On the latest episode of “The King of Mask Singer,” masked singer “Banana Boat” wowed the crowd with his vocals!
During the June 23 broadcast of the MBC singing competition, eight new contestants stepped up to challenge the reigning champion for the throne.
In the final match-up of Round 1, “Banana Boat” faced off with his opponent through a duet version of CNBLUE’s “Imitation.”
Spoilers
After watching their performance, many of the celebrity panelists guessed that Banana Boat was an idol. 2NE1’s Sandara Park went further, saying cryptically, “Don’t those specific hand gestures [he uses] remind you of something? Just like some people’s voices are immediately recognizable, there’s an agency for which gestures are part of its identity. [Banana Boat] is so familiar to me, and [his gestures] are so hip and trendy.”
“I think I know who it is,” she continued, “but because I think I’m right, I’ll stay silent.”
The two masked singers then offered another hint at their identity by performing a special summer-themed dance cover medley. Together, they danced snippets of the choreographies to Zico’s “Summer Hate,” SEVENTEEN’s “HOT,” and SISTAR’s “So Cool.”
Although both singers earned praise from the celebrity panel, Banana Boat ultimately lost the round to his opponent by just 11 votes.
Banana Boat then performed an emotional rendition of Kim Jong Seo’s 1992 rock ballad “You Who Do Not Answer.” Halfway through, he took off his mask to reveal that he was none other than TREASURE’s leader and main vocalist Jihoon—who was formerly labelmates with Sandara Park at YG Entertainment before she left the company in 2021.
Kim Jong Seo, who was visibly impressed by Jihoon’s cover of his song, heaped praise on the idol for his performance. “My original version of the song wasn’t as good [as Jihoon’s cover],” he exclaimed. “It was like a hybrid version… it was so full of energy, and his interpretation of the song while singing was something I could never have imagined.”
The famous singer went on to surprise Jihoon by telling him, “I wrote this song, but take it. It’s yours.”
As a gift for viewers who had been hoping to see Jihoon’s performance for the final round, after the episode aired, “The King of Mask Singer” released footage of his rehearsal for Round 3, during which he was planning to sing Junyfore’s “Tears at the End of the Sky.”
Watch the full episode of “The King of Mask Singer” with English subtitles below!
