WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS ABOUT THE MASKED SINGER SEASON 13!The Masked Singer season 13 contestant Pearl has now advanced to the Lucky 6, and her clues seem to indicate that she might be singer Gretchen Wilson. Throughout The Masked Singer season 13 so far, Pearl has blown away everyone with her diverse performances, including "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston (Voices of Olympus: Unmasking of the Gods Night), "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult (Ghostbusters Night), and "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton (Grand Ole Opry Night). Pearl has been so phenomenal that she sailed straight into the Lucky 6 during the Group B finals, without having to compete in the Battle Royale.

Throughout The Masked Singer season 13 so far, the ists have had many great guesses for Pearl's identity. They include Regina King and Melissa Etheridge (Robin Thicke); Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, and Kellie Pickler (Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg); Madonna and Sheryl Crow (Ken Jeong); Joan Jett (Rita Ora); and Carrie Underwood (Grand Ole Opry Night guest ist Casey Wilson). However, the ists haven't thought of the one person that the clues point to the most: Gretchen Wilson.

1 There Were Many References To Pearl's Music

Pearl Is A Famous Singer

Throughout The Masked Singer season 13 so far, Pearl's clue packages have included references to Gretchen's music. In her premiere episode, Pearl picked up two cherries from a bowl as she sat at a table. The cherries were a reference to her 2016 duet with the band Buckcherry on the song, "The Feeling Never Dies." In her Ghostbusters Night clue package, a Wanted poster with Pearl on it referred to her cover of the classic song, "I Want You to Want Me" from her 2013 cover album, Under the Covers. A blue neon crescent moon sign represented her song titled, "Crescent Moon."

In Pearl's Grand Ole Opry Night clue package, a Christmas wreath was shown hanging on a door. In 2013, Gretchen released a Christmas album titled, Christmas in My Heart. The wreath could also refer to the lyrics from Gretchen's hit song, "Redneck Woman," which state, "I keep my Christmas lights on/On my front porch all year long." As the season progresses, there will most likely be many more references to Gretchen's songs and albums in Pearl's clue packages.

2 Pearl Is Known For Being A Strong Woman

Pearl Says That She's Soft On The Inside

During The Masked Singer season 13 Voices of Olympus: Unmasking of the Gods Night, Pearl said that she was just like a real pearl because people have to crack through a pretty tough exterior to find the treasure inside, and the same had been said about her for her whole life. She went on to say that, eventually, the world was her oyster, but she's never been able to shake that hard exterior. Pearl looked down sadly as she revealed that it's affected every aspect of her life, especially love.

In her Masked Singer season 13 Ghostbusters Night clue package, Pearl shared that she isn't afraid of anything. On Grand Ole Opry Night, another clue about Pearl's strength was revealed. It was a picture of a strong arm painted on a pair of cowboy boots. Pearl explained that as a strong woman, there's nothing that she likes more than making others feel strong too. She added that she's been quoted as saying that. Gretchen is known for being a strong woman, especially because of her most famous song, "Redneck Woman."

3 Pearl Is From A Small Town

Pearl Took Any Gig That She Could When She Was Starting Out

On Ghostbusters Night, Pearl shared that, when she was young, she was stuck in a tiny little tide pool off the side of a highway that no one's ever heard of. She said that her home life was rocky to say the least, so she drifted away before she even got to high school. Pearl added that, as a kid, she tended bar in a hopeless place, serving up drinks with a double barrel at the ready, just in case the clientele got crazy. She shared that she couldn't wait to get out, and that she dreamed about it every day.

Gretchen is from the small town of Pocahontas, Illinois, whose population was recorded at 697 in the 2020 census. Her mother was a teen mom, and her father left when she was two years old. By the age of 14, Gretchen worked as a cook and a bartender in local bars.

In her first Masked Singer season 13 clue package, Pearl shared that, as she was growing up, she always loved performing, but people like her weren't promised a chance at a big break. Because of this, she took any gig that she could, from discount stores to dive bars, praying that someone would recognize her talent. Gretchen began her career by singing for shoppers at Walmart and working as a bartender.

