This image and the information contained herein is strictly embargoed until 20:00 Thursday 26th December 2024Please note The Masked Singer 2025 was filmed earlier this year (2024).From ITV Plc The Masked Singer SR6 :on ITV1 and ITVXPictured: Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall, Joel Dommet, Maya Jama & Jonathan RossThis photograph is (C) ITV plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/termsFor further information please contact:[email protected] (Image: ITV)
wild costumes and talented entertainers aside, the hit show has seen its share of drama and backstage whispers throughout its five-year run.
Emerging in January 2020, just ahead of global lockdowns, The Masked Singer swiftly secured its spot as essential viewing for those hungry for a combination of mystery and entertainment.
During the episodes, cryptic hints are tossed out to guess the identities behind the masks, culminating in the crowd’s roaring chant of “take it off” ricocheting around the studio and from living rooms alike.
Celebrated moments from the show’s history include Nicola Roberts’s victory as ‘Queen Bee’, Joss Stone dazzling as ‘Sausage’ and McFly’s Danny Jones claiming the top prize as ‘Piranha’.
As season six continues to captivate viewers, we delve into the secret titbits that many fans don’t know.
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Danny Jones’s Piranha was crowned as the 2024 winner (Image: ITV1)
The Art of Secrecy
The Masked Singer’s behind-the-scenes workings are a hive of activity, with over a hundred crew members bustling around, alongside the four judges, the host, and a packed live audience.
Yet, when it comes to keeping the celebrity contestants’ identities under wraps until the big reveal, only a select few insiders are in the know.
Host Joel Dommett disclosed that only six individuals are aware of the celebrities’ identities before they are revealed on air.
He explained: “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,” reports the .
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Joel Dommett said only six people are aware of the celebrities’ identities. (Image: ITV)
Disguise
To preserve the intense level of confidentiality, the stars are disguised in black clothing, complete with visors and gloves, ensuring they remain incognito even offstage. They’re provided with private dressing rooms for slipping into their elaborate stage costumes, far from any onlookers.
Moreover, while navigating the studio, the celebrities are instructed not to engage with others, and their T-shirts are emblazoned with a crucial message to reinforce this rule.
Show judge Mo Gilligan revealed: “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 judges really don’t know who is behind the masks. (Image: ITV)
Top Secret Rehearsals
On The Masked Singer, two voice coaches assist the stars, who enjoy ample rehearsal time in a soundproofed vocal booth backstage. For utmost secrecy, this private space features closed blinds while rehearsals are underway, ensuring no external leaks of music or noise.
Phones are a strict no-go during filming, with Jonathan Ross spilling to the Metro that Rita Ora, a former judge, was reprimanded for using her phone during breaks. He disclosed, “Rita got told off for using her phone in all the breaks, because, you know, young people and their phones cannot be separated.”
Ross added that preventative measures were taken: “When we start recording, they remove Rita Ora’s phone so she cannot have access to while she’s doing the show.”
Rita Ora was a judge on the first four series of the show, but has been replaced by Maya Jama this year.
Rita Ora got a telling off for using her phone. (Image: ITV)
Strict Contracts
Moreover, celebrities are bound by watertight agreements promising not to whisper about their stint on the show to anyone, including those closest to them. It’s speculated that these contracts incorporate NDAs with hefty financial repercussions for non-compliance.
Show insiders previously confessed: “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.”
Absent Audience
One of the highlights of The Masked Singer is undoubtedly the dramatic moment when the mysterious celebrity is finally unmasked, prompting the audience to chant “Take it off!” However, what viewers may not know is that the live studio audience isn’t actually present for this moment.
Judge Mo disclosed: “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.”