John Miller
Mushroom is a contestant on the fourth season of the popular singing competition show, The Masked Singer. The show features celebrities who perform in costumes that conceal their identity. Mushroom's costume was one of the most detailed in the show's history, and the person behind the mask was revealed to be singer Aloe Blacc, who was the runner-up in the finale.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Show | The Masked Singer |
| Season | 4 |
| Contestant | Mushroom |
| Runner-up | Yes |
| Identity | Aloe Blacc |
| Other guesses | Taye Diggs, Jordan Fischer, Todrick Hall, Leslie Odom Jr., Anthony Ramos, Jaden Smith |
| Clues | Street hot dog stand, violin case, brown detective top hat, gardening supplies, red JELL-O brain, bull, connection to Robin Thicke, Hamilton references, "young scrappy and fungi", "say yes to this", "the shroom where it happens", turned a hobby into a career |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi
Forms of fungi that deviate from the standard morphology of a mushroom usually have more specific names, such as "bolete", "truffle", "puffball", "stinkhorn", and "morel". Gilled mushrooms themselves are often called "agarics" in reference to their gills (or "lamellae", singular "lamella"). The gills are an important feature of mushroom morphology. Some mushrooms have free gills that do not extend to the top of the stalk, while others have decurrent gills that extend down the stalk. There are many variations between these extremes, collectively called attached gills.
The colour of the powdery print, or spore print, is useful in both classifying and identifying mushrooms. While modern identification of mushrooms is quickly becoming molecular, standard methods for identification are still used by most and have developed into a fine art. The presence of juices upon breaking, bruising reactions, odours, tastes, shades of colour, habitat, and season are all considered by both amateur and professional mycologists. Tasting and smelling mushrooms carry their own hazards due to poisons and allergens, and chemical tests are also used for some genera.
Mushrooms can be edible, poisonous, or unpalatable. Toadstool generally refers to a poisonous mushroom, with the term first appearing in 14th-century England as a reference to a "stool" for toads. Delineation between edible and poisonous fungi is not clear-cut, so identifying what is and is not a mushroom requires a basic understanding of their macroscopic structure. Most mushrooms are basidiomycetes and gilled, producing spores called basidiospores on their gills. These spores fall in a fine rain of powder from under the caps as a result of being shot off basidia and then falling between the gills in the dead air space.
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Some mushrooms are edible, others are poisonous
Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. The term "mushroom" may have been derived from the French word "mousseron", which refers to moss. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. However, the word "mushroom" is often used to describe a variety of other gilled fungi, with or without stems.
Some mushrooms are edible, while others are poisonous. The delineation between edible and poisonous fungi is not always clear-cut, so it is important to have a basic understanding of their structure and characteristics before consuming any wild mushrooms. Toadstools, for example, generally refer to poisonous mushrooms. The presence of juices upon breaking, bruising reactions, odours, tastes, shades of colour, habitat, and season are all important factors to consider when identifying mushrooms. Spore prints, which can be obtained by placing a gill-side-down cap overnight, can also help in classification and identification, as the colour of the spore print is a useful characteristic. While modern identification methods are becoming increasingly molecular, traditional identification techniques, such as those used by amateur and professional mycologists, are still valuable.
There are many different types of mushrooms, including chanterelles, false chanterelles, milk-cap mushrooms, russulas, and the common fairy-ring mushroom. Each type of mushroom has unique characteristics and some have specific names, such as "bolete", "truffle", "puffball", "stinkhorn", and "morel". It is important to be able to accurately identify mushrooms before consuming them, as some contain poisons and allergens that can be harmful or even deadly.
In popular culture, "Mushroom" was the name of a character on the fourth season of the singing competition show "The Masked Singer". The celebrity under the mask was revealed to be singer Aloe Blacc, although other guesses included Taye Diggs, Jordan Fischer, and Todrick Hall.
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Mushrooms have stalks, gills, and caps
Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Therefore, the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that have a stem (or stipe), a cap (or pileus), and gills (or lamellae) on the underside of the cap.
The stalk or stipe may be central and support the cap in the middle, or it may be off-centre or lateral, as in species of Pleurotus and Panus. Some mushrooms may not have a stalk, such as puffballs, truffles, jellies, earthstars, and bird's nests. The gills of the mushroom are an important feature of its morphology. Some mushrooms, such as those in the genera Agaricus, Amanita, Lepiota, and Pluteus, have free gills that do not extend to the top of the stalk. Others, like Omphalotus and Pleurotus, have decurrent gills that extend down the stalk.
