The Masked Singer: Dave Hughes denies insider knowledge of Mirrorball’s identity

The Masked Singer Australia judge Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes has denied claims he had ‘insider knowledge’ of the identity of Mirrorball.

Mirrorball won the season finale on Sunday night and was unmasked as Melody Thornton from the Pussycat Dolls.

Hughes, 51, was the only judge to guess correctly, but seemed to arrive at his guess very suddenly at the end of the episode, which some viewers found suspicious.

His last-minute guess – which came after he failed to offer any credible suggestions throughout the entire season – has led to rumours he was tipped off by producers to save Thornton the embarrassment of having no one guess her identity.

Hughes insisted this wasn’t the case on Monday, telling listeners of his 2Day FM breakfast show he arrived at the guess on his own without any ‘insider knowledge’.

After reading several news headlines about the ‘farcical’ ending to the show, the comedian set the record straight on how he came to his conclusion.

He revealed fellow judge Mel B previously dropped a hint by nodding and saying ‘I think you might be right’ when he mentioned Thornton’s name.

Mirrorball won the season finale on Sunday and was unmasked as Melody Thornton (pictured) from the Pussycat Dolls. Hughes was the only judge to guess correctly, but seemed to arrive at his guess very suddenly at the end of the episode, which some viewers found suspicious

Hughes added that right up until the big reveal he was convinced he’d got it wrong and that Mirrorball was in fact Australian singer Samantha Jade.

‘I thought I was being punked… and the final moment of the show would be my forlorn face. It was the greatest shock of my life,’ he said.

The funnyman went on to say, ‘No one gave me [Thornton’s] name,’ before asking his radio co-hosts Erin Molan and Ed Kavalee if they believed him.

Molan admitted she didn’t believe him and suspected he had been fed the answer.

A furious Hughes then yelled: ‘I did! I came up with it on my own! For God’s sake!’

Hughes insisted this wasn’t the case on Monday, telling listeners of his 2Day FM breakfast show he arrived at the guess on his own without any ‘insider knowledge’ 

The Masked Singer viewers were left incredulous by Hughes’ eleventh-hour guess that Mirrorball was Thornton, despite previously offering such wild guesses as Marilyn Monroe 

It comes after The Masked Singer viewers were left incredulous by Hughes’ eleventh-hour guess that Mirrorball was Thornton, despite previously offering such wild guesses as Marilyn Monroe.

‘Dave Hughes knows who Melanie Thornton is but the average Aussie doesn’t?’ wrote one disgruntled viewer on Twitter.

‘The Masked Singer is absolutely fixed. He picks Marilyn Monroe but manages to pick the winner? You lost me, Masked Singer!’ they added. 

Hughes said that right up until the big reveal he was convinced he’d got it wrong and that Mirrorball was in fact singer Samantha Jade. (Pictured with Abbie Chatfield and Chrissie Swan)

‘Hughesy “guessing” the winners identity proved how farcical it all is. He had no idea who it was. How many other correct ‘guesses’ were spoon fed to them?’ another said.

‘Hughsey guessing the correct winner… I call super BS,’ tweeted a third. 

‘There is no way Dave knew that without inside knowledge,’ another viewer wrote.

The funnyman said, ‘No one gave me [Thornton’s] name,’ but his radio hosts didn’t buy it

A delighted Thornton, 37, said after being unmasked: ‘I’m so happy! I kept saying, “You know, if you don’t get it, it’s fine.”‘

She added that being on the show ‘brought me closer to myself, as weird as that sounds.’

Meanwhile, runner-up Snapdragon was unmasked as The Voice star Sheldon Riley.

‘There is no way Dave knew that without inside knowledge,’ one viewer wrote 

The winner of the fourth season of The Masked Singer Australia was unveiled on Sunday night