THE MASKED Singer returned to our screens over the weekend with five secret celebrities singing in disguise.
Bagpipes and Poodle landed in the sing-off with The Masked Singer's show detectives Rita Ora, Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan saving the furry character from elimination.
After cheers and chants from the studio audiences Bagpipes was finally revealed as Australian tennis ace Pat Cash.
But fans were all saying the same thing about Poodle's mysterious identity, spotting three clues that have convinced them it's Paul O'Grady.
Read our Masked Singer live blog below for the latest news and gossip…
- Louis Allwood
Fans left wondering the same thing after Saturday's episode
At the start of tonight’s episode, we saw the contestants all sing along to I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys.
Both the live studio audience and viewers at home loved watching Poodle, Panda, Rockhopper, Bagpipes and Traffic Cone show off their singing chops and harmonise very well together.
But the group performance also had fans asking the same question during the ‘love’ themed episode.
“Do the masked singers know who eachother are…?” one fan pondered on Twitter.
Another asked: “So do the contestants know each other?”
- Louis Allwood
Show goes to great lengths to prevent spoilers leaking
In order to protect and stop the identities of the singers leaking, not all audience members get to see the unmasking
The whole show is filmed in front of about 500 people who watch the show, right up to the point until the celebrity is about to take off their mask.
At this point, most of the audience have to leave the studio, with only about 30 or so people staying to see the big reveal, so as to minimise spoilers leaking.
Both parts are then edited together, with viewers at home none the wiser about the switch-up.
Those who apply for tickets to watch the show are warned of this in advance, so they are not disappointed when they go to watch it..
According to SRO Audiences, who deal with tickets for the show, all audience members are also required to sign a release form, which contains “confidentiality clauses” to stop them telling others about who is unmasked on the show.
- Louis Allwood
Davina back on the panel
Davina McCall, 54, is one of The Masked Singer’s judges.
The star – just like fellow panellist Jonathan Ross – is also a television presenter and is best known for hosting the reality show Big Brother.
Speaking about her decision to sign up for the show, Davina stated it was a “no brainer” and told BBC News: “I fell in love with the costumes.
“The celebrities loved being anonymous and going out there as anyone they wanted to be. It’s an opportunity to reinvent yourself.”
- Louis Allwood
Fans convinced Traffic Cone has been on the show before
Viewers of the ITV show have already guessed that the celebrity behind the crazy costume is Katie Price's ex Peter Andre, radio presenter Jamie Theakston and Sex Education actor Jim Howick.
Last night Traffic Cone returned to the stage to perform their rendition of Sarah McLachlan's When She Loved Me in front of judges Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan.
One of the character's clues – reference to stand-up – left many fans convinced that it's comedian Jason Manford.
Many took to Twitter to discuss their thoughts.
One wrote: "Traffic Cone – Jason Manford
A second tweeted: "I know he's already done it but I think @JasonManford is traffic cone @MaskedSingerUK#themaskedsinger."
A third chimed in: "@JasonManford Im@betting on you being ‘Traffic Cone’@MaskedSingerUK#trafficcone#themaskedsinger."
- Joseph Gamp
Who are the judges on The Masked Singer USA?
Fans of the show might already know that The Masked Singer started out in the US.
Across the pond, the show is on its sixth season, and they have an entirely different panel.
Over in the States, the judging panel is made up of the following:
Jenny McCarthy – Actress and TV personality
Nicole Scherzinger – Singer, dancer, TV judge and Pussycat Dolls member
Ken Jeong – Actor, producer and writer, best known for playing Mr Chow in The Hangover film franchise
Robin Thicke – Singer, songwriter and record producer
- Joseph Gamp
Who is Pat Cash and what do we know about him?
The Masked Singer has just unmasked Bagpipes as none other than Pat Cash.
Here’s all you need to know about him…
Who is Pat Cash?
Pat Cash was born in Melbourne in 1965.
He is the son of former Australian rules football player Pat Cash Sr.
In 1981 he was the world’s highest ranking junior player and won the Wimbledon junior singles a year later.
What do we know about Pat’s tennis career?
Cash’s career blossomed from 1983 to 1987.
During that time he won Wimbledon and secured two Davis Cups.
Furthermore, he won 4 doubles career titles and secured 5 out of his 6 singles career titles.
But despite victory at the All-England Club he had a reputation as a bit of a nearly man.
In 1984 Cash reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US open but was beaten by John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl respectively.
Cash also lost twice at his home event – the Australian Open in the final of 1988 and 1989.
- Joseph Gamp
About this year’s Masked Singer
The new characters will be hoping to join the list of The Masked Singer winners, which includes Nicola Roberts‘ Queen Bee and Joss Stone’s Sausage.
Comedian and presenter, Joel Dommett is hosting again alongside celebrity panel: chat show host Jonathan Ross, singer Rita Ora, presenter Davina McCall and comedian Mo Gilligan.
The Masked Singer airs ITV on Saturdays at 7pm.
All episodes are available to watch online via the ITV Hub and BritBox.
