The Masked Singer (American Season 1)

The first season of the American television series '' The Masked Singer'' premiered on Fox on January 2, 2019, and concluded on February 27, 2019. The season was won by rapper T-Pain as "Monster", with singer Donny Osmond finishing second as "Peacock", and singer Gladys Knight placing third as "Bee".

Production

Casting was less difficult than executive producer Izzie Pick Ibarra predicted due to her strategy of sending the possible participants sketches of costumes that might be featured during the season. She said many of the celebrities had emotional reactions when presented with the proposed costumes and were excited to reinvent their public image. Potential participants were also shown video of international versions of the show to explain the show's format visually.

The costumes worn by the celebrity contestants were designed by Marina Toybina, a four-time Emmy Award winner. Toybina described the Lion and Monster costumes as her favorites from the first season. The took the longest to inspired by ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' and Joan of Arc. It was unlike the other eleven costumes as the gemstone-laden mask was sculpted out of clay and coated in gold to give it an " aesthetic." The Monster, meanwhile, was designed around a 360° foam cylinder with built-in vents made of mesh to provide oxygen to the performer. However, during filming, the large eye the celebrity saw out of frequently fogged up due to a lack of air; tiny fans were then installed inside the costume to provide circulation. Fans were also placed inside the full-body Pineapple costume, which was constructed to resemble a Hawaiian surfer on the beach in the summer.

Other costumes, such as the Rabbit and Raven, were inspired by Hollywood movies. Toybina says the majority of costumes turn out identical to her sketches. The former was the result of combining the character Frank from the film ''Donnie Darko'' (2001) with ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990) to create a darker, unexpected costume, while the latter was inspired by '' The Crow'' (1994). Deer was heavily influenced by steampunk elements and made to resemble "a war soldier trapped in a wood" and Peacock was made to look like an Elvis Presley "showstopper costume" inspired by the glitz of Las Vegas. The small dogs in Beverly Hills inspired Toybina to make the pink Poodle have a ''Real Housewives'' diva-like presence with accompanying sunglasses, while her love of hip-hop music inspired her to add LL Cool J-style chains to the Hippo. Unicorn, which was imagined as an ethereal white snow queen, had its horn break off during the filming of an episode. Toybina says she had to "reach for the wire and glue" to fix it backstage.

Filming occurred from June 4 to June 24, 2018. For their work on the tenth and final episode of the season, Toybina and costume supervisor Grainne O'Sullivan received a Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming.

Panelists and host

The panelists consisted of singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, television personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, actor and comedian Ken Jeong, and recording artist Nicole Scherzinger. Nick Cannon hosted the show.

Throughout the season, various guest panelists appeared as the fifth panelist in the judging panel for one or two episodes. These guest panelists included actor and comedian Joel McHale in the third and fourth episodes, actor and comedian J. B. Smoove in the seventh episode, and comedian Kenan Thompson in the eighth and tenth episodes.

Contestants

The competitors were said to have a combined 65 Grammy nominations, 16 multi-Platinum albums, 16 Emmy nominations, nine Broadway shows, four Super Bowl titles, and four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Episodes

Week 1 (January 2)

Week 2 (January 9)

Week 3 (January 16)

Week 4 (January 23)

Week 5 (January 30)

*Group number: " On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons

Week 6 (February 6)

*Group number: "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas

Week 7 (February 13)

Week 8 (February 20)

Week 9 (February 27) – Finale

* Group number: "Make Way" by Aloe Blacc

Reception

Critical response

The premiere episode received mixed reviews. ''Vulture'' felt that the series was more entertaining, yet "weirder, sillier, and stupider" than other U.S. music competition programs, and described the format as having the "vibe" of "what if /nowiki>/nowiki>Philadelphia_Flyers_mascot">Philadelphia_Flyers.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Philadelphia_Flyers">/nowiki>/nowiki>Philadelphia_Flyers_mascot">Philadelphia_Flyers.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Philadelphia_Flyers">/nowiki>Philadelphia_Flyers_mascotGritty_(mascot)">Gritty_

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