?"
  • There’s a clam trophy with the number 51 on it in one package as well as the number 53 on a board. Those were the two Super Bowls he won with the Patriots, and the clam represents the New England area in general.
  • The first package took place in a football stadium. Being a football player, Gronk’s very familiar with those.
  • He says he was voted "Most likely to get in the ring for a friend." Gronk was present at WrestleMania 33, stepping in the ring to help friend Mojo Rawley win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
  • Lastly, the obvious one: a skiing cow. What were the last two syllables of his name again?
• Fun Personified: While his singing skills are... unique, he clearly has a lot of fun on the stage.
• Large Ham: His performing style focuses on eating up the scenery with over-the-top dancing. Then again, it is Rob Gronkowski...
• Misplaced Wildlife: He's a white tiger, normally found (if at all) in northern China, while his outfit is Egyptian.
• Self-Deprecation: Even he acknowledges he's not a great singer, and wonders how he made it to the third round.
• Testosterone Poisoning: Portrayed as parodically MANLY; with a larger-than-life personality, pitched-down voice modulation, a Walking Shirtless Scene with a Carpet of Virility, etc.

Kangaroo

Ranking: Fifth-round elimination
Real Identity: Jordyn Woods
Songs sung:
"Dancing on My Own" by Robyn
"You Know I'm So Good" by Amy Winehouse
"Diamonds" by Rihanna
"Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks
"Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys (Group B performance)
"No Air" by Jordin Sparks
"Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Confident" by Demi Lovato

• Boxing Kangaroo: Dressed like a classic boxer, complete with gloves and a robe.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A few clue packages show a model plane. It's made of wood, thus referencing her last name of Woods and her being a model.
  • She's shown at one point being hounded by men with old cameras, jumping rope on a vine, and having a gramophone. These all reference various social media platforms in which she's had a presence, namely Snapchat, Vine, and Instagram respectively.
• Good Parents: Says she wants to be a good role model to her little Roo.
• Instant Expert: Not only does she have no professional training, all these knockout performances? Her first time singing in front of other people. Ever. No one on the panel could quite believe it, Nicole even saying "you have a God-given gift."
• Worthy Opponent: Just before their face-off, Night Angel says Kangaroo is her biggest competition, and she's actually nervous about going up against her.

Banana

Ranking: Fifth-round elimination
Real Identity: Bret Michaels
Songs sung:
"A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley
"Achy Breaky Heart" by the Marcy Brothers (as covered by Billy Ray Cyrus)
"Lean on Me" by Bill Withers
"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys" (Group B performance)
"Knocking on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan (as covered by Guns n' Roses)
"Brick House" by the Commodores (Smackdown)

Intro song: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett, Goon Rock

• Anthropomorphic Food: A talking, singing banana!
• Foreshadowing:
  • Throughout his clue packages, you can see a blowfish, a viper, and a can of bug spray. All of these are related to poison.
  • The first clue package shows a blue collar. This represents Michaels' line of pet accessories.
  • His bonus clue asks us: what's more inspiring than doing laundry? Writing a song, apparently—Michaels wrote Poison's hit song "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" at a laundromat.
  • Is seen partying on a bus at one point. Alludes to his popular reality show, Rock of Love Bus.
• Fun Personified: Hits the ground rolling with a rocking tune that gets the whole crowd jumping. It's hard not to when you have one of the goofier looking suits.
• Gospel Revival Number: "Lean On Me", featuring choir singers in banana masks and bright yellow gospel robes.
• Irony: The final food costume in the competition is eliminated one episode before Gordon Ramsey's guest appearance.
• Level Ate: "Sweet Home Alabama" has sweets scattered all over the stage and a giant banana split in the background.
• Primal Chest-Pound: Does this as he’s making his first appearance.
• Viva Las Vegas!: What "A Little Less Conversation" is themed after, with rolling dice and a giant slot machine behind Banana.

Astronaut

Ranking: 6th Place
Real Identity: Hunter Hayes
Songs sung:
"You Say" by Lauren Daigle
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder
"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran
"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
"If I Can't Have You" by Shawn Mendes
"Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC (Smackdown)
"Story of My Life" by One Direction

Intro song: "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss (as covered by London Philharmonic Orchestra & Don Jackson)

• Foreshadowing:
  • Mentions getting help from the mob. His first guitar was given to him by Robert Duvall, who was one of the stars of The Godfather.
  • During the Group C group performance, his bonus clue states he's "all for horses". Hayes opened up for the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018.
  • His LEGO clue alludes to him and Nicole Scherzinger meeting up at a mall on a famous birthday. Hunter and Nicole were performers at a 4th of July event, aka America's Birthday, with the mall being the National Mall.
  • One package has him shattering a record with a drawing of Earth on it. This makes him a world record breaker since he broke the record for most concerts done in 24 hours.
  • The constellation Orion is seen in one of his packages. Orion is known as The Great Hunter.
• Friendly Rivalry: With Turtle due to their identical demographical appeal.
• Rickroll: He capped off the April Fools' Day episode with "Never Gonna Give You Up".
• Zeerust: He looks like NASA went steampunk.

