Get your detective hats on, The Masked Singer UK fans, the ITV contest is back with a whole new cast of characters.
The popular series returned on 30 December, as judges/super sleuths Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Mo Gilligan and guest judge Charlie Simpson attempted to guess the identities of the first six contestants.
Whoever manages to get through to the final and win the competition will join previous champions including Natalie Imbruglia, Charlie Simpson, Joss Stone and Nicola Roberts.
The final six contestants were introduced on Saturday (6 January), including the mysterious Air Fryer.
Named after the kitchen appliance that took the UK by storm during lockdown, Air Fryer says: “Being on The Masked Singer is petrifying and freeing all at the same time.”
Appearing on the show for the first time, Air Fryer faced off against Bubble Tea.
The first clue showed Air Fryer in a kichen mocking “celebrity chefs”, while appearing on camera herself. “Dressed to impress / But these sparkles cost extra,” she announced.
Air Fryer on The Masked Singer— (ITV)
A pair of scissors appeared on the kitchen island in one scene.
“Tonight’s performance is gonna sizzle,” Air Fryer declared.
She sang a rendition of “Kings & Queens” by pop singer Ava Max.
The panel were delighted by the performance, with Ross immediately claiming that Air Fryer had to be a professional singer. He then wondered if it was Drag Race star Ru Paul.
Praising Air Fryer for performing in her costume, Rita Ora wondered if it was food writer and model Sophie Dahl behind the mask. McCall noted the market stall in the background and thought it could be EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa.
On social media, many viewers seemed convinced it was in fact Great British Bake Off host Alison Hammond, who has also competed on Strictly Come Dancing.
Air Fryer received the most votes from the audience, sending her through to the next round while Bubble Tea ended up in the bottom three.
Legendary singer Dionne Warwick was revealed as Weather in the first episode of the new season, prompting some viewers to complain that the show was “fixed”.
On social media, many audience members speculated that Warwick must agreed to make a single appearance on condition of starring in the UK show.
However, Warwick herself, who also competed on The Masked Singer US in 2020, previously pointed out that it’s tough to disguise such an iconic voice.
“It’s kind of hard to disguise my voice, unfortunately, in this case, and they recognised my voice, there’s nothing I can do about that,” she said after being unmasked on The Masked Singer US.
Last week, Gilligan guessed that Cricket could be Jamaican musician and TV personality Levi Roots, while McCall thought that Cricket was pretending to be older, and guessed it might be Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades.
Meanwhile, guest judge Charlie Simpson guessed that Maypole was tennis star Emma Radacanu, after she declared that she’d “skipped around the court” and: “I know my net worth.”
Simpson was crowned as the winner of The Masked Singer UK last year, after performing as Rhino. The Busted star beat fellow pop frontman, Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson, who was disguised as Phoenix.
The Masked Singer airs on ITV on Saturday nights, with the final expected to take place in February.
