Cheetah purred on The Masked Singer South Africa stage, hiding radio dynamo Khutso Theledi
For the second time in a row, The Masked Singer South Africa Season 2’s supersleuth Somizi Mhlongo was the only detective figuring out the true identity of a disguised celebrity. Somizi was spot on when asserting that the show’s cheeky Cheetah was multiple award-winning Metro FM radio host Khutso Theledi.
Somizi’s correct guess stemmed from the clues he picked up from Cheetah’s body language as well as her admission that she can speak Italian.
The Masked Singer South Africa S2’s third episode introduced four more spectacular Masks who duelled to proceed to the massively popular show’s next round. Ice Cream and Cheetah took to the stage first, whereafter Blue Crane battled Gold.
This week, the distinguished detective panel – J’Something, Somizi Mhlongo, Sithelo Shozi and Skhumba Hlophe – were joined by Jason Goliath, also known as the previous season’s jolly jumbo, Elephant.
During their first sighting of The Masked Singer South Africa’s Cheetah, the investigators noted her stylish appearance. Skhumba focused on her soft blond weave, which looked suspiciously familiar, while Sithelo called Cheetah “fashion forward”. She raved about the glitz and glam of the wild cat outfit, which Cheetah paraded so confidently.
Later, Cheetah’s obscure clue package baffled the episode’s squad of celebrity bloodhounds. While dancing with the quirky “Masked Singer Men and Women in Black”, Cheetah revealed that “I’m Every Woman” had been her favourite tune for many reasons. Furthermore, she shared that her Cheetah coalition protected her as a cub, which made up for her daddy missing out, and she became a consistent high performer in a high-stakes world. Gone are the days of others trying to define her because this Cheetah is on a mission to show other little girls that they could be whatever matched their dreams.
From these revelations, Somizi gathered that Cheetah was undoubtedly a triple threat – a singer, dancer, and actress. Meanwhile, Sithelo cottoned on to Cheetah being protected by her siblings, and Skhumba reckoned she was a breadwinner. However, J-Something was confused about why killer red heels were popping up in the clue video.
After Cheetah’s “purrfect” performance of Rihanna’s “What’s My Name”, Skhumba’s wild guess was that this breadwinner and role model might be double-platinum singer-songwriter Zonke, but J’Something disagreed respectfully.
Somizi was more interested in Cheetah’s “forwardness” and physical movement than her voice, resulting in a toss-up between Pearl Thusi, Khutso Theledi, Jo-Ann Reyneke and Nomzamo Mbatha. But then all the puzzle pieces fell into place. When Somizi asked Cheetah how many languages she could speak, she replied, “I recently added Italian to my repertoire.”
For Signore Somizi, all the signs pointed straight to Khutso. At this stage, J’Something locked in cricket commentator Kass Naidoo, Jason put forward Nomcebo Zikode from the hit song “Jerusalema”, Sithelo thought the “triple threat” was Candice Modisele, and Skhuma was positive about Zola Nombona.
Unfortunately, sweet sensation Ice Cream chased Cheetah to the danger zone in the vote, where Blue Crane joined her after Gold had raised the bar exceptionally high. Then, in the final vote determining who should take off their mask, Blue Crane spread her wings to the next round.
Before Cheetah lifted her weaved mane, guest detective Jason changed his mind to Nomzamo Mbatha, but the others all stuck with their original names.
So, when Khutso showed, Somizi giggled about how she duped him during their time together on air on Metro FM earlier in the day. What unlocked the secret for Somizi on The Masked Singer South Africa was knowing about Khutso’s Italian husband and her mannerisms – especially how Cheetah bowed and put her hands together, resembling her usual way of showing respect as a Tsonga woman.
About her experience hidden in the mask, Khutso said: “It’s something else. You feel that you’ve been swallowed, but at the same time, you’re filled with excitement, happiness and joy. I’ll do it again!”
The Masked Singer South Africa, proudly sponsored by Andolex®, airs on S3 on Saturdays at 18:30. There are rebroadcasts on SABC 1 on Thursdays at 21:00 and on S3 on Fridays at 18:00
