The Masked Singer (American TV series)

The Masked Singer is an American reality singing competition television series that premiered on Fox on January 2, 2019. It is the first non-Asian adaptation of the Masked Singer franchise and features celebrities singing covers of famous songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks that conceal their identities. Hosted by Nick Cannon, the program employs several panelists who are given various clues alluding to the celebrities' identities to guess who they could be after each performs. Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke appear in each episode and a guest panelist often appears alongside them. At the end of each episode, the panelists and studio audience vote for their favorite performance and the celebrity with the fewest votes is eliminated, taking off their mask and revealing their identity.

The Masked Singer
Genre	Reality competition
Based on	King of Mask Singer by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Developed by	Craig Plestis
Directed by	Alex Rudzinski Brad Duns
Presented by	Nick Cannon
Starring	Ken Jeong Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Nicole Scherzinger Robin Thicke
Opening theme	"Who Are You" by The Who
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	42 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Craig Plestis Izzie Pick Ibarra Rosie Seitchik Nick Cannon
Running time	41–85 minutes
Production company(s)	Endemol Shine North America Fox Alternative Entertainment
Distributor	Fox Corporation Propagate Content
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	January 2, 2019 (2019-01-02) – present
Chronology
Related shows	The Masked Singer: After the Mask The Masked Dancer
External links
Website

The winners of the first three seasons were T-Pain as "Monster", Wayne Brady as "Fox", and Kandi Burruss as "Night Angel", respectively. To prevent their identities from being revealed before each prerecorded episode is broadcast, the use of code names, disguises, and non-disclosure agreements is extensive, as is a team of security guards. While considered more positive than other reality television shows, the series has received mixed reviews from critics. Its costumes, however, have attracted praise. Inspired by haute couture, they are designed by Marina Toybina and custom-built by a team that ensures the celebrities can sing clearly while wearing them. In recognition of the show's costume design, Toybina has won a Costume Designers Guild Award and received two Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations.

As the highest-rated entertainment series in the adults 18–49 key demographic each television season it has aired, the program's television ratings have remained consistently high. Numerous spin-offs—including an aftershow, national tour, and upcoming dance version—have spawned as a result. Subsequent adaptations of the Masked Singer franchise have been credited to the show's success, as has an interest in developing other television series centered on costumes. A fourth season is planned for broadcast starting in September 2020.

Panelists and host

Since the first season, the permanent panel has consisted of actor and comedian Ken Jeong, television personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, recording artist Nicole Scherzinger, and singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, with Nick Cannon hosting.[1][2][3] Guests often appear as a fifth panelist—occasionally for multiple episodes. In the first season, they were Joel McHale,[4] J. B. Smoove,[5] and Kenan Thompson.[6][7] In the second season, they included Anthony Anderson,[8] Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Robert Smigel),[9] McHale,[10][11] and T-Pain.[12] Jamie Foxx,[13] Jason Biggs,[14] Leah Remini,[15] Gabriel Iglesias,[16] T-Pain,[17] McHale,[18] Will Arnett,[19] Yvette Nicole Brown,[20] Sharon Osbourne,[21] Gordon Ramsay,[22] Jeff Dye,[23] and Jay Pharoah[24] served as guest panelists in the third season.

In June 2020, it was confirmed that Jeong, McCarthy Wahlberg, Scherzinger, and Thicke would return as panelists in the fourth season, as would Cannon as host.[25] The following month, Fox affirmed Cannon's role after he made statements that "inadvertently promoted hate" on his podcast which led to his firing from ViacomCBS. The network accepted Cannon's apology and said they would continue to "help him advance this important conversation, broadly".[26][27] He later pledged to donate his first paycheck from the upcoming season to the Simon Wiesenthal Center after visiting with its officials.[28][29]

Production

Conception and development

I turned around and all the diners were watching the TV screen. I saw a kangaroo in black pleather singing a pop song. At that moment I said, oh my gosh, I love this! It was bizarre ... and it was still working. I found out that it was a hit format in Korea, it was a hit show in Thailand. And no one had the [U.S.] rights.

—Plestis on the creation of The Masked Singer.[30]

The Masked Singer is based on the popular[31] South Korean television series King of Mask Singer, which is part of the Masked Singer franchise. Executive producer Craig Plestis first noticed the format in October 2017 at Khao Soi, a small Thai restaurant in Studio City, Los Angeles.[32][33][34] While waiting for dinner, he observed the other patrons staring at a television playing an episode of the Thai version of the show. Intrigued, Plestis began researching the series online and contacted an executive of MBC America, a subsidiary of the producer and broadcaster of the South Korean program, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.[35] With the help of his agent, Steve Wohl of Paradigm Talent Agency, Plestis secured the rights to produce an American adaptation from the company "days later".[30][36] After creating a showreel, he pitched the series to "a couple of ... places", all of whom rejected the idea.[35] Plestis then met with Fox executive Rob Wade who "responded right away" to the concept and considered its uniqueness among celebrity singing competition series a strength.[30][35] After successfully pitching the program under the condition A-list celebrities participate,[34][36] Plestis began developing it in November.[37]

