The Russian Dolls have already made history on “The Masked Singer” as the first trio to compete for the Golden Mask. They made it into the Super 8 (shouldn’t that be the Super 10) showcased on the April 21 episode of season 5 based on their stand-out performance of “Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo last week.
We got confirmation in Week 6 that there were indeed just three of them. This made the guesses by the judges (Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke) that they were Pentatonix (5 members) or 98 Degrees (4 members) moot. And we’re sure they are all men, which means that the Russian Dolls can’t be Lady A. Keep reading for all “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the real names of the Russian Dolls.
We think that the Russian Dolls are another chart-topping trio: the Hanson Brothers (Isaac, Taylor and Zac).
In Week 6, the Russian Dolls revealed that they got their start by performing in parking lots and softball fields. That certainly matches with the bio of these boys from Oklahoma. They began their musical career in the early 1990s with a capella performances around their hometown of Tulsa.
Cluedle-Doo told us that Russian Dolls can have as many as 15 replicas; between them, the Hanson brothers have 15 children as follows: Taylor (7), Zac (5) and Issac (3).
The Week 1 clues package included a shot of the brothers’ initials in the sign “Mizfitz Toy Store.” That spelling also signals another connection to the brothers. Hanson made one of their first TV appearances on Carman’s “Yo Kidz” in 1994.
The following year, they released their first album, “Boomerang,” which was reference in host Nick Cannon‘s clue, “What Goes Around … Comes Around.”
In 1996, Hanson hit number one with “Mmmbop.” That earworm sold 1.5 million copies and was certified platinum. As a group, the season 5 contestants on “The Masked Singer” have released nine singles that achieved such sales.
In Week 6, the Russian Dolls said they sang for a president; Hanson performed “Mmmbop” for Bill Clinton. And in Week 3, there was a letterman jacket with an “M” – we read that as another reference to this smash hit, which bagged Hanson three Grammy nominations: Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group. As a whole, this season’s contestants have contended for music’s top prize 26 times.
Collectively this season’s contestants have moved 55 million albums; Hanson account for more than a quarter of those, with sales totalling 16 million. The contestants can brag of 25 gold and platinum discs; Hanson’s debut studio album, “Middle of Nowhere,” went quadruple platinum.
Those shots of snow in Week 1 video package put us in mind of Hanson’s first Christmas album, “Snowed In.”
Zac was in a motorcycle accident in 2019 that resulted in him, like the Russian Doll in Week 3, being “rushed to the hospital.”
Besides performing with his brothers, Taylor also fronts the band Tinted Windows, which would account for one of the Russian Dolls saying in Week 1 that he also does his own thing.
Their star burned bright for several years but faded after Hanson changed record companies in 2000. They were soon dropped by their new label, which would explain the mention by the Russian Dolls in Week 1 of “being put on a shelf.”
We will only find out if we were right that the Russian Dolls are Hanson when they are unmasked. That will happen if they loses a popular vote or win the show. Do you think we are correct in our guess about the real name of the Russian Dolls? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section with your best guesses.
Group A Spoilers
Robopine | Russian Dolls | Seashell | Yeti
Group B Spoilers
Black Swan | Chameleon | Crab | Piglet
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