tommy chong masked singer pineapple

The Masked Singer/YouTube

‘The Masked Singer’ is Twitter’s new guilty pleasure

Users love roasting the judges and playing guessing games.

Photo of Trixie Reyna 

Trixie Reyna

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Posted on Jan 10, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 9:51 pm CDT

This article contains spoilers for the first two episodes of The Masked Singer.

Remember that Korean singing show where Ryan Reynolds secretly performed “Tomorrow” from Annie in a unicorn mask last year? Called The Masked Singer, that show now has U.S. version, and season 1 premiered on Fox this month. (You can also catch it on Hulu). It’s already a hit.

The musical game show involves a dozen celebrities clad in elaborate costumes and full face masks that hide their identity while they sing karaoke before celebrity judges Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, and Nicole Scherzinger, with Nick Cannon as host. If you’re wondering what makes it special, well, Yahoo has some thoughts:

“This show has ev-er-y-thing: More entertaining blind auditions than The Voice, wilder costumes than RuPaul’s Drag Race, bigger ‘big reveals’ than The Swan, prettier livestock than anything on Animal Planet, more C-list celebrities than a ’70s Game Show Network rerun of Match Game PM, and more so-bad-it’s-good taste than Eurovision.”

Celebrity contestants who will keep the judges and the audience guessing throughout the season range from “Grammy Award winners to legendary athletes, and everything in between,” Fox promises. One celebrity is eliminated each week, which is the only time their identity will be revealed.

The Masked Singer Tommy Chong Pineapple
The Masked Singer/YouTube

So far, NFL star Antonio Brown was unmasked as the performer behind the hippo costume when he was eliminated in the first episode, while actor Tommy Chong was eliminated and unveiled as the singer behind the pineapple mask in the second episode Wednesday night.

It’s unlike any singing competition we’ve ever seen, and a huge part of the fun is guessing the celebrities behind the ridiculous masks—something the internet has made a game out of, based on clues given on the show. Among those that have hazarded a guess for each of the contestants include Just Jared, Us Weekly, E News, and Yahoo.

It keeps Twitter users on the edge of their seats while simultaneously loving and hating the show (or the judges or themselves for watching it). Sure, users think it’s “stupid”—but they’re watching.

https://twitter.com/Jaz_N_B/status/1083191009113198592

We’re here for these users roasting the judges and their guesses. “I really like this show but the judges need to go, they’re so annoying,” said user @_melissa9822.

https://twitter.com/catgrant3/status/1083193058211041280

https://twitter.com/_Melissa9822/status/1083192240472813569

People are “obsessing” over which celebs are behind the masks, sharing iPhone notes with their best guesses.

https://twitter.com/DoubleMyDolans/status/1083192149888454656

The show also has Twitter on edge because it’s making “elder” artists like Gladys Knight and Tommy Chong trend—but not for the reason people fear:

https://twitter.com/scottEweinberg/status/1083215064746860544

You may not have the patience to wait and watch each celeb get unmasked weekly, but we can always count on Twitter reactions to be just as or even more entertaining than the viral show. See you next Wednesday.

H/T Yahoo

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*First Published: Jan 10, 2019, 8:08 am CST

Trixie Reyna

Trixie Reyna-Benedicto is a lifestyle editor and writer based in the Philippines. Previously, she helmed Cosmopolitan Philippines’ website, Cosmo.ph, as its founding editor. She later served as editor-in-chief of lifestyle and entertainment portals for Manila-based media company TV5. Her work has appeared in several print and online publications in her country, and she contributes to Speed Magazine, DG Traveler, and Connected Women, among others. Visit her website, trixiereyna.com.

Trixie Reyna