the masked singer australia Osher Günsberg

Everything We Know About Osher Günsberg’s Bonkers New Show ‘The Masked Singer’

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If you’ve been praying for the return of the glory days of Australian Idol, then the new singing competition The Masked Singer might be the closest we’re ever going to get. The reality series even comes with Osher Günsberg as host.

This show is going to be bonkers. It’s basically The Voice but instead of the people singing to the backs of a panel, they’re belting out a tune inside an insanely extra costume. Oh, and it ain’t just regular people, the contestants singing are all celebs.

The aim of the game is to correctly guess which celeb is inside the suit and the big reveal moment makes truly wild TV.

It will be the first music show Osher’s headed since Australian Idol’s final season in 2009 and it will be an exciting departure from the Osh we know and love as our The Bachelor dad. Osher spilled on his new gig:

“I’m so excited to be a part of a big, loud entertainment show for Network 10. The Masked Singer Australia is such an out-there show, such a wild format, and I can’t wait for people to see it,” he said.

“While lately, I’ve been whispering very seriously about roses, this is a very different side of what I do, and I’m thrilled that we’re doing it.”

But what even is this show? Tbh, many Aussie viewers have never even heard of this reality concept so we’re here to break it all down.

WTF is The Masked Singer?

The series was created in South Korea and was initially called King of Mask Singer, which was later adapted in Thailand and renamed The Mask Singer. The series is getting even bigger after starting up in the US, where it just aired its first season earlier this year.

The original format involved 12 celebrities singing live on stage before a studio audience. The kicker is that they wear OUTRAGEOUS head-to-toe costumes to hide their identities from viewers and the judging panel. Each week clues are provided to help everyone guess which celeb is inside the suit and the judges ask one question of the performers each week.

Who will cameo?

It could basically be anyone. The American season has seen comedians, sporting legends, models and TV personalities, so the celebs aren’t necessarily good singers. We also probably aren’t dealing with A-list celebs here. The most recent US version saw the likes of Tori Spelling, La Toya Jackson, Ricki Lake, Joey Fatone and Gladys Knight take the stage.

The finale of the first season was epic. A celeb in a monster costume won and it turned out to be rapper T-Pain, while someone dressed as a peacock got runner-up and was revealed as Donny Osmond.

The Korean version famously had an iconic cameo from Ryan Reynolds in a unicorn costume.

Along with the contestants, Osher will be joined by a judging panel. For the US season, the judging panel included Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Nick Cannon and The Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger.

We’ve been told to stay tuned for the announcement of the Aussie panellists coming soon.

Is there a The Masked Singer winner?

Yes! As the competition goes on, celebs are eliminated and this is when their identity is revealed. The aim is to be the last person standing and therefore the last to be unmasked.

The weird thing is that the winner does not get much of a prize. When T-Pain took the competition earlier this year, he won…a golden mask-shaped trophy. Err…cool.

When does it start?

No airdate has been set but we’re expecting the series to kick off later this year.

Will I be tuning into this shitshow?

Absolutely.