The Masked Singer (Australian TV series)

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For the current season, see The Masked Singer (season 3).

The Masked Singer Australia
Masked Singer AUS Logo.png
Genre
Based on
Written by
Directed byPeter Ots
Creative directors
  • David Kurt
  • Chris Edmunds
  • Antony Ginandjar
  • Ashley Evans
Presented byOsher Günsberg
Judges
Opening theme"Who Are You" by The Who
ComposerDorian West
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes23
Production
Executive producers
  • Sean Kneale
  • Janine Cooper
  • Cathie Scott
  • Stephen Tate
  • Shaun Murphy
Producers
  • Dan Sheldon
  • Rowan McGillicuddy
  • Ben Jenkins
  • Gavin Jarrett
  • Daniel Colless
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45–50 minutes
Production companyWarner Bros. International Television
Release
Original networkNetwork 10
Picture format576i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Audio formatStereo
Original release23 September 2019 (2019-09-23) –
present
External links
Website
Production website

The Masked Singer Australia is an Australian reality television singing competition show hosted by Osher Günsberg[1] and based on the international music game show franchise Masked Singer which originated from the South Korean television program King of Mask Singer. The show is filmed at Fox Studios Australia.

The first season premiered on Monday, 23 September 2019 on Network 10.[2] At the network's upfronts in October 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, premiering on 10 August 2020.[3][4] In October 2020, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season, which premiered on 13 September 2021.[5][6]

Production[]

In March 2019, TV Blackbox shared leaked news that Network 10 would be producing a local series of the franchise.[7] The news was officially announced in May 2019 at the network's upfronts.[8] In June 2019, it was revealed that Osher Gunsberg would be the host of the series.[1] On 15 July 2019, it was revealed that American actress Lindsay Lohan would join the show as a judge. Australian singer Dannii Minogue, comedian Dave Hughes and radio presenter Jackie O were also announced alongside Lohan.[9][10]

In April 2020, it was reported that the coronavirus pandemic would force pre-production of the second season to be delayed so filming was postponed from late July to early August 2020. Lindsay Lohan was also unable to fly to Melbourne to take part in the program[11] and was replaced by new panellist, comedian Urzila Carlson.[12][13]

Security[]

The words "don't talk to me!" in capitalized white text on a black background
The front of the oversized sweatshirts celebrities wear on set while offstage to prevent their voices from being heard.[14]

The show has an 'extreme security protocol' in effect both during and after filming to protect the celebrity's identities from leaking, with host Günsberg stating that the show "was beyond any kind of security I've been exposed to."[15] Everyone involved in the show signed a non-disclosure agreement which prevented anyone from revealing any information about the shooting dates, costumes or identities of the masks episode until its broadcast. The celebrities who appear on the show are only allowed to inform their spouse about their participation, who must also sign one.[14][16]

In order to keep the identities of the masks secret, audience members and the majority of the production staff were not allowed to watch the unmasking and were removed from the studio moments before the celebrities are revealed, with Günsberg revealing that there were "only 8 people in the room when it [the unmasking] happened."[17]

Audience members had to place their phones in a special magnetic locked pouch when they were on set and were frequently sweeped throughout filming by security, which included former ASIO officials, for any devices and hidden cameras to ensure the masks' identities were kept secret.[15][18]

Design[]

Costumes[]

The costumes are designed and created by Australian Academy Award and BAFTA Award-Winning costume designer Tim Chappel, best known for his work on The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with Lizzy Gardiner.[19][20]

Cast[]

Panellists and host[]

Jackie O
Dannii Minogue
Lindsay Lohan
Dave Hughes
Osher Günsberg

Following the announcement of the series, it was confirmed by Network 10 that the judging panel would consist of radio personality Jackie O, singer-songwriter Dannii Minogue, American actress and singer-songwriter Lindsay Lohan and comedian Dave Hughes.[10] It was also confirmed that Osher Günsberg would host the show.[21]

On 7 July 2020, it was revealed that Lohan would be unable to return to the judging panel in the second season, as she could not travel from Dubai to Melbourne because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of travel restrictions.[22] She was replaced for season 2 by new panellist, comedian Urzila Carlson.[12][13]

Cast timeline
Cast Seasons
1 2 3
Host
Osher Günsberg Main
Panellists
Jackie O Main
Dannii Minogue Main
Dave Hughes Main
Lindsay Lohan Main Does not appear
Urzila Carlson Does not appear Main
Nazeem Hussain Guest Does not appear
Luke McGregor Guest Does not appear

