The third season of “The Masked Singer” debuted on FOX after the Super Bowl and all anyone has been wondering about since then is, “Is Rob Gronkowski the White Tiger on the Masked Singer?” Gronk, a former tight end from the New England Patriots, retired after winning Super Bowl LIII.
The Masked Singer became a huge hit on FOX two years ago. The reality show’s premise is simple: celebrity karaoke in costumes. Celebrities varied from actual singers to random athletes.
Every week, the show gives clues and hints about each performer. Even the panel of celebrity judges don’t know the real identity of the contestants until their inevitable reveal. The panelist judges guess along, just like the audience. The judges include Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke. In addition, a rotating fifth guest judge appears on each episode.
At the end of each show, the worst singer is eliminated and unmasked as the crowd shouts “Take it off! Take it off!”
In the first season, T-Pain (the Monster) edged out Donny Osmand (Peacock). In season two, Wayne Brady (Fox) defeated “American Idol” champion, Chris Daughtry (Rottweiler).
NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers went deep last season with a top-5 finish. Oladipo performed underneath a Thingamajig costume.
Episode 1: Ice Ice Baby, White Tiger Gronk?
So far, season three of The Masked Singer is only two episodes deep with Group A participating. It seemed fairly obvious that Gronk is one of the contestants, and is wearing the oversized White Tiger outfit. For one, the White Tiger is the tallest contestant in Group A.
There were also several clues pointing toward Gronk as a masked singer, including the fact that this season’s contestants combined for nine Super Bowl appearances.
On Episode 1, a clue revealed a picture of a cow on skis, which is how you’d pronounce Gronkowski’s last name. Clues also had thinly veiled references to the Super Bowl. Just last year, Gronk dented the Super Bowl trophy.
In the first episode, the White Tiger sang “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice.
“It’s the most powerful thing I felt, like I could conquer anything,” said the White Tiger after his first song. “I never want to take it off.”
The celebrity judges, including Jeong, thought the White Tiger could be pro wrestler Jon Cena. One of the other judges, Nicole Scherzinger, thought White Tiger could be actor Joseph Momoa (“Aquaman,” “Game of Thrones”).
Special guest judge Jamie Foxx, felt strongly about guessing Gronk. Foxx summized that the clues indicated a football player from the New England Patriots, so Gronk fit the bill as the White Tiger.
The White Tiger survived the first cut. The Robot, revealed as Lil Wayne, lost on the first episode.
Episode 2: Gronk Vibrations
In the second episode, actor Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) appeared as the guest judge. The White Tiger sang “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. If you don’t know, Marky Mark was the stage name for Mark Wahlberg. At the time, he was known as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg, one of the guys from New Kids on the Block.
Judge Robin Thicke brought up a clue from the first episode that mentioned Abraham Lincoln’s phrase “four score and seven years ago,” which he deciphered as a clue for Gronk. While a member of the New England Patriots, Gronk participated in four Super Bowl victories in seven appearances, with losses against the New York Giants twice, and once to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Guest judge Biggs guessed Hulk Hogan was hiding behind the white tiger mask. Jeong also stuck with his wrestling hunch.
The White Tiger advanced to the next round while the Llama, revealed as Drew Carey, lost in the second episode.
Episodes of The Masked Singer appear on FOX on Wednesday nights. Tune in to find out if Gronk is really the White Tiger on The Masked Singer.