Kitty

Ranking: 5th Place
Real Identity: Jackie Evancho
Songs sung:
"Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande
"Mercy" by Brett Young
"Mama's Broken Heart" by Miranda Lambert
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Céline Dion
"True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper
"Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys (Group B performance)
"Unstoppable" by Sia (Smackdown)
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" by Marilyn Monroe
"Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse

Intro song: "Kitty Girl" by RuPaul

• Cat Girl: Well obviously.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: The Kitty's costume has some rhinestones and jewels.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: The costume is incorporated with some many large fluffy feathers atop the Kitty's head and tail.
• Foreshadowing
  • Her bonus clue during the Group B Championships states that she'd "seal the deal". Evancho sang for a Chefs for Seals charity event to help the titular animals.
  • A lot of clues make references to The Phantom of the Opera (like the monkey cymbal toy) and opera in general (including an Opera Cake). She is known as an opera singer, with her stint on America's Got Talent including singing songs from said musical.
  • Tree from last season appears as her "Super Secret Clue". She's released 2 best selling Christmas albums.
  • Mentions that Robert Redford helped her get her first role. She played his granddaughter in The Company You Keep.
  • In her first clue package we see an old film featuring pirates battling. She is from Pittsburgh, PA, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and once sang the national anthem at one of their games.
  • The pope’s hat is seen in her luggage security X-ray. When Pope Francis visited Philadelphia she performed for him.
• Ms. Fanservice: Amusingly, hers is one of the most revealing ladies' outfits in the show's history, except her body is also covered in a fur-patterned unitard.
• Ship Tease: With Frog.
• Showgirl Skirt: Close inspection reveals that it's actually multiple cat tails.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Her singing style, ability to belt long notes, and feline persona make her a reimagined Lion. Though getting outed at 5th place as well is surely coincidence.

Rhino

Ranking: 4th Place
Real Identity: Barry Zito
Songs sung:
"Have a Little Faith in Me" by John Hiatt
"Nice to Meet You" by Niall Horan
"Tracks of My Tears" by Linda Ronstadt (as covered by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)
"What a Man Gotta Do" by The Jonas Brothers
"10,000 Hours" by Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber
"Die a Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett
"You've Lost that Loving Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers
"Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw

Intro song: "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang

• Adventurer Outfit: A bomber jacket and aviator goggles.
• Doting Parent: He talks about how he wants to continue being a supportive father to his little rhinos.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Rhino's bonus clue during the Group C group performance indicates that he dislikes long walks by the water. And why shouldn't he? In baseball terms, walking would be pretty bad for a pitcher like Zito. And the ballpark one of his teams the San Francisco Giants play at is right by the San Francisco bay.
  • We see a number 9 in one of his clue packages. This is a twofold reference—Zito was the overall 9th pick in the 1999 MLB draft, and he starred in the 9th episode on the 9th season of JAG.
  • Rhino's physical clue in the quarter-finals is a Navy cap. Zito played a Navy pitcher in the aforementioned episode of JAG.
  • One package includes the planet Mars. Another twofold reference—Zito's well-known nickname is "Planet Zito", while his son is named Mars.
  • His bonus clue during the semi-finals ensemble number are globes. Zito’s gone to the World Series with the San Francisco Giants.
  • In the semifinals, he talks about being up against some heavy hitters in the show. Zito was a pitcher in his baseball career.
  • It's either this or a Rewatch Bonus depending on if you already followed news about his real-life persona, but in the semifinals clue package he talks about his little rhinos and shows a photo with three baby rhinos. Zito has three children, revealing on stage after his unmasking that his youngest was born just three days before that night's episode was filmed.
• Gentle Giant: One of the larger, taller costumes on the show, and with a modulated voice pitched down instead of up like most of the other competitors, yet, much like Season 2's Thingamajig, he has a smooth voice and mostly sings soulful ballads and love songs. He even describes himself as such in one of his clues.
• Happily Married: He's mentioned his wife several times in his clue packages, and their marriage is definitely a happy one.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: A huge, horned animal with a penchant for leather and country style singing and secretly one of the sportsmen - he's what you'd get if Deer lasted a little longer.
• Vocal Dissonance: He's a very tall, imposing person, and his voice is modulated down to match his frame. Yet he sings in a soft, warm tenor.

Frog

Ranking: 3rd Place
Real Identity: Bow Wow
Songs sung:
"U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
"In Da Club" by 50 Cent
"You Dropped a Bomb on Me" by The Gap Band
"Jump!" by Kriss Kross
"Fireball" by Pitbull ft. John Ryan
"Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons
"Bust a Move" by Young MC
"Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys (Group B performance)
"Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature
"Bad Boy for Life" by P. Diddy ft. Black Rob & Mark Curry

Intro song: “Whatta Man” by Salt-n- Pepa ft. En Vogue

• Foreshadowing:
  • A Japanese flag was shown in Frog's bag during the Face-Offs, while a Twinkie was shown in one of his clue packages. Bow Wow starred in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as Twinkie (a role he'd eventually return to 15 years later in F9).
  • One of his first clue packages had bills totalling $106 in them. He was a host of 106 & Park from 2012-2014.
  • A lightning bolt in his package refers to his film Like Mike in which he comes across a pair of sneakers that gained magic powers from a lightning strike.
  • Related to the above is a red jersey with the number 23 appearing in one package. It references Michael Jordan (red for the Chicago Bulls, 23 for his jersey number), with the plot of Like Mike being that the shoes found were thought to belong to MJ.
  • His bag includes a tray of ice cubes. He and Ice Cube were in the movie Lottery Ticket.
  • Frog's vocal clue during the Road to the Finals contained the word "hack" in it. Bow Wow played Brody Nelson, a hacker, in CSI: Cyber.
  • His food clue is a bone. This is an obvious play on his name—bones are a treat for dogs, who go "bow wow".
• Fun Personified: His rap and dance skills are a potent combination, allowing him to get the whole crowd pumping with his rendition of "Jump".
• Moonwalk Dance: During "Whatever it Takes".
• Motor Mouth: Most of his tunes are known rap songs, which he delivers with a well practiced flow.
• Overly-Long Tongue: Lashes one out during the intro to Season 3's first episode.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Check out that zoot suit!
• Ship Tease: With Kitty.
• Stealth Pun: He performs a rap called "Jump". And he's a frog.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: While visually a completely different creature (literally), his hip-hop leanings and dance skills may well have been inspired by the previous winner, Fox.

