The Masked Singer unmasks Baby Alien, and New York Jets fans might be surprised

Should viewers have seen this Baby Alien reveal coming? Mark Sanchez wows in a second outing on The Masked Singer.

How did Mark Sanchez slide under the radar?

Sanchez, currently an ESPN college football analyst, was unmasked on season four of FOX’s The Masked Singer on Wednesday. Nicknamed the “Sanchize” when the USC product was drafted by the NFL’s New York Jets in 2009, he’s a quarterback this author has followed since Sanchez led USC to win the Rose Bowl the 2008 season and through his final NFL start in Washington, 2018.

Joining The Masked Singer, the Broadway enthusiast showed the world a talent he has been teasing for quite some time through Instagram stories (and once, discreetly, at the Santa Monica Pier).

Through two episodes, Sanchez dropped many hints with his clue package. The themes of outer space and a beach caused the judges to think he was a comedian. Plus, Sanchez did hide obvious phrases to indicate he was a football player, and by his singing voice alone, the judges wouldn’t be able to tell. Looking back, here are some giveaways.

Episode One Clue Package & Performance

“It’s time for my rebirth — I’ve been stuck in second gear for a while,” Baby Alien said. This refers to Sanchez being a big star at USC and starting for the Jets right out of the gate. After a pre-season shoulder injury sidelined him the remaining 2013 season, Sanchez never entered a season as the starting quarterback again. He’d go from a primetime starter to a backup journeyman even after setting a team record for highest single-season completion percentage with the Philadelphia Eagles (2014), appearing in nine games when starting quarterback Nick Foles was injured.

There was also a remark where the character mentions he was in theatre every week when he was at the cream of the crop. Sanchez was an avid Broadway follower during his playing days with the New York Jets. With the Eagles, he would travel to New York to see Denzel Washington act in Fences on Broadway. In between the seasons he led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, Sanchez made his acting debut in a skit alongside Tina Fey on season 35 of Saturday Night Live (2010).

The images in the clue package were dead giveaways to the football franchise that drafted him. Baby Alien was riding in a futuristic Jet flying past the New York skyline.

Baby Alien made his performance debut singing George Michael’s “Faith.” Sanchez and his toddler have been seen singing this song on a past Instagram story, and after the unmasking, Sanchez revealed it’s a song his son has memorized all the words to.

Episode Two Clue Package & Performance

Top three sound bites in this segment include “under beaming spotlight of big city,“ relationships going public, and “being roasted.” Sanchez was a wildly popular player under the spotlight in New York City from 2009 to 2013. There, the tabloids covered his relationships with actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Eva Longoria, and rumors linking him to model Kate Upton. The New York outlets were notorious for one day writing “A Star is Born” and the next day roasting the quarterback with headlines like “Broadway Schmo.”

The Baywatch theme is a derivative from a GQ spread he did before his rookie year, 2009, in the NFL. He’d make another GQ outing in 2010. That’s where he’d graced the cover.

During the clue package, an orange fire hydrant was shown. There was also a firetruck toy that rolled past Baby Alien’s feet after the performance. This is significant, as Sanchez’s father is a firefighter. He worked at station six in Southern California and is the reason why Sanchez wore No. 6 as an athlete in school and when he played for the Jets, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Washington.

A hotdog shown in the clue package was a gag from his rookie year. During the Jets 38-0 shutout against the Raiders, Sanchez was on the sideline enjoying a hotdog in Oakland. In 2014, he’d outdo himself and be seen eating chicken tenders on the Philadelphia Eagles sideline.

Right before Sanchez took the stage a second time, he said, “Baby Alien want to W-I-N. Win, Win, Win.” This stems from the Jets popular crowd chant, “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets Jets.” His final performance would be to “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons, and he’d cite his son as inspiration for the song choice, as it is another one of his son’s favorites. And this definitely made his hint, where he said he practices with a 30-pound backpack, make sense. On social media, he often posts videos working out with his toddler as his workout buddy.

Sanchez is the fourth celebrity to be unmasked this season. His unmasking comes after actor Brian Austin Green, actor Mickey Rourke, and rapper Busta Rhymes. Sanchez did make history as he puppet-mastered Baby Alien.

“It is the strangest experience I’ve ever had — turning into a puppeteer-ventriloquist,” Sanchez said. “It’s really been a two-week journey of learning how to mouth the puppet, calibrate a puppet, work the arms. The whole deal has been a crazy experience.”

What did you think of the Baby Alien reveal on this week’s episode of The Masked Singer? Sound off in the comments below!