The delineation between edible and poisonous mushrooms is not always clear, and a "mushroom" may be edible, poisonous, or unpalatable. The term "toadstool" generally refers to a poisonous mushroom and first appeared in 14th-century England, possibly implying an inedible, poisonous fungus. Identifying mushrooms requires an understanding of their macroscopic and microscopic structure, as well as their physical characteristics, such as the presence of juices, bruising reactions, odours, tastes, shades of colour, habitat, and season.
In popular culture, "Mushroom" is the name of a character on the TV show "The Masked Singer." The identity of the person behind the mask was the subject of much speculation, with guesses including Taye Diggs, Jordan Fischer, Todrick Hall, and Anthony Ramos. However, it was eventually revealed that the Mushroom was singer Aloe Blacc.
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Mushrooms can be identified by their colour, smell, taste, and other factors
Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. They usually have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap.
Colour
The colour of the spore print, or spore deposit, is useful in both classifying and identifying mushrooms. Spore print colours include white (most common), brown, black, purple-brown, pink, yellow, and creamy, but almost never blue, green, or red. The colour of the cap and stem can also be used as an identifying feature. For example, mushrooms in the Kuehneromyces genus have brown or tan colours, while those in the Tapinella genus have reddish-brown to dark brown caps.
Smell and Taste
Edible mushrooms generally have a pleasant smell, while toxic mushrooms smell chemically and unpleasant. For example, edible Agarics smell pleasantly of mushrooms, with hints of aniseed or almond, while toxic Agarics smell of Indian ink or iodine.
Tasting a very small part of a mushroom can also help determine if it is poisonous or edible, as a nasty taste indicates poison, and a mellow taste indicates it is safe to eat. However, this method is not recommended due to the dangers of mushroom poisons. The Russula family is an exception, where hot-tasting mushrooms are poisonous, and mild-tasting ones are edible.
Other Factors
Other factors that can help identify mushrooms include their habitat, bruising reactions, shades of colour, presence of juices, and season. Microscopic characteristics and chemical reactions to certain substances can also be used for identification.
Additionally, learning which family the fungus belongs to can be helpful. For example, the Agaric family has pink to brown/black gills, a white cap, and a stout stem with a skirt, while the Boletus, Suillus, and Leccinum families do not have gills but have sponge-like pores and generally stout stems.
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On 'The Masked Singer', Mushroom was revealed to be singer Aloe Blacc
The Masked Singer is a popular reality TV series that features celebrities singing while wearing head-to-toe costumes that conceal their identities. The show invites viewers and a panel of judges to guess the identities of the masked performers based on clues that are revealed throughout the season. In the fourth season of the show, one of the contestants, Mushroom, was revealed to be singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc.
Aloe Blacc is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, known for songs like "Wake Me Up", "The Man", and "I Need a Dollar". He is also part of the hip-hop duo Emanon. Blacc was raised by Panamanian immigrants in Orange County, California, and grew up with musical styles like merengue and salsa. He later became interested in folk-rock and hip-hop, releasing his solo debut album, "Shine Through", in 2006.
Mushroom's clues throughout the season included references to the musical Hamilton, such as "young scrappy and fungi", "say yes to this", and "the shroom where it happens". There were also numerous mentions of hats, with Mushroom stating that "if you want to know who's behind my mask, you'll need to figure out who's under my hats". Blacc is known for often wearing hats, rarely being seen without one of his signature caps. Additionally, Mushroom mentioned turning a hobby into a career, and Blacc turned his passion for music into a successful career, with record sales in the millions.
Other clues included a street hot dog stand, a violin case, a brown detective top hat, gardening supplies, and a red JELL-O brain. Mushroom also revealed that he had once gone by a different name, and Blacc's real name is Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III. Nicole Scherzinger, one of the judges on The Masked Singer, eventually figured out Mushroom's identity and correctly guessed that it was Blacc.
In the finale, Mushroom performed Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" and was named the first runner-up. Blacc revealed that his character on the show was inspired by his daughter and that he wanted to embody a feminine role, which also influenced his flamboyant costume choice.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom on *The Masked Singer* is singer and rapper Aloe Blacc.
Mushroom's clues included a street hot dog stand, a violin case, a brown detective top hat, gardening supplies, a red JELL-O brain, and a bull.
The judges guessed Jaden Smith, Todrick Hall, Taye Diggs, Anthony Ramos, and Leslie Odom Jr.
Mushroom's final performance was "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder, which he dedicated to his daughter.
