Despite its ridiculous premise and corny twists and jokes, families loveThe Masked Singer. The reality singing competition show, hosted byNick Cannon, appeals to people of all ages. It has also surprisingly attracted top talent through its 10 seasons to date, including everyone from Olympic gold medalists to Oscar and Grammy winners, singing icons, actors, athletes, and more.
The premise requires that celebrities film the entire thing in secret, and the show has managed, for the most part, to keep identities completely under wraps. Every season is exciting and fun thanks to Cannon along with the judging panel that includesKen Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, andRobin Thicke. But it’s really the eclectic mix of celebrity competitors who put their pride aside to be silly on stage that make it so fun. Each season brings a new flavor.
The Masked Singer
11Season 7 (2022)
Winner: Teyana Taylor as Firefly
There weren’t any Wild Card contestants this season, but this is the first time the show was split into teams known as The Good, The Bad, and The Cuddly. Fans weren’t so fond of this new format, however, which meant only seeing a handful of competitors each week. This season also featured the first three-headed costume (Penn & Teller) as well as the largest costume to date, Cyclops, which was worn byJorge Garcia.
This season brought controversy, however, when Jack in the Box was revealed asRudy Giuliani, causing Jeong to walk off the stage in anger and protest. He refused to participate in the commentary portion after Giuliani was unmasked. It was for this reason that season 7 ranks as the worst. Whether it was the controversial decision to cast Giuliani or not, there was a noticeable drop in ratings for this season.
10Season 10 (2023)
Winner: Ne-Yo as Cow
The most recent season continued with an interesting mix of celebrities, though the selection wasn’t as high-profile as other seasons. There were some singing icons likeMacy Gray, John Oates,andGinuwine,along with influential figures likeBillie Jean King. One of the funniest contestants wasMichael Rapaportwho created his own catchy version of theWeezersong “Beverly Hills” by adding “pickle, pickle” to each instance of the chorus, in reference to his costume. It was, of course, an oversized pickle.
While this was a milestone season forThe Masked Singer, it didn’t turn out to be as memorable as some others. The inaugural episode’s special guest unmasking, who turned out to beDemi Lovato,wasn’t as big a draw as potentially expected. A stand-out moment, however, was whenNe-Yohit it out of the park with a striking, emotional rendition ofRihanna’s “Take a Bow.”
9Season 3 (2020)
Winner: Kandi Burruss as Night Angel
Season 3 is the first one when fans really started getting into the show. There was an outcry whenKandi Burrusswon overJesse McCartney, who many believe should have won instead. But Burruss was also the firstfemale winnerof the series, a moment worth celebrating. This season was notably memorable, mainly because it premiered immediately after Super Bowl LIV.
JoJo Siwaappealed to the younger fan base who might not have known who many of the performers were up to that point. Other memorable competitors includedSarah PalinandBow Wow. The one that shocked most fans, however, wasLil Wayne. A popular, hit-charting rapper who no one expected to come on a show like this, he revealed that he decided to do it for his kids, who watch and love the show. He wanted to surprise them. This moment solidifiedThe Masked Singer’sposition as a series that was going to have staying power and continue to attract top talent.
8Season 4 (2020)
Winner: LeAnn Rimes as Sun
LeAnn Rimeswas a shoo-in to win this season given herpowerhouse voice. But she faced steep competition from massive vocal talents likeTori KellyandTaylor Dayne. This season appealed in particular to those who grew up in the ‘90s with competitors likeNick Carter, Wendy Williams, Brian Austin Green, Mickey Rourke, Busta Rhymes, and the lateBob Saget.However, it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, so there was a virtual audience and the judges had to sit 8-feet apart from one another.
This season is one fans remember, however, because Rourke decided he didn’t want to wait for a vote and unmasked himself in the middle of the show. He claimed to be too hot in the costume and couldn’t stand it anymore. This was also the season that introduced the Golden Ear twist whereby judges could jot down a first impression guess. Whoever had the most correct guesses after unmasking would win the Golden Ear.
7Season 5 (2021)
Winner: Nick Lachey as Piglet
This season touted some big names, including those with a combined 26 Grammy nominations, nine multi-platinum singles, four Oscar nominations, three Super Bowl appearances, six gold medals, and two world records. It’s safe to say this was one of the most talent-packed seasons. Along withBobby Brown(who had to leave the stage because he was about to faint from the heat of the costume), there wasTyrese Gibson, Danny Trejo, Hanson, andWiz Khalifa.The season also welcomed its first Muppet competitor withKermit the Frog.
It was a fabulous season for performances and one that added a new twist with Cluedle-Doo who would occasionally disrupt the broadcast to deliver a clue. The crowd erupted when he was revealed to be none other than judge Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg’s husbandDonnie Wahlberg,fooling even her as to his identity.
