1. The US version of The Masked Singer is actually based on a South Korean show called King of Masked Singer.
2. The show isn't actually live. All of the episodes are pre-recorded months in advance in front of a studio audience.
3. All electronics are banned from the studio audience, and audience members must sign contracts binding them to secrecy.
4. One audience account said they didn't actually get to see who was unmasked at the end of the episode they watched.
5. And before the contestants are unmasked, they're sent backstage to touch up their hair and makeup.
6. The audience actually votes for their favorite contestant using custom Masked Singer voting devices.
7. Even though the episodes are only an hour long, the tapings can take up to 14 hours to shoot.
8. Nick Cannon was always Izzie Pick Ibarra's first choice to host the show.
9. The competitors are also not allowed to know who's unmasked until the episode airs on TV.
10. The judges' responses are totally candid, and they can say — or guess — whatever they want.
11. At first, none of the contestants are allowed to interact backstage or listen to each others' performances, which helps maintain everyone's anonymity.
12. In fact, every contestant rehearses in a different location, has a remote dressing room, and a separate production team to avoid any extra run-ins.
13. But as the group gets smaller, the contestants are more likely to pass each other during sound checks and listen to other performances.
14. The judges aren't involved in any behind-the-scenes work and actually aren't allowed to communicate with the contestants offstage.
15. The contestants aren't coached or given voice lessons before performing, and "everything they do is their own talent."
16. To keep identities secret, the show also sends out drivers to pick up the talent and their entourage at random places around LA.
17. The contestants' faces are also covered before they even arrive at the studio.
18. The contestants are sworn to total secrecy. Before filming, they sign non-disclosure agreements and can't tell anyone they're on the show until they've been unmasked.
19. But there are exceptions, of course. If a contestant wants to tell family members or their spouses, they also have to sign NDAs and wear masks if they're on set.
20. Because the celebrities have such busy schedules, the show often uses stand-ins.
View this video on YouTube
Joey Fatone said that whenever the Rabbit was onstage performing or talking to the judges, it was actually him. However, as for clue packages, Joey recorded the voiceovers, but a stand-in was used in the video portion.
21. Before filming, the contestants are shown different character designs created by Marina Toybina, and they get to choose which one they want to be. Sometimes, they also get to help design the rest of the costume.
22. Each contestant has a whole team of people that helps them get in and out of their intricate costumes.
23. The contestants get to choose the songs they want to sing, but on rare occasions the producers will pick for them.
24. The show's producers ask famous people if they'd be a contestant, but some celebrities will reach out and ask if they can be on the show.
25. The contestants are never fully alone onstage.
26. The show's writers, directors, and studio team don't even know who's under the masks, and they only refer to contestants as their characters' names.
27. And finally, the contestants can't see too well out of their masks, and Nick Cannon has had to catch people before they fell offstage.
