‘The Masked Singer’: Robopine Isn’t Fooling Many Fans, Even With His Costa Rica Clues
The Masked Singer revealed two more celebrities during its April 21 episode when Seashell and King Crab were sent home.
Tamera Mowry-Housley and Bobby Brown were unmasked, confirming what many fans already knew. And now it’s onward for the remaining contestants which include Chameleon, Piglet, Black Swan, Yeti, Russian Dolls, and Robopine.
The latter has been throwing the off judges with his puzzling clues, but many fans believe they’ve figured out that Robopine is a famous singer/actor.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 5]
‘The Masked Singer’ Robopine is tricky, but many think it’s Tyrese
One of the best barometers for guessing the identities of the masked singers is the voice. That’s what helped viewers to peg Bobby Brown weeks ago and even Black Swan. In the case of Robopine, R&B fans are sure that it’s Tyrese Gibson — aka Tyrese— crooning underneath that costume.
Judges have guessed Jamie Foxx, Terrence Howard, and Will Smith, and for some reason, Ken Jeong tossed Tom Cruise’s name into the ring. However, Robopine’s sound and clue package have sealed the deal for the Black Rose artist, Tyrese.
The whole tale about 60 years ago in Costa Rica is a real puzzle, but that is part of the game. However, looking at some of Robopine’s other clues can help piece things together. The most obvious references have to do with his acting career.
Costa Rica references are confusing, but these clues make sense
Tyrese has been acting since the ’90s and there are clues about his projects all over The Masked Singer. He’s been in Four Brothers with Mark Wahlberg (MW), and both the Fast and Furious and Transformers franchises. Notice the Roman statue clue.
Tyrese also has an upcoming role in Morbius from the Spider-Man universe. Additionally, his character in Black and Blue was named Mouse. But the costume is an obvious nod to Transformers.
Further, Tyrese has spoken in interviews about his childhood desire to become a garbageman. Fun fact: Transformers: Dark of Moon featured Tyrese reprising his role as Sergeant Epps. This film also introduced a Decepticon who turned into a garbage truck.
And the gold statue Robopine pined over is the elusive Oscar. Tyrese once told Josh Horowitz of Comedy Central that he bought a replica of the award online and has it sitting in his house as a symbol of what he’s chasing.
Several clips are odes to Tyrese’s character Jody in Baby Boy. Some fans noted that Robopine mentioned how he received a call from an angel that changed his path in Hollywood. John Singleton — who died in 2019 — cast and directed Tyrese for the 2001 film.
But Robopine’s shower clue is key. He said his family would always yell “shut up,” something that Tyrese wrote about. In his book, How to Get Out of Your Own Way, he shared a story about his first time performing in public when he was 14. It was at a park in Watts for a talent show.
“I didn’t get famous from that first public performance, but I did win, and that gave me the confidence to continue with my singing when my family had told me to shut up for being too loud around the house,” wrote Tyrese.
The T-shirt is another tell for Robopine
Another Robopine giveaway — or freebie — is Nick Cannon’s reaction to the judges. The t-shirt that read “AKA,” elicited a few guesses, and Jenny McCarthy said alter ego, Cannon pointed and said “Ooo.” Guess what? Tyrese released an album in 2006 titled Alter Ego.
It’s unclear where the 60-year-old grandfather references come in, but the lobster symbolizes Tyrese as a spokesperson for the Red Lobster restaurant chain. And for those who weren’t aware, the singer released a superhero comic book line, Mayhem!, in 2009.
Catch new episodes of The Masked Singer on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST.
