Away from the bizarre costumes and talented stars, The Masked Singer has certainly had its fair share of drama and show secrets over its five-year stint.
Since its debut in January 2020, just before the world was hit with a pandemic, the ITV show has become a staple for viewers craving a mix of mystery and music. The first series was such a success that fans were left eagerly awaiting the second, which was delayed due to the global crisis but proved to be a sensation when it finally aired. Hosted by Joel Dommett, The Masked Singer has seen celebrity contestants go undercover in one of their many extravagant costumes – that being a Broccoli, Snail or Squiggly Monster – to sing a 90-second cover in front of the judges and audience.
As the series continues, clues are dropped about the mystery stars in a bid to uncover their true identity before the grant of “Take. It. Off!” is bellowed across the studio and by viewers at home. In the past, we’ve watched Nicola Roberts as ‘Queen Bee’, Joss Stone as ‘Sausage’, Natalie Imbruglia as ‘Panda’, Charlie Simpson as ‘Rhino’ and Danny Jones as ‘Piranha’ all take The Masked Singer crown. Now, after the latest shock unmasking in the sixth series of the show, we’ve taken a look back at some of the behind the scenes secrets, including one very awkward on-screen moment…
TV productions usually involve a large number of people working behind the scenes – in the case of The Masked Singer, we’re talking well over a hundred crew members, not to mention the four judges, the host, and an extensive live audience. However, to ensure the celebrity identities stay hush-hush until they’re officially unveiled, only an elite few are let in on the big secret right up until showtime.
Joel Dommett, the host of the show, revealed that only six people are privy to the identities before they are unveiled. He said, “That’s two producers, a clues team person, a makeup person and a costume person and that’s basically it, the only people who know. The level of secrecy is so insane, the way the studio is done is you have all of us in one half of the studio, and the other side of the studio is the preparation for all the characters.”
To maintain this secrecy, the celebrity contestants are disguised in anonymous black attire, visors and gloves to keep their identities concealed even when they’re not in costume. They also have individual dressing rooms to change into their stage outfits away from prying eyes. In addition to being disguised in anonymous black attire around the studio, the stars are also told not to converse with anyone – their t-shirts even bear a vital phrase.
Show judge Mo Gilligan confirmed: “You don’t see. You see that show, when you watch it on the show, the T-shirts ‘Don’t talk to me’ – that’s real. The set is huge. I got in the car, the driver was instructed he can’t talk to me. I cannot talk to you, I’m not allowed. There’s a gate. There’s another gate with huge security guards. This happened every single day.”
The show was thrown into chaos earlier this month when Toad in the Hole, unveiled as American singer Macy Gray, stormed off stage after being voted out. Macy seemed less than thrilled to be leaving the competition so early and didn’t wait around to have a chat with host Joel or the judges.
An inside told The Sun: “This character turned around and shuffled off stage, which was hilarious in their costume obviously – but we were all stunned. We knew something was going on because we saw lots of to-ing and fro-ing with crew before the person eventually came back on stage.” It was reported that behind-the-scenes bosses had to coax her in to finish the show while Joel kept the audience entertained.
Two voice coaches work on The Masked Singer, and the stars are allowed time to rehearse and perfect their performances before taking to the stage. A soundproofed vocal booth is located backstage at the studios, where the stars can rehearse. The blinds are shut while someone is rehearsing inside, adding additional secrecy, and the soundproofing successfully keeps the noise from getting outside.
Jonathan Ross previously told the Metro that former judge Rita Ora had her phone taken off her while on set. He revealed: “Rita got told off for using her phone in all the breaks, because, you know, young people and their phones cannot be separated.
“In the end now, they take her phone off her. When we start recording, they remove Rita Ora’s phone so she cannot have access to the gram while she’s doing the show.” Mo Gilligan also shared that his phone was also taken away by show bosses and the same has now happened with Rita’s successor Maya Jama.
The celebs taking part in the show sign strict contracts where they promise not to reveal their involvement – even to their nearest and dearest. Presumably, the clause amounts to an NDA – which could lead to financial consequences if they break the golden rule. Show bosses previously revealed, “It was written into their contracts that they couldn’t tell anyone, even their families, what was going on. In the end, they were as worried about their secret getting out as we were.”
While the best part of The Masked Singer is ultimately the moment when the audience chants, “Take it off!” as the mystery celeb is finally unmasked – the live studio audience isn’t actually there for the crucial moment. Judge Mo revealed, “We record the whole show and then they get to the bit where they go ‘take it off, take it off’, they go to take off the mask and that’s the point where, we then get rid of the audience so they can then keep it a secret.”
He added, “The entire audience leaves, and they’re very angry about that. And when we get rid of the audience we go ‘take it off, take it off’ and we reveal who it is.”
The Masked Singer continues next Saturday on ITV and ITVX from 7pm.
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