The Masked Singer season 9 contestant California Roll, which includes five different rolls, won New York Night, knocking two-time champion Medusa out of the competition, and it's time to analyze their clues to figure out their identity. California Roll is a five-person group that sang "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga for their first performance. After Polar Bear was revealed to be legendary DJ and rapper Grandmaster Flash, California Roll went head-to-head with Medusa in the Battle Royale. They sang Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl."
The Masked Singer season 9's panel, which consists of Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger, voted for California Roll to move on to the quarter-finals. They defeated Medusa after two weeks of her winning. However, the panelists used their saves for the first time in the history of the show. Nicole rang the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell, saving Medusa from being unmasked. She later won the Battle of the Saved against Lou Diamond Phillips (Mantis) and Keenan Allen (Gargoyle). As The Masked Singer viewers eagerly await California Roll's next performance, they can put together the clues to figure out who they might be.
The Masked Singer's California Roll Was On Broadway
In The Masked Singer season 9 clue package, a male member of the group leaned on a skateboard rack and said, "Now you might be wondering what a Cali roll is doing here on New York Night." He then revealed that he was on Broadway. There was also a cocktail, a bottle of soy sauce, and a display of sunglasses that said, "Cool Shades." A female member of the group then said, "And that wasn't the only role I've played. This entree has many sides [...] let me tell you five reasons why I'm the perfect dish."
The Masked Singer's California Roll Went To An Ivy League School
The California Roll revealed another male sushi, who held a notebook that said, "Group Project." The Masked Singer contestant then shared, "I'm a scholar with a degree from an Ivy League school." Another male sushi revealed, "And just like the city of New York, this Cali roll never sleeps. I got used to it from DJing all night long. Gotta pay rent." A man was shown throwing a baseball. The first roll then said, "But eventually California was calling, so I set out West on the 10 for the gleeful rays and silver screens." A map with an X was shown, along with a sign that read, "spicy mayo cones."
The Masked Singer clue package continued with the female sushi roll having a caricature drawn with a tiger. She said, "Once I got there, I rubbed shoulders with the greats, from Dolly to Snoop." Another male sushi roll said, "And I even got married! It's been such a busy ride I barely ever have time for myself." The female voice from The Masked Singer contestant group then said, "But without each of these ingredients, I wouldn't be the successful, number one roll I am today. Sock it to me, dudes." At the end of the performance, the final clue was "5 billion."
The Masked Singer's California Roll's Identity Guesses
The Masked Singer panelists had some interesting guesses for California Roll. Nicole thought they might be cast members from the film Pitch Perfect. Ken theorized that they could be the cast of High School Musical. Jenny's first hypothesis for California Roll was the cast of Broadway's The Lion King. However, she then gave a guess that Robin agreed with: Pentatonix. Pentatonix seems to be the most likely answer to California Roll's identity. Like the five-person sushi roll, Pentatonix also has five members. The group includes Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee.
California Roll from The Masked Singer showcased some acapella singing, which is what Pentatonix is known for. Kirstin, the only female member of the group, appeared on Broadway as Lauren in Kinky Boots, while Matt got married last year. Kevin graduated from Yale in 2011, while Mitch is a DJ known as Messer. Pentatonix has also worked with artists such as Dolly and Snoop Dogg. Their victory song when they appeared on The Sing-Off was "Eye of the Tiger," and their YouTube channel has over five billion views.
The Masked Singer's California Roll Supreme 6 Performance & Clues
During The Masked Singer Supreme 6 episode, California Roll sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. During the clue package, they revealed that they'd rehearsed countless times together. California Roll highlighted some of their original clues, pointing out the important ones the panelists noticed.
Clues included the baseball pitcher (Nicole) and the group project notebook (Ken). They said that Robin was close when he guessed that five billion represented the number of streams of a performance. It can be inferred that these clues are important to California Roll because they sing in a group with perfect pitch and have five billion YouTube views.
The Masked Singer's California Roll Quarterfinals Performance & Super Clue
In the quarterfinals, California Roll sang "Creep" by Radiohead, once again captivating the audience with their perfect harmonies. Their performance was so impressive that when they were finished singing, Jenny said to bring out the Golden Masked trophy right now. California Roll's super clue was "White House." One of the rolls explained, "Well, we had such a good time performing at the White House. They even gave us a standing O."
This clue made Jenny think that California Roll was Pentatonix because they have performed at the White House. However, Nicole guessed that they were the cast of Hamilton, while Ken thought they were Miami Sound Machine. California Roll's vocal talents blew everyone away, and their future performances are sure to be compelling. No matter who they turn out to be, they are on a roll.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.