The Masked Singer (Australian TV series)


The Masked Singer Australia is a reality television singing competition show hosted by Osher Günsberg and based on the international music game show franchise Masked Singer which originated from the South Korean television program King of Mask Singer. The show is filmed at Fox Studios Australia.
The first season premiered on Monday, 23 September 2019 on Network 10. At the network's upfronts in October 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for season 2, premiering on 10 August 2020.

Production

In March 2019, TV Blackbox shared leaked news that Network 10 would be producing a local series of the franchise. The news was officially announced in May 2019 at the network's upfronts. In June 2019, it was revealed that Osher Gunsberg would be the host of the series. On July 15, 2019, it was revealed that American actress Lindsay Lohan would join the show as a judge. Australian singer Dannii Minogue, comedian Dave Hughes and radio presenter Jackie O were also announced alongside Lohan.
The show has an 'extreme security protocol' in effect both during and after filming to protect the celebrity's identities from leaking, with host Günsberg stating it "was beyond any kind of security I've been exposed to."
The costumes were designed and created by Australian Academy Award and BAFTA Award-Winning costume designer Tim Chappel, best known for his work on The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with Lizzy Gardiner.
In April 2020, it was reported that the coronavirus pandemic would force pre-production into delays so the second season filming was postponed until late July and early August 2020. Lindsay Lohan was unable to fly to Melbourne to take part in the program and was replaced by new panelist, comedian Urzila Carlson.

Cast

Panelists and host

Following the announcement of the series, it was confirmed by Network 10 that the judging panel would consist of radio personality Jackie O, singer-songwriter Dannii Minogue, American actress and singer-songwriter Lindsay Lohan and comedian Dave Hughes. It was also confirmed that Osher Günsberg would host the show.
On 7 July 2020, it was revealed that Lohan would be unable to return to the judging panel in the second season, as she could not travel from Dubai to Melbourne because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of travel restrictions. She was replaced for season 2 by new panelist, comedian Urzila Carlson.

Season synopses

Awards and nominations

Controversy

In October 2019, American band Halocene claimed that the program had stolen "note for note, beat for beat" their arrangement of "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish, which the Lion sang during the third episode. The rock duo had released the cover on their YouTube channel, which also included original melodies from an unreleased original song. The band threatened legal action and set up a GoFundMe page, receiving support from their fans.