The Masked Singer Australia – it’s happening, it’s bloody happening. After weeks of wild promos and suss clues we are finally less than a week out from the premiere.
If you’ve managed to dodge all the ads on Channel 10, here’s the gist: 12 mystery celebrities hit the stage in the most bonkers costumes and sing, and the panel/Australia have to try and guess who it is based on their voice and a bunch of clues.
Host/Bachelor MVP Osher Günsberg spoke to PEDESTRIAN.TV about his new gig and yeah, wow, behind-the-scenes sounds a lot more intense than I thought it’d be.
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PTV: Had you heard about the The Masked Singer before Ten got its hands on it?
O: Oh yeah, absolutely! We were in Los Angeles on holidays visiting some mates. I was catching up with a TV producer mate of mine and he just said, “Listen, there’s a show here that’s so over the top, so massive. If they ever do one in Australia, you’ve got to host it.” So we checked it out, I think they were up to episode 2 or 3 [of the US version] at that point and we just looked at the thing and thought it was humongous.
O: So of course when we found out Ten got it I put my hand up and said “You know I wouldn’t mind it ” [laughs] and sure enough I got it. And I’m just so grateful it came my way you know, ‘coz I wasn’t the only person gunning for this show. I’m very, very lucky that I got it and it’s just the best show, it’s so much fun, it’s so silly, I love it.
PTV: How does it feel to be back in front of a live audience?
O: The best! That’s how I started. Channel V was always in front of a live audience, we always had an audience for Idol, and Bachelor, I got the Bachelor job – even though it’s not live, you have to be able to do it right the first time every time – so I had that skillset but honestly to get back out there in front of 300 people and walk out on stage every night and have fireworks go off when my foot hit a certain spot it’s amazing. I love it, it’s my favourite thing to do.
O: It’s a beautiful dance, there’s like 85 people that work to make this show. Everyone has to do their job perfectly so you can see what you see. I’m talking lighting, pyro, audio, staging – everybody.
PTV: Did you enjoy taking a break from your iconic Bachie whispery voice?
O: I love that I get to be reverent on television when I’m telling someone that their romantic dreams are destroyed. That is why I whisper so much but there is no whispering on this show. No, no, no. Even my suits are loud.
PTV: I love the suits already!
O: Oh, they’re fantastic. My stylist, Melissa Byrne, went all out. She went all out! She got all these crazy suits made for me which is amazing and I just have nowhere else I can wear them. There is no social occasion that could possibly be appropriate for me to wear any of these but yeah, the suits are incredible.
PTV: Now how tight was security?
O: The level that they went to to keep it a secret from all of us was bigger than big. I was blown away – like, “What do you mean I have to leave the studio? I work here.” And security would be like, “Nah mate, get out, we’ve got to sweep the studio for devices” and I’d say “What do you mean?!” [laughs] The security guys loved it, they were all over it but it was infuriating for me because when I’m on a show like this I have to know exactly what’s happening because I’m driving the ship. If something doesn’t go right I have to craft it and shape it so it can go right. But on this show I had no idea at all. So when you see my face and it looks like I don’t know what’s happening, I literally don’t know what’s happening. [laughs]
PTV: What was it like backstage with the stars? Were they just surrounded by security at all times?
O: So they were never out of their masks ever. They wore a hood underneath their masks so nobody could see their faces, they wore gloves so you couldn’t see the colour of their hands. A lot of the costumes, they’re designed to hide their body shape so you can’t tell if it’s a big person, tall person, small person, you can’t tell and that was also really weird. The level of security was like nothing else I’ve ever worked on and I work on Bachelor shows where we have to keep things a secret for six months.
PTV: So were the stars even allowed to talk to anybody backstage?
O: No, no, they weren’t allowed to talk to anybody. They’d even wear a t-shirt that says “Don’t talk to me.” And they’re surrounded by security and as far as I’m aware, I’m pretty sure they are the only person that – I don’t exactly know how it works but I tried to figure it out – but there’s a whole other room and I think they go into this room alone and the costume is in there and no one helps them into it ‘cos no one can know. That’s the level of secrecy behind it.
PTV: Did you get to try any of the costumes yourself?
O: Once the heads came off, obviously I’ve got the head in my hands and saying, “Look it’s Bob Hawke” – I’m saying that because Bob Hawke is no longer with us – but they had just finished completing a very intense sing and dance routine so the costume was quite sweaty so I didn’t want to put it on. But I did wear some masks. Most nights I’d wear a mask when I walked out because our costume designer, Tim Chappel, he’s won a BAFTA, he’s won an Oscar, he won a Tony. So when someone who has won a Tony, a BAFTA, and an Oscar says “Here, I want you to put this fish on your head and walk out on stage” you think “When else in my life am I going to wear a fish on my head that has been designed by an Oscar-winner so okay, off I go.” So I put a fish on my head and walked out on stage and fireworks went off.
PTV: Okay so I know you can’t tell us the identity of any of the mystery stars but how famous are we talking here? Famous, famous-famous, famous-famous-famous?
O: Yeah, I mean there’s different levels of fame. In Australia we’ve got kind of famous-famous. We’ve got ‘I’m Going To Take A Photo Of You At The Supermarket’ and that’s who we’ve got. But some of these people are famous they need their own doors at the airport – they’re that famous. So from one to three famous’ I’ll give it two famous’ – famous-famous.
PTV: And what’s the best advice you have for those clues.
O: Well there are two things that I’d say. Number one: Every single thing in frame, everything you can actually see on television is a clue so if you see a wombat for example – there’s no wombat, I’m just saying that – or a Jenga tower on a coffee table, that is not there by accident. So every single thing you can see in the back of shots is a clue. And the other thing I’d say is if you see the masked singer and think “Oh, my God I know exactly who this is – that right there is Bob Hawke” then the next clue to come, you’re going to try and ram it into your guess because you think you’re right. Just let go of your first guess, ‘cos otherwise you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
PTV: What was it like working with the panel?
O: I get to work every day with Dannii Minogue and she is the most professional person I have ever worked with. She’s incredible she’s great. She’s an absolute show business machine.
O: Lindsay Lohan was great. She worked really hard. She did a lot of homework because obviously she didn’t want to show up and say, “I don’t know who that is.” Yeah, she did her homework. She really, really brushed up on who it might be and what clues for that night. There’s a person in a particular sporting field that – I’m going to make something up – that has a great netball career, so she worked really hard and she came prepared and did a cracking job.
The Masker Singer will finally begin 7.30pm Monday, September 23 on Channel 10.
