If someone told me 2021 would be the year I spent my time wondering what celebrity is trapped inside a massive stuffed pig, I would have laughed. Or maybe cried. But here we are, dealing with the insanity that is Masked Singer season 5 and debating the identity of this earnest pig as he dances around the stage like no one’s watching, bless! Fans of this show (yes, we exist) are pretty positive the Piglet is Nick Lachey based on a massive pile of clues and evidence. But thus far, his identity has remained a closely guarded secret. All we know for sure is that this little piglet went “wee, wee, wee” all the way to The Masked Singer season finale and someone needs to set him free!
The Clues
Here’s the clue video from episode 2:
- There’s a “Love in the Mud” title card, which looks verrrrry reminiscent of several recent reality dating shows (those rose petals, what a subtle touch).
- In fact, the whole video has a dating show shtick because apparently the Piglet is a “hopeless romantic” (like, he admits to dropping the L-word on a second date, goodness gracious).
- The world allegedly witnessed one of the Piglet’s heartbreaks…PILOT PETE, IS THIS YOU?! (Jenny McCarthy think it’s someone who dated…Bella Thorne. Moving on.)
- There’s a fortune cookie, and inside, the fortune reads “golden mask.” Sounds like the Piglet might want to continue on with his performing career!
And here’s the clue vid from episode 4:
- The Piglet apparently made his debut on the Masked Singer stage with only four days’ notice!
- So the Piglet stretches and pops a few jumping jacks in what appears to be a locker room, while mentioning that he has an—gasp—archnemesis (Dr. Ken thinks that means the Pig has been in some battles).
- He shows us a whiteboard that reads “Don’t Be a Ball Hog!! 3528 Rushing In./Game.”
- Then he spiffs up a suit of armor.
- There’s lotsa football imagery—a field, a ball, a scoreboard, the lights….
And hark! The clue video from episode 5:
- Years ago, the Piglet was getting “grilled,” and I hope to god he doesn’t mean literally.
- We see a magic lamp that gifts the Piglet a…spider? Who is also his girlfriend? Help.
- The Piglet feeds said spider corn and announces that because of her, he’s a family man! Scared about the logistics of a pig and a spider getting intimate, but okay.
- We see someone wearing a button that says “1 DR.” Curious….
Behold, the clue package from episode 7:
- We meet the Piglet on a SHIP full of PIRATES (jk, it’s just the Men in Black), where he tells us that a few years ago, he moved back in with his parents cuz he was having a rough time.
- Not sure whether or not to take this literally, but he says he broke his finger…and we see one of those foam finger peace signs.
- And then BAM! What looks to be a car air freshener…and a UFO washed up on shore.
- Lots of fate talk and doing what ~destiny~ intended, yadda yadda yadda.
Hark round two! The clue video from episode 10:
- Fake vampire teeth, a hairbrush, and a pair of scissors kick off this haunting video.
- There’s also a chair with a #1 propped up, along with numbers 2-5 lurking on the seat.
- Piglet tells the story of how he discovered he has a HUGE birthmark on the side of his head shaped like an apple—fun fact!
- A good ol’ pile of gold bars.
Sorry, but I can’t not show you this truly heinous Cluedle-Doo cameo….
- Apparently, our Piglet friend caught a touchdown from former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.
The clue video from episode 11 didn’t want to be left out, so here ’tis:
- Apparently, Piglet has been a fan of The Masked Singer from the start! He watched season 1 with his “little piggy” (probs a kiddo, if I had to guess) and talked about which costume he’d want to wear if he were to perform.
- He claims to be “more of a serious guy” in his normal life, but we’ll see about that!
- Bruce Willis is his all-time idol! And when the Piglet met Mr. Willis, he was “speechless.”
- He calls Bruce a “fellow action star,” which honestly throws a wrench in my Nick Lachey theory, ugh!!!
Presenting: “Little Piglet on the Prairie,” aka the Piglet’s clue video from episode 12:
- We see a tree of instruments, which, IMO, solidifies the fact that Piglet was a musician in his heyday (and Dr. Ken interpreted to mean that maybe he knows Michelle Branch, lol).
- Nowadays, he loves “the simple life” at home, landscaping, grilling, and football Sunday funday.
- There’s an inexplicable llama/llama piñata present.
The Performances
Okay, the Piglet sang “Speechless” by Dan + Shay during episode 2 and HE WAS ACTUALLY FREAKING AMAZING. He literally had ALL the judges on their feet.
