‘Masked Singer’ Reveals Leaf Sheep as John Elway in Season 12: All of the Clues and Guesses Explained

Leaf Sheep was sadly the first contestant to go during the exciting season 12 Masked Singer premiere on September 25, 2024. The celebrity under the mask was John Elway.

Life & Style breaks down all of the clues and guesses leading up to the big reveal.

Clues About Leaf Sheep Explained

Right off the bat, Leaf Sheep’s costume definitely stood out among the rest as the most unique. The judges even wondered what a Leaf Sheep was and if it was actually a real thing.

Demarcus Ware was Leaf Sheep’s Masked Ambassador, making it rather obvious that the person under the mask had a connection to Football. Demarcus appeared as Koala on The Masked Singer in season 11. He played on the Dallas Cowboys from 2005 to 2013, also making it obvious that Leaf Sheep had ties to the NFL. John had a 16-year career with the Denver Broncos, and spent 11 years in front office positions after he played.

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The clue package featured a quarter, a nod to the word quarterback. Leaf Sheep said that he was feeling a little sluggish, referring to his retirement. In another part of the clue package, a guitar pick with a number on it was shown.

Leaf Sheep said that he made headlines and topped the countries charts while reviving a franchise, referring to how he helped propel the Broncos franchise to Super Bowl XLVII as GM when he signed Peyton Manning as quarterback. He’s said that he was on Masked Singer to “keep the good times rolling.”

For his performance during the premiere episode, Leaf Sheep sang. “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw. It was obvious right away that Leaf Sheep was not a trained vocalist.

His gift from his Masked Singer Ambassador was a hall of fame trophy.

The Judges Had Interesting Guesses

Jenny McCarthy guessed that Tom Brady was under the mask, while Robin Thicke guessed that it was Troy Aikman. They were both very close with their guesses, but it ended up being Ken Jeong who guessed correctly, knowing right away that it was John. Rita Ora thought it was Billy Bob Thorton because she figured the clues were a nod to Friday Night Lights.

When it came time for Leaf Sheep to be unmasked, Ken was thrilled that he was right all along. There were some mixed guesses on X, with some fans guessing correctly and others still stumped before the reveal happened.

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“Jimmy Johnson is leaf sheep #TheMaskedSinger,” someone on X guessed.

“Leaf Sheep ain’t the best singer but def making me want to have a beer and sing #TheMaskedSinger,” another said.

“The Leaf Sheep is DEFINITELY Jimmy Johnson. #TheMaskedSinger,” another post on X said.

After he was unmasked, host Nick Cannon asked John why he decided to do The Masked Singer. “That’s a good question. I’m not sure,” he confessed, adding that it was really “out of my comfort zone” but figured it was something fun to do while in retirement.