Who is Whatchamacallit on The Masked Singer ? Here are all the clues it's this buzzy athlete

Rachel Yang
·5 min read

Michael Becker/FOX

The Masked Singer season 2 had the crooning Thingamajig, and now a hip-hop Whatchamacallit is in our presence. What, or whom, could the long-haired contestant be?

If you’re a basketball fan, you might’ve figured it out faster than the rest of us, because EW has deduced that Whatchamacallit is New Orleans Pelicans player Lonzo Ball. Let us walk you through the clues.

Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic

Ball was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017 and dubbed “the face of” the team by Magic Johnson, the team’s former president of operations and a Laker legend.

Well, Whatcha’s hints have seemingly referenced Johnson twice — first in his sneak peek episode when he said, “My career had a magical start,” and then when he called himself “magical” in his first clue package clue, which also began with an image of a lake.

The first clues clip featured plenty of nods to his famous family, headed by his father, LaVar Ball. The three bees referenced his dad’s Big Baller Brand, which makes signature sneakers for Lonzo and his brothers, who are also professional basketball players. The pictures of a black panther (and jets in the second clues package) also point to LaVar, who was once on the practice squad for the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets.

The jello and marshmallow clouds pictured in the segment represent nicknames for Lonzo’s brothers — Gelo for LiAngelo and Melo for LaMelo. Plus, Whatcha said people think he’s shy because he lets “others absorb my spotlight,” and Ball has stated he tends to “keep to himself.” That line also likely alluded to his outspoken dad’s proclivity to make headlines. Plus, when your teammate is LeBron James, you might feel eclipsed just a little bit.

Further, Whatcha’s first package dropped a ton of basketball terminology, from "This world is wide open,” to “swing from the keys." Ball is known for defenders leaving him open at the three-point line, while swing could refer to a swing pass (Ball is recognized a great passer), and key is another name for the free throw line. The contestant also called himself “jazzy,” which we’re thinking connected to New Orleans’ famous jazz scene.

And while Ball is known for his prowess on the court, he’s passionate about music too, which was alluded to with Whatcha’s “turn the tables” and “surf candy bars” quotes. Ball has released two rap albums under the name “Zo” and even spit bars against TMS season 1 winner T-Pain on TNT’s “Drop the Mic.”

Then there’s the cuckoo clock, which stumped us for a bit with the abundance of numbers and pictures. But stick with us ...

  • No. 2: Ball wore the No. 2 jersey for the UCLA Bruins (which also explains season 3’s Bear popping up), the Lakers, and now the Pelicans. And he was the second overall pick of the 2017 draft by the Lakers

  • The pants: Not khakis, but chinos, referencing Ball’s alma mater Chino Hills High School

  • 4.0: Ball wrote he had a 4.0 GPA in high school

  • No. 12: UCLA Bruins is part of the Pac-12 conference

  • The shrimp: NOLA is known for seafood

  • The record player: As a freshman, Ball led the country in assists and broke the UCLA record for most assists in one season

The only hint that’s not a slam dunk is the “dance with the stars” line, which led panelist Robin Thicke to guess football player Terrell Owens, who competed on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. We’ll chalk that up to a misdirect and possibly a reference to Ball’s affinity for dancing?

Finally, we’ve arrived at the second clue package. Whatchamacallit said it takes “36,524 brush strokes” to make his long tresses camera ready. Adidas previously came out with the Ball 365 sneaker, which is not technically affiliated with Ball, so that could be a stretch. Then, we saw three B notes on a music staff, which again ties to Big Baller Brand.

Whatcha then noted that he got a call at the height of his career telling him his mom was in “bad shape.” In 2017, Ball learned his mom had a stroke, and though he wanted to be with her, his father insisted he keep playing. Ball went on to lead the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 and soon after he entered the NBA Draft. We also clocked the shoe phone Whatcha used, which could be another BBB mention.

Lastly, the second package depicted a bunch of 10 cent coins, and Ball is a stellar point guard famous for “dropping dimes,” or assists.

You might still be wondering how Ball found the time to film Masked Singer if he was in the NBA Bubble during the pandemic. However, the Pelicans were eliminated in the seeding games that ended by Aug. 14, and TMS reportedly began filming season 4 on Aug. 20, so Ball would’ve had time to switch gears before donning the Whatchamacallit costume.

What do you think, are we hoop stars or benchwarmers for these guesses? Let us know your predictions below.

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