Season overview[]

Series overview
SeriesContestantsEpisodesOriginally airedWinnerRunner-upThird place
First airedLast aired
1121023 September 2019 (2019-09-23)21 October 2019 (2019-10-21)Cody Simpson
as "Robot"		Rob Mills
as "Wolf"		Gorgi Coghlan
as "Monster"
21110 August 2020 (2020-08-10)14 September 2020 (2020-09-14)Bonnie Anderson
as "Bushranger"		Kate Miller-Heidke
as "Queen"		Eddie Perfect
as "Frillneck"
3TBA13 September 2021 (2021-09-13)TBATBATBATBA

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2019
 AACTA Awards Best Entertainment Program Nominated [23][24]

Controversy[]

In October 2019, American band Halocene claimed that the program had stolen "note for note, beat for beat" their arrangement of "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish, which the Lion (Kate Ceberano) sang during the third episode.[25][26][27] The rock trio had released the cover on their YouTube channel, which also included original melodies from an unreleased original song.[26][27] The band threatened legal action and set up a GoFundMe page, receiving support from their fans.[26][27]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Osher Günsberg to host The Masked Singer". TV Tonight. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  2. ^ Whitehead, Mat (10 September 2019). "When Does 'The Masked Singer Australia' Start? We Finally Have A Date For Season One". 10 Daily. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  3. ^ Knox, David (24 July 2020). "Returning: The Masked Singer, The Bachelor". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  4. ^ Morgan, Michaela (10 October 2019). "MasterChefs, Masked Singers And More: All The New Shows Coming To 10 In 2020 You'll Want To Binge". 10 Daily. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ^ Knox, David (15 October 2020). "Upfronts 2021: 10". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  6. ^ "You Masked For It!". 10ViacomCBS. ViacomCBS ANZ. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Channel 10 secures America's hottest new reality format THE MASKED SINGER". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Catfish, The Masked Singer and More New Australian TV Shows Announced". E! News. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  9. ^ Maloon, Natacha. "Lindsay Lohan to become a judge on Australia's version of The Masked Singer". Nine Honey. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Whitehead, Mat (15 July 2019). "Lindsay Lohan Is Heading Down Under To Join The Masked Singer Australia Panel". 10 Daily. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  11. ^ Wells, Santi (11 April 2020). "Lindsay Lohan returns to Pop music as The Masked Singer filming is delayed". Hollywood Treatment. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "The first unmasking. Urzila Carlson is ready to play detective". ViacomCBS ANZ. Network Ten. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Knox, David (16 July 2020). "Urzila Carlson Joins Masked Singer Panel". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Bath, Gemma (30 September 2019). "Abrupt "don't talk to me" signs and hidden camera sweeps: The crazy security on The Masked Singer". Mamamia. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Knox, David (19 September 2019). "We Had to Protect How We Shot the Final Moments, Yes". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  16. ^ Lallo, Michael (29 September 2019). "It's TV's silliest show but its extreme security measures are no joke". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  17. ^ Bucklow, Andrew (25 September 2019). "The Masked Singer Australia: Osher Gunsberg reveals the truth about the celebrity reveals". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  18. ^ Woolford, Lisa (22 September 2019). "It's tough keeping it all under wraps for The Masked Singer panel". The Advertiser. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  19. ^ Knox, David (28 August 2019). "Tim Chappel Has Designed Masked Singer Costumes". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  20. ^ Selinger-Morris, Samantha (5 August 2020). "Tim Chappel and a pink Kitten are the real rtars of The Masked Singer". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  21. ^ Lynch, Jessica (30 June 2019). "Osher Günsberg is Putting Down the Roses to Host 'The Masked Singer Australia'". 10 Daily. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Lindsay Lohan Out As Judge On The Masked Singer". The Daily Telegraph. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Aacta awards 2019: The Nightingale and its star Damon Herriman lead nominations". The Guardian. 22 October 2019.
  24. ^ "AACTA Awards 2019 Nominations: See the Complete List". E! News. 22 October 2019.
  25. ^ Masley, Ed (30 October 2019). "Phoenix Band Halocene say 'The Masked Singer' Australia Stole Their Billie Eilish Cover". azcentral.com/. Arizona Central. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b c Fowler, Bella (31 October 2019). "The Masked Singer has been accused of stealing music from YouTube duo". News.com.au. News.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Knox, David (31 October 2019). "US duo claim Masked Singer used their arrangement". TV Tonight. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

External links[]

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