No Disrespect To The Panel, But The Masked Singer’s Frog Is Painfully Obvious

So far, every season of The Masked Singer has had one contestant who energizes the crowd and puts on a spectacle that floord the panel. In the first season, it was Donny Osmond as the Peacock. Wayne Brady took over in season 2 as the Fox, and he won the show. And now, it season 3's hype man may just be The Masked Singer's Frog, who I’m pretty sure hasn’t stopped dancing since he first glided onto the stage. He isn’t the most impressive singer, but his stage presence and moves make him a top contender. He could go all the way, but I don’t think viewers will have to wait that long to figure out who is hopping around the stage. The Frog isn’t trying too hard to disguise his voice which makes me pretty certain I know his true identity.

The Frog appeared to have an old school vibe with his purple, feathered hat, and suspenders when the first photos of the contestants were released. But, the way he moves on stage makes it obvious that this is actually a young guy who can definitely dance. Based on his physical appearance, we can also tell that he is on the shorter side. Panelist Jenny McCarthy was the first to comment on his stature, calling him “Kevin Hart little,” while the others noted that he has swagger. 

The Frog’s first clue package included a microphone next to three bills, a $100, a $5, and a $1. Newspapers appeared on the screen with headlines like “Tadpole plucked from a large creek!” A microphone with a thumbs up “like” was also briefly shown. The Frog then rapped MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” and even borrowed the '90s musician’s signature dance moves. 

For his second performance, Frog continued his hip hop trend and rapped along to an unusual arrangement of “In Da Club” by 50 Cent. He seemed mostly focused on nailing his dance moves but the panel loved it. The second set of clues included the line “frog-eat-frog world.” A desk was also shown along with a basketball and a typewriter. The letters “C,” “S,” and “I” were highlighted on the typewriter. 

The Frog’s friend shoutout in his third clue package pretty obscure. An invisible woman stood in a mansion and said she has known the Frog since he was “a tadpole.” She also said he had an entourage from when they first met in Los Angeles, CA. She then emphasized his childhood stardom again, adding that she took him to his first late night talk show even though it was past his bedtime. The Frog was “way beyond his years” according to the mystery woman. 

The Frog decided to switch things up and sang for the first time with his rendition of “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” by The Gap Band. Guest and season 1 winner T-Pain commented that he thought he recognized the voice and fellow panelist Nicole Scherzinger agreed that the singer is someone they know. While presenting his special clue, the Frog said that he was ready to quit music but now he is back. “I’m here baby,” he said, staying cool and confident. He sent his friendship bracelet to “my friend, T-Pain” and it said “All we do is win.” 

Honestly, the Frog’s identity might be more obvious than the White Tiger, which makes it baffling that none of the judges have thrown this rapper’s name out yet. He is a rapper who isn’t changing his voice as he performs rap songs. There is no denying that Bow Wow, real name Shad Moss, is the man behind the Frog costume and his awesome dance moves. But let’s break down the clues anyway.

The panels pointed out that the Frog isn’t very tall and has a lot of charisma. Bow Wow is around 5’7” and would be comfortable performing on stage since he started rapping as a child. His early career also connects to all the references of the Frog beginning as a “tadpole” and having to be chaperoned to events. Bow Wow’s first music video shoot was for Snoop Dogg’s “Gin & Juice” in 1994, making him just 7 years old at the time — he was also known as Lil' Bow Wow back then (the tadpole version of his more adult stage name). From there, Bow Wow appeared in multiple music videos and TV shows like Moesha and started recording albums.

There are clues that have focused on the other aspects of Bow Wow’s career. The three bills, which add up to $106, could be referring to his former hosting duties on the music video show 106 & Park. The basketball and microphone with a “like” on it connect to Bow Wow’s role in the 2002 comedy Like Mike, in which he played a 14-year-old boy who joins the NBA. He also starred in the short-lived 2015 series CSI: Cyber, hence the letters emphasized on the typewriter. Oh, and the “frog-eat-frog world” is a play on “dog-eat-dog” which clearly points to Bow Wow. 

The Frog hasn’t shown off his singing skills which makes sense considering Bow Wow is known for rapping. He has taken a break from music (his last album was released in 2016), but prior to his hiatus he released multiple songs featuring T-Pain. T-Pain would obviously recognize his voice so saying “All we do is win” helped confuse the season 1 winner and make him think of another artist he collaborated with on that song. 

Bow Wow and the producers aren’t really hiding his identity, but so far, they don’t need to. The panel is way off, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Frog rap and dance his way to the semi-finals.