Why Does The Masked Singer Want Us To Think The Turtle Is A Backstreet Boy So Badly?

The moment I’ve been waiting for all season long finally happened last week on The Masked Singer. After 17 episodes, panelist Nicole Scherzinger finally guessed that singer Jesse McCartney is behind the Turtle mask which has been my theory since the beginning. The panel has been stuck on certain clues for weeks, thinking the Turtle is a former boyband member (which McCartney technically is) from a popular ‘90s group. Turtle’s semi-finals clue package included multiple Backstreet Boys references in an effort to further convince the panel that they are on the right path with their Turtle guesses. Nick Carter has already shot down the theory that he is the Turtle, but, could that have been a misdirect to keep the audience guessing? Could Turtle really be Carter while I have been completely off with my McCartney theory? Well, I don’t think so, but let’s look at these Backstreet Boys-related clues and see how they could also work as hints about McCartney’s identity.

As mentioned, Carter denied that he is Turtle, however, he confirmed that he was supposed to be the reptile. Recently, the Backstreet Boys appeared on Watch What Happens Live and host Andy Cohen asked if AJ McLean (who was one of the panelist’s earlier guesses) was in the Turtle costume. 

When McLean denied his involvement with the show, Carter jumped in and said, “I have a confession. I don’t know if I can say this out loud, but the Turtle was created for me. I was possibly going to be on the show.” He further explained that he was offered to be on The Masked Singer, but “we were busy.” Celebrities have a history of denying they are on the show when they, in fact, are — see: Jordyn Woods — so it is possible Carter just said that to make his unmasking more exciting considering the clues this week were noticeably connected to BSB.

During Turtle’s semi-finals clue package, there was a street sign that literally had the word “back” on it. Then, Turtle shared a diamond ring as his super clue. Scherzinger said that the Backstreet Boys have a song called “Diamond.” That isn’t exactly true. The band has had albums that are certified diamond, but they don’t have an official song called “Diamond.” There was a demo track that popped up in 2018 called "Diamond," but the band never released the song. Still, it is hard to deny the street sign. 

The street sign is just vague enough to be a red herring about BSB while also connecting to McCartney. McCartney dropped a song in 2013 called “Back Together” and he has another song called “Right Back In The Water.” Plus, the diamond ring is a clear tie to McCartney. He proposed to his longtime girlfriend last September. The two have been posting funny quarantine videos recently.

While some celebrities tell a white lie about being on the show, it looks like Carter is being honest. The clues keep trying to steer the panel in the BSB direction which should be a sign to them that it isn’t the right way to go. The panel has the wrong blond-haired heartthrob. McCartney is definitely in the Turtle costume.