I’ve watched 40 hours of Masked Singer – this year’s series was a flop – even Maya Jama couldn’t save it
THE Masked Singer has hit rock bottom – and even Maya Jama couldn’t save it.
ITV’s once-thrilling guessing game has lost its spark, with this series leaving fans cringing rather than cheering.
The celebrity reveals have been underwhelming, and it feels like the show is scraping the bottom of the barrel for famous faces – has The Masked Singer finally lost its magic?
SAW IT COMING
One issue plaguing the show is the predictable pattern of celebrities signing up.
In recent seasons, the programme has leaned heavily on former band members, ex-pop stars, and soap actors – making it far too easy to guess.
Once you spot the trend, it’s just a process of elimination rather than a real mystery.
Earlier seasons were far more exciting, with a wider mix of athletes, actors, and even international celebrities keeping viewers on their toes.
But by sticking to the same familiar categories, the show has lost the element of surprise – and it desperately needs a shake-up!
With the judges realising they would rather be anywhere else, the show has had to fill in the missing seats.
Maya, 30, joined the panel this season, most likely for sex appeal and to engage fans to watch.
And she is surprisingly good at guessing the celebrities behind the mask, knowing a lot of reality stars and former famous singers.
But, the panel overall lacks talent.
And as it is a singing competition, shouldn’t there be more actual singers on there?
The judges rarely take their job seriously and seem to treat the show as a bit of a joke or one big party.
Jonathan Ross especially makes ridiculous guesses – probably thinking he’s funny and entertaining people, but should take notes from the hilarious and iconic Ken Jeong on the US series to do this successfully.
Sometimes it feels like the show is a fix because the judges forget it’s a singing competition when putting through singers to the next round.
For example, they chose to unmask Macy Gray – not because they didn’t think she was any good – but because they wanted to confirm it was her and wanted to meet her. No wonder she was annoyed.
Another of this series’ biggest problems is how ridiculously vague and generic the clues have become.
Instead of being clever hints that superfans can piece together, they’re so broad and sparse that they could apply to almost anyone.
Without more detailed, meaningful clues, the mystery just isn’t as exciting – and it’s ruining the show’s appeal!
Who has left The Masked Singer 2025 so far?
Much to the delight of telly fans, The Masked Singer is back in 2025.
Twelve celebrities have been hidden behind intricate costumes, with their identities concealed.
Sadly, not all of this year’s whacky and wonderful characters can make it to the end of the show, as there can only be one winner.
Here’s who has been unmasked so far:
Bush – she didn’t fool viewers and the judges were so close, but Bush was in fact EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy. Davina McCall came closest, guessing Morgana Robinson, who does a mean impression of the Sonia actress
Bear – another success for new judge Maya Jama as she guessed correctly that the singing Bear was none other than singer, songwriter Example – real name Elliot Gleave
Snail – this singer certainly fooled the judges as the mask was lifted to reveal Andrea Corr. Jonathan Ross admitted to being a huge fan of The Corrs
Kingfisher – everyone was convinced this was Harry Hill, but the mask was lifted to reveal artist Sir Grayson Perry, who is known for his alter-ego Claire
Teeth – this character baffled judges and viewers with their changing voice. They were finally unmasked as former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc. None of the panel managed to guess it was her
Tattoo – despite Davina McCall saying “you sound the same” after this character was unmasked, none of the judges guessed it was 80s singer Carol Decker, whose hit China In Your Hand was a No1 hit for five weeks
Toad In The Hole – a massive diva strop saw the character storm off the stage after the judges voted them off. They later returned to be unmasked as singer Macy Gray
Pegasus – the mythical horse was revealed to be Prue Leith, with judge Jonathan Ross correctly guessing her identity
Spag Bol – this character was first to be unmasked and was none other than Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway.
Plus there was one extra unmasking this season, with Giant Joel – a caricature of host Joel Dommett – unveiled as double-double Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.
Lastly and most importantly, the vocals… as this season’s singers have not been strong.
Pufferfish seems to be the only professional standard vocalist, and the show is trying to make up for poor singing with heavy auto-tune, making it difficult to guess who’s on the mic.
It doesn’t help that there is an incredibly high standard after last year’s winner Danny Jones and his unbeatable vocals.
CAN IT BE SAVED?
One of the few saving graces this season has been the rotating guest panellists who have helped keep things fresh.
That said, the guest judges often feel like last-minute stand-ins rather than carefully chosen additions.
Why not link them to themed weeks to make their presence feel more meaningful?
A soul singer for Diva Week, a ballad artist for Valentine’s Week – it would add an extra layer of excitement and credibility.
More viewer involvement could also be a game-changer – making fans feel like they’re truly a part of the show, rather than just passive watchers.
A simple but effective way would be adding a QR code on screen during performances, allowing fans scan for a recap of all the clues so far.
Ultimately, I’m a Masked Singer fan, and that’s why I feel so strongly that the ITV show needs to evolve if it’s to keep hold of its audience.
If it doesn’t, well, us viewers won’t be able to mask our disappointment any longer.