I remember when Monster was crowned the first ever winner of The Masked Singer. The year was 2019, and the mysterious Monster had been my front-runner since the very beginning. And I was shocked, shocked I tell you, when he finally took off the mask to reveal T-Pain. Yes, he was a Grammy-winning artist. Yes, if you had watched his NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” you knew he could sing without autotune. But for most viewers, it was thrilling to see a rapper known for using autotune excel at something we didn’t know he could do. I want that feeling back.
Since that first year, The Masked Singer has crowned many winners, but none of those finale reveals have ever given me the same rush of joy T-Pain’s gave me in season 1. And that’s partly because a lot of the people under the masks have turned out to be famous singers with distinctive voices. Nick Lachey (Piglet in season 5), Jewel (Queen of Hearts in season 6), Ne-Yo (Cow in season 10), and Boyz II Men (Buffalos in season 12) have all gone home with the Masked Singer trophy. And, frankly, it’s getting old.
When Ashlee Simpson, competing as Galaxy Girl, won season 14 of The Masked Singer, her unmasking was about as revelatory as Meryl Streep winning another Oscar. Sure, Ashlee isn’t making headlines as much as she used to, but she was a pop-punk icon in the early 2000s, and the voice she won with isn’t different than the one that made her famous. And, frankly, these kinds of winners and contestants make the show less fun to watch.
I want The Mask Singer to reveal celeb voices I’ve never heard before (or, at least, show them in a new light), like Olivia Culpo belting out “Rocket Man” as the UFO in season 9, or boybander Joey Fatone finally stepping into the spotlight as the Rabbit in season 1. I want to be stumped by the contestant clues and as completely off in my guesses as Jenny McCarthy. I want it to be silly and fun, not American Idol with masks.
It’s not only less interesting for the show to feature professional singers, it’s also super awkward. Having iconic voices like Gladys Knight (Bee in season 1) or Patti LaBelle (Flower in season 2) eliminated early in the season hurts The Masked Singer’s credibility as a singing competition. In season 9, Melissa Joan Hart (Lamp in season 9) made it further than Michael Bolton (Wolf in season 9). Are we supposed to deduce that Sabrina the Teenage Witch (no offense) is a better singer than this man? I think not.
I mean, Normani came in fourth place in the latest season. Normani!!
At the end of the day, The Masked Singer just has to do one thing: entertain. And the entertainment is best when the singer reveals are unexpected. It’s just that simple. The less Grammy-winning artists the better! And once you run out of truly surprising celebs…then we can talk. Just don’t ever go back to politicians. Never. Ever. Again.