Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Masked Singer UK: Who are the mystery contestants competing in the final?

Everything we know about finalists Mushroom, Panda and Robubunny

Ellie Harrison
Saturday 12 February 2022 18:00 GMT
Comments
The Masked Singer UK Season 3 teaser trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The most bizarre competition series in the world, The Masked Singer, is about to conclude its second series.

The show returned to our screens on New Year’s Day, with a new group of celebrities performing from inside giant costumes in a bid to outwit judges Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan.

Saturday (12 February) night’s final will see Mushroom, Panda and Robobunny all finally be unmasked as they compete to be named the series champion.

Here’s a line-up of the remaining mystery contestants and what we know about them so far. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the celebrities who have been revealed already.

Mushroom

Mushroom was the first contestant to perform during the opening show, during which she treated fans to a tuneful rendition of “It’s Oh So Quiet” by Björk.

In her opening night VT, Mushroom spoke with a northern English accent and dropped hints about doing serious work and having a love of trying new things while also holding a gavel.

However, when singing she appeared to have a strong Irish accent, leaving both the audience and judge Davina McCall convinced that Mushroom must come from Ireland.

A number of names were frequently raised by viewers at home, including comedian Aisling Bea.

(ITV)

Many suggested that Mushroom could be one of the Derry Girls, while some said that they thought it was actually Siobhán McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael, behind the mask.

However, a number of viewers guessed that it was actually Pauline McLynn, who is most famous for playing Mrs Doyle in Father Ted.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

In the episode on 8 January, Mushroom sang “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” by Stockard Channing from the film Grease.

She gave away hardly any clues. She said the judges need to “get up earlier and dig deeper if they want to catch me out”. She added: “I’ve been lucky to be able to leave my forest and plant myself in lots of exciting places far from home.”

Ora thought Mushroom sounded less Irish than before, so her guess was Saturdays star Rochelle Humes. McCall thought of singer Jane McDonald, while Gilligan got “Yorkshire vibes” from the accent and went for actor Kym Marsh and Ross guessed Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley.

Mushroom received a standing ovation on 29 January, leaving judges to guess Sheridan Smith.

The VT clue heavily suggested they had a link to a fragrance, with another clue discussing their birthday. This prompted Gilligan to guess Charlotte Church as he recently interviewed her... on her birthday.

According to the bookies, Mushroom is most likely to be Church with odds of 6/4.

Panda

In week one, Panda performed “Levitating” by Dua Lipa. The biggest clues that were given about Panda were that their VT was filmed in the woods, they love “adventure”, they are a “solitary creature” and an introverted extrovert, and they have an American accent. Panda also revealed they have “been animated” before.

One fan theory that circulated online was that Alesha Dixon is hiding beneath the costume, as the talent show judge voiced a part in Disney’s animation Doc McStuffins.

On Saturday (15 January), Panda performed “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.

Her VT featured many references to stars and spirituality, with Panda saying that she loved “exploring the world” but would always find her way home.

McCall guessed Kate Hudson, while Ora went for Renée Zellweger. Gilligan meanwhile went for Amanda Holden.

The Masked Singer
The Masked Singer (ITV)

On 22 January, Panda sang One Direction’s “Story Of My Life”. In the latest clue VT, Panda referenced One Direction as well as hinting at a solo career.

These clues led to many guessing that Panda is Girls Aloud star Cheryl. One person tweeted: “Surely Panda is Cheryl Cole? Son called Bear, sang One Direction and the father of her child is in One Direction, she was a judge on X Factor!”

This theory was backed up even further on 29 January. The latest clue VT ended with Panda saying the term “right up my street”, which is what Cheryl would say when she was a judge on The X Factor.

Guest judge Olly Alexander also pointed out that Cheryl has a son called Bear, with viewers noting that Bear’s father is former One Direction star Liam Payne. Panda sang a One Direction song in last week’s episode.

According to Betfair, Panda is most likely to be Holden with odds of 10/11.

Robobunny

The half-robot-half-animal character won fans over with their rendition of “Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston on the first weekend.

In their first VT, Robobunny gave a number of clues, stating: “You thought I was a real tough guy, aye? That’s just my shell. I’m actually a real softie, who’s part of a machine.”

They added: “Now I’m not going to ‘rabbit’ on about hard exterior but I will say that I’m here to ‘Control-Alt-Delete’ what you know about me.”

