*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
Last week, we welcomed judge Ken Jeong's former Community costar Yvette Nicole Brown as a guest panelist and four competitors went head-to-head for Smackdown Week. And yesterday, viewers got to watch their favorite performances from “the mighty seven” for a special sing-along episode.
The Masked Singer took a short hiatus this week, instead airing a special episode that featured highlight performances from the first 11 episodes of the season. However, while there were no new performances or unmaskings, there were some new clues.
Turtle’s sing-along songs included “Kiss From a Rose,” by Seal and “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back,” by Shawn Mendes. Banana’s songs were “Sweet Home Alabama,” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Lean On Me,” by Bill Withers. Kitty chose her performances of “Dangerous Woman,” by Ariana Grande and “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” by Celine Dion, while Frog opted to share his “U Can’t Touch This,” by MC Hammer and “Jump,” by Kriss Kross. Next was Astronaut, who revisited his “Shape of You,” by Ed Sheeran and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” by Stevie Wonder. This was followed by Night Angel who picked her performances of “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” by Shania Twain and “Shout,” by the Isley Brothers. Rhino ended the special episode with “Nice to Meet Ya,” by Niall Horan and “Tracks of My Tears,” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Just to recap, so far Lil Wayne, Drew Carey, Chaka Khan, Tony Hawk, Dionne Warwick, Tom Bergeron, Sarah Palin, Bella Thorne and JoJo Siwa, Rob Gronkowski and Jordyn Woods have all been unmasked.
We haven’t been able to stop thinking about the Astronaut since he beat Kangaroo during Smackdown Week.We’ve gone back and forth on who we think could possibly be under this mask, and we might finally have an answer. We think this space traveling character is...Hunter Hayes.
One of the most common reasons we (and other viewers) think the country singer is under the mask? His voice. Aside from the fact that it sounds like him, one clue that really stands out is that he stated he "took a huge nose dive" in front of thousands of people. This could be referring to Hayes’s performance of the National Anthem before a World Series game in 2016, which he received a ton of backlash for.
However, it was during last week’s episode when we got a look at the Astronaut’s luggage that really sold us on Hayes. . First, the tiny White House could be referring to his 1999 appearance there when he was just a kid. The two versions of an airplane (toy and tattoo) symbolize his love of flying and the fact that he’s a pilot. And the accordion? Well, that’s just one of his many talents.
As for why he would chose an Astronaut for his character, the 28-year-old released an album called “Wild Blue” last year, which has a title track that references outer space.
We’re not saying we know for sure, but we'd place a small bet on it.
The Masked Singer returns on Wednesday, April 22, at 8 p.m. PT/ET on Fox.