In January 2018, executive producer Izzie Pick Ibarra became involved with the show to aid in the casting process and Americanize the format. Rather than follow the tournament style of the South Korean version in which eight singers perform in at least one of four rounds, with the winner of the final round facing the champion of the previous episode in an attempt to become the new "Mask King", she opted to air one elimination per night, emphasize the clue package and guessing components, and have the celebrities wear more extravagant costumes.[34][38] Plestis agreed, wanting to create a story arc throughout the episodes and—unlike the South Korean show—reuse the costumes.[30] On August 2, 2018, Fox ordered the series and uploaded a trailer to YouTube the same day.[1][39]

Endemol Shine North America produced the first season due to Plestis's relationship with the studio. For the second season, production transitioned to a new in-house studio, Fox Alternative Entertainment, to "keep production costs down and generate larger revenue".[40][41] Wade said this also gave the network further creative control over the show and allowed it to sell merchandise, launch a national tour, and create spin-off series The Masked Dancer.[42] Since the second and third seasons, respectively, Rosie Seitchik and Cannon have also served as executive producers.[2][3]

Format

External video
The Masked Singer video of a clue package shown before a contestant's performance in an episode, YouTube video[43]
The Masked Singer video of a contestant being unmasked at the end of an episode, YouTube video[44]

The specific format of the competition varies by episode, but generally, most feature four to six celebrities each singing covers of famous songs for 90–120 seconds while performing anonymously in costume. Hints to each masked singer's identity—known as the "clue package"—are offered before and occasionally after each performance.[13][15] They feature taped interviews with celebrities' electronically masked voices and cryptic allusions to what they are known for.[45] To confuse panelists and viewers, red herrings are also included.[46][47] The panelists are given time to speculate the identity of each singer and write down comments in their note binders during the screening of the clue package, after they perform, and before their elimination. They are also allowed to ask questions or request that the host offer additional clues.[13][15] After every performance concludes, the audience and panelists vote for their favorite using an electronic device, and the contestant with the fewest votes must take off their mask to reveal their identity. The show uses a weighted voting system; panelists' and audience members' votes are worth 50 percent each and combined to form a final score.[48][49] This process of elimination continues for a set number of episodes until three contestants remain in the finale, and one is declared the winner after they perform again.[7] The "golden mask trophy" is awarded as a prize.[50]

All masked singers occasionally perform as a group during a non-voting performance, and each episode concludes with the eliminated celebrity singing an encore unmasked.[15][24] Since the second season, the series has also featured a "smackdown" round in some episodes in which the two competitors with the fewest votes from their first performances sing one after another on the same stage. After a second vote occurs, the performer with the fewest votes is then eliminated. This round was created "to give viewers more time to get to know the contestants" and allow panelists additional time to talk among themselves as it reduces the number of participants per episode.[51][52] In the third season, the contestants were divided into three subgroups who each performed on three consecutive episodes before returning to the unified performance format.[53]

Casting

Since signing a deal with Fox in 2018, Cannon had been offered multiple opportunities to host or produce other television shows, though none interested him. After being fascinated by the Masked Singer concept when presented with it and noticing its success in other countries, Cannon joined the show, believing it was "either going to be a huge failure or a huge hit".[54][55] Ibarra was ecstatic when he agreed to host, citing him as her number one choice for the role because of his personality and experience.[56] Regarding the panelists, she said the production team was less concerned with selecting those with an ability to critique participants' singing abilities than being able to create a comedic tone for the show as one of their goals was to reassure celebrities they would not be ridiculed for choosing to appear.[56] Jeong was the first panelist to be signed on to the series due to his humour and pre-existing knowledge of the South Korean version, followed by McCarthy Wahlberg and Thicke, respectively, due to their enthusiasm regarding the concept, and Scherzinger for her positivity and experience as a singer. When producers pitched McCarthy Wahlberg and Thicke the show, they both "got it right away", according to Plestis. This was important to him as he "only wanted [to cast] people who loved the program, not people who wanted to work on [it]".[36][56] Thicke said they told him the show was "not here to hurt people's feelings"—something he was uninterested in doing. He also said he was at a low point in both his personal and professional life, stating "if I'd still been No. 1 on the radio, who knows if I would've taken [the job]".[57] Like Cannon, Scherzinger said she was attracted to the show because of its originality and success in Asia.[58] She also stated producers did not test her pop culture knowledge before being selected.[59] In March 2019, Osbourne revealed on The Talk she was supposed to be signed on as a panelist; those plans fell through after being contractually obligated to appear on The X Factor.[60]

The show's producers reach out to celebrities via agents or vice versa.[61][62] Wade said producers' goal is to cast celebrities of varying ages, genders, and backgrounds to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. Lesser-known celebrities are favored the same as "super big names" because it is harder to guess them.[63] To surprise viewers with an unknown talent when unmasked, those who are not professional singers are also desired,[64] though some must send producers recordings of them singing as a quasi-audition.[53] All are given questionnaires to complete before competing and asked if they have claustrophobia.[65] Due to her strategy of sending potential participants sketches of the costumes that might be featured, Ibarra said casting for the first season "was not nearly as hard as [she] anticipated", though several celebrities were reluctant to compete.[56] Following the success of the first season, an increased number were interested in participating in the second.[48] By the third, Plestis said casting became "a lot easier".[66]

Security

The front of the oversized sweatshirts celebrities wear while off camera[31]

