The Masked Singer is the most madcap show on the telly with its surreal crooning characters and equally bizarre backdrops the things of pure fantasy. But when you add into the mix a crackers array of famous celebs and larger than life judges you're guaranteed high drama week in week out. We take a look at the seriously shocking moments from series' new and old and even the odd bit of off-screen controversy.
MACY'S TANTRUM
Top of the pile and freshest in the memory is Grammy-winning singer Macy Gray's cringe-inducing exit last Saturday. The I Try singer is a show veteran having appeared on the US and Australian versions previously, and she was clearly expecting to go deep into the competition here in the UK as Toad in the Hole. But it wasn't to be and she was eliminated in week two. Taking the decision in the manner of a toddler deprived of a treat, Macy stormed off the stage leaving bosses scrambling to entice her back for the big reveal. After what must have felt like an eternity for the audience and crew, she obliged, only to give host Joel Dommett possibly the most awkward interview of his career. With a look of pure disgust on her face and a smattering of uninterested single-word answers, Macy made sure she will be the series' most talked about star, despite the early exit.
MACY KICKS OFF (Again)
Perhaps the crazy antics of last week should have been expected if anyone had paid attention to her other Masked appearances. Macy's first foray into the whacky world of the show saw her dress as Atlantis for the Australian version. When the time came for her to emerge from the depths of the outfit in week three, she simply refused. Show judge Dave Hughes recapped what happened on Australian radio show 2Day FM's Morning Crew. He said: "Macy Gray had such passion for The Masked Singer that when she was told that she had to leave the show, which you saw last night, she refused to leave the show. She said, ‘No, I’m continuing in the show,’ and there had to be a discussion which went for quite a while as to, ‘No, you have to leave.’ She said, ‘No, I’m not leaving.’" It appears she learned her lesson, temporarily anyway, as she made the final in the US as the similarly themed Sea Queen and played ball, even hugging host Nick Cannon.
RITA ORA'S BIG BASH
For five years Rita was part of The Masked Singer furniture bringing fun and pizzazz to the panel. But early into her tenure, she made headlines for all the wrong reasons away from the show studio when she celebrated her 30th birthday. The star allegedly offered a West London restaurant £5k to flaunt lockdown rules and let her party with her nearest and dearest. It sparked a police investigation and Rita publicly apologized saying: "I am incredibly embarrassed. I still feel embarrassed. It’s really hard for me to talk about it. I just wish I had made a different choice. It makes me sad because it’s something I wish had never happened." The debacle saw the local council suspend restaurant Casa Cruz's license for six weeks.
COSTUME COCK-UP
There were gasps of shock in 2022 when the character McTerrier literally lost its head on the US version. Shortly after the character performed Loverboy's Working for the Weekend they stumbled and their head flew off, leaving them scrambling to cover themselves from the panel members' eyes. The tartan-kilted pooch soon had to properly reveal their identity though. Food Network host Duff Goldman was the man at the heart of the chaos and it seemed like the writing was on the wall after his earlier incident.
OFF WITH HIS HEAD
Another famous face's head came off prematurely in the US in 2020 - though in very different circumstances. Hollywood hellraiser Mickey Rourke made sure he left the program on his own terms, unmasking himself in the very first episode. One song proved enough for Rourke, who said "I want to take this off right now" during his debut performance. After going through with his warning, he then sang Stand By Me beside Nick Cannon. Speaking of his decision, Rourke said he "liked the show" and "was in the neighborhood", he declined to do any more press around the show thereafter.
