The Masked Singer returns to Fox on Wednesday, and Season 2 promises to be an even more difficult guessing game than the first. With the celebs wearing lavish head-to-toe outfits and sporting even more voice-distorting synthesizers, The Masked Singer Season 2 theories will need to dig deeper than ever before to figure out which celebs are hiding within those costumes. It wasn't an easy task the first time around (who on Earth would have guessed T-Pain was in that furry blue monster suit?), and Fox apparently has no intention of throwing fans a bone.
They have, however, released some early hints: collectively, all of the Season 2 celebrities have amassed 69 Emmy nominations and 42 Grammy nominations, as well as performed in 22 Broadway shows and written three New York Times Best Sellers. Two have also been named TIME magazine's "Most Influential People." Additionally, the official Masked Singer Twitter posted a long preview video that shares some specific clues about each singer. So heading into the Sept. 25 premiere, we're not entirely starting from scratch (even though, as we learned last season, those clues can be misleading).
Compiled below is everything we know from that preview video combined with the most popular theories so far for each masked celeb.
Skeleton
"To my Skeleton crew, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven by being here, and I'd sing my heart out, if I had one," Skeleton says in the video in front of a tombstone that reads "4261." Reddit seems to think "4261" refers to Law and Order: SVU actor Christopher Meloni, whose birthday is Apr. 2, 1961.
Fox
"Foxes are clever, strategic," Fox says in front of a hallway sign reading "Studio 46." "And they'll eat almost anything, which is perfect because this superhero is ready to devour the competition."
With the X pattern on the Fox's nose and the red laser eye, a popular guess is James Marsden, who played the laser-eyed Cyclops in the X-Men films. Other superhero-adjacent guesses include Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, and former Superman actor Brandon Routh.
Ice Cream
"America, I can't tell you who I am except that I'm made of sugar, and dairy, and I live for half of February," Ice Cream says in front of a calendar that has hearts on Feb. 14. On Instagram, Ice Cream's post hints that they're a retired professional football player, but that may be a fake-out.
"I’m guessing Romeo (formerly Lil Romeo)," says Reddit user RedStripeandVicodin. "His name makes you think of romance, so the Feb 14th clue fits. His dad, Master P, is also known as the Ice Cream Man."
Eagle
"If you know an eagle's body temperature, you may be hot on my tail," Eagle says in the video while riding a motorcycle in front of a fiery sunset.
Reddit theories say Eagle is probably rockstar Bret Michaels, as the video mentions that Eagle wanted a signature red bandana, which Michaels himself wears during performances.
Tree
"Not to be sappy, but I'm so excited to bring the gift of joy with all my delicious performances," Tree says. Nick Cannon says the outfit is inspired by a 1950s pin-up queen, which may hint that this is an older singer.
Fans are stumped about this one, but some believe "delicious" could mean it's a chef like Rachel Ray, while others think it could be Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Guidice, whose fans call themselves "Tree Huggers."
Flamingo
"I love this mask as much as I love mascara," Flamingo says. "It's time to party like a flock star."
Most on Instagram believe it's Adrienne Bailon from Cheetah Girls. Others say it would be cute if it was Marie Osmond, to compliment Donny Osmond's Peacock from Season 1.
Butterfly
"Are you ready to feel the butterfly effect? My giant wings and antenna make it difficult to move around. I just pray I don't fall over," Butterfly says.
Some fans think Butterfly is Wendy Williams, who famously fell over while in a costume on live TV due to heat exhaustion.
Penguin
"Will I be at the finale? Of course! I already got my tux, now I just got to get my hair done," Penguin says in front of photos of them wearing a color mohawk, a green pompadour, blonde blunt bangs, and purple and blue curls.
Many fans commenting on Instagram are hoping this is Sia due to the wigs reference. Others have guessed Ellen Degeneres or Janelle Monae because of the suit.
Leopard
"I'm ready to move meow-tains with my spectacular purr-formances," Leopard says in a Baroque dress. "The security here reminds me of the secret service — and I should know, I've been spotted with the president."
Because it sounds like Leopard has an accent, some have guessed Sharon Osborne. Others think the presidential reference means Leopard is Michelle Obama.
Egg
"As my mom always told me, 'life has an expiration date, so always work hard for the first and last vowels of the alphabet," Egg says. "I can't tell you if I'm a pro singer, but I can you tell you I'm pro-tein."
The guesses for Egg are all over the map, but most fans commenting on Instagram seem to think Egg is an athlete of some sort — perhaps from Arizona (vowels A and U), or just someone who's strived for gold (scientifically written as Au).
Rottweiler
"I'm a total perfectionist and I'm going to work my tail off to earn your puppy love," Rottweiler says.
Many are hoping Rottweiler is Snoop Dogg, but other guesses include DMX and Nelly.
Flower
"I blossom in every field I plant myself in and I'm here to branch out yet again," Flower says, in front of a background that says "314."
Flower's Instagram post is captioned, "She's beauty and she's grace," leaving many to hope it's Sandra Bullock, who went undercover as a pageant contestant in Miss Congeniality. Others believe it's Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory, who famously starred in '90s sitcom Blossom.
Thingamajig
"Don't call me Chewbacca, though we do celebrate together," Thingamajig hints in the video.
A popular guess on Instagram is Thingamajig is Wayne Brady, based on his height (over six feet) and the performance snippet. No one can figure out the Star Wars reference quite yet.
Panda
Nick Cannon introduces Panda as "all the way from China," which may or may not be a clue. "I'm paw-sitive I've got the moves and the energy to go all the way, and the victory will taste sweet, like bamboo, especially the way I prepare it."
Due to the food reference, some have guessed Rachel Ray again, while others have suggested Panda is Lizzo, Melissa McCarthy, or Missy Elliott.
Black Widow
Black Widow's snippet features an image of a spider on a tarot card. "I'm going to leave you hanging by a thread until the very end," they say.
Common guesses include Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora (who sang "Black Widow" together) or Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow in the Avengers films.
Ladybug
Ladybug was the only contestant not included in the original tease; instead, they made their debut at the Emmys on Sept. 22. As such, we don't have clues for Ladybug like we do for the rest of the contestants, but Instagram commenters have so far speculated it could be Lady Gaga (because they both have "lady" in the name) or Brittany Snow, because she has a ladybug tattoo as well as a background in singing, and Masked Singer panelist Nicole Scherzinger teased at the Emmys that the celeb in the costume has "great [vocal] chops."
As Masked Singer Season 2 presses on, we'll surely get more clues about who's inside these costumes — and with them, more theories — but these are the best preliminary guesses. Check back as the celebs are revealed to see if anyone got it right.