Before each of the participants is unmasked, the show's staff undertakes significant security precautions to prevent their identities from leaking.[34] According to Plestis, the series has two bibles: one related to the format and a second, larger one for security measures.[31] Everyone involved in the series signs a non-disclosure agreement which prevents them from revealing any information about the outcome of an episode until its broadcast. After the celebrities have been confirmed to appear on the show, they are allowed to inform a few others who also sign one.[31][67] Only about 25 people know the contestants' real names during a season, though they never refer to them as such on set or in emails.[56][68] Most are from Fox and the show's legal department; Cannon, director Alex Rudzinski, and the majority of the show's 150-person crew do not know who the celebrities are until they are unmasked.[69][70] To prevent their identities from being released in the event of a leak or hack, all documents (except the contract) only list the participants' costume names. The contracts do give their real name, however, the series's name is unlisted.[71]

The security team—which is roughly the same size as the production staff—is tasked with keeping the contestants as isolated from each other as possible.[72][73] Before arriving on the show's set, celebrities and their family, friends, and agents are disguised and typically driven from a neutral location.[31] If driven from their house, chauffeurs are instructed to "take long, circuitous routes ... to throw off any would-be tails".[72] The manager of Joey Fatone, the Rabbit in the first season, said he was picked up at a 7-Eleven near Television City, given a disguise, and then driven inside the gate.[56] Likewise, the Flamingo in the second season, Adrienne Bailon, said she was taken to the set inside of an unmarked black car and only discussed her involvement on the show with producers in a "secret warehouse".[34] The set has different access levels[53] and each participant is escorted to and from their trailers located outside of it by security guards while disguised with a mask, visor, gloves, pants, and oversized sweatshirt to prevent their skin from showing.[31][72][74] According to Scherzinger, security guards also escort the panelists from their personal parking spaces located outside of the studio's doors directly to their dressing rooms after arriving.[59]

Margaret Cho, the Poodle in the first season, stated she never saw another masked participant due to performers' rehearsals occurring at various times and locations.[56] Only "towards the middle of the competition, once [he] was blended into a group", Wayne Brady said he could hear other performers singing and recognize their voices while passing the sound stage.[75] The Penguin in the second season, Sherri Shepherd, remarked she only encountered other masked participants while they were sitting together backstage waiting to find out who was to be eliminated and could only communicate with them by waving her covered hand.[76] Cho, Brady, Shepherd, and all other celebrities are trained to use different body language and mannerisms than their own while performing.[71] They are also forbidden from talking to anyone except those who wear a special cloth on the back of their clothing which is changed each season so it cannot be replicated.[53] The production crew is discouraged from using their phones for any reason during filming[53] and the audience is prohibited from bringing their phones on set.[34] Following each taping, the panelists' note binders are put "in a vault" to keep them private.[77]

Design

Costumes

L–R: Fox, Butterfly, Monster, Kitty, Robot. Fox was featured in an episode that won Toybina a CDG Award.[78][79]

The series's costumes are designed by Emmy Award-winner Marina Toybina. In addition to her ideas, she considers fans', celebrities', and producers' requests to formulate initial concepts.[80][81][82] Each is designed to be dissimilar from those featured in previous seasons and other versions of the Masked Singer franchise by using different sewing and fabrication techniques.[82][83] After researching "fur and skin textures, historical wardrobe, [and] anything that might be relevant to each character",[82] Toybina sketches each concept with a pencil and works with an illustrator, Jarett Fajardo, to create a digital version with a 3D effect.[84][85] Producers then review each of the designs and note adjustments to be made. As a result, Toybina may sketch multiple versions before they collectively decide which will be featured during a season. Based on their background and what might suit them well, participants are presented with several to select from.[82][84] Their reason for choosing a costume can differ; some have an emotional connection while others want to move around freely during performances.[86][87]

After handpicking which fabrics and materials to use based on celebrities' mobility and performing abilities,[83] Toybina collaborates with manufacturers and a team of about 15 people to custom-make each costume.[84][85] Most are created concurrently during "a very sped-up, tight schedule", taking "about three to four weeks per mask, and about four weeks for costumes".[85][88] Beginning as a wire, foam is gradually added around each mask to create an easy-to-wear helmet shape for the performers[89][90] and a chinstrap often accompanies each to prevent it from moving.[82] As production time is limited, there is no opportunity for the team to experiment with different materials; "all garments are ... cut right away on the original fabric".[84] Since "the draping and the handwork ... [are] all done the old school way", she cited couturiers such as Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, and Hussein Chalayan as inspirations.[81][91][92] Though adjustments may be made to customize them to celebrities' likings, the majority of costumes turn out identical to her sketches.[85][92] Referencing three featured in the third season, Toybina said she enjoys adding depth to them:[82]

The Kitty isn't just a cat, she is a vintage burlesque-style diva with all of the hand beading, feathers, and even headdress that you would expect from that. The Frog isn't just a frog, he is in a '40s zoot suit, Harlem vibe with an oversized fedora and that swagger really comes out. The White Tiger is a pharaoh with gold detailing on each piece of his intricate armor, and custom-fabricated scarabs on his skirt, shoulder piece and headdress to give off a powerful, regal vibe.

