The Masked Singer Season 11 is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean it can’t drop a surprise every now and then. This time I wasn’t shocked by an unmasking, or the fact that Grammy-winning singer Thelma Houston was revealed before being sent home ahead of the finale. I was surprised, however, to learn one wild detail about a protective measure the show takes to conceal contestants’ identities, which I never heard before.
Following her elimination episode, now available to stream with a Hulu subscription, Houston was kind enough to spend some time talking to CinemaBlend about her experience, and we landed on the topic of the immense amount of effort Fox puts into making sure the identities of contestants remain a secret. This led to a reveal I still can’t believe, but am impressed all the same by how dedicated The Masked Singer crew is.
Thelma Houston Revealed The Masked Singer Gave Her A Fake Name
Performing as The Clock on The Masked Singer had its challenges, but as Thelma Houston told CinemaBlend, she had to remain just as covered up even when she was out of her costume. Readers may be familiar with the black sweatshirt and masked visor contestants wear and the fact that all of their skin must be covered to prevent anyone from making a guess about their identity. Houston revealed to me that she had to be suited up from the time she was picked up to do the show and dropped another wild reveal:
Listen, from the time they pick you up at your house to take you to the studio, you are dressed up. Even when the driver came to pick me up…They said we’re picking up Madeline. They didn’t even have my name. I said, ‘Oh, no.’ But they had another name for me that the driver was picking up. So, yeah…they ain’t playing about that security. They don’t be playing about that.
According to Thelma Houston, The Masked Singer actually gave the ride service driver a fake name to pick her up! There’s a part of me that wonders if maybe the driver was just assuming the person who scheduled the ride was the passenger, though with Houston all suited up and needing a ride to the studio, I wouldn’t put it past the network to do something like this. Pretty amazing she went along with it, especially since doing the singing series does not pay well.
The Masked Singer Goes To Great Lengths To Protect Contestants’ Identities
CinemaBlend has heard stories of the great lengths The Masked Singer goes to prevent spoilers before. Even Dog The Bounty Hunter confessed he couldn’t crack the code of figuring out who he was on the show with when he performed. Besides the aforementioned clothing that hides their appearance, people on set are not allowed to speak to the contestant, though I’ve heard they do have handlers who will get them things if they request it.
It was great to hear this.
Despite even the best efforts, The Masked Singer has accidentally leaked out the identity of contestants before. One notable event was when the series made headlines when Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke left the stage after former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was unmasked. That’s still a pretty good track record, though, as few others have let it slip who they were before it was time for the mask to come off.
The Masked Singer Season 11 is buzzing along, and I’m still liking the odds of Gumball winning. I originally thought this season had a major problem with the amount of talent attached to it, but these past few episodes have shown that the real diamonds were just waiting for their chance to shine at the tail end. This finale should be a wild one, regardless of who gets the Golden Mask trophy at the end.
Tune in for the Season 11 finale of The Masked Singer on Fox on Wednesday, May 22nd, at 8:00 p.m. ET. I still have no clue who is hiding under the masks of the remaining contestants, so it will be great to see who is finally underneath when it’s all over.