Remember Big Bird? Me neither, because there’s a new member of the muppet avian community dominating the spotlight. Meet Black Swan, who’s been prancing her way around The Masked Singer season 5 for several weeks with no end in sight. Like Big Bird, a literal human is stuffed inside the Black Swan, and fans not only have a ton of theories about which celebrity it is (pretty much everyone agrees that it’s JoJo, aka Joanna Levesque) but they are also HIGHLY confident that she’s going all the way to the finals.
So! Let’s examine all the evidence, by which I mean the clue videos, performances, and deranged internet predictions.
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The Clues
First, take a min to watch the official clue video from The Masked Singer episode 2:
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Here’s what stands out to me:
- The Black Swan calls herself “incredibly rare” while strutting rather delicately through a snowy forest.
- She hints that her “talent” made her someone else’s “prey” and we see a WANTED poster.
- She was caught in a net by someone and “hypnotized,” and then we see a pocket watch decorated with the number 5, a chess piece (pls don’t ask me which one), and a sparkly engagement ring (note: Ken Jeong got Queen’s Gambit vibes due to that chess piece).
- Sounds like something bad might’ve happened to this bird (she thought she “might never see the light again”) and then she heads over to a red X (which Jenny McCarthy thinks could have a X Factor connection).
- She was rescued by her “faithful flock” (represented in this bizarro vid by doves) and there are some Disney princess (maybe even Rapunzel-esque?) themes at play.
- Oh, and she also holds up a square red card at the very end (???).
Also, let’s take a sec to review the judges’ guesses so far:
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Ken stuck with his Queen’s Gambit hunch and guessed Anya Taylor-Joy (literally no freaking way, my dude). Jenny, on the other hand, was thinking Mel B or Cheryl Cole due to what she calls “girl group vibes,” but then she saw the 5 on the pocket watch and thought it might be former Fifth Harmony star Camila Cabello. Okay, aim high! Nicole Scherzinger guessed next, throwing Leona Lewis’s name into the mix. Ahem, Robin Thicke, anything from you?
Meanwhile, here’s the clue video from episode 4:
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- The Black Swan writes a heartfelt letter to the person who ~gave her life~ and “the confidence” to start this journey.
- Sounds like the Black Swan and whoever this mysterious person is (seen here as a white swan) were always in a push-and-pull relationship, and for a brief time, they were not on the same page.
- A penny and a nickel, aka six cents? (SIXTH SENSE, PERHAPS?)
Still with me? Good. Here are the clues from episode 5:
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- The Black Swan spends a LOT of time looking at herself in a mirror.
- We find out that she sent people audition tapes without her face so she’d be judged by just her talent.
- We see the numbers 10, 10, 10…maybe she was on a competition show?
- The Black Swan rejects a backpack that says “Montana” and then dives out of a plane.
- She flies by a cloud shaped like a dinosaur and the word “SPOT.” Make it make sense!!!!!
And before we move on, the clue video from episode 7:
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- Flashback to the Black Swan’s childhood (just her and her mom in a one-bedroom apartment), where we meet a stuffed animal bunny holding an “I’m late” sign.
- Black Swan puts on a record while explaining that her mom gave her the gift of ~music~.
- Garden gnomes make an appearance….
- A Man in Black presents her with a glass slipper, delivering heavy Cinderella vibes.
- Then she dances with another Man in Black who happens to be wearing a shark fin on his head.
- Black Swan says her mom believed in her before she even believed in herself, awwwww.
Just kidding, here are the highlights from episode 10’s clue video:
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- An umbrella which naturally makes Jenny McCarthy scream RIHANNA
- We see a framed picture of a baby, a horse, and a…neutron? (science was my worst subject, don’t judge me)
- The silhouette of the great state of New Hampshire!
- And a “swan kissed” soda
The Performances
The Black Swan moved in ways I didn’t even know were POSSIBLE during her rendition of “Barracuda,” by Heart. All I can say is wowowow.
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Then in episode 4, she sang “In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes and Knocked. It. Outta. The. Park.
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And in episode 5? The Black Swan served up “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston and kiiiiiiilled it:
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In episode 7, Black Swan wowed the crowd with her performance of “Use Somebody,” by Kings of Leon:
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And then in episode 10, the Black Swan did a rendition of “Do I Do” that would make Stevie Wonder proud (that is, if he watched this show. Which he most definitely does not):
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The Theories
JoJo
Fans really like JoJo (Joanna Levesque—NOT JoJo Siwa) for this! You remember JoJo, right? She came on the scene in 2004 with her debut single “Leave (Get Out),” which casually made history—she was the youngest solo artist in history to top the chart at the age of freakin’ 13! An-y-way, viewers think the Black Swan sounds just like her, AND they point to drama JoJo had with her record label—she was in a years-long contract battle and unable to release new music. Her supporters even started the #FreeJoJo movement.
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According to JoJo’s Wikipedia page, she grew up with a single mom, so that fits. And on top of that, there’s the new “Montana” clue. According to fans, JoJo had an opportunity to play Hannah Montana but turned down the role! Anyway, this person appears to be some kind of JoJo expert so I’m going to leave her thorough research right here for ya:
YouTube
If you need more evidence that Black Swan sounds eerily like JoJo, please give her Song Association video a quick watch—I mean, she even sings Whitney Houston!
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Last thing I’ll say before moving on to the other (incorrect) guesses. JoJo was raised in New Hampshire. Facts are facts!
Demi Lovato
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Is this theory just wishful thinking? Perhaps. But enough fans have ID’d the singer for me to give the hypothesis serious thought. The Black Swan’s tagline *could* be an allusion to Demi’s recent ~transformation~ following a lot of tough personal stuff.
Ashanti
Leon BennettGetty Images
Yes, she has eight Grammy nominations, which makes her seem a biiit overqualified for The Masked Singer, but then again, this season’s contestants apparently boast “a combined 26 Grammy nominations,” so those noms had to come from somewhere! Ashanti also starred in a movie called A Christmas Winter Song, which could perhaps explain that whole ~winter wonderland~ scene in the preview.
Björk
KMazurGetty Images
ICYMI (what, were you just a kid back in the early aughts or something?!), the Icelandic singer wore a truly iconic swan dress to the Academy Awards in 2001, so fans think she could be the Black Swan. She’s also racked up a whopping 15 Grammy noms over the years, which, in theory, could contribute to those collective “26 Grammy nominations.”
Zendaya
Kristy SparowGetty Images
Okay, yes, agreed, this is a major stretch, but the theory kinda makes sense. You might remember that back in season 3, we learned Bella Thorne was the celeb behind the White Swan mask. And as you def recall, Zendaya and Bella were costars on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and are still friends today, sooo it’s possible Queen Z would appear on the show wearing a similar-but-different mask. But probably not. Zendaya’s too busy, let’s be real.
Here’s hoping we get some more clues when the Black Swan takes the stage (and I’d like to hear a performance of “Black Swan” by BTS at some point, pls).
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