 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2020) |
| Masked Singer | |
|---|---|
| Original work | King of Mask Singer |
| Owner | MBC Entertainment |
| Years | 2015–present |
| Films and television | |
| Television series | Masked Singer (independent international versions, see below) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Genre | |
| First aired | 18 February 2015 |
Masked Singer is an international music reality game show franchise. It originated from the South Korean program The King of Mask Singer , developed by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
The format features the celebrities who perform a song anonymously in elaborate masks or head-to-toe costumes. The panelists will then guess the identity based on clues the singers give about themselves. After their performances, the singers are voted by the audiences in each round while the panelists do not participate in the vote. The singer who receives the fewest votes in each round is unmasked and eliminated until the winner is declared.
The participating celebrities can come from various different occupational backgrounds. The original South Korean series features various musicians, actors or actresses, and comedians. The singers of the American series have spanned further up to the range of Grammy award winners, professional video gamers, YouTube influencers and professional athletes.
The voting system may also be different based on the program's country. In Armenia, Austria, the Netherlands, the United States and the UK, the votes are limited to the live studio audience members due to the show being pre-recorded. In Germany and Italy, votes are open to all viewers because the show is live. The Swedish format provides simulated live voting without the ability to actually affect the pre-recorded show, which was criticised as deceptive when it was noted after the show's second week. [1]
The original South Korean series King of Mask Singer is a continuous, episode-by-episode format, in which the winner is decided after each tournament that lasts two weekly episodes. In the final round of each tournament, the finalist singer must face-off the previous bi-weekly winner to take over the champion title. The program thus focuses on how long the one can defend the champion title. [2] [3] In comparison, most of the other international versions have been following the seasonal format in which the winner is declared after a single season tournament that lasts from few months to about a year. The international programs consequently focus on who the champion is after the months to year-long tournament.
The first unofficial winner of the franchise was Solji of the South Korean girl group EXID who won in the pilot episode of the original South Korean King of Mask Singer series aired on 18 February 2015. The first official winner of the franchise was Luna of the K-Pop girl group f(x) who was declared as the winner of the first ever tournament held in the original South Korean series on 12 April 2015.
From the Chinese series, which was the first adaptation of the South Korean show to be launched outside South Korea with a seasonal format, the Chinese singer Sun Nan became the first winner outside the original South Korean series on 27 September 2015 after the two months long first season.
The Thai series was the first version of the franchise with annual seasons. The Thai singer Issara Kitnitchi , under the name "Durian", became the first winner to win an annual season format from the second ever franchise to be launched outside South Korea on 23 March 2017.
| Country/region | Local title | Network | Seasons and winners | Panelists | Host(s) |
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 Arab world | The Masked Singer - Inta meen? (The Masked Singer - Who are you?) | MBC 1 |
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 Argentina | ¿Quién es la máscara? (Who is the Mask?) | Telefe |
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 Armenia [5] | Դիմակահանդես (Masquerade) | AMPTV [6] |
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 Australia [8] | The Masked Singer | Network Ten |
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 Austria | The Masked Singer Austria | Puls 4 |
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 Azerbaijan [10] | Maska (Mask) | İTV |
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 Belgium (Flanders) [11] | The Masked Singer | VTM |
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 Brazil | The Masked Singer Brasil | TV Globo |
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 Bulgaria | Маскираният певец (The Masked Singer) | NOVA TV |
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 Cambodia | The Mask Singer Cambodia | Hang Meas HDTV |
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 Canada [12] (Quebec) | Chanteurs masqués [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] | TVA |
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 Chile | ¿Quién es la máscara? | Chilevisión |
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 China (Mandarin) | King of Mask Singer | JSTV |
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| Mask Singer |
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| Masked Dancing King |
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 Colombia | ¿Quién es la máscara? | RCN |
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 Croatia [21] | Masked Singer | RTL |
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 Czech Republic  Slovakia [24] | Zlatá maska (Golden mask) | Prima JOJ |
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 Denmark [25] | Hvem holder masken? (Who keeps their mask on?, lit. "Who keeps/holds the mask?") | TV2 |
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 Estonia [27] | Maskis laulja (Masked Singer) | TV3 |
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 Finland [28] | Masked Singer Suomi | MTV3 |
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 France [29] | Mask Singer | TF1 |
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 Georgia | ვინ ვინ არის (Who is who) | Imedi Media Holding |
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 Germany [32] | The Masked Singer | ProSieben |
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| The Masked Dancer |