A maximum of two fittings are conducted with each celebrity at either the costume shop or Toybina's studio[83][92] in which a "limited number of people"—including Toybina, a tailor, and a vocal coach—are present.[85][93][94] Before tapings, Toybina has creative meetings with "every single department" of the show to discuss how to perfect the look of the costumes on camera.[83] While deactivated during performances to prevent sound issues, celebrities with full-body costumes or LEDs on their masks have built-in fans to prevent them from overheating.[80] Several hidden screens located inside of each mask also help them breathe and sing clearly.[82] For those who wear a mask detached from their costume's body, either a face stocking is worn or paint is used on the bottom half of their face to disguise their skin color.[48] All costumes are sanitized between tapings and repaired if needed as there are no backups.[91][93] In the first season, each cost about $175,000.[95][96][97]

Set

The stage as it appeared in the third season

James Pearse Connelly designed the series's set based on the Thai version of the show. Wanting to create a more comedic look than other reality competition programs, Connelly said he was inspired by the stage designs of electronic dance music festivals. The front is X-shaped and features an LED interior (allowing for video to be played) enclosed with smoked, tinted glass, while the back is made of shiny black laminate and contains space for trap doors and special effects underneath. The performance floor is flat to prevent tripping hazards and is bordered upstage by two 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) polygon faces with wide mouths that act as entrances and exits. A curved LED screen spans the space between the two faces and a large logo of the show is hung above it. The stage is surrounded by three fixed camera positions and almost 400 seats for audience members, with the panelists seated together behind them on a raised platform at a mask-shaped desk. There is also a Batcave-inspired backstage area with costumes displayed like mannequins in a museum.[98][99][100]

Pre-performance

Each celebrity attends one or two voice-over sessions to record audio for their respective clue packages. Due to the length and varying filming locations of the video component, stand-ins are used to give them additional performance practice time.[56] For the first season, the clue package videos were filmed entirely on location. Green screens have also been used in subsequent seasons due to budgetary constraints.[101] In describing the creation of the clue packages, Wade said "you have to plan stuff and at least drive people down avenues". They may reveal that a contestant is an athlete, but not the sport they compete in.[52] Jesse McCartney, the third season's runner-up, said contestants are interviewed every week of the competition and have their answers fact-checked by producers.[102] According to Bailon, "we tell them about things that our fans might know and things that they might not know or things that only die-hard fans know."[87]

Ibarra said selecting which songs they sing is a collaborative process, with both the performers and producers submitting "ideas [which] merge as [the songs] go through the clearance process".[53] In the first season, music publishers were reluctant to grant licenses as they were not told who would be performing their songs; this process became easier by the second.[51] Those who are famous singers are asked to sing songs of a different genre than they are known for so viewers will be surprised when they are revealed.[64] Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the Ice Cream in the second season, stated he "definitely got to pick the songs", but producers wanted them to be mainstream so the show's viewers would connect to them.[68] The Flower in the second season, Patti LaBelle, said she selected some songs herself but was disappointed in those the producers chose for her, finding it difficult to disguise her natural voice while singing them.[103] Barry Zito, the Rhino in the third season, remarked he sometimes fought with producers over his musical direction but appreciated being pushed out of his comfort zone.[104]

Before the competition begins, several vocal coaches and choreographers work with the celebrities for multiple days to determine their strengths and help improve their technique.[68][71] Tori Spelling, the Unicorn in the first season, said contestants are given three weeks to practice before their first performance, though only a couple rehearsals are conducted before then, and the amount of practice time becomes shorter as the season progresses.[105] By the time he was eliminated in the penultimate competition episode, Zito said participants get one day of choreography practice followed by one day of blockings before filming commences.[106] Contestants may also train on their own time to better compete. Kandi Burruss, the winner of the third season, stated she spent time jogging in place at her house while wearing "a ski mask and a hockey mask ... at the same time" to improve her breathing.[107] To enhance their stamina before singing on the series, Bailon said she would "do 45 minutes of cardio" each morning[87] and McCartney stated he ran "5Ks or 10Ks every day".[108]

Filming

The series is filmed at Television City studios in Los Angeles.

Each episode is filmed for several hours at Television City in Los Angeles, California, on the same sound stage as Dancing with the Stars and American Idol.[34][109][110] Despite the show having a much shorter filming schedule than most television series, with three episodes often filmed per week,[72][111] filming dates are occasionally moved to accommodate celebrities' other activities.[31] Choosing to tape the show rather than broadcast it live was a difficult decision, Ibarra said, but a necessary one because the time commitment would have prevented some celebrities from participating.[48] Following the third season, Rudzinski said while it is unlikely an entire season would be aired live as "being able to edit helps us tell [a] story", a live broadcast remains "on the cards".[69]

As filming begins, the studio audience is seated next to the stage and a warm-up comedian tells jokes to loosen them up. They are encouraged to act excited by clapping, cheering, and chanting the names of the costumes while the production crew records their reactions for later use. Shortly thereafter, the panelists arrive, and the host introduces the first contestant. The clue package plays on the large screen in the studio, and the celebrity then enters and performs with at least one background singer dressed in black accompanying them offstage.[34][56][112] Some participants may opt to wear a headset inside of their mask to sing instead of a microphone and use one only as a prop while performing.[113] After each celebrity sings, their performance is conducted again with background singers only, allowing producers time to film additional audience reactions.[112] They are also given water bottles from their assigned costume assistants and the opportunity to cool down in one of the multiple air-conditioned rooms located backstage.[80][114] According to Plestis, the contestants have one take to sing live and their voices remain unedited in post-production.[31][48] Rob Gronkowski, the White Tiger in the third season, said this was true; after forgetting part of a song's lyrics during one of his performances, he never received an offer from the show's producers to re-record them afterwards.[115] However, the masked singers' voices are intended to sound like the original artist(s); if they used Auto-Tune processing, then such effects are also applied to the contestants' vocals.[116]