Their final clue was: “I might be made of metal but that doesn’t stop me making a splash.”

(ITV)

Some viewers thought the character could be Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, due to Robobunny’s voice, others thought it could be Westlife’s Mark Feehily as he appeared in an episode of Doc Martin called “ctrl , alt , delete”.

Given the size of the costume and the fact the character speaks in what appears to be two voices, many fans speculated that Robobunny could, in fact, be two people, for example Ant and Dec.

The judges guessed celebrities including Vinnie Jones, Drake and Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness.

On 8 January, Robobunny sang “Shallow” from A Star is Born by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Clues included a police badge, cowboy boots, a ranch and line dancing.

Ora thought it could be Danny O’Donohue from The Script, Gilligan guessed Richard Blackwood because of the letters “R” and “B” and McCall reckoned it could perhaps be actor Kevin Bacon.

Viewers were still keen on Feehily. “Robobunny is Mark Feehily from Westlife and I’ll not hear another word about it,” tweeted one fan.

During episode five (in week three), Robobunny wowed the judges with their rendition of “Dynamite” by BTS.

Their latest VT includes clues that they are from a big family, have a sporting background and enjoy gardening.

Their dad – “Papa Bunny” – is said to have “inspired their talent” meaning that fans are on the lookout for stars with famous fathers. A pair of boxing gloves reading MA were also spotted in the VT.

On 29 January, Robobunny’s VT clue suggested they have worked with “divas” in the past, with another mentioning Grease. This led to a guess of Shane Richie, who once appeared in a West End production of the American musical.

According to the bookies, Robobunny is most likely to be Feehily with odds of 1/4.

Chandelier - Heather Small

Heather Small as Chandelier
Heather Small as Chandelier (ITV)

The Nineties singer – famed for hits like “Moving On Up” and “Proud” – was unmasked on the very first Saturday. Her song was “Crazy” by Patsy Cline.

Snow Leopard - Gloria Hunniford

Gloria Hunniford as Snow Leopard
Gloria Hunniford as Snow Leopard (ITV)

The Rip Off Britain and Loose Women presenter sang Shirley Bassey classic Big Spender on the hit ITV show. Her true identity was discovered on the first weekend.

Lionfish - Will Young

Will Young as Lionfish
Will Young as Lionfish (ITV)

The “Leave Right Now” singer was the third mystery celebrity to be revealed after losing in the sing-off against Firework. Judges Ora and Ross had both guessed his identity correctly.

Bagpipes - Pat Cash

Cash was revealed to be Bagpipes
Cash was revealed to be Bagpipes (ITV)

Australian Tennis player Pat Cash was eliminated on Saturday (15 January) after the judges voted to save Poodle in the bottom two. McCall had correctly guessed that Bagpipes was Cash, while Ross had said he would eat the costume if it wasn’t US sports star John McEnroe.

Poodle - Tom Chaplin

Tom Chaplin as Poodle
Tom Chaplin as Poodle (ITV)

Tom Chaplin, the lead singer of the band Keane, was the fifth contestant to be eliminated from The Masked Singer as he was unmasked as Poodle. In his last episode on 22 January, he performed a cover of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”.

Firework – Jaime Winstone

Jamie Winstone was unmasked
Jamie Winstone was unmasked (ITV)

Jaime Winstone, actor from films Kidulthood and Donkey Punch, was the sixth contestant to be eliminated from the show after being unmasked as Firework. Winstone is the daughter of Ray Winstone.

Doughnuts – Michael Owen

Michael Owen was revealed to be Doughnuts
Michael Owen was revealed to be Doughnuts (ITV)

Retired footballer Michael Owen was the seventh contestant to be eliminated from the show after being unmasked as Doughnuts. He said he “surprised” by singing in front of a live crowd and compared the nerves to the ones he felt while talking penalties for England.

Traffic Cone – Aled Jones

Aled Jones was revealed to be Traffic Cone
Aled Jones was revealed to be Traffic Cone (Getty Images)

Welsh classical singer Aled Jones was the eighth contestant to be eliminated from the show after being unmasked as Traffic Cone.

Rockhopper – Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams was revealed to be Rockhopper
Michelle Williams was revealed to be Rockhopper (ITV)

The Destiny’s Child singer, who was in the band alongside Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, was the ninth contestant to be eliminated from the show after being unmasked as Rockhopper.

The Masked Singer concludes Saturday 12 February at 7pm on ITV.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in