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 Greece [33] | The Masked Singer | Skai TV |
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 Hungary | Álarcos énekes (Masked Singer) | RTL |
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 Indonesia | The Mask Singer Indonesia | GTV |
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 Israel | הזמר במסכה (The Singer in the Mask) | Channel 12 |
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 Italy | Il cantante mascherato (The Masked Singer) | Rai 1 |
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 Japan [35] | The Masked Singer Japan | Amazon Prime Video Japan |
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 Kazakhstan | Маска (Mask) | Khabar |
| Zhakan Utargaliev | |
 Latvia | Balss Maskā (Masked Voice) | TV3 |
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Former
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 Lithuania | Kaukės (Masks) | LNK |
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 Malaysia [39] | The Masked Singer Malaysia | Astro Warna |
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 Mexico [40] | ¿Quién es la máscara? (Who is the Mask?) | Las Estrellas |
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 Mongolia | The Masked Singer Mongolia | Central Television |
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 Myanmar | The Mask Singer Myanmar | MRTV Entertainment |
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 Netherlands [32] | The Masked Singer | RTL 4 |
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 New Zealand | The Masked Singer NZ [41] | Three |
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 Norway [42] | Maskorama | NRK1 |
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 Panama | ¿Quién es la Máscara? | TVN |
| Pablo Brustein | |
 Peru | La Máscara (The Mask) | Latina Televisión |
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| Mathías Brivio |
 Philippines [43] [44] | Masked Singer Pilipinas | TV5 |
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 Poland [45] [46] | Mask Singer | TVN |
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 Portugal [47] [48] | A Máscara (The Mask) | SIC |
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 Romania | Masked Singer România | Pro TV |
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 Russia [49] | Маска (Mask) | NTV |
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| Маска. Танцы (The Masked Dancer) | STS |
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 South Africa [50] | The Masked Singer | SABC |
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 South Korea | King of Mask Singer | MBC |
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 Spain [51] | Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta (Mask Singer: Guess Who Sings) | Antena 3 |
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 Sweden | Masked Singer Sverige [53] | TV4 |
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 Switzerland | The Masked Singer Switzerland | ProSieben Schweiz |
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 Thailand | The Mask Singer | Workpoint TV |
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 Turkey [63] | Maske Kimsin Sen? (Mask, who are you?) | Fox |
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 Ukraine [64] | Маска (Mask) | Ukraina (1–2) |
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 United Kingdom [65] | The Masked Singer | ITV |
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| The Masked Dancer |
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 United States | The Masked Singer | Fox |
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| The Masked Dancer |
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 Uruguay [70] | ¿Quién es la Máscara? (Who is the Mask?) | Teledoce |
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 Uzbekistan | O'g'irlangan Niqob (Stolen mask) | Zor TV |
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 Vietnam | Mặt nạ Ngôi Sao (The King of Mask Singer) [71] [72] | HTV7 |
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| Ca sĩ mặt nạ (The Mask Singer Vietnam) | HTV2 |
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On 7 January 2020, at the winter Television Critics Association press tour, Fox Alternative Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television announced that they had ordered a spin-off series, The Masked Dancer , with Ellen DeGeneres as executive producer. DeGeneres had previously conducted The Masked Dancer as a recurring segment of her syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show , as a self-admitted parody of The Masked Singer. DeGeneres stated that the show was "gonna be just as fun and suspenseful", but "with a lot more krumping." [76] [77] On 28 October 2020, it was announced that Craig Robinson would host, the panelists would be Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale, and the show would premiere on 27 December 2020.
In 2020, a Chinese version of The Masked Dancer aired, Masked Dancing King (蒙面舞王). The winner was singer Meng Meiqi, competing as " The queen who does not wear a crown" (女王不戴冠). [78]
In early February 2021, ITV acquired the rights to produce The Masked Dancer UK. On 4 March 2021, it was announced that ITV had commissioned the spin-off series. The series had 12 contestants competing through seven episodes, and was hosted by Dommett, with Ross, Gilligan, McCall, and Oti Mabuse serving as panellists. [79] [80] It aired in late spring 2021, [81] filling in for Britain's Got Talent , which had its upcoming series 15 postponed until 2022 due to health and safety reasons concerning the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. [82]
In June 2021, EndemolShine Germany announced that the show would begin airing in Germany, so far it has been announced when and where the German version of The Masked Dancer will be shown. [83]
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Marie-Élaine Thibert is a Canadian adult contemporary and pop singer based in Quebec. Thibert was first notable for being the runner-up in the first season of Star Académie in 2003, the Quebec singing idol reality show. She is also a two-time Felix-award winner for Best Female Artist in Quebec and one-time Juno-award winner for Best Francophone album in Canada.