Thicke noted that guessing is a challenge for the panelists due to sound issues in the studio often obscuring celebrities' voices and that it takes multiple performances for them to catch on to who they might be. Plestis said panelists' guesses are heavily edited due to their extensiveness and that they are discouraged from researching possible answers to the clues presented to them between the filming of episodes.[56][117] After all performances and guesses conclude, the panelists and audience vote for their favorite performance. Before the celebrity with the fewest votes takes off their mask, the producers film the entire studio audience acting out how they would react to the moment, with less than two dozen "extremely well-vetted" people (either friends and family of the celebrity or some of the show's production crew) remaining in the audience during the reveal.[34][36][72] The celebrity is allowed to have their hair and makeup fixed backstage before they are unmasked in front of the cameras.[48][118]

Series overview

Main article: List of The Masked Singer (American TV series) episodes

Series overview

Season		Celebrities	Episodes		Originally aired		Winner	Runner-up	Third place
					First aired	Last aired
	1	12	10		January 2, 2019 (2019-01-02)	February 27, 2019 (2019-02-27)	T-Pain as "Monster"	Donny Osmond as "Peacock"	Gladys Knight as "Bee"
	2	16	13		September 25, 2019 (2019-09-25)	December 18, 2019 (2019-12-18)	Wayne Brady as "Fox"	Chris Daughtry as "Rottweiler"	Adrienne Bailon as "Flamingo"
	3	18	17		February 2, 2020 (2020-02-02)	May 20, 2020 (2020-05-20)	Kandi Burruss as "Night Angel"	Jesse McCartney as "Turtle"	Bow Wow as "Frog"

Broadcast history and release

The Masked Singer debuted on January 2, 2019, as a mid-season replacement to Star.[119] A month before the season finale on February 27, 2019,[120] Fox renewed the show for a second season.[121] In May 2019, during its upfronts for the 2019–20 United States television season, the network announced it had renewed the series for a third season to premiere as the lead-out program of Super Bowl LIV.[40] The second season premiered on September 25, 2019, and was preceded by a special "Super Sneak Peek" episode which aired two Sundays prior. Before concluding on December 18, 2019, the season was pre-empted for two weeks by the broadcast of the 2019 World Series.[120][122] On February 2, 2020, following Super Bowl LIV, the third season premiered. After a special "Road to the Finals" episode aired the previous day, it culminated on May 20, 2020.[120][123] Two weeks prior, Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corporation, confirmed the series was renewed for a fourth season to air during the 2020–21 television season.[124][125] Barring any COVID-19 pandemic-related production delays, it is scheduled to premiere in September 2020.[126]

The series is aired by Fox in the United States and has been simulcasted by CTV in Canada since the second season.[127][128] Fox Corporation distributes the series in those countries while Propagate Content does so elsewhere.[129] In June 2020, British network ITV began airing the second season as The Masked Singer US,[130][131] while Singaporean broadcaster Channel 5 began airing the third season. Blue Ant Entertainment, a Southeast Asian pay television channel, broadcast the third season in July 2020 and will air episodes from the fourth season the same day as their American broadcasts.[32][132] Aside from double-length episodes, most run for about 43 minutes.[133]

Episodes are available for streaming in the United States on Hulu, Fox's website, and the Fox Now app through video on demand. In April 2020, all previously aired episodes were made available for free in the country through the ad-supported service Tubi (which Fox Corporation had bought the same month), with later episodes to be made available at least one week after their original broadcast.[134][135] Following the program's release to Tubi, it became the most-watched series on the platform.[136] Episodes are available in the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Finland on ITV Hub, MeWatch, and C More, respectively.[132][137][138]

Reception

Television viewership and ratings

United States

Viewership and ratings per season of The Masked Singer, including seven-day DVR playback

Season	Timeslot (ET)	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		TV season	Viewership rank	Avg. viewers (millions)	18–49 rank	Avg. 18–49 rating
			Date	Viewers (millions)	Date	Viewers (millions)
1	Wednesday 9:00 p.m.	10	January 2, 2019 (2019-01-02)	12.97[139]	February 27, 2019 (2019-02-27)	14.22[140]	2018–19	13	11.57	3	3.8[141]
2	Wednesday 8:00 p.m.	13	September 25, 2019 (2019-09-25)	11.37[142]	December 18, 2019 (2019-12-18)	11.11[143]	2019–20	12	10.73	3	3.2[144]
3		17	February 2, 2020 (2020-02-02)	27.33[145]	May 20, 2020 (2020-05-20)	10.76[146]

The program's 2019 premiere was the highest-rated unscripted television series debut since The X Factor in 2011. Following three days of time-shifted viewing, the 18–49 key demographic rating grew by 30 percent—the highest increase ever for a premiere in the show's genre.[147] Although initially dropping, ratings grew towards the end of the first season, and the finale became the most-watched episode.[148] The Masked Singer concluded the 2018–19 United States television season as the highest-rated new series among adults 18–49,[141] and the highest-rated entertainment program in several other key demographics.[149] It was also the first unscripted series to rank number one in the genre in its first season since Joe Millionaire in 2003.[150] Ad Age considered the program one of the top 20 "America's Hottest Brands" of 2019,[151] The Hollywood Reporter deemed it a "phenomenon" due to its strong DVR viewership,[152] and TV Guide named it "the most underestimated show of the TV season" due to its unexpected success.[153]

