Many viewers were shocked when the Kitty was sent home and revealed as young classical singer Jackie Evancho in Week 13 of The Masked Singer.
Her stellar performance of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black failed to win over the audience, and Jackie missed out on her chance to compete amongst the final three.
The singer’s elimination was just one of several upsets throughout this year’s outing of the celebrity talent show, as many felt performers like Jackie and the Turtle’s Jesse McCartney were more deserving of season three’s top prize.
Season three eventually unveiled its winner, the Night Angel, and unmasked Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss as the purple-clad diva.
READ MORE: The Masked Singer on FOX: Fans baffled by judge’s continuity error
Jackie Evancho will nevertheless be remembered as a highlight of the series thanks to her performances of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend and Mama’s Broken Heart demonstrating her powerful vocals.
After she was sent home, Jackie sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the highs and lows of performance in head-to-toe cat fur for The Masked Singer.
During the interview, she revealed the unwieldy costume may have hampered some of her on-stage performances.
Jackie said: “It was very heavy and it was also really frustrating. I worried about being close to Nick Cannon on stage. I didn’t want to hit him with my feathers.”
Thanks to the series’ combination of elaborate costumes and cryptic clue videos, some of the celebrity singers were difficult to identify in the US iteration of the show’s third outing.
Jackie Evancho revealed she was very flattered when a popular theory speculated the Kitty could actually be Disney star Vanessa Hudgens.
EW asked: “Guesses about your identity were all over the board. What was your favourite?”
To which she responded: “It would probably have to be Vanessa Hudgens because I really admire her and think her showmanship is amazing.
“Her integrity for her job is amazing. So that was actually a huge compliment to me.”
Despite this, the series also received some criticism for featuring celebrities who were far too easy to guess, such as rapper Bow Wow who was heavily tipped to be under the Frog mask.
The celebrity pedigree is only set to improve in season four, so fans are looking forward to yet another round of cryptic clues and crazy theories coming soon.
The Masked Singer is hoped to return to Fox in Autumn 2020.
