Fox’s ‘The Masked Singer’ Golden Lion Terrifies TV Critic At TCA
Hours after announcing it had ordered unhinged celebrity singing competition sensation The Masked Singer, based on the hit South Korean format, Fox brought host Nick Cannon, “detectives” Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke, and one of the masked singers out on stage to demonstrate. (you can watch a trailer for the show below the post)
A viral phenomenon with more than half a billion fans worldwide and the No. 1 top-trending video of 2017 on YouTube, The Masked Singer features 12 celebrities singing competitively, while hidden under heavy crazy costumes Over 10 episodes, the detectives try to figure out who the heck they are. Somebody wins, but it’s only a trophy a la Dancing With the Stars’ Mirror-ball, because, Cannon boasted, “these people are already rich.”
And yet, while rolling in lettuce, they had to overcome fears, Thick said – to sing in public and be judged based on their performances rather than being famous, he clarified – in case anyone in the room thought he was talking about the understandable concerns a celebrity might feel about appearing on national TV while pretending to be a peacock.
McCarthy mentioned “the hardships they’ve gone through.” Fox unscripted chief Rob Wade sympathized that “if you’re a celebrity, people judge you as soon as you walk in.”
“To be able to put this mask on and be truly free” gave them a sense of “liberation” that caused “great swells of emotion,” he assured TV critics.
To demonstrate, they brought out one of the show’s actual masked celebrities, who competed while made up as a golden lion.
RelatedFox Day At TCA: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Golden Lion’s voice is disguised; Golden Lion talked about wanting to do the show “because who doesn’t want to be a golden lion.” Fair enough.
“Sen. Chuck Schumer, welcome!” Jeong said, addressing Golden Lion and putting to rest the question as to why he had been asked to participate in a singing competition show.
“That was terrifying,” one TV critic said after Golden Lion left the stage.
Jeong said he agreed to do the show because it is his mother’s favorite show in Korea. “My reason could not have been more personal; I wanted my mom to finally be proud of me.”
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