Turtle

Ranking: 2nd Place
Real Identity: Jesse McCartney
Songs sung:
"Kiss From a Rose" by Seal
"Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur
"There's Nothin' Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes
"Higher Love" by Steve Winwood
"Let it Go" by James Bay
"Stay" by Alessia Cara & Zedd
"Fix You" by Coldplay
"Jealous" by Nick Jonas
"Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi

Intro song: "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol

• The Bus Came Back: He, or rather, his true identity, Jesse McCartney, return in season six for a duet with Bull.
• Delinquent Hair: The spikes on his head are styled like a mohawk.
• Face of a Thug: In spite of his punk appearance, he sings several love songs.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Throughout the clue packages, we saw a Dover sole, a map of South Korea (with Seoul specifically marked), and a shoe sole. All of these reference McCartney's hit song "Beautiful Soul".
  • In his second clue package, he holds a party at a high school and is punished for it by Writing Lines saying "Don't Rave Ever At My School - Turtle". Jesse was in a boy band called Dream Street early in his career.
  • A heart with a crown is shown in another of Turtle's clue packages amongst a giant chessboard and pieces. McCartney's best-known role outside of singing is voicing both Roxas and Ventus in the Kingdom Hearts video game series. A heart with a crown is the series symbol, and chess also becomes a theme in Kingdom Hearts III.
  • During the latter half of the season, some superhero clues were sprinkled in Turtle's clue packages. McCartney voiced a well-known superhero, Robin, in Young Justice.
  • Some of his clues are in the colors of red, blue, and green. He was the voice actor for Theodore (the green one) in the four live action Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. His hoodie even appeared in his Road to the Finals clue.
  • The tag on Turtle's bag says "Never Keep Open This Bag". This references New Kids on the Block, whom McCartney once toured with.
  • Turtle's package in the quarter-finals showed a zombie inside. McCartney is no stranger to zombies, as he starred in a couple of episodes in Fear the Walking Dead.
  • In the post-quarterfinal "After the Mask" episode^note new addition to Season 3, Turtle gives a bonus clue about how he's had a close relationship with soap long before the hand washing and social distancing rules for the COVID-19 pandemic started. McCartney made his acting debut on the soap opera All My Children.
• Friendly Rivalry: With Astronaut thanks to their identical music styles - both have even done songs from the same singer, and it's hard to say who did it better.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: Dresses like a punk in all-black leather.
• Neon City: The setting of "There's Nothin' Holding Me Back" is a road in a futuristic city with blue and purple neon arrows.
• Rebellious Spirit: The theme of his second clue package.
• Studded Shell: Season 3's 2nd place contestant was the Turtle, who sports a shell adorned with large silver spikes. Downplayed as it's a singing competition, and the spikes are for aesthetics rather than combat: the Turtle goes for a punk-rocker theme, dressed in all black leather with silver studs and the spikes on his head shaped like a mohawk. Unmasked in the finale and revealed to be Jesse Mc Cartney.
• Something about a Rose: The entire theme of his performance of "Kiss From a Rose". He even hands one to an audience member!
• Under the Sea: "Say You Won't Let Go" takes place in Turtle's natural habitat at the bottom of the ocean.

Night Angel

Ranking: 1st Place
Real Identity: Kandi Burruss
Songs sung:
"You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi
"Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga
"Shout!" by the Isley Brothers
"Rise Up" by Andra Day
"Man I Feel Like a Woman" by Shania Twain
"Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles
"Last Dance" by Donna Summer
"How to Love" by Lil Wayne
"River Deep, Mountain High" by Tina Turner

