Robin Thicke of “The Masked Singer” Promises a Post-Super Bowl Shocker

The third season of Fox’s mega-hit The Masked Singer, in which celebrities disguise themselves as bizarre creatures in order to compete in an anonymous singing competition, premieres Sunday in what is often referred to as the best time period in all of television – the hour after the Super Bowl.  Host Nick Cannon and returning panelists (pictured below, left to right) Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and (far right) Nicole Scherzinger will be joined on this special occasion by Jamie Foxx (second from right).  In keeping with the series growing popularity, eighteen disguised celebrities will kick-off the competition.  According to Fox, together they have amassed 69 Grammy nominations, 88 gold records, 11 Super Bowl appearances, three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, more than 160 tattoos and one title in the Guinness Book of World Records.  “I think the unveiling after the Super Bowl is the biggest one yet,” Thicke shared when MediaVillage recently spoke with him.  “None of us got it right and we were amazed.  I was personally enthralled because I’m a big fan of this celebrity, and none of us were even close to guessing the first person eliminated.  When people see who it is, they will be blown away.

“Season two [did] have some surprises,” he continued.  “But nothing like the one after the Super Bowl.  It’s going to shock everyone.”

The Masked Singer came out of the gate as a ratings blockbuster for Fox, with season two ending its run with upwards of eight million tuning in to see multi-talented Wayne Brady win bragging rights.  According to Thicke, trying to top each season isn’t a high priority.  “You don’t want to worry about going backward,” he explained.  “I think we’ve enjoyed the first two seasons, and the beginning of the third so much.  I love coming to work, I love the people I’m working with and I think the show is only getting better.  Also, the stars continue to get exponentially bigger across the board, because of the interest from their children.  People like Seal wanted to do the show because [their] kids love it.  That’s what’s happening now.  Our opportunities with the next wave of celebrities are endless.”

According to Thicke, the show’s widespread appeal isn’t relegated to social media-platform guessing games, which is just fine with him.  “I have three children,” he said.  “I mean I am in touch with [social media], but I have to put babies to bed, get them breakfast, and then go to work” he laughed.  “I do enjoy it, but I’m more of an in-person kind of social butterfly.  I was on vacation and 10-year-old kids would come up and tell me who their favorite character was and asked me questions.  It’s different entertainment for different generations.  My family and people my age love the guessing game, but my son and other youngsters like the entertainers in their costumes.  They don’t care about the reveal.  There's something different for every generation to really get into.

“Similar to that, I have a text group that includes 15 of my family members across the country,” he added.  “We stay connected and have something to talk about every week.  It goes into other subjects, but the show has really reconnected some family members that might have only spoken a few times a year.  Now we are in contact every episode.”

 

Steve Gidlow

Steve Gidlow, a long-time columnist for MediaVillage ("Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"), has written about television and pop culture since 1994, beginning in Australia.  Since moving to Hollywood in 1997, Steve has focused on celebrity interv… read more