'The Masked Singer': Rita Ora Replacing Longtime Judge for Season 11
Rita Ora will replace Nicole Scherzinger while the former Pussycat Doll takes to London's West End.
While Season 10 of The Masked Singer just premiered on Fox, Season 11 is already looking different. TVLine reports that after 10 seasons, judge Nicole Scherzinger will be departing from the series. Singer-songwriter Rita Ora will take over while the former Pussycat Doll performs on London's West End. Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, and Robin Thicke are expected to return, with Nick Cannon continuing to host.
Back in May, Playbill reported that Scherzinger was tapped for the leading role in a West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard. Directed by Jamie Lloyd, the production is set to begin this month at London's Savoy Theatre and run for 16 weeks. The show will open on Sept. 21 and run through Jan. 6. The role will mark the singer's latest musical role, as she was also in the London revival of Cats in 2014.
It sounds like this won't be a permanent thing. Depending on the future of The Masked Singer beyond Season 11, fans could very well see Nicole Scherzinger back on the panel. Luckily, Rita Ora is familiar with judging. She's been on The Voice: Australia, The X-Factor UK, and America's Next Top Model. What's even better, she was a panelist on The Masked Singer UK for four seasons, so she's pretty prepared to do it for the U.S. version.
The special Season 10 premiere of The Masked Singer was on Sept. 10. After the series had been teasing a big unmasking in the first episode, it did not disappoint. Demi Lovato was unmasked as "Anonymouse" to coincide with the release of her new album, REVAMPED, which gives some of her greatest pop hits a rock edge. When the series returns on Sept. 27, it will include a total of 16 celebrity singers throughout the season and plenty of new costumes. Fans can also expect previous unmasked celebrities to show up, as well as themed episodes for Elton John, Trolls, Harry Potter, the NFL, the 2000s, and more.
Even though Nicole Scherzinger won't be on Season 11, fans can still look forward to seeing her on Season 10 of The Masked Singer. New episodes return on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET only on Fox. Make sure to tune in to see who will be competing and who might be hiding underneath a mask. It's going to be a big celebration all season for the 10th season, and you won't want to miss it.