Nick Cannon (‘The Masked Singer’) explains the ‘Ding Dong Keep It On’ Bell

Every season of “The Masked Singer” brings with it new costumes, new guessing games and new twists. Season 9 is no exception, and the major twist this year is known as the “Ding Dong Keep It On” Bell. Host Nick Cannon explained this golden power midway through the season premiere, after Mustang, Gnome and Medusa all performed on the big stage. Read on for everything to know about the ear-pleasing new twist.

“Panel, now I know in seasons past, you lost some of your favorites early on,” he tells Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger. “So we think we found a solution. You can save a mask from elimination by ringing what we are calling the ‘Ding Dong Keep It On’ Bell.”

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Nicole interjects to poke a fun at the host who’s infamously fathered 12 kids. “Somebody needed to tell you that, Nick!” she shouts as the audience laughs wildly.

“Can I carry on, please?” Nick asks as the crowd finally dies down. “You can only ring the bell three times throughout the first three rounds. Those three saved singers will battle it out on a special episode to rejoin the competition.”

Does that all make sense, “Masked Singer” fans? In other words, just because a studio audience doesn’t vote for a contestant, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to remove their mask. If the panelists collectively decide to ring the “Ding Dong Keep It On” Bell that week, the performer will live to sing another day.

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During the premiere episode, the judges chose not to ring the bell, so both Gnome and Mustang were eliminated from the competition. Medusa received the most votes, so she became this week’s champion and will return next week to face off against a pair of new challengers.

At the end of Season 9, only one participant will win the competition and take home the Golden Mask. As a refresher, the eight winners so far have been Monster (T-Pain), Fox (Wayne Brady), Night Angel (Kandi Burruss), Sun (LeAnn Rimes), Piglet (Nick Lachey), Queen of Hearts (Jewel), Firefly (Teyana Taylor) and Harp (Amber Riley).

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