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The Masked Singer made its American debut in 2019 after getting its start in South Korea. The show, which features celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes, hosts panelists who interpret clues in order to try and guess the singers’ identities.

The show has been a huge hit since its premiere, winning or being nominated for numerous awards. But concealing the singers’ identities until each reveal takes an extraordinary amount of effort. This includes some rather bizarre rules.

Extra layers, extra surveillance, and other wild rules on ‘The Masked Singer’

Nick Cannon and William Shatner in the Season 8 premiere of The Masked Singer
The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon and contestant William Shatner during the Season 8 premiere | FOX via Getty Images

This series goes to great lengths to conceal the identities of the celebrity singers. So, as one might expect, the rules they must follow can get pretty wild. Recently, Executive Producer Craig Plestis talked candidly with People about what that means. 

Here are some of the most outrageous rules and regulations the Masked Singer contestants must follow:

  • When they aren’t in costume, they must wear special “Don’t talk to me” shirts so those on set know who to avoid. This is done to prevent any confusion between the staff and stars. This also reminds everyone that contestants are not allowed to speak, so they don’t give any hints about who they are. They also wear visors, hoods, gloves, and sometimes multiple sweatshirts to disguise their bodies. 
  • Speaking of costumes: They also wear them when they rehearse so their identities won’t be revealed.
  • Contestants are not permitted to drive their own cars to the set. Piestis explained that they all get picked up in cars that are so tinted even the drivers don’t know who they’re picking up. The show provides all cars. Since the paparazzi often wait outside the lot, this is a wise move. 
  • Piestis also revealed that all contestants are given code names since no one can use their real names on the set. “To this day, even when they get unmasked, I’ll still refer to them as their character name,” Piestis admitted.
  • So who does know who the singers are underneath all their masks? Only a small handful of producers know the identities of the contestants. They are otherwise sworn to secrecy.
  • Speaking of secrecy, contestants won’t get much of that while on the show. Since the main goal is to discover the disguised celebrity is under the mask, the celebrity guests must agree to some strict surveillance practices. Piestis jokingly compared their experience to “being in lockdown at a government facility.” 
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The most shocking reveals on ‘The Masked Singer’

As surprising as some of those tactics might be, they’re extremely effective. Without any chance of hints being dropped, the show’s panel members must blindly guess the stars’ identities. This has led to some shocking reveals, such as Kermit the Frog, Sarah Palin, Lil Wayne, Drew Carey, Gladys Knight, William Shatner, and Tony Hawk, as EW reports.

One shocking reveal that didn’t go over so well was Rudy Giuliani. Due to his recent political controversies, his appearance upset some of the panelists. The normally upbeat Ken Jeong promptly left the stage. 

Season 9 of ‘The Masked Singer’ has been a struggle for some

People love starring on The Masked Singer. But some recent format changes aren’t going over well with the show’s longtime fans.

Some claim that contestants are unmasked too quickly due to the new format, which doesn’t give them enough time to connect with the characters. Hopefully, everything will even out, and the show will be on the air for many more seasons. 

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