With an average advertisement cost of $201,683 per 30 seconds, the series was one of only two non-NFL programs to charge over $200,000 during the 2019–20 television season.[154][155] Though the second season's premiere and finales received lower ratings than the first's,[156][157] Deadline Hollywood cited the show as a major reason why Fox—for the first time in the network's history—ranked number one in fall entertainment programming,[158] and Adweek named it the "Hottest Reality/Competition Series" of 2019.[149] The premiere of the third season following Super Bowl LIV became the series's most-watched episode.[159] During the latter half of the season which aired during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the series—like others—experienced double-digit ratings gains compared to the episodes broadcast before the outbreak.[111][160][161] While the 18–49 rating was lower than the first, the show remained the top non-sports program in the demographic[162] and Variety named it the network's "most successful entertainment property".[54]

Canada

On September 25, 2019, the premiere of the second season received 1.78 million viewers according to audience measurement company Numeris.[163] With a combined average of 1.79 million, it concluded with the "Road to the Finals" and finale episodes on December 18, 2019.[164] On February 2, 2020, 2.35 million watched the post-Super Bowl LIV premiere of the third season—the most-watched Super Bowl lead-out program in the country since The Voice in 2012.[165][166] The "Road to the Finals" and finale episodes aired on May 19, 2020, and May 20, 2020, received a combined average of 1.98 million, making The Masked Singer the most-watched show of the week.[167] The program concluded the 2019–20 Canadian television season as the eighth most-watched series overall, the third most-watched among adults 18–49, and the fourth most-watched among adults 25–54.[168]

Critical response

The show has received a mixed reception from critics. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 52 percent approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 4 out of 10, based on 25 reviews. Its critical consensus states, "Defying all tropes of the reality competition genre, The Masked Singer manages to be both magnetically apocalyptic and inexplicably boring."[169] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 36 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[170]

Concept and appeal

Many have regarded the program as having a positive nature. John Doyle of The Globe and Mail cited it as an example of a cultural change in the United States away from the competitive and often exploitative essence of reality shows like American Idol.[171] Writing that it allows everyone "to act out our wild and desperate need to reveal what is true" in a world where such is so often impossible, The Washington Post's Hank Stuever felt it was cathartic.[172] Opining in the same newspaper, Sonia Rao thought the series's ethos is its support of eccentricity.[173] Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture named it the best example of escapism on television[174] and Variety's Daniel D'Addario called it a return to form for the medium as he felt it possesses the now-rare ability to uplift and unite people.[175] The way contestants are eliminated has also garnered praise for being dignified,[176][177] though some have criticized those of so-called "legends" such as LaBelle (placed 8th out of 16),[10] Dionne Warwick (14th out of 18),[16] and Chaka Khan (16th out of 18)[15] for being premature.[178][179][180]

Critics have compared the series favorably to other reality television programs. Entertainment Weekly's Joseph Longo considered it the most captivating competition series since The Voice premiered in 2011[118] and Stuart Heritage of The Guardian called it one of the best singing competition shows in a decade.[181] Writing for NBC News' Think, Ani Bundel thought the series has an advantage over Dancing with the Stars and The Voice because voting bias is less likely when the competitors are unknown.[182] Kelly Lawler of USA Today agreed, praising the program for avoiding overproduced backstories, harsh criticisms, and separate results episodes.[183] When contrasted to other series within its franchise, however, some reviewers felt it was of lesser quality. Due to its competitors being from a variety of musical genres, Yahoo! Music editor Lyndsey Parker thought the British series was superior.[184] Despite The Masked Singer's strong viewership indicating the "changes [between it and the South Korean version] seem to have worked",[185] some felt the competition length is too slow in comparison and makes many reveals occur long after established consensuses about who the celebrities are have formed, nullifying the excitement surrounding them.[38][186] The fact that performers never sing the same songs was also thought of as an "ill-advised" decision by critics as they felt it inhibits fair comparisons.[38][186][187] Drew Millard of The Outline dissented, remarking it was better than the American adaptations of Asian television series Sasuke, Iron Chef, and Brain Wall because it is "even crazier than the original".[188]

Performance and production

The program's production value has garnered mixed reviews. The costume designs have received praise for being inventive,[172] intricate,[38] and impressive,[189] while opinions of the performances have differed. The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum thought the choreography was elaborate,[190] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly said some sound professional while others are more karaoke-like,[191] and Variety's Caroline Framke described them as "barely any better [than just] fine".[192] The way the show is edited has attracted criticism; guesses have been called repetitive,[174] episodes excessive in length,[181] and unmaskings slow.[193] To fix the "manufactured" feeling, Hanh Nguyen of IndieWire felt a live broadcast "would add more drama and suspense".[194] Los Angeles Times' television critic Lorraine Ali agreed, noting that because the show is not aired live in all time zones, viewers on the West Coast discover which celebrity is unmasked later than those on the East Coast do.[195]

