For the second week in a row, the panel of detectives on The Masked Singer South Africa missed the mark in unravelling the identity of a costumed celebrity performer. Not even a fresh pair of eyes could spot that the show’s hilarious Hippo happened to be comedy legend David Kau.
Standing in for Somizi, actress, rapper, and Instagram sensation Boity Thulo joined J’Something, Sithelo Shozi and Skhumba on detective duty when six of the masked singers returned for the second round of the competition.
In the first of three incredible battles to stay anonymous, Hippo took on Rhino. Then, Sunflower tried to outshine Tree, whereafter sweet Watermelon faced off against Elephant.
Hippo’s stint on stage, combined with the cryptic clues he presented, created much confusion. He revealed that he was once upon a time a regular on our TV screens, and one of his ventures was inspired by the people’s player and the people’s poet. It was evident that Hippo, who was very active during the Covid-19 pandemic, enjoyed a round of golf, but then he also sported a cricket bat. And why did peanut butter and jam sandwiches feature in his life if he had a Chomp in his hand?
To top it off, Hippo ended his energetic performance of “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire with a spectacular split.
Boity and J’Something latched onto how Hippo pronounced the word “Chomp”.
For J’Something, the pronunciation indicated that Hippo hailed from the Western Cape, and he remembered the person who ended Covid-19 online activities by doing the split. Hence, Hippo had to be Siv Ngesi.
While Boity’s random guess was Robot Boii, Sithelo thought it was an actor. First, she leant towards Sello Maake Ncube but then changed her mind to Makhaya Ntini, based on the cricket bat.
Skhumba focused on the peanut butter and jam sandwiches, which signalled that the person was from the township. He also reckoned that many celebrities play golf when they’re bored, mentioning David Kau, Jimmy Tau and Thomas Msengana. But those celebrities don’t eat peanut butter and jam, like DJ Sbu, the celeb who Skhumba thought Hippo was.
After Hippo had lost the popular vote in the danger zone against Sunflower and Watermelon, the panel could lock in their final guesses before the big reveal. They stuck to their original names. So huge was the surprise when they saw the face of David Kau – especially as Skhumba listed David as one of the golfers who don’t eat peanut butter sarmies.
Unmasked Hippo, David and guest detective Boity concur that The Masked Singer South Africa is the best show on TV.
“You guys won’t understand how much fun I had and how many songs I still had,” David told the audience.
Boity even begged Anele afterwards to bring her back onto The Masked Singer South Africa. “There is a reason why it’s one of the most successful TV programmes worldwide,” Boity says. “It’s such a lovely dope show where everyone can get involved – mom, dad, grandma, the little ones, yes, everyone at home.”
Concerning her sleuthing skills, Boity admits it was difficult: “Those clues are ridiculous. They take you from pillar to post, but that makes it even more fun.”
The Masked Singer South Africa is screened on SABC 3 on Saturdays at 18:30 and SABC 1 at 20:00. The repeat is on SABC 1 on Thursdays at 21:00.