This episode saw the reveal of a US-based Australian singer with one of the most distinctive debut singles of the 21st century. WARNING: Spoilers.
The Popcorn was identified as Australian musician Sam Sparro during Sunday night’s episode of this season’s Masked Singer.
Sparro, a 39-year-old Sydney native now living in the US, rose to prominence in 2008 with the electro-soul anthem Black & Gold, which peaked in the top five both here and in the UK.
Before Sparro’s name was made known, Popcorn sang a magnificent rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and presented another set of clues that all pointed to Sparro. There were allusions to Elton John, who purchased a painting of Sparro in 2012, and Star Trek, whose theme music was written by Sparro’s father. Voodoo, a song he wrote for Adam Lambert, and creating a Return to Paradise were mentioned (the name of his second album).
Eventually, at least one judge chose him; Mel B properly identified Sparro.
In another segment of Sunday’s episode, Mirrorball sang the Dua Lipa hit Levitating. Judge Mel B correctly identified her former PCD bandmate Nicole Scherzinger, coming the closest to identifying Mirrorball as the former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton, who fans have been tipped to be since before the season.
The Snapdragon (who I’m still convinced is Sheldon Riley) soared through the London Grammar song Strong, while the Blowfly sang a Kid Laroi song while continuing to sound exactly like Shannon Noll from episode one.
Then it was time for the wildcard contestant Microphone, who I had identified as Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child following her first appearance on the show last week. I’m more certain than ever after a few notes of this week’s performance (plus there were several
Then there was the Rooster, who in the early episodes left me perplexed but is now unmistakably taking on the role of Hugh Sheridan. Particularly following that mystery package, there were connections to Nepal and Liza Minnelli, who Sheridan formerly supported, as well as to the 2015 disaster in Nepal, which Hugh famously fled to join his brother.
Abbie Chatfield, a judge on The Masked Singer, revealed an intriguing behind-the-scenes fact last week when appearing on Ten’s comedy program The Cheap Seats.
The celebrity admitted that her height-based predictions during the competition had been a touch too rational, and producers had forewarned her that she was “ruining the dream” of some of the judges’ more fantastical choices.
She explained to the hosts that she had been advised to stop fretting on heights since it was destroying the fantasy and that it might have been someone else.
But I used to think, “I know how tall Osher [Günsberg] is; I’m going to go back from there, and I’m usually right,” and I was frequently correct.
Perhaps, but Chrissie Swan, a fellow newcomer to the judging panel, has been on a Masked Singer winning streak lately. Swan accurately predicted the last three competitors to be revealed: Jamie Durie, Emma Watkins, and Matt Preston.
See how we are doing when each star is revealed. We also made our own assumptions about who each contender was earlier in the season.
Five candidates are still in the competition after Popcorn’s reveal, including the recently added “wildcard” player Microphone, who many believe to be Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams.
