‘The Masked Singer’ does something we really thought they couldn’t do in S5 premiere

When the powers-that-be promised season five of The Masked Singer (Wednesdays, 8 pET, CTV) was going to be full of game-changers, they weren’t kidding. From the moment that catchy The Who ditty blasted from the screen, there were plenty of new elements to digest.

New costumes, new rules, a new clue-giving rooster, and a (temporary) new host. It almost made the series unrecognizable, except once things got going it was the same old show fans everywhere know and love.

Setting the stage for a new season

The major shift in season five is in new temporary host Niecy Nash. The former guest panelist is stepping in for Nick Cannon while he recovers from a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and she made sure to come in with a splash. Rather than trying to do Nick’s thing and walk in with a cape and mask, the comedian had the masked men carry her in on a throne, “looking like the queen she is,” according to panelist Nicole Scherzinger. Agreed.

That didn’t mean Nick’s presence wasn’t felt though. The host narrated the opening sequence as per usual, and after Nash introduced the rest of the returning panelists—Jenny McCarthy, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong—she made sure to tell Ken to sit down, as per Nick. (Looks like the “Daddy” vibes between Ken and Nick will be “Mommy” vibes between Ken and Niecy this season, as per that exchange.)

Later, Nick also left a present for the panelists: a swear jar of sorts in which they have to throw fifty bucks every time they guess one of their usual suspects. That includes Jamie Foxx, Johnny Knoxville, Lindsay Lohan and Björk. One episode in and Nicole already lost her cash literally putting money on the porcupine (A.K.A. Robopine) being Foxx, so obviously these panelists are going to be broke by the end of round one, right?

So what else was new this season? Nothing that really affects the show this week, but viewers met Cluedle-doo, the clue-giving rooster who is also a masked celebrity designed to throw the panelists off their game.

Meanwhile, fans were also promised some game-changing wildcard contestants in the near future, but in episode one they were merely a mention since the first night was all about getting to know the first five celebrity performers.

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The vocals are... wild this season

So how does this year’s stack of contestants compare to seasons past, so far? To be honest, it’s kind of impossible to tell. While early frontrunners like Seashell and Robopine rocked their respective performances, the night also gave viewers the likes of Raccoon, whose off-key iteration of “Wild Thing” was so painful that Robin couldn’t stop laughing and burying his face in his hands.

Snail, with his attempt at “You Make My Dreams Come True,” was only mildly better vocally, but because his costume was so limiting, he could only stand there and sing, which definitely didn’t add anything to the performance.

And then there was the creepy but magical Russian Doll, who is actually at least two people but maybe more. No one should be surprised if we learn that there’s an entire family of performers under that giant costume, but for now, their version of “Man in the Mirror” was one of the night’s major selling points. If you heard it, you were probably also left wanting more. 

The first unmasking proves all bets are off on celebs

Anyone who caught all of the performances probably put money on Raccoon (who may or may not be Mike Tyson, according to Ken) going home. However his heartfelt performance—which included rummaging through trash bins and screaming “Wild Thing” at the top of his hoarse lungs—was apparently enough to keep him in the competition. And so it was Snail who slugged it out at the bottom and was forced to reveal himself.

The judges were all over the place with their guesses, which is pretty on-brand for them this early on in the show. Robin doubled down on his first impression guess of Seth MacFarlane, Ken went all-in with Jay Leno, and Jenny and Nicole both flipped their first impression guess of Adam Carolla into Ted Cruz and Billy Crystal, respectively.

As it turns out, no one was even close. After a brief moment in which a puppeteer was clearly setting up and building anticipation, it was none other than Kermit the Frog who popped his green head out of the hole in Snail’s shell.

Suddenly the entire costume made way more sense (they had to design something with limited mobility for the big reveal, but they did allow Snail to keep Kermit’s trademark foot-kick). As for the judges? Well they were speechless—as one is when Kermit surprises you.

And just like that, the Muppet leader goes down in the history of the show as the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational and Muppetational contestant the series has ever had. Even if Miss Piggy is going to be “so mad” at him for going home first. 

And with that, the competition is on. If someone as big and unexpected as Kermit was the first celebrity on the season, who knows what other faces are in store. One thing is completely clear after night one though: anything is on the table with this season of The Masked Singer. Up next week: the show unveils the Group B costumes and five new performances. Bring the popcorn.

Watch new episodes of The Masked Singer Wednesdays at 8 pET on CTV and catch up at CTV.ca and the CTV app.

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