It’s hard to believe that season 12 of “The Masked Singer” has already left five celebrities. The most recent exit was Dust Bunny, who turned out to be a funny man Andy Richter on the October 16 episode. One of his competitors that night was Chess Piece, who wowed the audience with a cover of the Cher classic ‘Faith’. We believe we know the true identity of Chess Piece. Keep reading for all your ‘The Masked Singer’ spoilers, including the answer to the question, ‘Who is Chess Piece?’

We rewatched her performance and the clue package and we think this is Chess Piece Jinkx monsoona two-time winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” We have to admit that this is more of a gamble than we usually like to make. (Update: We have a new theory that you can find at the bottom of this post.)

In the clue package, we saw a costume exhibit featuring four previous contestants on “The Masked Singer”: Goldfish (Vanessa Hudgens), Night Angel (Kandi Burres), Queen of Hearts (Jewel) and sun (LeAnn Rimes). These women were guest judges on several versions of “Drag Race.” And the red lips that were seen are part of Jinkx’s signature look.

Jinkx has spoken eloquently about their struggles with self-confidence over the years. That echoes Chess Piece’s admission: “People have doubted me my whole life, but I had to believe in myself and make bold moves across the board to secure my crown, and that leadership role that changed my game. ” Jinkx first rose to fame as the winner of Season 5 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2013.

The fact that the ambassador is Nikki Glaser (who competed as the Blizzard in Season 8) gives us a little more confidence in our theory. After all, Nikki was a guest judge on season seven of ‘Drag Race All Stars,’ which was won by Jinkx in 2022.

The past two years have been a whirlwind for Jinkx. They played both on and off Broadway (“Chicago”) (“Little Shop of Horrors”) and had a memorable guest appearance on “Doctor Who.” It’s a tall order, but we think the Sports Night clue of green tennis shoes could be a tie-in to “Little Shop.” The character Jinkx played, Audrey, has a breathtaking song: ‘Somewhere That’s Green’.

Update: There is speculation that this could be so Billy Porter or Laverne Cox but we think another possibility is the R&B singer Tinashe.

Tinashe and Nikki did ‘Dancing with the Stars’ together in 2018; Nikki was the first celebrity to be eliminated while Tinashe reached week 4.

Nikki said Chess Piece is “fashion forward”; Tinashe was a frequent guest on ‘Fashion Police’.

Vanessa and Tinashe performed “Rent” live on TV in 2019 with; Kandi called Normandi, Chloeand Tinashe her dream girl group; and Tinashe just performed at Jewel nightclub in Las Vegas.

The red lips reminded us of a talk show host Wendy Williamswhich Tinashe blasted in a scathing editorial on colorism.

And the tennis shoes could be a reference to Tinashe’s 2017 appearance on the “Sneaker Shopping” podcast to discuss her love of Jordans.

We won’t find out if we’re right about Chess Piece being Jinkx Monsoon or Tinashe until she’s unmasked. That will happen if she loses a vote or wins the show. Do you think we’re right about Chess Piece’s true identity? Sound off in the comments section with your best guesses.

‘The Masked Singer’ Spoilers
Bell | Buffaloes | Chess piece |Gunk| Wasp