- Joseph Gamp
When is the Masked Singer 2022 next on TV and how can I watch it?
The Masked Singer on ITV continues on Saturday, January 22 at 7pm.
The third season of The Masked Singer premiered on New Year’s Day (Saturday, 1 January).
If you have missed a previous episode head over to ITV Hub as they will be available to watch there.
- Joseph Gamp
Recap: Who won The Masked Singer UK 2021?
Joss Stone won the competition last year after keeping the judges guessing for weeks on end.
During the 2021 show, many fans also believed that the Sausage was Sheridan Smith or Stacey Solomon so the unveiling came as quite the surprise.
The semi-final also revealed Badger as American singer Ne-Yo, and Robin as JLS star, Aston Merrygold.
- Joseph Gamp
Who else has left The Masked Singer 2022?
During week one, Chandelier was booted out of the competition.
Heather Small, lead singer of 90s band M People, was unveiled as the celebrity under the costume.
Snow Leopard was the next contestant eliminated from the show.
And it was revealed that it was 81-year-old Gloria Hunniford.
In week three, Lionfish was given his marching orders, who was played by Will Young.
- Joseph Gamp
Who has left The Masked Singer 2022?
Tonight’s episode saw Aussie tennis ace Pat Cash voted off The Masked Singer after finding himself in the bottom two against Poodle.
But who else has been eliminated from the competition so far?
During week one, Chandelier was booted out of the competition.
Heather Small, lead singer of 90s band M People, was unveiled as the celebrity under the costume.
Snow Leopard was the next contestant eliminated from the show.
And it was revealed that it was 81-year-old Gloria Hunniford.
In week three, Lionfish was given his marching orders, and shocked everyone after it was revealed the man behind the mask was Pop Idol winner, Will Young.
- Joseph Gamp
Clues point towards Michelle Williams being Rockhopper
Despite the former Destiny’s Child songstress appearing on the US version of The Masked Singer a few seasons ago, fans are convinced she’s made the trip here to the UK.
The American accent and multiple clues give strong suggestions that the star is the one behind the mask.
For starters, Rockhopper’s VT’s are themed like The Greatest Showman, and there is an actress in the film who shares the same exact name as Michelle.
The contestant has made reference to her making the headlines by being the first to do something, and a fan commented on YouTube that “She made the headlines by being the first [from Destiny’s Child] to release a solo album”.
Another fan made the connection between the roman numerals on the back of the jacket and the singer’s superbowl performance.
They wrote: “On the back of her jacket is the roman numerals XLVII, which relates to the Superbowl in 2013 where Destiny’s Child performed at the half time show – It’s Michelle Williams”.
- Joseph Gamp
What is The Masked Singer?
The Masked Singer is a secret singing competition in which celebrities face off against one another in costumes concealing their identity.
Whoever is crowned winner of the singing competition gets to take home a grand prize: a trophy with a mask on it.
There is no other grand prize aside from the trophy and the contestants are likely not paid to appear on the show, they simply participate for “fun.”
Judges also win a prize at the end of the show, the Golden Ear trophy.
The Golden Ear trophy is given to the judge who has managed to guess the most contestants correctly that season.
- Joseph Gamp
Mo Gilligan promotes charity collab with NSPCC
The Masked Singer judge Mo Gilligan has Tweeted encouraging fans to purchase the “tee & hoodie” he has designed as part of a collaboration between The Masked Singer and the NSPCC.
He wrote alongside a link to the products: “Shop my tee & hoodie now!
“As part of #TheMaskedSinger’s charity partnership with @NSPCC the panel have all designed special tees and hoodies to raise money for them.”
He added: “Delighted to be able to share this, head here if you’d like to buy”.
- Joseph Gamp
Pat Cash unmasked as Bagpipes
Former tennis player Pat Cash on Saturday become the latest celebrity to be unveiled after being eliminated from The Masked Singer.
Bagpipes found himself in the sing-off against fellow contestant Poodle in the love-themed week.
Cash, 56, who sang Dusty Springfield's I Only Want To Be With You in the sing-off, was correctly guessed by panellist Davina McCall.
He said: "I played on centre court at Wimbledon, but the most nerve-wracking thing was coming on here."
Bagpipes also performed against the masked contestants Traffic Cone, Rockhopper and Panda.
The ITV show opened with the masked celebrities all performing the track I Want It That Way, by the Backstreet Boys.
- Joseph Gamp
What else has Masked Singer host Joel Dommett starred in?
Joel appeared in BBC Two series Popatron and in 2011 he hosted Live in Chelsea, a discussion show revolving around Made in Chelsea.
The comedian also appeared in Impractical Jokers UK from 2013 to 2014 before becoming a panellist on Sky 1's Bring the Noise in 2015.
In 2016 Joel came second on I'm A Celebrity.
In March 2019 he took part in All Star Musicals which saw him belting out show tunes before a panel of judges.
The funnyman has hosted The Masked Singer since 2020 and is now hosting it's spin-off – The Masked Dancer.
In 2021 he was the host of the 26th National Television Awards.
