No map could lead The Masked Singer South Africa’s detectives to travel vlogger Popi Sibiya behind Pap & Wors.
The fearless, fun-loving content creator Popi Sibiya, who has taken social media by storm with her sensational solo travels across Africa, served up quite the pit stop on The Masked Singer South Africa Season 3. This week, Popi was unmasked as the playful Pap & Wors on SABC 2’s hugely popular guessing game.
Along the way, Popi left the show’s detectives – J’Something, Somizi, Sithelo Shozi and comedian Jason Goliath, who stood in for regular investigator Skhumba – stranded by the side of the road. Their guesses were completely off course.
Besides Popi’s Pap & Wors reveal, another surprise awaited the detective panel. In this episode, marking the last of the initial face-off rounds, The Masked Singer South Africa’s first-ever Masked duo rocked up on stage – Sheep. These two cuddly, woolly creatures and the hearty Pap & Wors were joined by the adorable creepy-crawlie Gogga and the glistening sweet treat Koeksister.
In the first musical battle of note, Gogga tickled Koeksister all the way to the Danger Zone before it was a meaty showdown between Pap & Wors and the two Sheep.
Whilst trying to unravel the Pap & Wors identity puzzle, the detectives knew they had to pay attention to every single detail, as clues were sprinkled everywhere – from the weird and wonderful costume to the song choice, performance and cryptic nuggets of information shared during the clue package.
In her introduction, Pap & Wors revealed that she was one of four children. She also shared that her given name means “completeness“, but that it took her a while to figure out who she would be in the world. Added to those clues, her song choice, the Destiny’s Child hit “Say My Name“, had Sithelo convinced that she had cracked the delicious secret behind the Pap & Wors recipe.
More confident than ever that she had solved the mystery, Sithelo pointed out the actress Farieda Metsileng.
However, mindful of another hint that Pap & Wors’ graduation had been publicly celebrated, J’Something guessed she might be either actress Masasa Mbangeni, who holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wits University, or Ayanda Thabethe, who has earned an MBA.
Meanwhile, Somizi’s internal GPS led him to Anele Zondo – a name that had simply popped into his head, regardless of the clues.
But guest detective Jason Goliath was lost on the road to the truth. Based on the hint that Pap & Wors came from a large, noisy family, he thought it might be Celeste Ntuli. “But she wouldn’t fit into the Pap & Wors mask,” he joked, adding that he loved his comedian friend but was “stating a fact“. He then considered the famous Modiselle sisters before finally picking Candice Modiselle.
As the Sheep duo herded the majority of votes cast by the superfans in the audience and the detectives, it became a food fight for survival between Pap & Wors and Koeksister. Ultimately, the decision-makers opted for another unmasked bite of the delectable dessert.
So, it was time for the detective panel to lock in their final guesses before the tasty Pap & Wors reveal.
Somizi went with his gut, sticking with Anele Zondo. J’Something settled on Ayanda Thabethe, while guest detective Jason Goliath was convinced he had chosen the correct Modiselle sibling in Candice. Sithelo, on the other hand, felt her confidence wavering but still went with Farieda Metsileng.
Once again, the panel ended up with egg – or, in this case, pap and wors – on their faces when Popi emerged from behind the Mask.
“But hitchhiking wasn’t even in the clues!” guest detective Jason protested.
Still, some of the other Pap & Wors hints now made complete sense. Hailing from Qonce in the Eastern Cape, Popi holds a degree in industrial engineering and embarked on a predictable corporate career before a transformative road trip set her on a completely different course as a self-described “digital anthropologist” and travel content creator. Through this life-changing change in direction, she now showcases African cultures, food and everyday life in her inimitable Popi style.
“Being on The Masked Singer was so much fun!” Popi told Mpho Popps. “I’m sad to be leaving. I enjoyed learning the lyrics … and the amazing energy of the audience.”
The Masked Singer South Africa is produced by Rose and Oaks Media for Primedia Studios and is sponsored by Andolex®, King Pie and Mentos.
The Masked Singer South Africa airs on Saturday at 19:00 on SABC 2, and is produced by Rose and Oaks Media for Primedia Studios, and is sponsored by Andolex®, King Pie and Mentos. Rebroadcasts are on Thursdays at 21:00 on SABC 1 and Fridays at 13:30 on SABC 2.
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