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Véronic DiCaire is a Canadian Franco-Ontarian singer and impressionist.
Joel Patrick Dommett is an English comedian, television presenter and actor. After beginning his career as an actor, and appearing in various television shows including Casualty and Skins, he embarked on stand-up comedy and television presenting and became known for his television roles in Live in Chelsea (2011–2012) and Impractical Jokers UK (2012–2014).
Otlile "Oti" Mabuse is a South African talent show judge, presenter, dancer and Latin dance champion currently based in the United Kingdom. She is best known for being a professional dancer on the British television series Strictly Come Dancing, which she won in 2019 and 2020, and its German equivalent, Let's Dance. She was a Dance Captain on The Greatest Dancer. Since 2021, she has been a panellist on The Masked Dancer and became a judge on Dancing on Ice in 2022.
The Masked Singer is an American reality singing competition television series that premiered on Fox on January 2, 2019. It is part of the Masked Singer franchise which originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer which features celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. Hosted by Nick Cannon, the program employs panelists who guess the celebrities' identities by interpreting clues provided to them throughout each season. Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, and Robin Thicke appear in each episode and vote alongside an audience for their favorite singer after all performances have concluded. The least popular is eliminated, taking off their mask to reveal their identity.
The Masked Singer is a German reality singing competition television series that premiered on ProSieben on 27 June 2019. It is part of the Masked Singer franchise which began in South Korea and features celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. The show is hosted by Matthias Opdenhövel, the program employs panelists who guess the celebrities' identities by interpreting clues provided to them throughout each season. Since the tenth season, Palina Rojinski and Rick Kavanian are the main panelists. Other panelists from previous seasons include Collien Ulmen-Fernandes, Max Giesinger, Bülent Ceylan, Sonja Zietlow, Rea Garvey, Álvaro Soler and Ruth Moschner. The audience vote for their favorite singer after all perform. The least popular is eliminated, taking off their mask to reveal their identity.
The Masked Singer is a British reality singing competition television series that premiered on ITV1 on 4 January 2020. It is based on the Masked Singer franchise which originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer which features celebrties singing famous songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identites. In February 2022, the show was recommissioned for a fourth and fifth series. The show won an International Emmy for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment in 2021.
The Masked Dancer is an American reality competition television series that aired on Fox from December 27, 2020, to February 17, 2021. Craig Robinson hosted the show, with Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale serving as panelists. Like The Masked Singer's format, celebrity contestants wear head-to-toe costumes and face masks that conceal their identities, but perform solo, with a partner, or with a crew in different dance styles. The show began as a recurring segment on Ellen DeGeneres' daytime talk show which spoofed The Masked Singer. In pre-production since January 2020, filming was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
The first series of the British version of The Masked Singer premiered on ITV on 4 January 2020, and concluded on 15 February 2020. The series was won by singer Nicola Roberts as "Queen Bee", with comedian Jason Manford finishing second as "Hedgehog", and singer Katherine Jenkins placing third as "Octopus".
The Masked Dancer is a British reality dancing competition television series that premiered on ITV on 29 May 2021. It was based on the original programme, The King of Mask Singer. In December 2021, the show was recommissioned for a second series which aired September–October 2022.
Chanteurs Masqués is a Canadian French language reality singing competition television series based on the South Korean television series King of Mask Singer. The series premiered on September 19, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. (EST/EDT) on TVA. The show features celebrities singing popular songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. It employs panelists who guess the celebrities' identities by interpreting clues provided to them throughout the series.
The Masked Dancer is a German reality competition television series that premiered on ProSieben on 6 January 2022, based on the American television series of the same name. Like The Masked Singer's format, celebrity contestants wear head-to-toe costumes and face masks that conceal their identities. Matthias Opdenhövel hosts the show, with Alexander Klaws and Steven Gätjen serving as panelists.
The second season of The Masked Singer based on the Masked Singer franchise which originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer. It premiered on VTM on 14 January 2022 and is hosted by Niels Destadsbader. The season was won by singer Camille Dhont as "Miss Kitty", with singer Loredana finishing second as "Knight", and party chairman Conner Rousseau placing third as "Rabbit".