- Joseph Gamp
What is Joel Dommett's net worth?
Internet reports suggest Joel is worth £2.4million, although this is just speculation at this stage of his career.
It is believed he received around £25,000 for his stint on I'm A Celeb in 2016.
But Joel is expected to be earning much more today as he's become one of British TV's most popular stars.
- Joseph Gamp
Who is Joel Dommett?
Joel, 36, is a stand-up comedian and TV host.
He was born in Rockhampton, Gloucestershire, on June 8, 1985.
Joel first found fame on-screen in 2010 after appearing as D.C. Sweeney in the hit E4 show Skins, but he was already a touring comedian at the time.
He has devoted most of his life to comedy and performed his first gig at 19.
Joel is very active on social media, keeping his fans updated with his showbiz life.
You can follow him on Instagram @joeldommett.
Head over to Twitter and his handle is @joeldommett.
- Joseph Gamp
Who is behind Doughnuts?
Season three of The Masked Singer features a delicious looking character named Doughnuts.
The masked celebrity has dropped hints such as being "speedy", "jockey for position" and "eating crisps" with his video tape including a bowl for baking and ingredients entitled talent sprinkles, capri-corn flour and golden-boot syrup. The VT also included a reference to ornithology.
Viewers at home have been guessing that Doughnuts is Michael Owen, pointing out that the character sounds like him as well as the clues pointing in his direction.
Judge Mo Gilligan, was certain it was Frankie Dettori, until he changed his mind to Michael Owen.
Davina McCall praised the singer's charisma and guessed it to be Robbie Fowler.
Jonathan Ross suggested Tyson Fury as well as Gary Lineker but then followed those guesses with Chris Kamara and Wayne Rooney.
Rita Ora thought it could be her friend and radio host Nick Grimshaw, before changing to Chris Moyles.
- Joseph Gamp
Who is Traffic Cone on The Masked Singer 2022?
It is yet to be revealed who Traffic Cone is on The Masked Singer 2022.
However, there are some clues to suggest who it could be.
Traffic Cone said that the shape of a traffic cone is close to their heart.
They also said they have a 'sporting' chance of keeping us guessing, they're a troublemaker, and ‘I made my money taking my top off’.
Many fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts as to who it could be.
Many fans are convinced Traffic Cone is Tom Jones, with one writing: "TRAFFIC CONE is definitely Tom Jones. I remember him saying on the Voice he worked in Construction before he made it big!"
Another added: "Tom Jones IS traffic cone."
- Joseph Gamp
How long does each Masked Singer episode last?
The Masked Singer returned to ITV on January 8, 2022 at 7pm.
The programme runs for 90 minutes every Saturday.
All episodes are available to watch online via the ITV Hub and BritBox.
- Joseph Gamp
The full list of costume characters
The other costume characters on Masked Singer 2022 include:
- Chandelier
- Bagpipes
- Lionfish
- Doughnuts
- Traffic Cone
- Panda
- Rockhopper
- Mushroom
- Firework
- Poodle
- Snow Leopard
Who hosts the Masked Singer?
Comedian and presenter, Joel Dommett is back to host the show.
The show will include a celebrity panel and those at home attempting to guess the identity of the celebrities.
The celebrity panel for series three are returning judges, chat show host Jonathan Ross; singer Rita Ora, presenter Davina McCall and comedian Mo Gilligan.
Who is Robobunny on The Masked Singer 2022?
Is it a robot? Is it a bunny? No! It’s Robobunny.
It is yet to be revealed who could be under this costume.
The celebrity’s VT revealed several clues surrounding their identity, from references to the Village People – after a police badge, a Native American headdress and a builder’s hat were seen – to mentions of country life and line dancing.
Many viewers are convinced that the celebrity under the costume is Mark Feehily from Westlife.
Celebrity judge panlist, Jonathan Ross has remained tight-lipped about the identities behind the mask.
However he did hint there will be a few "real surprises" in store for fans.
Could Rockhopper be Scandinavian?
When it came to guessing the talented Rockhopper’s identity, a few of the judges secret celeb isn't from the UK.
Davina said: “I feel like you’re possibly from Sweden?”, with Mo adding his suggestion: “That accent is American, but I think you could be Scandinavian, possibly Robyn?”
Jonathan went for a rogue guess, saying: “A woman with opinions, could it be someone like Ferne Cotton?”
Rita wasn’t sure of her guess, telling Joel: “I don’t even wanna say it now!”
She explained: “Going by the VT, you talked about stating your opinion, there’s a woman on Loose Women, it could be Jamelia?”
For Rockhopper’s two truths and a lie clues, they said: “I’m a big fan of a weekend meal delivered in the evening”, which caused the judges to agree they could be Saturday Night Takeaway stars Ashley Roberts or Fleur East.
Their second clue was “Sporting events is where I feel at home”, which the judges guessed was the lie.
Finally, their last clue was: “Even though it’s cold, I still know how to slay”, with definitely points in Ashley Roberts’ direction due to her Pussycat Dolls background.
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