Intro song: "I'm Comin' Up" by Diana Ross

• Breaking Old Trends: Season 3's champion Night Angel was THE FIRST WOMAN to win the golden mask trophy.
• Cue the Sun: "Rise Up" is fittingly set against a cloudy sunrise.
• Curtains Match the Windows: The mask has purple eyes that match her long, purple hair.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Her appearance would make you think she was a villain, but her performances and clue packages shows she's anything but. In her first set of clues she even calls herself "a little bit dangerous, and a little bit sweet".
• Deliberately Monochrome: The stage theming for "You Give Love a Bad Name" is mostly black and white patterns. Even the backup dancers are wearing black and white striped suits and black and white spiralled umbrellas.
• Drag Queen: Her backup dancers for "Man I Feel Like a Woman" are dressed like this.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: The top of her mask is lined with a pink feather boa and has darker purple feathers at the very top.
• Foreshadowing:
  • During the Group C group performance, Night Angel indicates that she always had faith. Burruss is a member of the Church of Holiness.
  • A stack of envelopes is shown at one point. These envelopes are all fan-mail, which is the title of the TLC album that "No Scrubs" appeared on. Kandi helped write said song.
  • Both a lit fireplace and a lighter refer to Kandi's daughter's name, Blaze.
  • The 4 security guards dressed as old ladies reference her restaurant, Old Lady Gang.
  • Another 3 guards wear duck bills. She co-wrote the Destiny’s Child song “Bills, Bills, Bills”
  • We see her holding lipstick once. Xscape’s final album was called “Traces of My Lipstick”.
  • The country of Colombia is shown in a clue package. Her former group Xscape was signed to Columbia Records and her debut solo album was released through Columbia as well.
  • An ostrich is one of the items seen x-rayed in her luggage. Her wedding dress had a twelve-foot train made of ostrich feathers.
  • Her super clue is a tricycle. Not only is it a reference to her 3 children, she’s a graduate of Tri-Cities High School in Georgia.
  • Admitted to losing someone in the past. In 2009, her fiance, A.J. Jewell, was killed in an altercation outside the nightclub where he worked.
• Gag Lips: The dancers for "Shout!" are all wearing masks shaped liked giant pairs of red lips.
• Gold Makes Everything Shiny: Night Angel's dress and mask are lined with gold patterns. Gold is also the theme for "Million Reasons", with golden balloons decorating the stage and the backup performers dressed in all-gold suits, fedoras and masks.
• Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Almost everything is purple on Night Angel. While she has a ton of energy while performing, she isn’t afraid to show off her gracefulness with songs like "Million Reasons" and "Rise Up"
• Our Angels Are Different: Has a deep purple and pink color scheme.
• Pimped-Out Dress: It’s a deep shade of purple and is made from shiny material, while trimmed with gold and purple gemstones.
• Pom-Pom Girl: Has a pair of these as backup dancers during "Shout!", who are also accompanied by a pair of flag-wavers.
• Purple Is Powerful: Predominantly purple, and the season champion to boot.
• Purple Is the New Black: Symbolized by the night but is purple rather than black.
• Showgirl Skirt: Sometimes wears one in combination with her Pimped-Out Dress, particularly during her less-energetic numbers.
• Wings Do Nothing: Those fuzzy pink and purple wings sure are pretty, but sadly they can't fly.
• Worthy Opponent: She's this to pretty much everybody, with Rhino being gobsmacked by her performance of "Rise Up", and Kangaroo making it clear before their face-off that she respects the hell out of Night Angel and is rather intimidated.

Season 4

Dragon

Ranking: Group A: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Busta Rhymes
Songs sung:

"Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J

Intro Song: "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads

• Cross Cultural Reference: He's a light blue Eastern dragon, which all lines up with Seiryu of The Four Gods.
• Dragons Up the Yin Yang: This dragon has an East Asian motif. He even wears a kabuto outfit.
• Foreshadowing:
  • There’s a dinosaur-shaped car at the start of his clue package. Busta Rhymes voiced one such dinosaur car—the Reptar Wagon.
  • What's a barbell doing in his lair? Fans of Busta Rhymes should know that he loves weightlifting—and it gave him his chiseled physique.
  • According to his preview clue he's all about stocks and bonds. That alludes to the song Blacktop Stock and Word Bonds.
  • Dragon states that he's on a quest to be the best. Busta Rhymes is no stranger to quests, as he performed with a tribe called "quest".
  • An unseen clue package contained a pumpkin in it. Busta Rhymes got to star in Halloween: Resurrection, where his character managed to take down Michael Myers in the end.
  • The Dragon costume in general represents one of his albums being titled Year of the Dragon.
• Our Dragons Are Different: In comparison to the Australian version, who borrows from medieval European motifs, this one is East Asian in design.

Gremlin

Ranking: Group B: First-round self elimination
Real Identity: Mickey Rourke
Songs sung:

"Stand By Me" by Ben E. King

Intro Song: "Get Up Offa That Thing" by James Brown

• Breaking Old Trends: He's the first contestant to willingly eliminate themselves from the competition.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the preview, his clue is that he "can thrive when the temperature is a cool 66.5 degrees". 66.5 would be the number of days in 9½ Weeks.
  • The Gremlin mentions he likes bashing people with foreign objects. This alludes to professional wrestling, and one of Mickey’s most famous roles was in The Wrestler.
  • All that iron in that clue package? He competed against an iron man as Whiplash in Iron Man 2.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Decides to eliminate himself after his performance due to feeling uncomfortable with his costume.
• Vocal Dissonance: An Ugly Cute creature with a deep and gravelly voice.

Giraffe

Ranking: Group A: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Brian Austin Green
Songs sung:

"Let's Get It Started" by Black Eyed Peas

"Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang

Intro Song: "Super Freak" by Rick James

• Classy Cane: Has one to compliment their aristocrat motif.
• Classy Cravat
• Foreshadowing:
  • His clue in the Super Sneak Peek has him mentioning something he shares with a powerful giant. Said giant is the Jolly Green Giant, and what they share is the word Green in their names.
  • Giraffe's first clue package took place in a carnival. Green released an album called One Stop Carnival.
  • Giraffe's Drone Clue was a domino showing four dots on both ends. Four is the number of children Green has.
  • In his first clue package, Giraffe mentioned how he was "in knots". Green started in the soap opera Knots Landing.
  • A robin appeared in one of his clue packages. This refers to Masked Singer panelist and friend of Green's, Robin Thicke.
  • Peaches play a prominent role in his second clue package. This references the Peach Pit.
  • The Fox makes a cameo in his clue package. It's a double reference, to both Beverly Hills, 90210 being on Fox, and his ex-wife Megan Fox.
• Genial Giraffe: An giraffe that looks like he came from the Victorian era.
• Gentle Giant: At 8 feet, Giraffe is the tallest costume in the show's history.
• High-Class Glass: Wears a pince-nez.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: A classy suit, with a Classy Cravat to match.
• Solid Clouds: "Get Down On It" features a sky motif for its background, complete with googly-eyed cloud dancers.