6Season 6 (2021)
Winner: Jewel as Queen of Hearts
Jewelhas such a distinctive voice, yet this season proved that with the costume on and so many potentially misleading clues, even one of the most well-known voices in the industry can be difficult to pinpoint. This season included the lateLeslie Jordandressed as Soft Serve when he came on stage as a surprise guest panelist. This is when fans also got to experience the Take It Off Buzzer where a judge could decide to force a contestant to unmask if they were certain they know the identity. The person would only unmask, however, if the judge was correct. This twist didn’t really go over well, however, sort of taking away from the fun of the show.
This season had a few pairings, includingDavid FosterandKatharine McPheeandHoney Boo BooandMama June. Most notable about this season, however, was it was the first to include a live audience once again following a cooling off of theCOVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This brought new energy to the studio and competition, making it an especially positive, feel-good season.
5Season 8 (2022)
Winner: Amber Riley as Harp
Featuring a performance bycontroversial daytime talk show hostJerry Springerprior to his passing, this season had someone for every age group and interest. There wasLinda Blair, Ray Parker Jr.(who, yes, did sing “Ghostbusters” after he was unmasked), pro wrestlerChris Jericho, music iconGloria Gaynor(yes, she sang “I Will Survive” after unmasking), andWilliam Shatner. Those who grew up in the ‘90s loved everyone fromMontell JordantoWilson PhilipsandChris Kirkpatrick.
The stand-out this season was a trio known as the Mummies, who turned out to beMike Lookinland, Barry Williams, andChristopher KnightfromThe Brady Brunch. There was an interesting and eclectic mix of guest judges this season as well, fromAndrew Lloyd WebbertoThe Muppets, Lance Bass, Donny Osmond, and the lateLeslie Jordan. The fact that Webber somehow took an interest in being on the show raised its profile tremendously. The episode aired just a week after Jordan’s untimely passing, and it was dedicated to his honor.
4Season 11 (2024)
Winner: Vanessa Hudgens as Goldfish
Season 11 was just as enthralling as the others, with the usual mix of actual singers and actors masquerading as singers. There were some true standouts here, such as Clock’s (the greatThelma Houston) gospel-inflicted rendition of theGood Timestheme song (admit it, you were tapping your feet during the song, as were we) and Beets (American Idol alumsRuben Studdard and Clay Aiken) soulful cover ofQueen’simmortal hit“I Want to Break Free.”
But this was the season of the Goldfish (Vanessa Hudgens), as she showed her awesome tenor throughout the season, with her saving her best performances of the season (and one of the best in the entire series) for the finale, when she blew Gumball (Scott Porter) out of the weather with her heartfelt and beautiful cover ofElton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”That performance, alone, vaults Season 11 into the upper-echelon onMasked Singerseasons.
3Season 9 (2023)
Winner: Bishop Briggs as Medusa
There were a number of emotional moments throughout the eighth season of the show, including the reveal of the legendaryGrandmaster FlashandMichael Bolton,who both went on to perform top tracks after the reveals, along with the surprise casting ofHowie Mandel, iconDick Van Dyke, and fabulous performances from a cappella groupPentatonix. There was also an emotional speech fromAmerican Idolrunner-upDavid Archuleta, who talked about his struggles with mental health and coming out while being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He credited the show with helping him not only cope with difficult times but also come out of his shell and grow confidence in himself. It brought new meaning to the otherwise silly series, even bringing several judges to tears.
The same format that the show had adopted previously continued with three contestants in each episode, one being voted out, and the remaining two battling it out. The “Ding Dong Keep It On” gimmick was added this season that allowed for one singer to be saved from elimination. Adding more fun to this star-studded season were theme nights, with everything from DC superheros to ‘80s night and the British invasion. This made it especially fun to watch at home with various guests, fun costumes, and more relating to the themes.
2Season 2 (2019)
Winner: Wayne Brady as Fox
One of the most interesting aspects about season 2 is that it’s one of the few seasons when someone who made it all the way to the finals as runner-up never had his identity guessed by any of the judges.Chris Daughtrycompeted onAmerican Idoland became a huge star. But no one was able to figure out his voice, which made the show interesting both for those at home who couldn’t figure it out and for viewers who knew it instantly.
Beyond that,Wayne Bradyhad some of the most electric, exciting performances. He didn’t just sing but danced and commanded the stage every time. Combined with amazing performances from others likeVictor Oladipo, including his version ofKasey Musgrave’s “Rainbow” that had Scherzinger emotional, along withSealandPatty LaBelle, this season showed thatThe Masked Singerwas not petering out in its second season. It had staying power.
