Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Rita Ora, and Robin Thicke appear in each episode and vote alongside an audience for their favorite singer after all performances have concluded.

To prevent their identities from being revealed before each prerecorded episode is broadcast, the program makes extensive use of code names, disguises, non-disclosure agreements, and a team of security guards.

[4][5] Except in the first, fifth and sixth seasons, a "smackdown" round is featured in select episodes in which the two least popular competitors from their first performances sing one after another on the same stage, and a second, eliminating vote occurs.

A "Golden Ear" trophy awarded to the panelist with the most correct first impression guesses at the end of a season was introduced for the fourth, and until the sixth, as was a reduction of performances and the audience viewing and voting remotely.

[5] The permanent panel consists of actor and comedian Ken Jeong, television personality Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, recording artist Nicole Scherzinger, and singer-songwriter Robin Thicke.

[35] Jeong was the first panelist to be signed on due to his humour and pre-existing knowledge of the South Korean version, followed by McCarthy Wahlberg and Thicke because of their enthusiasm regarding the concept, and Scherzinger for her positivity and experience as a singer.

[20][35] Unsure whether it would last more than one season, Jeong originally considered The Masked Singer a temporary job while he looked for a permanent role following the cancellation of his sitcom Dr.

[44] Due to her strategy of sending potential participants sketches of costumes that might be featured, Pick Ibarra said casting for the first season "was not nearly as hard as [she] anticipated", though several celebrities were reluctant to compete.

[35] "Flamingo" in the second season, Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, stated she was taken to the set inside of an unmarked black car and only discussed her involvement on the show with producers in a "secret warehouse".

[61][62] After researching "fur and skin textures, historical wardrobe, [and] anything that might be relevant to each character",[61] Toybina sketches each concept with a pencil and works with an illustrator to create a digital version with a 3D effect.

The front is X-shaped and features an LED interior (allowing for video to be played) enclosed with smoked, tinted glass, while the back is made of shiny black laminate and contains space for trap doors and special effects underneath.

[76] Many on-stage set pieces were replaced with virtual reality elements and the panelists' desk was lengthened due to social distancing requirements during filming in the COVID-19 pandemic.

[87] No physical filming occurred in the fourth season due to the COVID-19 pandemic; producers worked with Fox-owned Bento Box Entertainment to create animated videos.

Except during the fourth and fifth seasons, the producers film the studio audience acting out how they would react to one's elimination, with less than two dozen "extremely well-vetted" people (either friends and family of the celebrity or the show's production crew) remaining on set during the actual reveal.

[186] Simulcasts of the show are popular in Canada; all of the premieres and finales have ranked within the top 10 most-watched programs in the weeks they aired according to audience measurement company Numeris.

Despite its strong viewership indicating the "changes [between it and the South Korean version] seem to have worked",[201] some felt the competition length is too slow in comparison, and makes reveals occur long after established consensuses about who the celebrities are, have formed, nullifying the excitement surrounding them.

[26][202][203] Conversely, for V's Hannah Hightman, the series "retains the bizarreness of King of Mask Singer but adds a distinctly American style, creating an infectiously fun reality TV classic".

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail cited it as a cultural change in the United States away from the competitive and often exploitative essence of reality shows like American Idol.

[207] Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture named it the best example of escapism on television,[208] and Variety's Daniel D'Addario called it a return to form for the medium as he thought it possesses the now-rare ability to uplift and unite people.

[198] Schwartz considered it "the rare show on television that allows viewers to turn off their brains, sit back, and enjoy" and felt panelists compliment competitors despite the quality of their performances.

[96][216] Opinions of the performances have differed; Variety's Caroline Framke described them as mediocre,[216] The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum thought the choreography was elaborate,[217] and Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin said some celebrities sound professional while others are more karaoke-like.

[228] The series has received criticism for having politicians such as Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani as contestants, with the latter causing panelists Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke to walk out.

[217][219][230] Describing McCarthy Wahlberg as inexperienced, Scherzinger as dull, Jeong as over-the-top, and Thicke as too serious, Kelly Lawler named them the worst panel in reality television history.

The Washington Post's Emily Yahr felt he "was made for" the show due to his years of experience in the same role "seeing oddities" on America's Got Talent,[237] and Keller thought he "learned his lesson" from that program by being less distracting.

[239] International interest in adapting other costume-centered formats such as Wild Things and Sexy Beasts has been credited to the series' success,[19] as has the debut of other guessing game shows on Fox.

[240][241] An American version of the South Korean game show I Can See Your Voice, which features contestants guessing whether singers are good or bad without hearing them sing for a chance to win money, began airing on the network in 2020.

It followed episodes of The Masked Singer's fourth season, creating a two-hour programming block based on South Korean formats and featuring Jeong.

[94] In mid-2019, some from the first season were accompanied by video and Toybina's original sketches in an exhibit, "Fashion & Fantasy: The Art of The Masked Singer", at the Los Angeles Paley Center for Media.

[301] "Family fun packs" consisting of coloring pages, a word search, and a do it yourself mask were once downloadable on its website,[302] as were official Giphy stickers, clue notebooks, Bingo cards, and phone wallpapers.

[306][307] During the fifth season, viewers could use the Fox Bet Super 6 app to answer questions about each episode and be entered into weekly draws to win money, including a grand prize of $100,000.