“TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!”

The Masked Singer is easily the campiest, corniest, and cringiest spectacle on TV right now. It is currently in its fifth season, which has been promised to be a “game changer”. The show features a bunch of C-list celebrities wearing over-the-top costumes while singing hit songs. The judging panel is noted for being the absolute worst; Jenny McCarthy thinks she’s a genius with her guesses, Ken Jeong’s “I know exactly who that is” gimmick is annoying and overused, Nicole Scherzinger wears revealing outfits every single time, and Robin Thicke makes it seem like he is such a gentleman. The so-called sleuthing team is an embarrassment for all to see.

Group A kicked off with five masked contestants: Russian Dolls (yes, there are multiple), Snail, Seashell, Raccoon, and Robopine, a robot-porcupine cyborg with a glowing red eye. Russian Dolls, Seashell, and Robopine were the clear standouts, with Snail being closely behind them talent-wise. Raccoon, however, was a complete disaster. His goofy rendition of “Wild Thing” was not even remotely close to what is considered singing.

It was almost obvious who was going to be unmasked. But when Nicey Nash (the guest host filling in for Nick Cannon) announced that Snail would be leaving the competition, everyone in the ridiculous virtual audience gasped in shock. In the end, the guesses from the judges ranged from Adam Sandler to Billy Crystal (both of whom are too famous to be on a show Youtuber Ninja participated in). When Snail got his hat pulled off, there was not a person in sight. Instead, two tiny green hands emerged from the hole in the costume.

It was Kermit the Frog. The Muppet. Seriously. What a joke.

A whole hour of television was wasted to watch a singing puppet be revealed as a “celebrity”. Is this a new low for prime time television? Absolutely. Shockingly, the majority of Twitter users would disagree. Posts tagged with #TheMaskedSinger praised the comedic reveal of the famous amphibian and thought it was hilarious.

So, it turns out that humans are not the only thing that can be found inside the zany costumes. It will be a surprise when the wildcard masks enter the competition in the coming weeks! On the other hand,  it would be great if Miss Piggy is not the the celebrity masked as Piglet. Fingers crossed the judges don’t guess Jamie Foxx for the 100th time, too.

Episode Rating: 2.5/5 Stars (major points taken off for the “celebrity” reveal)