I Went To a Taping of ‘The Masked Singer’ & Here’s What Went Down
jpconnelly I have to start with a little disclaimer. Because I signed a lot of papers saying that I wouldn’t disclose any confidential information, this article is completely SPOILER FREE!
So don’t worry that this article will ruin season two for you. I promise it won’t. But if you’ve ever wanted to know what happens at a taping of The Masked Singer, here’s how it all goes down.
Reserving Tickets to a Taping
First of all, getting tickets to a taping of The Masked Singer is easier than you would think. On Camera Audiences does the ticketing for the show so booking seats is as easy as visiting their website! We got our priority tickets about a week in advance and the taping was on a Sunday afternoon. And there are still some tickets left if you want to see the last few episodes!
The Day of the Taping
On the day of the taping, your ticket tells you to arrive at a certain time. For us, it was 1:00pm. You line up outside of CBS Studios in Television City and audience coordinators check your tickets to make sure you’re where you need to be. We were a few minutes late so there was already a long line ahead of us. We waited outside for about half an hour before moving along. From there, we were escorted in, signed releases, went through security, and made our way into the studio. That’s where the real fun began!
It’s Show Time!
As soon as you walk in, you see how massive and impressive the set is. It truly is larger than life! The giant masks are amazing and all the lighting is a sight to see. It was surprising to me just how close the audience is to the stage. There was only a small aisle separating us from it! Of course, now that I see pictures and watch old clips, you can see how close they really are. But I didn’t expect that!
I was also surprised by how removed the judging panel was from the rest of the set. On television, you think they’re close together. Where the judges sit is actually in the back of the room and about 10 feet higher than the rest of the set. Luckily we were seated on one side of the stage so we could see the judges and the performances clearly! The audience coordinators got everyone in place and the stage manager said we were ready to go.
Performances and Judge Reactions
From there, Nick Cannon started the show! We then got to see performances from a handful of the contestants. It’s strange to watch on TV, but somehow even stranger in person. The costumes truly are remarkable though! The amount of detail that has to go into each one can really be seen when you’re only a few yards away from them. It’s hard to believe that people are actually inside the costumes and singing while trying to navigate the stage. Getting to vote on who would move forward was a lot of fun too! We were given small remotes that allowed us to vote for our favorite singers.
After each performance, the judges would give feedback and make their guesses. Ken Jeong was really the star of the show! He would give long-winded responses and other judges had fun mocking him during their time. Ken also loved to stand up and make a big presentation while discussing his guesses. He was entirely too confident. Nicole Scherzinger was all about the one liners. Robin Thicke was the voice of reason, giving well thought-out, educated guesses. And Jenny McCarthy was the complimentary one, who often admitted she was “stumped.”
During Commercial Breaks
During commercial breaks, the crew made sure to keep the fun going. We taped plenty of audience shots (so look out for me in the audience next season!) and reactions to the performances and what the judges were saying. They also put on a dancing competition and a singing competition for the audience. I sang and won a $5 Starbucks gift card! Woo!
All in all, the experience of going to The Masked Singer taping was a TON of fun. I would definitely recommend going if you are in the LA area! You do a lot of clapping and sitting and standing, but it’s all so worth it to see the TV magic come to life.
Catch The Masked Singer when it returns for Season 2 this fall! And read all about the Season 2 costumes in the meantime.
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