Who’s Cow from The Masked Singer? The Frontrunner’s Secret Identity Revealed

Jason Pham
·12 min read
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Once you know who Cow is on The Masked Singer Season 10, you’ll be beating yourself up for not recognizing his voice sooner. (Spoiler alert: He’s a Grammy-winning icon.) Keep reading our best guess to who Cow on The Masked Singer could be revealed to be.

The Masked Singer—also abbreviated as TMS—is Fox’s reality TV singing competition series, in which celebrities compete against each other in performances while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks to conceal their identities. Throughout the season, a panel of judges guess the celebrities’ identities based on their voices and clues provided before and after each performance. Each week, the contestant with the least amount of votes from the studio audience is eliminated and takes off their masks to reveal their identities.

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The series, which premiered in 2019, is based on South Korea’s King of the Mask Singer, which follows a similar format. Since the premiere of The King of the Mask Singer in 2015, The Masked Singer has expanded to dozens of countries across the world including France, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil.

“It was flypaper TV right from the get-go,” The Masked Singer executive producer Craig Plestis told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 about why he wanted to produce the show in the United States. “I just knew right away this was a special show. It was unbelievable in its appeal — and the game play, spectacle, family-viewing…[and] it was this huge hit in Asia…. If we do the job here, it should work here.”

Plestis also explained how he convinced Fox to greenlight The Masked Singer for a first season. “From the get-go, Fox asked how we were going to cast this. They were firm in saying, ‘We’re not going to do the show unless you get unbelievable talent for the show,’” he said. “It has to be recognizable names. When the masks come off, everyone has to recognize that face — or they have to have some huge credibility, either in sports, in entertainment, TV, film, music. Some people were easy to cast. They saw the potential of the show.”

He continued, “They loved the idea of being behind a mask and no one knowing who they were, and showing off the talent that no one knew that they even had. They got it right away. Some people said no. In the end, we got great names, and all of them are big in their field in one way or another. The stats that we have, between the Grammy winners [and other achievements], is really phenomenal. When we started putting together and looked at all the awards all these people have won, we realized we just don’t have one or two great people; we have 12 great people.”

Plestis also credited The Masked Singer‘s popularity to the pandemic, where the series saw double digit ratings for the first time in its run. “It didn’t surprise me 100 percent, only because the way we’ve always looked at this show is: We’re an island,” he told Entertainment Weekly in 2020. “When people are so tired of the news cycle, what’s going on politically or just the pandemic, we’re just an escape from reality. It’s an hour for America to sit back and play a big guessing game, and for the families to come together. I really believe that’s the hidden secret in our show.”

He continued, “I’m online every time our show airs, just seeing what people are saying about it so I can learn how to do it better, and my team is as well, and the majority of the responses are ‘Thank you, Fox and the producers, for putting on a show that we can watch as a family.’ I think that’s lost on a lot of other shows. They’re very niche shows. And we really try to be broad for our broadcaster, where everybody from 8 to 80 can watch it and partake in it. I think it’s a lost art, but when you do it right and do it well, [the viewers] will show up. And that’s the secret recipe for The Masked Singer.”

But back to Cow on The Masked Singer Season 10. So who is Cow on The Masked Singer? Read on for who Cow on The Masked Singer Season 10 could be revealed to be and the clues that support his identity. (For more The Masked Singer Season 10 spoilers, check out our list here.)

Who’s Cow on The Masked Singer?

Who’s Cow on The Masked Singer? Ne-Yo, an R&B singer best known for songs like “So Sick” and “Sexy Love,” is our best guess for Cow on The Masked Singer Season 10. Read on for the clues supporting Ne-Yo as Cow.

“Cows like me don’t often make it out of their pen. When I was younger, I felt destined to stay home and live out a simple life in black and white” (Week 1)

  • Ne-Yo’s 2008 music video for his song, “Mad” was filmed in black and white.

“The gift eventually led me to No. 1.”  (Week 1)

  • Ne-Yo achieved his first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006 with his single “So Sick” from his debut album In My Own Words. The song was his second single after his debut single “Stay” in 2005.

“I won Grammys, traveled the world and made hit after hit after hit. I guess you could say I was kind of my own cash cow!” (Week 1)

  • Ne-Yo has won three Grammy Awards: Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2008; Best Male R&B Performance in 2009; and Best R&B Song in 2009.

Calendar with July 4 (Week 1)

  • July 4 is also known as Independence Day. One of Ne-Yo’s most successful songs is his 2008 single “Miss Independent” from his album, Year of the Gentleman. The song went number one on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

“Two-step coffee” (Week 1)

  • Ne-Yo released a remix of Cassidy’s “My Drink n My 2 Step” in 2007 with Kanye West and Swizz Beatz in 2007.

Las Vegas magnet (Week 1)

  • Ne-Yo was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and attended Las Vegas Academy. He’s also a frequent performer at Drai’s Nightclub in Las Vegas.

Aviator wings (Week 1)

  • Ne-Yo played 2nd Lt. Andrew “Smokey” Salem in the 2012 movie, Red Tails. The film followed the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black United States Army Air Forces servicemen during World War II.

“Tonight I’m honored to be part of NFL Night, even though I don’t have many memories of watching the big game with my dad — he wasn’t really around and I didn’t have a lot of positive male role models growing up.” (Week 2)

He was raised in a house of all women who made him the “sensitive cow” that he is.” (Week 2)

  • Ne-Yo’s parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother. Ne-Yo has one sister, Nicole Smith, and no brothers.

As a parent, he now knows the “value of being present” for his kids. (Week 2)

“I’ve always achieved a lot of success in my life but my greatest accomplishment has always been my kids” (Week 2)

  • Ne-Yo has seven children: Madilyn and Mason Grace with ex-fiancee Monyetta Shaw; Shaffer, Roman, and Isabella with ex-wife Crystal Renay; and Braiden and Brixton with ex-girlfriend Sade Jenea.

“Smoke and mirrors of fame” (Week 2)

  • Ne-Yo has a song titled “Mirror” from his debut 2006 album In My Own Words.

Boxing gloves (Week 2)

  • Ne-Yo revealed that he boxes and has studied martial arts in an interview with ESPN in 2012. “It’s honestly just for the workout,” he said. “I studied martial arts for about five years when I was a little younger, and I’ve been a boxing fan pretty much forever. As of right now, it’s just part of the workout. I don’t go as far as to spar or anything like that. I would love to. It’s definitely a great way to stay in shape. To do what I do, I’ve got to keep my wind up, I’ve got to get my stamina right and boxing definitely helps that.”

“I feel absolutely psyched to be here for 2000s Night, because that’s the decade it all started for me.” (Week 3)

  • Ne-Yo released his first album, In My Own Words, and first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100, “So Sick,” in 2006.

He and his friends went to the Capitol Records building in Hollywood determined to get a record deal. They performed in the parking lot on top of a van and security kicked them out. His photo hangs in the hall at Capitol Records “and big-wigs see me all the time.” (Week 3)

  • In an interview with the University of Southern California in 2021, Ne-Yo explained how he and four friends drove to Capitol Records in Los Angeles with no place and no money and stood on their van singing every day for six months hoping that someone will sign them. “There was no Spotify or anything digital so you had to rely on the labels at that time. You had to use the tools you are given and work harder than the guy next to you,” he said.

Birthday cake with one candle (Week 3)

  • Ne-Yo competed as Badger on Season 2 of The Masked Singer UK in 2022, one year before Cow appeared on The Masked Singer US.

Who’s in The Masked Singer cast for Season 10?

Read on for a full list of costumes in The Masked Singer cast for Season 10.

  • Anteater

  • Candelabra

  • Cow

  • Cuddle Monster

  • Diver

  • Donut

  • Gazelle

  • Hawk

  • Hibiscus

  • Husky

  • Pickle

  • Royal Hen

  • S’More

  • Sea Monster

  • Tiki

  • Rubber Ducky

Who are The Masked Singer judges for Season 10?

The Masked Singer Season 10 judges are Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke, who have all judged on the series since Season 1.

The Masked Singer announced in a press release in September 2023 that Scherzinger was not returning to judge Season 11 and would be replaced by singer Rita Ora. Scherzinger’s exit came after she was cast as Norma Desmond in the West End’s revival of the musical Sunset Boulevard in London. In an interview With Entertainment Weekly in September 2023, Scherzinger confirmed that she would be open to returning to The Masked Singer and would like to be a judge on the series for as long as it runs. “Oh my gosh, I would love to, are you kidding me?” she said. “I love my [Masked Singer] family. And it’s such a great job. Are you kidding? I love it. Yes.”

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2019, Scherzinger explained why she believed The Masked Singer was so successful. “What’s so special and enduring about the show is that it’s crazy and it’s a bit trippy, but then you have the softer side, where people come on and feel a sense of redemption and a feeling of transformation and growth through this process,” Scherzinger said. “I just love the fact that these contestants feel like the world has judged them [or] feel like the world places a lot of judgment on them, and they want to be able to share who they really are. Not by what they think they are but who they are in their heart.”

She continued, “When the show came out and I saw how much people were enjoying it and gravitating towards it, I was happy for everyone cause they were the brave ones, the first ones to do it and say, ‘I wanna be a part of this show. I wanna have the courage to share my side of my story.’ So, I hope the contestants are really proud and happy they were a part of the show.”

McCarthy also confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2023 that she’s open to judging on The Masked Singer for as many seasons as it runs. “I have 30 more seasons in me,” McCarthy said, adding that her job  “literally feels like a little bit of a dream.” She continued, “I’m hoping this is a show that can go on and on, like American Idol. [And] why not? There are a lot of celebrities that can sing and are hiding it.”

Thicke, for his part added, “It’s happened so fast. I can’t believe it, because it’s literally one of my favorite things to do in life, and that I’ve ever done in my career. Coming here with my friends and getting to watch these amazing performances and the craziness and the audience, it is so much fun.” He continued, “And now we have a bigger audience than we’ve ever had before. So it’s really a blessing on top of blessing.”

Who’s The Masked Singer host for Season 10?

The Masked Singer Season 10 host is Nick Cannon, who has hosted the series since Season 1. Before The Masked Singer, Cannon hosted America’s Got Talent from Seasons 4 to 11.

Cannon told Newsweek in 2018 about why he wanted to host The Masked Singer. “They take what happens on that set so seriously about not letting the word out because it’s a mystery show. They say, ‘It’s not a who done it, it’s a who sung it,’” he said. “You’re wondering who is behind these elaborate, ridiculous costumes. It’s the fun of the show. Obviously, a lot of these people have amazing voices. Some of these people have horrible voices. The idea [is] you’re trying to guess what celebrity that is. You’ve got a little bit of Dancing with the Stars. You’ve got a little bit of The Voice. You’ve got a little bit of Halloween. It’s truly probably one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been a part of.”

He also told Variety in 2020 about how he was hesitant to host another series after leaving America’s Got Talent. “I was really meticulous about what I would want to host again in the space of nonscripted variety since I had done it on the biggest level with AGT. I didn’t want to jump in and host another talent show,” Cannon said. “From the very first day I was on pins and needles hoping that no one falls off the stage in those costumes.” Cannon also confirmed that even he doesn’t know who the celebrities are under the costumes before they’re revealed. “All of the secrecy is so inconvenient. Everyone is kept so separate in their own little areas. I can’t see the talent. They arrive in secret locations,” he said. “It wouldn’t be as much fun if I knew who it was.”

The Masked Singer airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

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