Second performance was also top-notch! The Piglet sang “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)” by Andy Grammer and had the crowd screaming:
And third performance was also super decent!!!!! Here’s the Piglet belting out “7 Years,” by Lukas Graham:
I’m sorry, but nothing sounds MORE like Nick Lachey than Piglet’s performance of “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters in episode 7:
Oh, except maybe for the Piglet’s performance in episode 10, when he sang “Against All Odds,” by Phil Collins:
Well, I’d probably include the Piglet’s performance of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder in episode 11 in that same category, if I’m honest:
And same for Piglet’s performance of “Bruises,” by Lewis Capaldi:
The Theories
Nick Lachey
Literally everyone is in agreement that the Piglet is Nick Lachey based on his voice, so apparently there are a lot of 98 Degrees fans in the (virtual) audience. Most viewers think that all the clues about heartbreak are a nod to his highly publicized relationship with Jessica Simpson (miss u, Newlyweds) and the Bachelor vibes were included only to throw us off his scent! Not to mention, Nick did host Love Is Blind so being hit over the head with all the reality TV dating show ambience makes sense.
Here’s a small selection of comments from Instagram if you’re not convinced:
“When I first heard the first note. I know it’s @NickLachey. I been a fan 4 years.”
“Definitely @NickLachey I’ve listened to that voice for 23 years!!”
“Def Nick Lachey!! Can’t miss his voice!”
“After hearing that clip of him singing, it’s absolutely Nick Lachey.”
And some comments from YouTube:
Two different preview clips show the Piglet performing with four other guys, which could be a nod to the four members of 98 Degrees. Plus, Nick’s hometown of Cincinnati goes by the nickname “Porkopolis” and is famous for its Flying Pig Marathon. Just saying!
Last thing: Way back in 2012, Nick Lachey got kicked out of a Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Diego Chargers football game for fighting with a fan—which would fit nicely with all the “nemesis” mentions and football imagery, no?
Drew Lachey
In episode 12, the Piglet chose Jenny McCarthy as the judge that he has a ~connection~ with, sending her over a poker chip. This made Jenny think that the Piglet could be someone who has performed at one of her charity events in the past or maybe someone who has attended a charity event with her…and then she pointed to the llama in the most recent clue video, and the Llama on Masked Singer was Drew Carey…all of which led her to guess Drew Lachey, Nick’s younger brother and another member of 98 Degrees. Are you following this BECAUSE I’M NOT?!
Joel Madden
Okay, I honestly don’t hate this guess, which came from Dr. Ken in the last episode. The connections he made were the following: Piglet says he likes “the simple life,” and Nicole Richie, Joel Madden’s wife, starred in The Simple Life. Get it???
Taylor Lautner
This was a Ken Jeong/Robin Thicke special, who started listing random Vampire Diaries-/Twilight-adjacent stars, and settled on Taylor, thanks to his ~athletic~ background (“he could have caught passes from Dan Marino”…SURE, JAN).
Brian Littrell
Nicole Scherzinger threw the Backstreet Boys star’s name into the ring, because she’s been getting “boy band vibes” from the Piglet thanks to his voice (same, but my heart is on Nick Lachey) and she also noticed that the numbers 1-5 could reference a group with five members, like BSB.
Shawn Mendes
After the Piglet’s performance in episode 11, one fan took to YouTube to throw out the “Señorita” singer’s name. It was quickly shut down by another fan, but the guess was lodged nonetheless.
JC Chasez
Even though pretty much every fan is convinced this lil piggy is Jessica Simpson’s ex, one nonconformist viewer on Instagram suggested the Piglet could be NSYNC alum JC Chasez. It’s worth mentioning that this season’s contestants apparently boast a combined “three Super Bowl appearances,” and NSYNC did perform at the Super Bowl halftime show back in 2001, so do with that info what you will.
Ryan Seacrest
Someone on YouTube points to the “unlucky in love” and American Idol reference as undeniable proof that the piece o’ ham is production mastermind Ryan Seacrest. Like, I want to believe that those set of pipes belong to the KUWTK genius, but personally, I just can’t get there.
Matt James
There’s been some heated conversation happening on YouTube about whether the Piglet could be Matt James. Yeah, like recent Bachelor hunk Matt James. The timing of production (Masked Singer started in early February) doesn’t quite add up to me, and IDK, it just feels too literal of a guess based on the clues. No offense, Maureen!
Joey McIntyre
Another brave soul who wasn’t on the Nick Lachey Train™ suggested the plaid-clad piggy could be New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre, and it’s not a total stretch. At least we can all agree the mystery pig gives off major boy band vibes, right?
Whoever’s behind that Piglet mask, they can def sing, so hopefully they stick around for a while. And by “they,” we mean the man best known as Love Is Blind’s totally pointless host. Bye!!
Corinne Sullivan is an Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and more. She can tell you everything you need to know about the love lives of A-listers, the coziest bedsheets, and the sex toys actually worth your $$$. She is also the author of the 2018 novel Indecent. Follow her on Instagram for cute pics of her pup and bébé.
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