Baby Alien

Ranking: Group B: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Mark Sanchez
Songs sung:

"Faith" by George Michael

"It’s Time" by Imagine Dragons

Intro Song: "Get Ready" by The Temptations

• Breaking Old Trends: Baby Alien is the first of its kind in the Masked Singer franchise in general. This costume is puppeteered from the inside, making Baby Alien akin to a Muppet rather than a costume. This also hides the size of the celebrity within the costume. It's also the first costume to feature a moving mouth.
• Cuteness Proximity: The judges all coo over how cute the baby is, with Jenny and Nicole playfully arguing over who gets to adopt it.
• Expy: A rather blatant one to Grogu.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In his first clue package, we see a picture of a piece of cheese shaped like and wielded like a vampire stake. As in a cheese-stake, referencing a Philadelphia Cheese Steak that in turn references the fact Sanchez played for Philadelphia.
  • Also in that clue package, he says he's been in second gear for a while. Indeed, Mark has done little of note following the "Butt Fumble" incident, in which, during a game against the Patriots, Sanchez got confused and ran right into the butt of a teammate, dropping the ball and allowing the Patriots to score a touchdown.
  • A Tony Award is seen as he was presenter at the 2010 ceremony.
  • A large hot dog is seen, alluding to the time he ate a hotdog during a game which became a viral moment.
  • All those roses? He lead the USC Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory.
  • His childhood clue is a fire truck. His father was a fireman.
• Mobile-Suit Human: A small alien piloting a human-sized craft.
• Vocal Dissonance: A toddler with the voice of a full-grown man.
• What the Hell Is That Accent?: For some reason he decided to disguise his speaking voice further with a vaguely Russian accent.
  Nick: Are you from Planet Eastern Europe?

Lips

Ranking: Group C: First-round elimination
Real Identity: Wendy Williams
Songs sung:

"Native New Yorker" by Odyssey

Intro Song: "Lips Are Movin'" by Meghan Trainor

• Foreshadowing:
  • The clue Lips gave in the preview was that her "dishes run deep". Given that Williams is a well-known gossiper, that's pretty accurate.
  • Lips is briefly seen wearing some leopard skates in the package. A twofold reference—Williams is a fan of leopard print, and a famouspart of her show is the "Shoe Cam" segment.
  • A fire appears in the clue package. Another twofold reference—The Wendy Williams Show's best-known segment is called "Hot Topic", and Williams's autobiography is called Wendy's Got The Heat.
  • The ice cream scoops seen in the clue package references another segment of The Wendy Williams Show—"Inside Scoops".
  • The snack bar seen in her clue package is called "West Wing". That bar shares the same initials as Wendy Williams.
  • Part of her clue package had her electrocuted, stating that she was "shocking the public for decades". Williams was well known as a shock jockette.
  • There's a disco ball that contains disco fries inside. The one thing Williams and disco fries have in common was that they both originated from the Jersey Shore.
  • A jersey with the number 12 on it references both her home state of New Jersey and the fact that her show is on its 12th season.
• Gag Lips: These are some big lips.
• Refuge in Audacity: Risked revealing her identity outright with a lot of ad-libbing in her real voice between verses. It's Wendy Williams - you couldn't shut her up if you tried.
• Too Important to Walk: Spends her sole performance sitting down.

Squiggly Monster

Ranking: Group C: Second-round elimination
Real Identity: Bob Saget
Songs sung:

"Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones

Intro Song: "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate

• Early-Bird Cameo: Bob had previously been on the show as a friend of Taco in a third season interview.
• Foreshadowing
  • His first clue package shows some salami. One well-known thing about Saget is that he loves his salami.
  • The first clue package also includes a stethoscope. Bob wanted to be a doctor before being advised to take up comedy and acting.
  • He believes that "laughter is the best medicine", alluding to his career in standup comedy.
  • We see the Men in Black slip on a Banana Peel and get hit in the nuts with a football. Amusing Injuries have always been a staple in America's Funniest Home Videos, which Bob hosts.
  • His magic clue is a teddy bear. Bob played a man named Ted on How I Met Your Mother.
  • The Snow Owls are seen in his 2nd clue package. It's got nothing to do with the Blacks but rather the fact that he attended Temple University, their mascot is an owl.
• Our Monsters Are Weird: This one may be the weirdest monster yet!
• Windmill Scenery: Pinwheels are abundant in his first performance.

Snow Owls

Ranking: Group A: Third-round elimination
Real Identities: Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black
Songs sung:

"Say Something" by A Great Big World

"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend

"The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion

"Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion (Smackdown)

Intro Song: "It Takes Two" by Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston

• Breaking Old Trends: They're the first duo pair to participate on the show. However, this only applies to the US version of the show; Thailand's take on it used the concept of duo pairs five times prior to the Snow Owls' reveal.
  • Additionally, they're the first mobile costume on the show, in which the costume has to be steered by handlebars.
• Cool Crowns: They even match up for each gender.
• Dainty Little Ballet Dancers: A pair of these join the Snow Owls while performing "The Prayer". They also open their mobile egg costume to reveal their full bodies after they get eliminated.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Both of them wear absolutely gorgeous costumes trimmed with snow-white feathers. The male owl is dressed like a classic Prince Charming, while the female owl has a Pimped-Out Dress. They were only reavealed in full after the Snow Owls were eliminated and "hatched" from their egg, much to the amazement of the judges.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A clam housing a pearl is shown in the first clue package. The Blacks have a daughter named Lily Pearl.
  • One of their clues was a witch’s hat. Lisa appeared as the lead on a spin-off of Bewitched, and the hat also references Clint's trademark black cowboy hat.
  • The hobby horse alludes to the fact that both of them starred in Flicka: Country Pride.
  • There's a basketball with 'DAL' written on it. Clint's first film role was in the 1994 film Maverick, which was about the Dallas Mavericks. He even appeared on it's soundtrack.
• Happily Married: They're a married couple and are very much in love with each other, as evidenced by the little smooch they shared on stage. In fact, Clint and Lisa have been married for almost 30 years.
• Only Sane Man: When you compare the two to the other masks in their group, they're surprisingly more grounded than the other four. Although Sir Owl tends to Zig-Zag this.
• Owls Ask "Who?": Invoked Trope by the male snow owl during their first clue package.
• Pimped-Out Dress: The female snow owl wears an utterly beautiful white dress trimmed with feathers. Lisa Hartman Black even admitted to crying when she first saw the costumes in person from how beautiful they looked.
• Pimped-Out Cape: The male owl wears a long cape made from white feathers.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: If you look closely, you'll notice the female owl has eyelashes.
• Troll: They tried to throw the audience's guesses off a little by claiming "a sister can sing a love song with her brother". Leading the audience to believe they were actually a brother-sister singing duo until the unmasking.

