4 key takeaways as 'The Masked Singer' Season 14 readies its January premiere
Despite running for seven years straight, 'The Masked Singer' is nowhere near extinguishing the novelty of its concept. As contestants, including celebrities and professionals from several walks of life, don extravagant costumes and dish out exciting songs one after the other, the panel of judges is tasked with identifying who the singers are beneath their masks. Although the popular FOX musical game show skipped its fall release earlier in 2025, it is gearing up to make up for the lost time with the upcoming fourteenth season. Here's a look at four important takeaways ahead of the latest season's release.
Nicole Scherzinger's comeback
Nicole Scherzinger was a regular judge on 'The Masked Singer' alongside Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg through the first ten seasons before she made her exit, thus making way for Rita Ora to join as the new judge. Ora quickly adapted to the show and became a fan favorite. However, that doesn't mean that fans haven't been demanding Scherzinger's return all this time, in any capacity possible. As the special report by Collider states, Ora welcomed Scherzinger's comeback, saying, "She is always welcome. She's just been doing bigger and better things, so we've been waiting. She's going to be under this mask at one point. It has to happen."
An exciting roster of contestants
A show such as 'The Masked Singer' wouldn't be making headlines if not for the amazing contestants every season. The pool is quite diverse, with professional singers contending with amateurs from other walks of life. Keeping in mind the explosive opening night of the upcoming season, Ora had the following to say about the contestants, "The names—the people under the mask—are just so much bigger every year, I know we say that every year, but this time around, I couldn't believe the people they were unmasking." One can't possibly wait for the contestants to reveal themselves on the stage.
A larger-than-life show
The theatricality of the FOX show has been extraordinary and has also been woven into the very format of the show. For instance, every contestant has subtle clues about their identity woven into the fabric of their costumes. These elements often take on immensely creative bearings and allow another indicator for easy identification apart from the voices of the contestants. "The creative directors make this always feel like it's a Grammy Award-winning show. They go above and beyond to make it feel like it's got that level of greatness," McCarthy said about the stage decorations and costumes.
The judges' role
Finally, the panel of judges, Thicke, Jeong, McCarthy, and Ora, all share the important responsibility of identifying the contestants and revealing their true identities based on their voices. All of the judges have different methods to reach their goals in this regard. For example, Jeong is particularly adept at identifying athletes who sign up for the singing competition show, and teased that he did spot one such contestant early on in the show's premiere episode. Thicke, on the other hand, claimed that the judges can identify the contestants once they've performed twice or thrice on the show. 'The Masked Singer' season fourteen premieres on Wednesday, January 7, at 8 pm ET on FOX.
