‘The Masked Singer’ Season 5: First Look Ahead of the FOX Premiere

The Masked Singer returns for its fifth season in just three years with another group of celebrities wearing intricate costumes while performing. The new season will feature a different judge, with Reno 911! star Niecy Nash stepping in for Nick Cannon to film episodes after Cannon tested positive for COVID-19. However, the format is the same, as are the panelists. Before the Season 5 premiere airs on Wednesday, March 10 at 8 p.m. ET, Fox released a collection of photos showing off the first group of performers.

This season will also launch alongside a contest for viewers at home. Before each episode airs, Fox Bet Super 6 app users will be given six questions to predict what happens during the show. Each correct answer will earn a viewer an entry for a $20,000 prize each week during the season. The users who win will also be entered into grand prize sweepstakes for $100,000.

“We are thrilled with the opportunity to build on the app’s popularity with sports fans and expand the fun and excitement into an entirely new audience,” FOX Bet CMO Andrew Schneider said in a statement. “The app has proven to be an engaging complement to live events and, through this partnership, will help to drive viewership and enrich the experience of Masked Singer fans.” Each contest starts on a Monday before an episode airs at 8 p.m. ET and is open until the end of Act 1 on the East Coast Wednesday.

The Masked Singer has been a surprise smash hit for Fox since it debuted in January 2019, becoming the top-rated entertainment series in the 18-49 demographic. Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke make up the celebrity panel. While we wait for the new season to start, here’s a look at the costumes featured in the Season 5 premiere.

Grandpa Monster

The Masked Singer producers have now concocted a family story for some of the characters. This season will introduce Grandpa Monster, the grandfather of Season 1’s Monster (T-Pain) and Season 3’s Miss Monster (Chaka Khan). We can only hope that future seasons will introduce the grandchildren.

Black Swan

In a teaser for the new season, host Niecy Nash called the Black Swan the “most celebrated black swan since Natalie Portman.” This is a reference to Portman’s Black Swan, which earned her the Best Actress Oscar.

Phoenix

The bird theme continues in Season 5 with this Phoenix costume. Not much is known about this performer, but let’s hope the wings are not so heavy they prevent the wearer from giving a standout performance.

Chameleon

This year’s contestants have won a combined “26 Grammy nominations, nine multi-platinum singles, four Academy Award nominations, three Super Bowl appearances, six gold medals, and two world records,” according to Fox. It will be fun to see how many of those achievements Chamelon has on their resume.

Russian Doll

This looks to be among the most intricate Masked Singer costumes ever. In a teaser PEOPLE published, fans saw that the Russian Doll can multiply. “They multiplied! That means we could multiply more!” Jenny McCarthy said in the clip.

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The Masked Singer producers picked Niecy Nash to replace Cannon while he was sidelined with the coronavirus. Cannon is expected to be back on the show before Season 5 ends. “I was honored to stand in the gap and just be a tiny placeholder for him, for his franchise and his series,” Nash said earlier this week. She was previously on the show as a guest panelist.