Whatchamacallit

Ranking: Group B: Third-round double elimination
Real Identity: Lonzo Ball
Songs sung:

"I Wish" by Skee-Lo

"Money Maker" by Ludacris ft. Pharrell Williams

"Lean Back" by Terror Squad ft. Fat Joe and Remy Ma

Intro Song: "Whip My Hair" by Willow Smith

• Disney Acid Sequence: All of his numbers have very strange imagery to fit with his clue packages. "I Wish" features floating disembodied hands, he's accompanied by unicorns on roller skates in "Money Maker", and "Lean Back" sees him party with some inflatable tube men.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the preview, he stated that his career had a magical start. Ball began his basketball career with the Lakers, run by Magic Johnson.
  • That image of the Bear in his first clue package? That doesn’t refer to Sarah Palin, but to Lonzo’s college basketball team, the UCLA Bruins.
    • It’s also revealed that he’s won a championship before. He hasn’t won a NBA Championship yet, but did win the NCAA championship with the Bruins in 2016.
  • His childhood clue is a children’s book. Lonzo has a Facebook show called "Ball in the Family".
  • 3 B notes appear. The name of his company is Big Baller Brand.
    • For that matter, his very first song "I Wish" starts with the line "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller".
  • Marshmallows and gelatin are seen at 2 points in different packages. He has 2 brothers named LiAngelo and LaMelo.
  • The past Masked Singer contestant Whatchamacallit has a connection with is Ice Cream. While Lonzo may not play Fortnite like Ice Cream does, his brother, LaMelo, does.
  • The jets and panthers refer to the 2 NFL teams his father Lavar played for.
• Motor Mouth: Much like Frog, his songs are classic rap tunes, which he delivers with an impeccable flow. It's impressive that he makes it so far considering how he's a basketball player and not a rapper.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Counts as one to Thingamajig, as both are really tall technicolor monsters who deliver seasoned performances in their respective genres (R&B and rap) despite secretly being basketball players and not singers.
• Our Monsters Are Weird: And a very hairy one at that.

Serpent

Ranking: Group B: Third-round double elimination
Real Identity: Dr. Elvis Francois
Songs sung:

"I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers

"Bones" by Maren Morris

"Cool" by Jonas Brothers

Intro Song: "Cold Hearted" by Paula Abdul

• Breaking Old Trends: Serpent is unique due to the fact that it actually uses animatronics to help it move.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the preview, Serpent showed what he stated was a "prescription number" to his identity—31118. On March 11, 2018, Dr. Elvis released his first song cover.
  • His childhood clue is a baby bottle. He performed at the Indy 500, where winners toast with milk.
  • The Masked Singer alumnus Serpent has a connection with is the Eagle. The thing that Serpent and Eagle have in common is that they're both doctors.
    • Eagle's clue for Serpent was that he once performed with one of the panelists. Said panelist was Nicole—she and Serpent sang a duet in one of the Season 3 post-shows.
  • Peanut butter, bananas and bacon all appear throughout his clue packages. This references Serpent's namesake, Elvis Presley—his favorite sandwich consist of those three toppings.
  • The Serpent costume itself is a huge hint to his identity. A serpent circling a staff is one of the main symbols of medicine, befitting Dr. Elvis's position.
  • One of the songs Serpent sang was "The Bones". This is a sneaky reference to Dr. Elvis being a bone surgeon.
• Snakes Are Sinister: This one looks pretty imposing.
• Sssssnaketalk: Of course he speaks like this.

Broccoli

Ranking: Group C: Third-round elimination
Real Identity: Paul Anka
Songs sung:

"House Is Rockin'/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" by Stevie Ray Vaughan/by Big Maybelle (as covered by Jerry Lee Lewis)

"Hello" by Lionel Richie

"Old Time Rock And Roll" by Bob Seger

"Take Me Down" by Exile (as covered by Alabama) (Smackdown)

Intro Song: "Gangsta’s Paradise" by Coolio ft. L.V.

• Anthropomorphic Food: A stalk of broccoli in a varsity jacket.
• Cool Old Guy: He's got some energetic dance moves for a guy who claims he was born before the invention of the microwave oven and even worked with the Rat Pack in his day.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In his preview clue, he mentions that he's a "brocco-lean, mean, heart-pumping machine", stating it's how he got his six-pack. Anka has 6 children.
  • His first clue package mentions him "rolling with the OGs". Said OGs were Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
  • The roulette that acts as his clue is stopped on 26. The city of Ottawa made a holiday for Paul on August 26.
  • In his second clue package, he mentions making a masterpiece for someone simply called the Big Cheese. That Big Cheese would be Frank Sinatra, and that masterpiece would be "My Way". Furthermore, he includes the code 37265 in the package. That’s Frank spelt in phone code.
  • Another package features a Jason mask. His son-in-law is Jason Bateman.
  • His first clue package resembles a Tik Tok video. His song "Put Your Head on My Shoulders" went viral on the site.
  • There was a soup can at one point. Paul got his start after he won a competition sponsored by Campbell's Soup.
  • The mariachi band shown is a two-fold reference: it references the popular mariachi song "A Mi Manera", which was written by Anka in 1969, and Anka's own album called Amigos.