Cast and commentary

Reviews were critical when referring to the status of celebrities competing. Rob Harvilla of The Ringer wrote that they are either stars of decades past or only have thin connections to actual celebrities[196] and Ali stated that the show's "idea of celebrity is fairly elastic".[195] To her disappointment, Framke thought the series was boring due to contestants' calibers not living up to the hype it promotes them as when unmasked.[192] Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast concurred, opining that the competitors' obscurity makes the unmaskings unsurprising.[197] With both traditional Hollywood celebrities and reality show stars participating on the program, some indicated that the hierarchies of fame are no longer as defined as they once were.[172][198] Writing for Vulture, Kathryn Van Arendonk questioned whether "some celebrities [would] only commit if they were guaranteed it'd only take up two days of their schedule".[199] Referencing quotes from multiple post-elimination interviews with media outlets, Christopher Rosen of Vanity Fair felt many are "indifferent" about appearing on the program at all.[200]

L–R: Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Nick Cannon

The series's panelists have also received negative reviews. Lawler named the panel the worst in reality television history, describing Jeong as over-the-top, McCarthy Wahlberg as inexperienced, Scherzinger as dull, and Thicke as too serious.[183][201] Many felt they spoiled the show with distracting statements and awkward interactions;[190][193][199] Jeong and Thicke have been particularly criticized for their "creepy" comments about female participants' bodies[177][183][187] and Scherzinger's flirtation with a contestant throughout the second season was called "strange".[172] Rachel Desantis of the New York Daily News thought all except Jeong were annoying;[176] Miles Surrey of The Ringer disagreed, stating Jeong was irritating and made the panel hard to watch.[202] Their guesses have been called stupid,[203] absurd,[198] worthless,[192] and "the worst part of the [show]"[204] by many critics who viewed them as implausible.[196] In dissenting, The Daily Beast's Jordan Julian felt they made the panelists "surprisingly entertaining"[205] and D'Addario compared them favorably to the original American Idol judges as non-experts in their fields.[175]

Cannon's role on the series has divided critics. Dara Katz of PureWow thought he was "great host"[177] and The Washington Post's Emily Yahr felt he "was made for" the show due to his years of experience in the same role "seeing oddities" on America's Got Talent.[206] Conversely, Longo remarked that Cannon was overshadowed by the presence and commentary of McCarthy Wahlberg[118] and Doyle called him "as inarticulate as a three-year-old".[171]

Cultural impact

The show has been noted for regularly trending on social media during episodes as users fervently debate which celebrity could be under each mask.[32] It has also generated its own thread on Reddit where avid fans extensively analyze the clues presented during an episode in an attempt to decode them. They discuss results on multiple podcasts and have replicated many of the series's costumes to wear on Halloween, including Peacock, Thingamajig, and Ice Cream.[53][189][207] In December 2019, students at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (of which Toybina is a graduate) were tasked with designing their own Masked Singer costume concepts as part of an assignment.[208] During the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, students and teachers at numerous middle schools in the United States[209][210][211] and Canada[212] participated in Masked Singer-inspired singing contests to maintain friendly relationships remotely.

As some of the most popular series before it debuted, including Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, and The Voice, were many years old, Michael Schneider of Variety said The Masked Singer revitalized reality television in the United States. The revivals of Paradise Hotel and Temptation Island by Fox and USA Network, respectively, have been credited to the show's success, as have the American adaptations of Love Island, I Can See Your Voice, and My Little Television. The show has also been credited with reinvigorating the costume genre of television; interest in adapting other costume-centered series such as Wild Things and Sexy Beasts has increased around the world since it premiered.[32][33][150]

The series was the first in the Masked Singer franchise to air outside of Asia and its success has been attributed to subsequent local adaptations.[34][36] It is part of the Korean Wave and follows fellow American versions of South Korean television series Better Late Than Never and The Good Doctor. Wade has described a shift in the way shows are pitched since the series premiered, noting there is an increased openness to new ideas. He also said the heads of almost all television networks thanked him for the series giving them a "carte blanche" to take new programming risks and that more direct relationships between Asian production companies and American networks have formed as a result of the show.[150][213]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations

Award	Year[lower-alpha 1]	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref(s)
Costume Designers Guild Awards	2020	Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television	Marina Toybina[lower-alpha 2]	Won	[78]
Critics' Choice Real TV Awards	2019	Competition Series: Talent/Variety	The Masked Singer	Won	[214]
Gracie Awards	2020	Showrunner – Unscripted	Izzie Pick Ibarra	Won	[215]
Kids' Choice Awards	2020	Favorite Reality Show	The Masked Singer	Nominated	[216]
		Favorite TV Host	Nick Cannon	Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards	2019	Best Host	Nick Cannon	Nominated	[217]
People's Choice Awards	2019	The Competition Show of 2019	The Masked Singer	Nominated	[218]
		The Competition Contestant of 2019	T-Pain	Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	2019	Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming	Marina Toybina, Grainne O'Sullivan[lower-alpha 3]	Nominated	[219]
	2020		Marina Toybina, Grainne O'Sullivan, Gabrielle Letamendi, Candice Rainwater[lower-alpha 4]	Pending	[220]
Primetime Emmy Awards	2020	Outstanding Competition Program	The Masked Singer	Pending	[220]
Producers Guild of America Awards	2020	Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television	Craig Plestis, Izzie Pick Ibarra, Nikki Varhely-Gillingham, Rosie Seitchik, Stacey Thomas-Muir, Nick Cannon, Ashley Sylvester, Lindsay Tuggle, Pete Cooksley, Chelsea Candelaria, Anne Chanthavong, Zoë Ritchken, Deena Katz, Erin Brady, Jeff Kmiotek, Lexi Shoemaker[lower-alpha 5]	Nominated	[221]
Realscreen Awards	2020	Talent & Studio-Based Competition	The Masked Singer	Won	[222]
Shorty Awards	2019	Best in Entertainment Sites & Apps	The Masked Singer Social Hub	Nominated	[223]
Teen Choice Awards	2019	Choice Reality TV Show	The Masked Singer	Nominated	[224]

