For Weeks, 'Masked Singer' Fans Thought Patti LaBell Was The Flower — And They Were Right

From Woman's Day

The viewers and judges on The Masked Singer figured out the plant's celebrity identity ages ago, but the Flower was officially unmasked on the Nov. 20 episode to confirm the speculation. Long before her identity was revealed, fans placed their guesses for Miss Patti LaBelle. The judges were a little all over the map at first, but most of them eventually decided on her too. And, after several weeks of stunning performances, they were all proven to be right.

When the Flower took the stage on night one, the Twitter theories came rolling in. In the pre-performance package, the Flower mentioned her success in "cooking, clothes crafts" — all things that singer Patti LaBelle is known for.

OK, obviously LaBelle is most known for her singing career. But the Queen of R&B is more than a stunning voice. According to a Vanity Fair article, LaBelle remerged in the past few years as a celebrity chef. As for clothes, LaBelle launched a clothing line in the early 2000s, according to UPI. Though there isn't any crafting on her resumé, LaBelle is clearly a creative person who could probably get artsy if we asked her to.

Another somewhat subtle clue was a framed rainbow flag hanging in the Flower's kitchen. The rainbow flag has long been a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, which LaBelle has supported for years. In fact, in an interview with Georgia Voice, LaBelle credits her years of success to the gay community. "The gay fans are some of the reason – one big reason – I’m still standing," she told the publication. "They loved me when other people tried not to."

Fans were quick to share this theory on Twitter, and they weren't interested in any other opinions.

At first, the judges were not as convinced. Although LaBelle's name was brought up, the judges had thought throughout the weeks that Jessie J, Bjork, Jennifer Hudson, Shirley Bassey, Gloria Gaynor, and Anita Baker could be contenders. The fans, though? They were always sticking with LaBelle.

The Flower's Nov. 13 performance had several more LaBelle-themed clues. She mentioned a "secret garden" which is actually the name of a song that featured LaBelle. She also frequently kicks off her shoes during performances, which is something the Flower did in the clue package. And no matter what clues were presented each week, the fans always went back to LaBelle based on her singing ability and stage presence as well.

By the Flower's Nov. 20 performance, which ended up being her unmasking episode, almost all of the judges were Team Patti. Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, and Nicole Scherzinger all guessed that LaBelle was under the mask, thanks to some new helpful clues. For one, people were playing patty cake (aka "Patti" cake) in the background of the clue package, and there was mention of perfume and Patti LaBelle has her own perfume line. There was also a disco ball, which is an era and musical style LaBelle is known for. All the clues were coming up LaBelle, basically.

After her big reveal, the fans were so vindicated that they'd gotten this one right from the start.

The judges didn't come to a consensus until the last week that the Flower competed, but the fans knew who she was all along: Legendary Miss Patti, who blessed us all with her voice for her extended Masked Singer stay. We're so lucky to have been here for the journey.

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