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Backstreet Boys member says ‘Masked Singer’ keeps calling — and fans guess him every season

“They keep trying to get me to do it, and people keep thinking I'm on it every season,” the member said.

'The Masked Singer' continues to entertain the audience with its enigmatic identity reveals. Throughout its 13 seasons, the Fox show has unmasked pop icons, reality stars, Oscar winners, and Grammy nominees. Lately, a Backstreet Boys member claimed that the coveted talent show was constantly at his heels, enticing him to join the list of elite personalities competing for the 'golden mask.' “They keep trying to get me to do it, and people keep thinking I'm on it every season,” AJ McLean revealed while appearing at the 90s Con panel discussion in Connecticut in March, as per Parade. “I've never done it, and well… See, now if I do it, I have to find a way to change my voice,” he added. 

“When Nick did it, he kept it a secret from us for as long as he could,” McLean hilariously recalled his fellow band member's performance on the show. “I'm watching one of the episodes, and I'm like, ‘That sounds like Nick.’ I couldn't tell. It was when he did Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic.’ He did it in his falsetto, so it was a little different. Then, when I found out that he was on it, he didn't tell us what character,” he said, referring to Nick Carter's appearance as the Crocodile on season 4 in 2020. McLean confessed that he instantly recognized his bandmate even though the latter was hiding in a hideous gator costume.

“I’m looking at this pink alligator, and I'm like, ‘I know those thighs, and I know that ass.’ No one else has those legs but Nick — those little ham hocks. I know that's him, and sure enough, he told me afterwards," McLean jokingly recounted. In 2020, Too Fab caught up with the 'Quit Playing Games' singer on the streets and quizzed him about being 'Turtle' on the reality show. McLean had a good laugh while reacting to the news that the judges on the show, along with the audience, were taken for a ride, thinking it was him behind the 'ninja'-inspired costume. "You know it's funny, every season somebody thinks I'm on it. Clearly I'm not because I'm standing right here. So, whoever the turtle is, it's definitely not my voice," he said. 

However, McLean did express his desire to participate in the coveted show but admitted that it would be difficult to keep his identity a secret. "The hard part would be keeping it like it isn't like an actual secret from my entire family because I suck at secrets," he said. Meanwhile, the Turtle turned out to be singer/actor Jesse McCartney, who ended up as the runner-up of season three. Similarly, in 2023, Ken Jeong proclaimed that he had a strong hunch that McLean was hiding behind the S'more mask during season 10. 

"He hangs out at Robin's house all the time, like I wish I could. The s'more is AJ McLean, another Backstreet Boy," Jeong proudly declared during a live interaction. He was right about the boy band part, but unfortunately, it turned out to be Ashley Parker Angel, a former member of O-Town. Both the judges and the viewers still favor McLean, and who knows, he might turn up on the show in the future.