Are you as addicted to “The Masked Singer” as we are? Upwards of 10 million people are tuning in each week to watch this reality competition series. At the end of the second episode on Wednesday (Jan. 9), we were shocked by the unmasking of one of the six celebrities who had performed (the Pineapple turned out to be comedian Tommy Chong). While we still don’t know for sure the identities of the other five famous faces inside those elaborate animal costumes, we’ve been doing some digging.
The winner of the first sing-off on episode two was the Rabbit. He won with a rollicking rendition of “Livin’ la Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin. (Watch his show-stopping performance in the video above.)
Forget those misleading statements by judges Nicole Scherzinger and Ken Jeong that the Rabbit is not a professional singer. She thought it was illusionist Criss Angel while he was of the opinion that it was Jake Gyllenhaal hidden inside this cumbersome costume.
We are all but certain that the Rabbit is Joey Fatone.
WEEK ONE SPOILERS: Who are Deer, Lion, Monster, Peacock, Unicorn
Let’s break down the clues he gave before singing:
“I’ve spent most of my life on stage, but I was never alone” and “synchronized singing was my forte” – Joey was part of the boy band NSYNC from 1995 to 2002.
“Now, I pop up here, and I pop up there” – Since the group split, Joey has carved out a career as a host of game shows like “The Price Is Right Live!,” reality competitions such as “The Singing Bee” and cooking shows including “Rewrapped.”
WEEK TWO SPOILERS: Who are Alien , Bee , Poodle, Rabbit, Raven
Judge Robin Thicke was on to something when he observed that the Rabbit was “a seasoned performer.” While Jenny McCarthy pointed the way to the Rabbit being a one-time member of a boy band, her guess of Boyz II Men doesn’t ring true. As Robin pointed out, the Rabbit did not give off that vibe.
Before performing, the Rabbit had declared that “the last man standing, it’s gonna be me.” Remember, “It’s Gonna Be Me” was the only #1 for NSYNC. This track from their second studio album “No Strings Attached” reached the top of the charts in 2000.
DISCUSS ‘The Masked Singer’ with other reality TV fans in our red-hot forums
We won’t find out for sure if Joey is the Rabbit till he is unmasked. That will only happen if he loses a match-up or wins the show. Do you think we are right about the true identity of the Rabbit? Sound off in the comments section with your best guesses.
And be sure to read our best guesses as to the identities of the five celebrities who sang on the first episode: the Deer, Lion, Monster, Peacock and Unicorn.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
