Who is the Badger on The Masked Singer UK?

BADGER left viewers of The Masked Singer scratching their heads as they try to work out who is behind the finalist's costume.

While the Badger managed to keep his identity a secret until the final, he was finally unmasked as American singer Ne-Yo.

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Who is the Badger on The Masked Singer?

The man behind the Badger mask on The Masked Singer was dropping clues on the hit show.

On his first appearance Badger said he'd "remained anonymous" for most of his career.

Judges Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross, Mo Gilligan and Davina McCall offered a wide range of guesses including Hairy Biker Dave Myers, actor Andy Serkis, singer Jay Kay from Jamiroquai, Luther actor Idris Elba - and even The Cheeky Girls and anonymous Top Gear driver The Stig.

He went on to be filmed around motorbikes and revealed he'd been shy around girls when young.

Badger added that he also wrote poetry and that his mum had opened up his gift at a young age.

Other clues included an Aussie hat, the periodic table and Milliner magazine.

Badger gave a nod to his identity singing Kelly Clarkson's Because Of You.

And he suggested he was from a large family,

In the semi-finals, Badger said he looked out for others and the VT showed him in the snow and giving out presents as he indicated he "tries to give back".

A sign post also pointed to The Woods, Blurry Lines Pond and The Valley.

The judges in semi-final week, which included Matt Lucas, were still divided over his ID.

They guessed Robin Thicke, Michael Buble, Louis Walsh, Matt Baker, Peter Andre, Jay Kay, Michael Gove, Adam Lambert, Sisqó, Chris Moyles and even The Fraggles.

On Saturday, February 13 2021 Badger was finally unveiled as Ne-Yo.

What were the fan theories?

Twitter was flooded with people confidently guessing that Badger is Ne-Yo, with one writing: "Willing to bet my life that Badger is 100% Ne-Yo".

And viewers were sure his accent had changed tweeting: “Badger has a fake British accent when speaking & then sounds American when singing #maskedsingeruk."

A second added: “Badger’s accent has changed #MaskedSingerUK.”

“Badger’s fake British accent is sickening #maskedsingeruk,” weighed in a third, while a fourth asked: “Has Badger's accent changed? Is Badger faking an accent? #MaskedSingerUK."

The first clue were the singer's vocals, which fans say clearly sounded like Ne-Yo's recognisable voice.

One person tweeted: "I also think the Badger is Ne-Yo. Very distinctive voice."

Another said: "I can hear the Ne-Yo from Badger. Wasn't entirely sure before. He's given us some incredible performances."

Something else viewers picked up on were Badger's song choices.

His performance of Because of You led some fans to Ne-Yo as he has a song of the same name.

One woman tweeted: "I’m finally coming round to the idea that Badger is Ne-Yo.

"He performed at a tribute concert for Barbra Streisand and last week he sang ‘Because of You’ and Ne-Yo also has a song called that."

But many fans were also convinced that Badger is James Blunt, following a strange clue about medals.

Before singing for the judging panel, Badger gave a mysterious clue to viewers, alluding to the fact that he had collected "medals".

Quick-thinking fans linked this with James Blunt, a former captain in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army.

One fan wrote: "Badger is James Blunt for sure, every clue points to him; medals and the military, motorbikes, boarding school...anonymous was the intro to his album, he did Chemistry A-Level, did a ‘virtual’ concert, is a poet/songwriter, a great musician."

Another hot contender for being Badger is Strictly Come Dancing's Kevin Clifton.

When asked to give the judges two truths and a lie, Badger replied: “Strictly speaking, I’m known for dancing.”

Others say it could be the lead singer of virtual band Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, because of his claim that he used to be anonymous.

Another theory is Ben Shephard, especially after he awkwardly avoided answering Lorraine Kelly's questions on Good Morning Britain on January 15, 2021.

The presenter also refused to shut down rumours he's Badger on The Masked Singer on GMB on February 5, 2021, as he ignored his co-presenter Charlotte Hawkins when she grilled him on the show.

How can I watch The Masked Singer and when is it next on TV?

The Masked Singer final kicked off on ITV on February 13, at 7pm.

The programme runs for 90 minutes.

This series launched on Boxing Day, 2020, and has seen viewers and the judges try to guess the famous faces behind the 12 colourful costumes.

Over the weeks the contestants have been whittled down to just three.

Harlequin and Dragon fell at the final hurdle leaving Robin and Sausage competing with Badger for the 2021 crown.

Viewers can play along with the judges and try to guess who is behind the colourful costumes.

All episodes are available to watch online via the ITV Hub.