Top 10 Masked Singer Contestants Who Were Recognizable from Their First Note

Anyone who’s even vaguely familiar with Williams’ career might’ve guessed that she’d masquerade behind a giant pair of lips. Even she knew it would be hard to conceal her identity; after all, she’s not the most coy of talk show hosts. Anyway, the moment she opened her lips, there was no denying who that voice belonged to. She might’ve had us fooled a tad longer if she hadn’t started her performance by talking, you know, that thing she’s famous for doing? It’s clear she’s having a blast, but she got a little too loose-lipped. It was so obvious that she may as well have sat there singing without her disguise.

If you’ve been following Hall’s career for a while, you probably hit the bullseye on this one almost instantly. Nicole Scherzinger immediately guessed him, saying she could sense it in her “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels.” As the weeks went on and we gathered more clues, heard more songs, and even saw a few dance moves, we became even more bullheaded about our suspicions. In fact, so many of his stylistic choices were so quintessentially Todrick that we would’ve put a lot of money on it being him. Still, that didn’t stop us from enjoying his performances week after week until he was ultimately unmasked as the series runner-up.

If you watched “The Drew Carey Show,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” or are a “The Price Is Right” fan, you likely had a good hunch about this Masked Singer. However, if you’re anything like us, the moment he started singing, you were probably thinking, “Yep, that’s gotta be Drew.” Even if a smidgen of doubt lingered, something in his mannerisms felt like the last pieces of a puzzle finally clicking into place. Even if he couldn’t pull the wool over our eyes for long, we were disappointed to see him go when he did. In that same season, almost any millennial watching could recognize Jesse McCartney’s “Beautiful Soul” under that turtle mask.

“The Masked Singer” has welcomed its fair share of legends, all grappling with a common challenge: How do you conceal a voice that iconic? We all knew it was her, guest judge Kenan Thompson knew it was her, yet somehow her identity seemingly eluded the judges until the very end. Or perhaps they were just pretending they didn’t know who was beneath the mask because, well, who would turn down watching Gladys Knight perform live every week? As for the rest of us, we were buzzing from the moment we heard her sing. She’s the Queen Bee of Soul, after all, and her instantly identifiable voice was the sweetest honey to our ears.

If you were watching season two of “The Masked Singer,” maybe you guessed that con-Sealed beneath Leopard was singer Seal. Perhaps you knew you were Destiny-ied to see Michelle Williams cocooned in Butterfly. Or maybe you firmly be-leafed that Patti LaBelle was rooted inside Flower. However, this season, there was one masked singer where we were sure we were barking up the right tree. Despite attempts to muzzle his voice, Daughtry’s unmistakable raspy tone and confident stage presence gave him away. All that was left was to piece in the clues that may as well have been a flashing arrow pointing at Daughtry. You’d have been barking not to guess it was him.

NSYNC fans were perfectly in sync with this performer, convinced it was none other than Joey Fatone—okay, a small part of us leaned towards J.C., but it’s the same band, right? Right from the first clue package, we sensed it was some bunny from a boy band. However, the moment he began to sing, it clearly couldn’t be anyone but Fatone. Those dance moves also convinced us we’d hopped on the right track. Fatone kept trying to send us off his trail with his boundless versatility week after week as he tackled a wide range of genres and styles. Still, through it all, we were sure it was “Gonna Be [Him].”

Season two of “The Masked Singer” treated fans to a “Cheetahlicious” reunion, but here’s the twist—these Cheetah sisters weren’t in on it. Yet, for those of us raised on 00s Disney Channel, these Cheetahs couldn’t change their spots enough to fool us. Even masquerading as a Flamingo, it was impossible not to Flaming-know exactly to whom that voice belonged. Meanwhile, while Raven was no stranger to a disguise on her Disney Channel show, on “The Masked Singer,” her familiar voice gave her away to fans who grew up watching her— it was a pretty easy web to unravel. From the first moment she started singing, we all said, “That’s So Raven.”

Even if this Masked Singer only came up to his costume’s snout, it was pretty clear that this was a tall dude. On top of that, the clues referencing his New England connections, specifically the Patriots, definitely helped narrow it down. But the dead giveaway? Tiger’s roar. Whether belting out a tune or chatting with the panel, his voice and the way he carried himself were as clear as a tiger’s stripes. Some folks couldn’t help but notice his moves were pretty reminiscent of the Football star, too. Even if you’re not a sports buff, you probably could’ve taken a wild guess and pounced on the right answer.

Lil Wayne’s been on the scene since he was a kid and is widely hailed as one of today's best and most influential rappers. With over a hundred awards, including five Grammys, he’s not exactly flying under the radar. So, while the panel threw out guesses left and right, the audience knew that voice belonged to Lil Wayne, no ifs ands or ro-buts. Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, and guest judge Jamie Foxx have all collaborated with him in the past and somehow still failed to guess correctly. We reckon their guessing gears needed a little oiling! It couldn’t have been more obvious! Too bad his time on the show short-circuited so quickly.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Tony Hawk as Elephant
Hawk-Eyed (& Eared) Viewers Spotted Tony in a Flash

Tommy Chong as Pineapple
It Didn’t Take Fans Long to Pine-A-Peel Away This Actor’s Disguise

Johnny Weir as Egg
Did You Crack This One Right Away, or Were You Scrambling for a Name?

Kelly Osbourne as Ladybug
The Hidden Identity of This Celeb Didn’t Bug Viewers for Very Long

We didn’t need Marie Osmond to tell us that it was her brother Donny showing his feathers in the Peacock costume. If you’re familiar with the dynamic duo, “Mulan,” or “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” you could pick out that voice from a crowd. Osmond played the game well, flaunting his versatility with John Legend’s “All of Me” one week and Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo’s “Let’s Go” another, but no matter what, he always put on “The Greatest Show.” Other names thrown into the mix included Neil Patrick Harris and even Weird Al Yankovic. Still, most of us knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Donny Osmond shaking his tail feathers under there.


Which “Masked Singer” did you instantly guess? Let us know in the comments.