"The Masked Singer": Unmasking the Reasons Why Celebrities Want to Appear on the Fox Hit

"A lot of people were either overcoming fears or trying to get noticed for something they haven't been noticed for before," panelist Robin Thicke cited as one reason. "They wanted to wear a mask. They wanted to wear a costume and just be judged on their performance and their singing and not on what we already know about them as celebrities."

"It kind of gives them the confidence to show another side they had not gotten to show, with no judgments, no preconceived notions, so you get to connect," fellow panelist Nicole Scherzinger concurred. "You only get to know them through their story and connect on a human level."

According to season one contestant Ricki Lake (pictured at top with series host Nick Cannon), the show was a precursor of sorts to the realities of COVID-19 isolation and the many precautions all productions now practice. "The [drivers] that would pick me up did not know my name," she explained. "When I arrived [on the lot] they didn't know what I was going to do. The minute I got close to the studio I was covered up. It was hot, it was in the summer, and I had to wear this giant hoodie with a visor, and we would go right into my little honey wagon area and I’d stay there. No one accompanied me and I was alone. There was very little interaction, only on the show day, when I would maybe see The Bee from far away. But I did not ever come close."

Lake, who had previously trained as a singer, although she’s not widely known for her vocal skills, had her own reasons for wanting to participate. "I did it due to the loss of my husband," she told MediaVillage. "It was really fun to sing again. Being anonymous and getting to do something very public was a thrill. I wasn't the best singer, I wasn't the worst, but I loved my costume and I loved my story. I got to share my story about my husband who’d passed away, so it was a cathartic experience. And I got to be anonymous until the very end. It was definitely [a way to] express my story.

"I had a lot of nerve singing a Lady Gaga song," she added with a laugh. "But it was the best high-end karaoke thing ever! I’m technically a trained singer. I just hadn't trained for a long time. It was a blast and an opportunity to do something that brought a lot of joy to a lot of people. You get to stretch different muscles, try new things, and the costume is really fun. I picked my costume. The Raven represented the loss of my husband and getting over this dark, terrible loss. It was like coming alive again and it really resonated with me."

"There's a huge advantage over other shows like Dancing with the Stars where [celebrities] literally have to give up three months of their lives," explained Rob Wade, President of Alternative Entertainment and Specials at Fox. That's something Lake, who competed on season 13 of DTWS, wholeheartedly agrees with. "This was a million times easier," she laughed of Singer. "Really a million more than doing DWTS. I mean I worked three and a half months, every single day, for seven weeks, and my toenails …"

Recent DWTS contestant Johnny Weir, who was eliminated this week from that show, appeared on season two of Masked Singer and has mixed emotions about his experience. "There is definitely more expectation on me doing DWTS," he told MediaVillage. "On The Masked Singer, obviously we don't tell anybody that we're on it until it's aired. I'm not much of a singer but I've always wanted to learn how to do it, the same as ballroom dancing. So, they're similar in that way.

"I competed against Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child in my first round -- no pressure. I was an egg and I could only see through 'this much' of my mask," he added with a laugh. "It was a terrifying experience."

Weir (pictured above with Cannon) noted that on DWTS he felt much more at home, giving much credit to his partner Britt Stewart. She made it "more special and more lovely [and] much more comfortable," he explained, recalling that she knew how to calm him down and get him "into the right zone" for a performance.

"It's like just hanging out with your friend," he said, noting that he preferred dancing over "doing vocal scales."

"I really wanted to do the show because I thought it was a unique opportunity to be able to share a specific talent solely based on that talent, and not Grammys, or Super Bowl titles, or any other achievements in life," offered Rumer Willis (pictured above with Cannon), who also competed on the first season of Singer. "It's about you singing and connecting with the judges and the audience. The crazy part is having no idea who else is performing, so it was as much a mystery for me as for everyone."

The Masked Singer is telecast on Fox Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

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