Thread by @ByJovi

Mega-thread of why Jacket Potato is @TheRealSambora (@BonJovi) on @MaskedSingerUK… @wossy @RitaOra @ThisisDavina @MoTheComedian @joeldommett #MaskedSingerUK

All the clues which point to Richie, in no specific order…

First appearance:
1. All the stars in the gfx – Richie has a star tattoo. The Richie Sambora model of Fender Stratocaster guitars has stars for the fret position markers as well…

2. “Woah” in quotes in the riddle. That could be a reference to Livin’ On A Prayer.

3. The big collection referenced in the riddle could mean Richie’s guitar collection. Or hit singles. Or hit albums. Or number of streams of Livin’ On A Prayer on YouTube – 1 billion!

4. Romeo & Juliet on the book. Could be a reference to I’d Die For You, which includes those words. Could also be a nod to Always.

5. The gold heart and dagger icon on the book. What’s the most-used icon Bon Jovi have used over their career? Exactly. They even have it in gold on their second greatest hits album cover.

6. “Who I Am” was mentioned somewhere. That’s a Richie song.

7. “Wild Hog Dairy” labels on his jacket – Bon Jovi have multiple songs on the soundtrack album to the Wild Hogs film.

8. The names in the jar are all “bad names”… You Give Love A Bad Name?

9. “What I do it’s like a marathon” — I’ve heard a musician/singer refer to touring as being like a marathon, but for the life of me can’t remember if that was Richie. Bon Jovi have done multiple marathon 3-hour shows though…

10. Devils and angels were mentioned — they’re both mentioned in If God Was A Woman.

11. “Smash hit” was mentioned — Richie’s had plenty of those as part of Bon Jovi. There used to be a UK magazine of the same name, which held an annual music awards ceremony, where Bon Jovi won several times.

12. He referred to himself as being a “sweet potato”. Richie released Sugar Daddy as a single.

13. There was a reference to being a “baked potato”… in the USA they call jacket potatoes “baked potatoes”, which strongly implies this is an American. Baked is also slang for being drunk, and the way it was said suggests that too – Richie likes his drink.

Second appearance:
14. Song choice, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen — Bon Jovi covered this a lot on tour (with Jon on vocals), but also, Richie covered it at a charity Christmas show in London last year. It seemed odd at the time, as I didn’t recall him playing it before, but now…

15. The kiss from the girl — Richie auditioned for KISS. He also got kisses from girls in the I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead video.

16. He mentioned how he auditioned for something that could have seen his career be different, which ties back to KISS again.

17. Stethoscope — a nod to Bad Medicine and/or that Richie has an honorary doctorate.

18. Playing piano – Richie is known to be able to play the piano.

19. Disco ball and general 70s vibes / Saturday Night Fever stuff – Richie was an uncredited guitarist in the film Staying Alive (sequel to SNF) in the “music club band”.

20. He says “some mega famous people have looked to me to make them look good” - Richie has played with and written for a lot of other artists.

21. Says he can “express a whole host of emotions” – a reference to writing songs, playing instruments, singing?

22. Clue of “rumour is I’m a real sell out in England” - sell out concerts? Bon Jovi have had a few here!

23. Said a potato a day keeps the doctor away – Bad Medicine/honorary doctorate again.

Third appearance:
24. Song choice, Smooth by Santana — includes “forget about it” in the chorus. What’s the New Jersey catchphrase…?! Fuhgedaboudit. Could also be a nod in general to epic guitar players / solos, and possibly even a link to Orianthi.

(Orianthi has ties to Santana, and she was in a relationship with Richie and also in a band, RSO, with him.)

25. Fundraiser target marked at 50 out of 100 — aka half-way there. Another Livin’ On A Prayer reference. Plus Richie has been involved with multiple fundraisers over his career.

26. Mention of being “a foil” which apparently means being a sidekick. Richie was always seen as Jon’s sidekick.

27. Tap with “out of order” sign on it, above a sheet of plastic — doesn’t that make you think of the Slippery When Wet album cover? Apparently these water slides are known as “slip ‘n slides” in the USA. It could also be a nod to Dry County for the die-hards.

Fourth appearance:
28. Song choice, Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac. Personally this made me LoL. Easily a reference to Richie quitting Bon Jovi.

29. Jacket Potato played an electric guitar this week! So, definitely a guitarist, aka Richie.

30. There was a mention of not being an angel – Richie has been arrested in the past.

31. There was also mention of how he has “been around the block” and forgotten “more than you know” – implies a long career. Bon Jovi celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. Also suggests a bit of a wild youth…

32. He is always “telling tales” and we know him best for this – writing songs. Richie is well-known as sharing song-writing duties with Jon for Bon Jovi. Plus his solo career too of course.

33. His “stories have a special way of becoming other people’s stories” - songs again. Either fans making songs their own, or writing songs for other musicians.

34. “I got very special recognition for my tales and that meant a lot to me” - probably refers to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Bon Jovi were inducted in 2018. Richie was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.

Bon Jovi were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, but the American ones would mean more!

35. Reference to 80,000 people in one place enjoying his words – stadium shows (not arenas, Rita)… Wembley Stadium here and Giants Stadium, New Jersey being the two most obvious.

36. There was a shot of a motorbike – “on a steel horse I ride” in Wanted Dead Or Alive has always been understood by fans to mean a motorbike. There is also a custom Richie Sambora motorbike signed with that phrase. And then Wild Hogs was a biker comedy film.

37. There was also a shot of him being sprayed with a can labelled “polish” – Richie has Polish ancestry.

38. There was a piece of paper with a series of circles on it – Bon Jovi released an album titled The Circle in 2009. It looks rather like a target too - Bon Jovi released an album exclusively to Target stores (in the USA) in 2003.

The numbers 1, 5 and 10 in the circles could also link to “half-way there”… Livin’ On A Prayer.

39. The reversed audio clue is “find me in the Hall Of Fame”… tied back to earlier clues for the same thing.

40. Jacket Potato was seen on the back of a camper van, holding on to a foiled spare tyre with a jacket potato head on it… spare tyre = back-up tyre = back-up singer in Bon Jovi = Richie!

Randomness:
* Jersey Royal is a type of… potato. Bon Jovi are seen as “royalty” in New Jersey by locals, and of course Bon Jovi were formed in New Jersey too. Their fourth studio album is also titled New Jersey.

* Richie is well-known for wearing jackets, especially on stage.

Forgot to mention that the hosepipe looks a bit like a talk box too… so that’s a *third* connection to SWW from the same item!

Anyone doubting that the guitar was actually played, because of the gloves in the costume… take a look at this close-up…

This could also possibly refer to their previous manager, who was fired after the New Jersey tour… Doc McGhee.