It’s the celebrity singing show that’s taken off in South Korea and the US, and now that it’s arrived Down Under – bringing with it a host of local and international stars – strict security measures were put in place to protect their identity.
Dave Hughes, who flew from Melbourne to Sydney for filming, describes the secrecy on set of The Masked Singer as “unbelievable”, revealing that sometimes it even affects where he sleeps at night!
“They went to great lengths to separate everyone from the singers,” the comedian tells TV WEEK. “I’ve said, ‘I want to stay at this hotel in Sydney,’ and they’re like, ‘You can’t because some of the singers are at that hotel.'”
The Masked Singer panellists Dannii Minogue, Jackie O, Dave Hughes, Lindsay Lohan and host Osher Günsberg.
In fact, decoys were brought in to confuse the panel behind the scenes.
“People are walking around with bags over their heads, and then I found out there were body doubles walking around, so you couldn’t even read a body shape if someone had a bag over their head,” he explains.
“We found out later that [one person] with a bag over their head was someone who wasn’t even on the show, so we’ve got people walking around with bags on their head all around – it was quite bizarre!”
Jackie O adds that top-notch security were brought in for the series. “I spoke to one of the security guys who said he’s worked with a Prime Minister… and he said, ‘But this is next level.'”
The security on The Masked Singer has been described as ‘next level.’
The reality TV series is set to premiere this week, with Lindsay Lohan and Dannii Minogue joining Dave and Jackie on the show’s panel.
The Masked Singer Australia will see 12 celebrities take to the stage over the season, hidden beneath bizarre disguises. The panel of industry experts will take a handful of clues and the sound of the celebrity’s voice to try figure out who is behind the mask.
Clues have already started dropping about who is behind the masks, and you can read all the latest hints here.
The Masked Singer airs Monday and Tuesday, 7.30pm, on Network 10.
