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The Masked Singer has instantly become one of Fox’s top-rated television series. The show follows a group of masked celebrities who perform each week for a panel of judges that includes Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, and Jenny McCarthy. At the end of each episode, the audience’s votes determine who will stay and who will go.
While the bee’s identity hasn’t technically been revealed, the Internet (and the rest of America) has decided it is none other than Grammy-winning singer Gladys Knight.
How do we know this?
First of all, the bee’s voice is nearly a perfect match to Knight’s. The bee has also referenced her “long” career multiple times, adding that she hopes to prove herself to a younger generation (hence her singing songs like Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball”.) The bee has also provided the clue that she started singing in the ’50s.
Another clue is from a recent video where we saw kitchenware– Gladys is well known for her culinary expertise. The video also contains peaches– one of Gladys’ most well-known songs is “Midnight Train to Georgia.” So that matches up, as well.
As Pop Sugar points out, it was Knight’s performance at the Super Bowl this year that really convinced fans she was the famous bee. The outlet writes, “What truly sealed the deal was Knight’s soulful performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl this year, which convinced many fans of The Masked Singer — even those who previously thought the Bee might be Tina Turner — that Knight is indeed behind the wacky black and yellow costume.”
The bee has certainly contributed to the number of awards that the masked singers have accumulated in total. Not only has Knight won seven Grammy Awards, but she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. She has six number one R&B albums and 11 number one R&B singles.
As Gold Derby points out, the bee says she started singing in the ’50s. It was in 1952 that Knight won “Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour” at the ripe age of seven.
And how have the judges done at guessing the bee’s identity? At the start of the show, the judges didn’t seem to get it. Robin Thicke said he believes it’s Diana Ross, while Jenny McCarthy suggested Mary J. Blige. Last week, however, both Jenny and Robin agreed that they think the singer is Gladys Knight. (Ken, in true Ken fashion, still holds it is Diana Ross.)
Will the bee join the other unmasked singers, or will she continue on her track record of setting the bar high until the finals? So far, Antonio Brown, Tommy Chong, Margret Cho, Terry Bradshaw, and Ricki Lake have been unmasked.
Tonight, another celebrity will take off their mask. Will it be the bee? Only time will tell. Tune into the show tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Fox.