So this may be a late entry and winner for ‘most unexpected story of 2020’ after Jorge Lorenzo shocked everyone by turning up on the Spanish version of the Masked Singer series… and reaching the final!
The three-time MotoGP World Champion has spent much of 2020 twiddling his thumbs after his test and development role with Yamaha was limited by the COVID-19 break before he was dropped in favour of Cal Crutchlow.
As a result, Lorenzo broke out of the motorsport world with a stint on Adivina quien canta, the Spanish version of the singing show that originated in Korea and has since grown into a huge global format with the UK’s version just starting its second series on ITV1.
For anyone not so familiar with the format, celebrities compete in your bog standard singing contest, in that every week the two with the lowest votes sing-off and one is eliminated. What differs here is that they are wearing ostentatious and wacky costumes that conceal their identity until they are eliminated when they are finally revealed.
It’s not something we ever thought we’d be writing about but here we are, because Senor Lorenzo proved he is actually rather adept behind the microphone as he successfully made it through five weeks of competition dressed as a flamboyant Cuervo (Crow) - think Alice Cooper with wings - and being in the bottom two only once.
Eventually his luck ran out in the final where he was unmasked (to everyone’s shock) and he finished in fourth position.
Tracks performed included ‘Morado’ by J Balvin, ‘Walk of Life’ by Dire Straits and ‘Besos’ by El Canto del Loco, with his rendition of ‘Piu Bella Cosa’ by Eros Ramazzotti eventually seeing him ousted in fourth.
Branding it ‘a unique and unforgettable experience’, this may top Carl Fogarty’s victory on ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here…’
