THE Masked Singer reaches fever pitch this weekend as the costumed celebrities are whittled down to a final three.
Ahead of next week’s grand final on ITV, the five remaining singers will battle it out to keep their heads on as the public continue to speculate over who is who.
Only three of the masked stars will make it through the double elimination where fans will see two of the characters unmasked.
New names have been added to the favourites list as experts predict the faces that will appear when the head-pieces are removed.
Many viewers are convinced that Sausage is Loose Women star Stacey Solomon, while the expert odds point towards Sheridan Smith.
Other contenders have include documentary maker Stacey Dooley, pop-star Joss Stone and actress Billie Piper.
The odds see Sheridan sit at 1/4, Stacey Solomon at 3/1 and Joss at 14/1 as the public place their bets.
Experts say that JLS star Aston Merrygold is the clear favourite for Robin, while viewers have taken to social media to speculate it could be Olly Murs.
Peter Andre was also an early suggestion, as well as Westlife’s Nicky Byrne, who hinted that it might be him by posting a photo of a bird to Twitter.
Aston sticks out at 1/3, with Olly closely chasing him with odds of 6/1 and Peter Andre far behind at 12/1.
While Harlequin has no doubt impressed with her vocals, the judges and public alike are still confused over who is behind the mask.
Some are sure it’s UK singer Gabrielle, while others have tipped Rebecca Ferguson and musical theatre actress Beverly Knight.
M People’s Heather Small and Fast Car hitmaker Tracy Chapman are also in the runnings according to fans.
Experts say Gabrielle sticks out as a clear favourite with odds of 1/2, while Tracy Chapman is far behind at 4/1.
Dragon has survived the sing-off on multiple occasions – and fans are waiting in anticipation to see whether he or she will survive this weekend.
Viewers have been unsure on the gender of this star, with guesses including TV host Sue Perkins to Ian Watkins – who is best known as H from Steps.
Last week Australian drag artist Courtney Act also came into the mix, now at a 3/1 odds for the unmasking.
Sue Perkins remains the favourite at 2/1, however, with Ian ‘H’ Watkins coming in as a curve ball at 4/1.
Most contested of them all is the long-term favourite to win the series, Badger – which experts have suggested a number of names for.
His identity is argued to be American R&B singer Ne-Yo by fans, while others say Jamiriquai’s Jay Kay or Boyzone’s Ronan Keating is a better guess.
The expert odds currently stand at Ne-Yo at 4/5, Jay Kay at 2/1 and Ronan Keating at 5/1.
Tonight’s show will decide who goes into the show’s glamorous final next Saturday after weeks of the masked characters battling it out.
Matt Lucas will join the panel as a guest judge, alongside Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan.
So far, this series has seen Sophie Ellis Bextor, Mel B, Martine McCutcheon, Glenn Hoddle, John Thomson, Morten Harket and Sir Lenny Henry unmasked.
- The Masked Singer returns to ITV tonight at 7pm
