‘The Masked Singer’ shake-up: Rita Ora replaces Nicole Scherzinger on the detective panel

“The Masked Singer” will look a little different for Season 11. The wacky reality TV singing competition that showcases secret celebrities performing in elaborate costumes will have a new panelist at the detectives’ table. FOX has announced singer Rita Ora will replace Nicole Scherzinger, who served as a panelist alongside Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Ken Jeong for the first 10 seasons. They will all return with host Nick Cannon when Season 11 premieres March 6, 2024 on FOX.

“We’re grateful to have the amazing @ritaora shine her light and join us as a panelist on #TheMaskedSinger Season 11!” the show shared on Instagram. The 32-year old pop star shared on her own Instagram Story, “So happy the secret is finally out. I’m joining the @maskedsingerfox US! Can’t wait to try and guess who’s behind the mask with the other panelists.”

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The shake-up is not due to any behind-the-scenes drama. Scherzinger was not able to film Season 11 (which tapes months in advance) because she was busy starring in “Sunset Boulevard” on London’s West End. The show, presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber, ran from September 20, 2023 to January 4, 2024. Take a look at “The Masked Singer” season 11 trailer below, featuring a few of the new characters we can expect to see on stage.

“The Masked Singer” features celebrities facing off against one another with one major twist: each singer is shrouded from head-to-toe in an elaborate costume, complete with full face mask to conceal his or her identity. Celebrities who have performed on the show include T-Pain, LeAnn Rimes, Nick Lachey, Gladys Knight, Donny Osmond, Seal, Patti LaBelle, Drew Carey, Lil Wayne, Mickey Rourke, Rob Gronkowski, Lonzo Ball, Wayne Brady, Wendy Williams, Tori Spelling, Dionne Warwick, Kermit The Frog, Caitlyn Jenner, Wiz Khalifa, Jewel and many, many more!

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