Spin-offs

The Masked Singer: After the Mask

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television, Fox pushed back the premieres of some scripted series to late 2020 and opted to create The Masked Singer: After the Mask as one of two shows—along with Celebrity Watch Party—that could be produced remotely to fill the programming gap.[225] On April 8, 2020, the network announced that Cannon would host the aftershow and that it would air on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. for four weeks starting on April 22. During an episode, he discusses the outcome of the preceding Masked Singer episode from a "virtual stage" with celebrity guests appearing via videotelephony. A final performance from the eliminated celebrity is featured at the end of each episode, which are directed by Tom Sullivan and executive produced by James Breen, Plestis, and Cannon.[226][227][228] The series is also broadcast in Canada on CTV.[229]

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Masked Singer: After the Mask

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"After the Mask: The Mother Of All Final Face Offs, Part 2"	April 22, 2020	1.4/7	5.38	0.4	1.34	1.8	6.72[230]
2	"After the Mask: The Battle of The Sixes: The Final 6"	April 29, 2020	1.1/6	4.35	0.3	0.94	1.4	5.29[231]
3	"After the Mask: A Quarter Mask Crisis: The Quarter Finals"	May 6, 2020	0.9/5	3.79	0.2	0.86	1.1	4.65[232]
4	"After the Mask: A Day In the Mask: The Semi Finals"	May 13, 2020	0.8/4	3.58	0.3	0.90	1.1	4.48[233]

The series premiere received a 1.4 rating in the adults 18–49 demographic and about 5.5 million viewers, a "pretty significant improvement" over the average ratings of the previous lead-out, Lego Masters.[234] Subsequent episodes continued to retain about half of The Masked Singer's viewers, which is considered above average for an aftershow.[111] The program concluded the 2019–20 television season with an average viewership of 5.29 million (ranking sixty-eighth among all series broadcast), and an average 18–49 rating of 1.4 (ranking twenty-seventh).[144] According to Variety, the series received higher ratings "than shows that probably cost ten times to produce".[235]

The Masked Dancer

On January 7, 2020, at the winter Television Critics Association press tour, Fox Alternative Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television announced that they had ordered a spin-off series, The Masked Dancer, with Ellen DeGeneres as executive producer. DeGeneres had previously conducted The Masked Dancer as a recurring segment on her syndicated talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as a self-admitted parody of The Masked Singer.[236][237] Following a phone call from his legal department regarding the segment, Wade felt it was "great promotion for [The Masked Singer]". He then called Ellen producers to seek their collaboration in transforming the segment into a series.[42] Originally expected to debut in mid-2020, production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[238] In May 2020, Plestis stated he hoped the show "can move ahead" by the end of the year.[66]

Other media

On February 12, 2020, it was announced that the show would be getting a live national tour with shows in over forty cities. Originally scheduled for mid-2020, the tour was later postponed to the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[239] Beginning at the Palace Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, on June 3, 2021, the shows will feature two celebrity hosts as well as a local mystery celebrity who is unmasked at the end of each.[240][241][242]

The series has an online store where hoodies, coffee mugs, and phone cases, among others using the show's branding, are available for purchase.[243] On February 24, 2020, toy manufacturer Jazwares announced they had partnered with Fox to release a Masked Singer-inspired karaoke microphone under their First Act brand. The microphone will include a voice-changing feature and be sold at retail later in the year.[244][245] Images of the show's logo, costumes, and stage were made available in May 2020 to users on Microsoft Teams as custom backgrounds.[246][247]

Marketing

Prior to the series premiere, Fox and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising hosted a question-and-answer session with Toybina in which the Peacock costume was displayed. Students at the college were also invited to enter a contest to win a $5,000 scholarship from the network by submitting "an original, fully-rendered hand illustration of their personal costume design" that would be featured on the program's social media accounts.[248][249]

After being worn during a season, the costumes are placed in storage and occasionally taken out for display.[114] In mid-2019, some from the first season were featured in an exhibit, "Fashion and Fantasy: The Art of The Masked Singer", at the Los Angeles Paley Center for Media, accompanied by video and Toybina's original sketches.[250] Selections from the first season were also present at the annual "Art of Television Costume Design" exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum in Los Angeles from late August to late October 2019.[251][252] On February 1, 2020, prior to the premiere of the third season, two costumes were displayed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County as part of a meet-and-greet promotion.[253]

To promote the broadcast of the series for the first time in Singapore, Channel 5 conducted a "watch and win" contest during the first three episodes in which the first 10 viewers to take a photo of the show's logo when it randomly appeared on screen and use WhatsApp to text it received a $50 voucher.[132]

Notes

1. Indicates the year of ceremony
2. For "Season Finale: And The Winner Takes It All and Takes It Off"
3. For "Season Finale: The Final Mask is Lifted"
4. For "The Season Kick off Mask Off: Group A"
5. For season 1

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External links

• Official website
• The Masked Singer on IMDb 

Preceded by The World's Best 2019

Super Bowl lead-out program The Masked Singer 2020

Succeeded by TBA