With an illustrious career spanning stand-up comedy, television, writing and acting, Trevor Gumbi has become one of Mzansi’s most recognisable entertainment personalities – until he used his comedic chops to touch the clouds in the spectacular new season of The Masked Singer South Africa, now in its new home on SABC 2.
Disguised as an icon of the Johannesburg skyline, Ponte Tower, Trevor set the Masked Singer South Africa Season 3 stage alight with a towering song-and-dance performance that completely stumped the panel of detectives on the craziest and coolest show on television.
Detectives J’Something, Sithelo Shozi and Skhumba had no clue that Trevor was the concrete high-riser. And, only moments after two epic sing-offs that determined which Mask would be unveiled first this season, their fellow supersleuth, Somizi Mhlongo, took a wild guess that it might be Trevor.
In The Masked Singer South Africa, sixteen A-list celebrities do their utmost to hide their identities behind exquisite, over-the-top masks for as long as possible, with the one who lasts the longest winning the coveted Golden Mask trophy. Every detail – from the songs they sing to obscure clue packages and even their costumes – can be a giveaway. Singer-songwriter Holly Rey won the first season as the sweet Lollipop, while award-winning actor Warren Masemola came out on top as Giraffe in Season 2.
During the first round of episodes of this larger-than-life competition for the whole family, four Masks go head-to-head, with the detectives and superfans in the audience deciding the outcome.
This week, Leopard tried to roar away Chopsticks but was banished to the Danger Zone. Then, Ponte Tower tried to rise above our beautiful national flower, the Protea.
Ponte Tower chose an appropriately urban hit for the face-off performance against Protea – TKZee’s “Dlala Mapantsula”.
J’Something initially thought the voice belonged to someone older – a “grootman”. But when he locked in his guess with show host Mpho Popps, the clue package’s hint about Ponte Tower’s good relationship with his mother swayed him to pick podcast host MacG. Meanwhile, Ponte Tower’s energetic act led Somizi to actor and television personality Sthembiso “SK” Khoza, but Sithelo raised the bar high, as Ponte Tower does, with her left-field guess, international superstar Trevor Noah. As always, Skhumba, however, went the literal route. Ponte Tower is in Jozi, he pointed out, so this Mask was undoubtedly music producer and reality TV star Bongani Fassie, who grew up in Hillbrow and has a hip-hop group called “Jozi”.
Unfortunately, after the votes were counted, Ponte Tower had to keep its lights on a little longer in the Danger Zone alongside Leopard. Not for long, though, as the final verdict was a permanent power cut-off for the skyscraper. Ponte Tower had to be unmasked.
In their final round of guesses, J’Something admitted he had no clue who Ponte Tower was and stuck with MacG. Sithelo followed suit, choosing Trevor Noah, but Skhumba had a last-minute inspiration: comedian and actor Tsitsi Chiumya. Then Somizi had a lightbulb moment: it was another Trevor, and indeed an actor and comedian – the one and only Trevor Gumbi!
Somizi was spot on.
Following his unmasking, Trevor revealed an interesting tidbit about being a Mask on the show: there is a ceiling fan inside the mask. “But it was over my right eye – the one that can see!” he joked.
The Masked Singer South Africa Season 3 is produced by Rose and Oaks Media for Primedia Studios and is sponsored by Andolex®, King Pie and Mentos.
The premiere episodes air on SABC 2 on Saturdays at 19:00, with rebroadcasts on SABC 1 on Thursdays at 21:00 and on SABC 2 on Fridays at 13:30.