The Masked Singer: How We Know Turtle Is This Underrated Pop Star

Another of the best performers in Season 3, Turtle’s got a “shelluva” voice, and hot dance moves to boot, leaving little doubt he’s been gracing stages with his skills for a very long time. And while nothing will be certain until that rubber (or is that plastic?) head comes off, Turtle is almost certainly singer-songwriter and actor Jesse McCartney. How can we be sure? Let’s dig into the evidence.

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Again, listen to that voice! Compare the sound of Turtle belting out “Higher Love” from Episode 10 to even just a few notes from an early McCartney tune “Beautiful Soul” and the similarities in their voices are hard to ignore.

We won’t judge you if you’re crushing on #TurtleMask. 😍 #TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/w4XMkjVs72

— The Masked Singer (@MaskedSingerFOX) April 2, 2020

Another whopper of a clue came at the outset of the season when Turtle wrote “Don’t rave ever at my school – Turtle” on a chalkboard. Astute observers keenly noted that the first letters of each word spell Dream St., as in the name of the boy band McCartney was in during his teen years. Also, Turtle once remarked that he was “on the hunt for booty,” and fans of the singer and actor (All My Children, Greek) think that’s a nod to a lyric “That thing you got behind you is amazing,” which he’s used in more than one song. We’ve seen Greek letters on a chalkboard, which probably harken back to his stint on Greek — just like a close up look at Seoul, South Korea on a map was probably a whisper at “Beautiful Soul.”

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Turtle has been seen with a surfboard, a nod to his appearance in Summerland — or maybe the Teen Choice Awards (he’s a seven-time nominee and one-time winner). Most recently, Turtle held up a comic book titled “The Amazing Adventures of Shellboy” priced at $10.13. McCartney superfans knows he voiced the character Dick Grayson in the animated Young Justice series from 2010 to 2013, a far from subtle clue that McCartney is the multi-hyphenate slowly inching his way to first place in this competition.

The Masked SingerPhoto: Fox

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.