4 Pearl Has A Major Connection To Dolly Parton

Dolly Gave Pearl A Special Gift

In her Grand Ole Opry Night clue package, Pearl revealed that she has a connection to legendary singer Dolly Parton before she sang her classic song, "Here You Come Again." She said that she was dazzled by Dolly, so, when she was invited to share the stage with her, she wondered what she'd wear. Gretchen and Dolly shared the stage at the 2019 CMA Awards, when they opened the show as part of an all-female performance with many other country music stars.

Pearl went on to say that she showed up to her rehearsals with Dolly with no clue about what to wear, but Dolly was wearing the perfect outfit. When she asked her where she got it, Dolly offered it to her. Pearl revealed that she still had the outfit. During the rehearsals for the 2019 CMA Awards, Dolly famously gave Gretchen the pair of pants that she was wearing after Gretchen said that she liked them and wanted to wear something similar.

5 Pearl Is A Best-Selling Author

Pearl Also Writes Music

On The Masked Singer season 13 Ghostbusters Night, another major clue about Pearl's identity was revealed, which shared another aspect of her career. The clue was a jacket that said, "Best Seller." Pearl explained the clue by saying that she was a bit of a ghostwriter herself, and that she knew how to put pen to paper. In 2006, Gretchen wrote a memoir titled, Redneck Woman: Stories from My Life, which was a New York Times bestseller. Gretchen is also a songwriter, and co-wrote her hit song, "Redneck Woman," with country singer-songwriter John Rich, among other songs.

6 Pearl Has Some Sports Connections

Pearl Has Sung At Some Major Sporting Events

In her Voices of Olympus: Unmasking of the Gods Night clue package, Pearl caught a baseball. This was a reference to Gretchen singing the National Anthem at the historic Game 4 of the 2004 World Series when the Boston Red Sox won after 86 years, even though she was rooting for the opposing team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Gretchen also recorded a version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for ESPN.

In addition to Pearl's baseball connections, she also has a football one. She was shown drawing a diagram of a football game strategy. In 2005, Gretchen performed at the Super Bowl XXXIX pre-game show with the Charlie Daniels Band, singing "Here for the Party" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." It's really interesting that a powerhouse singer like Pearl has so many sports-related clues.

7 Pearl Has A Connection To The Masked Singer Season 6 Contestant Katharine Mhee

Katharine Has Sung Pearl's Biggest Hit

During the Group B finals on Grand Ole Opry Night, Detective Lucky Duck returned to give an important clue about all three finalists--Pearl, Boogie Woogie, and Griffin. He revealed that all of them have a connection to The Masked Singer season 6 contestant Katharine Mhee who was Banana Split, along with her husband and legendary record producer, David Foster. The duo placed third on the show, after many beautiful and fun performances, including "A Million Dreams" by Pink and "Singin' in the Rain" by Arthur Freed, when Katharine became the first contestant ever to tap dance on the Masked Singer stage.

Pearl's connection to Katharine is through Gretchen's music. Katharine sang Gretchen's song, "Redneck Woman," on the TV show Smash and on her tour with David. On Smash, Katharine's character, Karen Cartwright, sang "Redneck Woman" during karaoke at a bar in her hometown in Iowa. Like Gretchen paying tribute to Dolly as Pearl, Katharine honored Gretchen by singing her own version of her song.

8 Pearl Isn't A Fashionista

Pearl Buys Her Clothes On Sale

During Unmasking of the Gods: Voices of Olympus Night, Pearl shared that she'd never dressed as fancy as her Masked Singer costume before. She explained that, usually, when she's on the red carpet, and she's asked what she's wearing, she says that she got it on sale. Gretchen has said that she shops at Walmart, rather than wear designer clothes.

The lyrics to Gretchen's hit song, "Redneck Woman," also refer to her preference for discount clothes. In the song, she sings about liking Walmart clothes better than Victoria's Secret because they're the same but half the price. She also says that she doesn't need a designer tag on her clothes to make her man want her. These lyrics all match Pearl's philosophy about what she wears.

The Masked Singer season 13 contestant Pearl has brought the house down with her fantastic performances. She captivated the audience so much that she didn't even have to compete in the Battle Royale during the Group B finals, but instead advanced directly to the Lucky 6. Although it's still just speculation, all of the clues point to Pearl being Gretchen, not to mention that Pearl sounds just like Gretchen. No matter who Pearl turns out to be, she'll continue to go far in the competition, and she'll most likely take home the Golden Mask trophy.

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on FOX.

Sources: Gretchen Wilson/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube