reality tv

Body doubles and fake reactions: What happens behind the scenes of The Masked Singer.

 

We’re calling it. Australia is completely and utterly obsessed with The Masked Singer.

Since the bizarre musical mystery show premiered on our screens last week, Australian audiences have been busy trying to decipher the identities of the celebrities behind the extravagant disguises of Lion, Monster, Wolf, and more.

And while the show might just be the weirdest thing we’ve seen all year, it turns out what’s been going on behind the scenes on the show is even stranger.

Find out more about what happens behind the scenes on The Masked Singer Australia on Mamamia’s daily entertainment news podcast, The Spill.

We decided to delve into everything we know about what goes on behind the scenes on The Masked Singer.

Here’s what we discovered:

The audience isn’t really there for the reveal.

Weirdly enough, the studio audience on The Masked Singer actually aren’t present for the final reveal.

Although we do see the show’s live studio audience clapping and reacting to the celebrity reveals at the end of each episode, it turns out that their reactions are actually… well, fake.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, head of television for Warner Bros Shawn Murphy shared that the entire studio audience is kicked out just before the reveal.

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The studio set is also checked for bugs and hidden cameras before the lowest voted singer of the night is unmasked.

Speaking with news.com.au, host Osher Gunsberg shared that there were only eight people in the room when Gretel Killeen was unmasked in the first episode of the show.

“No one who wasn’t supposed to be there was there,” he said.

“We made some camera people walk out. In the control room, they basically hit record on the machines and walked out. We didn’t even have a photographer.”

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Here’s Nikki Webster being unveiled as alien on The Masked Singer Australia. Post continues after video.

The security was “next level”.

Speaking to TV WEEK, judge Jackie O shared that a high-level security team was hired for the reality series.

“I spoke to one of the security guys who said he’s worked with a Prime Minister… and he said, ‘But this is next level.'”

During the all-important reveals, all entrances and exits to the set were heavily guarded by security.

Before their appearances, the celebrity contestants on the show were also picked up at secret private locations, covered in black fabric and snuck into the studio where they wear t-shirts commanding “DO NOT TALK TO ME.”

All measures were made to ensure the identities of the celebrities couldn’t be leaked. For instance, even the wardrobe assistants had no idea who they were dressing.

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The contestants must lie about where they’ve been.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, keeping the names of the celebrity contestants a secret was extremely important on the show.

In fact, it was so important that when each singer returned home from filming, they were contractually obliged to lie to their family about where they had been.

“We had to make a couple of exceptions so [the contestants] could ‘fess up to their husband or wife,” Murphy explained.

The-Masked-Singer
Jackie O, Lindsay Lohan and Dave Hughes on The Masked Singer. Image: Channel 10.

The singers and judges are separated at all times.

Speaking to TV WEEK, Dave Hughes shared that extreme lengths are taken to ensure the judges never came in contact with the celebrity singers.

"They went to great lengths to separate everyone from the singers," the comedian revealed.

"I've said, 'I want to stay at this hotel in Sydney' and they're like, 'You can't because some of the singers are at that hotel."

Body doubles were even used behind the scenes to avoid the judges guessing who the singers were based on their body shape.

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"We found out later that [one person] with a bag over their head was someone who wasn't even on the show, so we've got people walking around with bags on their head all around – it was quite bizarre!" Hughesy added.

In an interview with Mamamia, contestant Gretel Killeen explained that the security for the show made her feel like a "spy, but without the power."

masked-singer-aus
The security on the show is... intense. Image: Channel 10.

Absolutely no one was allowed to talk to her, which Gretel struggled with because she usually prepares for performing by getting "strength and energy" from the people around her.

"You're completely covered up backstage for the whole day, so I got a bit lonely in my dressing room," she told Mamamia.

The judges make a lot more guesses than we see.

In recent episodes, viewers of the show have questioned why judges Lindsay Lohan, Jackie O, Dannii Minogue, and Dave Hughes have been making "stupid" guesses on the show.

Speaking on KIIS FM this morning, however, Jackie O shared that a lot of the judges guesses simply don't make the cut when it comes to editing.

"You don't know what they cut," Jackie O said.

"The amount of guesses we do, and a lot of the time I'll be nailing it. I'll be like, 'I think it's this person and this is why' and I'll give you all the reasons why from the clue package... but it [isn't included]."

The Masked Singer Australia continues tonight at 7.30pm on Channel 10.

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