Popcorn

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Taylor Dayne
Songs sung:

"What About Us" by P!nk

"Falling" by Harry Styles

"Domino" by Jessie J

"(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams (Smackdown)

"Better Be Good to Me" by Tina Turner

Intro Song: "Buttered Popcorn" by the Supremes

• Anthropomorphic Food: Unlike some other food singers we've seen, they've turned the popcorn bucket into a hoop skirt and some puffs into a bouffant hairdo, emphasising her feminine figure over the popcorn theme.
• Beat Them at Their Own Game: She defeats the Snow Owls by singing an Award-Bait Song of her own.
• The Cutie: Sure is cute.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Her clue in the preview was: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, what makes me the greatest miracle of all?" This references "Facing a Miracle", which Dayne released for the 2010 Gay Games.
  • A Rubik's cube and crimper was shown in one of her clue packages. Both items are synonymous with the 80's—the decade that put Dayne on the map.
    • Sixteen candles were also shown. The film Sixteen Candles was another iconic part of the 80's.
  • Her first clue package states that she built her career on love. Dayne made a lot of love songs, including her Signature Song "Tell It To My Heart".
    • A heart monitor shown in another package references another of Dayne's hits, "With Every Beat of My Heart".
    • You also had some meat loaf in another. Meat Loaf covered her song "Original Sin", which was also written by his frequent collaborator Jim Steinman.
  • Popcorn's drone clue was the planet Venus. Dayne sang the song "Venus" alongside Bananarama.
  • Cats were littered throughout her clue packages. Dayne starred in the Broadway play Cats as Grizabella.
  • Another clue was a matzo ball soup with bunny ears. Dayne was on the show Celebrity Cook Off, and used this particular dish to beat The Masked Singer's own Rabbit, Joey Fatone.
  • Her Super Clue is a stop sign. Taylor made a song called "Unstoppable".
• Joisey: When she speaks, she has a thick Jersey accent.

Jellyfish

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Chloe Kim
Songs sung:

"Big Girls Don’t Cry" by Fergie

"Crazy" by Willie Nelson (as covered by Patsy Cline)

"Don’t Start Now" by Dua Lipa

"Stay" by Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko

Intro Song: "Swish Swish" by Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj

• Bioluminescence Is Cool: Her bodysuit is UV reactive. This is especially obvious during her performance of "Don't Start Now."
• Brick Joke: In an interview last season Tom Bergeron admitted that he was left to choose between a Taco and a Jellyfish costume.
• Character Development: During her first performance, pretty much everyone can see how unsure of herself and scared she is. Every performance after that shows how much more confident she is with singing.
• Dramatic Irony: She's a fan of Billie Eilish, and gets sent home on the same week that Sun broke out her landmark performance of "When The Party's Over".
• Foreshadowing:
  • Her clue in the preview mentions her being cold-blooded. Kim is a professional snowboarder.
  • One clue is a tiger. Chloe took a break from snowboarding to attend Princeton University, whose mascot is a tiger.
  • Her Super Clue is a model of the Eiffel Tower. The 2024 Summer Olympics are to be held in Paris, and while Chloe is more of a winter sports athlete, it does reference her being an Olympian.
  • There’s a board that has a reference to the lyrics of "bad guy" on it. Chloe is a huge fan of Billie Eilish.
  • Her written clue during the group performance at the Super Six simply mentioned "Ups and Downs". Being a snowboarder, Chloe deals with literal ups and downs all the time.
  • Her guest on the third clue package wore a calculator for a head that had the number 41775 on it. Turn that upside down and you get "hills", which Chloe snowboards on.
  • The Group C performance had her clue be "Oscar Moment". Francis McDormand name dropped her after winning Best Supporting Actor.
  • One of her clues is a ship reading "USS BIG BIRD". Chloe appeared on an episode of Sesame Street to discuss snowboarding with Big Bird.
• Neon City: The setting of her performance of "Don't Start Now" is filled with tons of neon signs.
• Red Herring: One of her clues has her talk about how she's not used to being on dry land, clearly intended to get people to think that Jellyfish is a swimmer. However snow is not exactly dry land either.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After 3 seasons of being denied clues and gifts while the other panelists received some, Ken finally gets a shout-out clue from Jellyfish in the Season 4 semifinals.

Seahorse

Ranking: Semi-Finals Elimination
Real Identity: Tori Kelly
Songs sung:

"Only Girl (In The World)" by Rihanna

"My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion

"...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears

"That’s What I Like" by Bruno Mars

"Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson

Intro Song: "Cover Girl" by RuPaul

• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Her outfit comprises of just about every color in the coral reef.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Seahorse’s alum was Astronaut. Tori has performed with him on two occasions.
  • Her childhood clue was a bunch of feathers. There’s one in Tori’s logo.
  • One clue package showed a group of clocks with wings. This represents the phrase "time flies", which is the name of Kelly's own single.
  • A Christmas wreath is also shown in one of Seahorse's clue packages. At the time of her unmasking, Kelly recently released a Christmas album of her own.
  • The Super Clue in Seahorse's final clue package was a telescope. Kelly's first televised appearance was in the show Star Search.
  • We also have a rainbow frog in one of the clue packages. Kelly once sang a duet with Kermit the Frog, particularly singing Kermit's Signature Song, "The Rainbow Connection".
• Misplaced Wildlife: Her first clue package and performance give her a western cowboy theme, probably the last place where a seahorse could be seen.
• Ms. Fanservice: The token figure-hugging suit of this season.

Crocodile

Ranking: 3rd Place
Real Identity: Nick Carter
Songs sung:

"It’s My Life" by Bon Jovi

"Toxic" by Britney Spears

"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis
"I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith

"Silent Night" by Franz Xaver Gruber

"Open Arms" by Journey
Intro Song: "Perm" by Bruno Mars

• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: This crocodile is a deep pink instead of the typical green.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Croc's preview clue says that "a special set of keys reversed [his] game forever". Those keys were the Florida Keys, where Carter proposed to his then-girlfriend, Lauren Kitt.
  • There are water-themed clues scattered throughout his clue package. Carter also has a career in power-boat racing.
  • The Masked Singer veteran he has a connection with is Bee. Carter has a collaborative album with someone with the same last name as the Bee (Knight)—Jordan Knight.
  • Some clues come in black and blue. That's the title of one of the Backstreet Boys' albums.
  • Croc is said to have been in a cult classic movie. Nick is one of the kids on the slip and slide in Edward Scissorhands.
  • His childhood clue was a toy dolphin. Nick worked for a charity dedicated to saving dolphins at one point.
  • His connection to Craig Robinson references how he with the rest of the Backstreet Boys appeared in the Dance Party Ending of This Is the End along with Craig, Jay Baruchel, and Seth Rogen.
  • His Super Clue is a pizza with a rat. This alludes to New York City, Nick's birthplace.
  • The song choice of "I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing" subtly alludes to Nick having appeared in another movie about the end of the world.
• Hidden Depths: He claims that singing is his hidden talent. Considering how he has spent his music career singing with four other people, there’s some truth to that.
• Pretty in Mink: Wears a pink fur coat that's just as bright and gaudy as...well the rest of his body and clothes.
• Real Men Wear Pink: The voice is most definitely male, which surprised many given all the pink present on his outfit.

Mushroom

Ranking: 2nd Place
Real Identity: Aloe Blacc
Songs sung:

"This Woman’s Work" by Maxwell

"If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher

"Unconditionally" by Katy Perry

"A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway (Smackdown)

"Valerie" by The Zutons (as covered by Amy Winehouse)

"The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole

"I Wish" by Stevie Wonder

Intro Song: "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys

• Ambiguous Gender: Their signature husky vocals have often left the panelists torn over whether that's a man or a woman in the suit. Just to add to it, one of their clues states that "the name I go by now is not the name I was born with", implying it's a Transgender artist in there. Which is oddly appropriate considering the nature of real mushrooms. In the end it's revealed to be the cisgender Aloe Blacc.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Hats are a recurring element in his clue package, as well as his preview clue. It just isn't Aloe Blacc without his signature hat.
  • He states that the name he was born with isn't the name he uses nowadays. Indeed, Blacc was born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III.
  • His first clue package is full of Hamilton references. While Aloe never performed in the show, he did write a song called "Write My Way Out" for the Hamilton Mixtape.
  • His second clue package has a picture of the Kangaroo. This references Aloe’s wife, who is Australian.
    • Beside that is a picture of a buck. Aloe's first real hit was called "I Need A Dollar".
  • One of his clues was a gelatin brain. Brains can get a tumor called aloe veta, so this is a reference to his name.
  • His Super Clue is an alarm clock. Aloe made a song with Avicii called "Wake Me Up".
• Level Ate: His final performance takes place against a landscape comprised of vegetables, complete with windmills.
• Mushroom Man
• Voice Changeling: The Mushroom has an amazing vocal range. He never sounds the same twice, which of course keeps the panelists guessing.

Sun

Ranking: 1st Place
Real Identity: LeAnn Rimes
Songs sung:

"Cuz I Love You" by Lizzo

"Praying" by Kesha

"Piece of My Heart" by Faith Hill (as covered by Janis Joplin)

"when the party’s over" by Billie Eilish

"Rocking Around The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee

"The Story" by Brandi Carlile

Intro Song: "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

• Bling of War: While her gold is somewhat muted compared to Lion, she's still very gold.
• Book Ends: She gave the first and last performances of the season.
• Breaking Old Trends: The first contestant to sing a song a cappella style.
• Fairytale Wedding Dress: Take away the mask, and her costume could easily be one of these, complete with long veil down her back.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Her preview clue states that she shines like a torch even during the freezing winter. She performed at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
  • Her first clue package has an image that looks like Mickey Mouse’s head. Rimes did a concert on the Disney Channel in 1997, and sang the theme for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary in 2005.
  • Her drone clue is an 8-ball. 8 is the age Rimes was when she appeared on Star Search, and also the age she was at when she sang the National Anthem at a Texas Rangers game.
  • A jaguar is present. She wrote a children's book called "Jag."
  • Her second clue package has lots of blue stuff in it. Blue is also the name of one of her songs.
  • Her Super Clue is breathing fire. This alludes to both her song, "Light The Fire Within" and her album "Spitfire".
  • Her 3rd clue package has postcards from Baltimore and Alaska. Rimes starred in the made-for-TV movie "Northern Lights", which focused on a cop who moved from Baltimore to Alaska.
• Our Centaurs Are Different: Two centaurs appear during "Piece of My Heart".

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