Masked Singer 2019: Cody Simpson is the robot
The Masked Singer’s finale brought in Ten’s highest ratings for the year, with Jackie O confirming the judges have been re-signed for another season. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE UNDER THE MASK IN SEASON TWO?
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The Masked Singer is confirmed to return for a second series after the grand finale drew a national audience of 1.4 million viewers.
Celebrity judge Jackie O confirmed today she would be teaming up with Lindsay Lohan, Dannii Minogue and Dave Hughes for the next season.
“All of us, everyone, we’re all back,” Jackie said
“It’s fun! I’m excited for next year.”
She added the judges had “tentative dates and everything”.
Last night’s finale was also Ten’s best finale ratings this year. The show was divided into two parts: the grand finale, which drew 1.4 million viewers nationally, followed by the final reveal.
Nine’s The Block drew 897,000 metro viewers, while Seven’s Bride & Prejudice struggled to get just over 400,000 metro viewers.
Ten’s chief content officer Beverly McGarvey confirmed the next season would have “exactly the same judging line-up and exactly the same host”, confirming that Lohan, along with Minogue, Jackie O, Hughes and host Osher Gunsberg would be back next year.
“Despite what you may have read, we will have exactly the same judging line-up and exactly the same host,” McGarvey said.
“We’re thrilled that they’re all coming back.”
However, a leading media analyst criticised Ten’s move to re-sign Lohan.
Peter Cox told News Corp Australia it was the “wrong call” to bring her back for a second series, to air in 2020, while another media commentator praised Ten’s decision, saying she was “very good talent” for Ten.
“I think it looks silly for the show and lowers the credibility of it,” Cox said.
“I don’t think she contributes anything to the show and she lacks local knowledge. She’s not able to guess who the right person is, not that it’s easy, but she keeps on putting up LA people that couldn’t possibly be on the show.”
Lohan has been at the centre of a barrage of criticism since the show debuted in Australia, with many viewers using social media to target her lack of knowledge of Australian celebrities.
Cox said Ten had been drawn to Lohan’s controversial appeal.
“She’s known for other factors rather than being a performer of top standing. I don’t see how she can add anything to the show from that point of view,” he said.
He praised the other judges, saying that Lohan was the “only one who stands out as inappropriate”.
However, media commentator Steve Allen backed Ten’s decision, describing the Hollywood star-turned-Mykonos club owner as “very good talent” for Ten.
“She is certainly very good talent on the show,” he told News Corp Australia.
“She gets it and has fun with it. She’s not what we’ve come to understand about her from what we’ve read about in gossip press.”
Allen said Lohan — who dabbled in a pop career of her own with the song Rumours in 2004 — “understands performing”.
THE ROBOT IS REVEALED
The Masked Singer final reveal was a ratings success for Ten drawing 1.37 million viewers nationally.
Pop star Cody Simpson — the rumoured new boyfriend of Miley Cyrus — was unmasked as the robot.
In one of the most hotly-anticipated finales in Australian TV this year, the last three singers to be unmasked had viewers on the edge of their seats.
The “robot”, “wolf” and “monster” were competing for the title of Australia’s first Masked Singer winner.
The Project’s Gorgi Coghlan was the first cab off the rank, ripping off her elaborate monster costume to reveal her identity.
Next up was the wolf who — in line with audience speculation — was revealed to be actor-singer Rob Mills.
Right up to the end, the identities of the robot, wolf and monster remained closely-guarded secrets, with Masked Singer judges Lindsay Lohan, Dave Hughes, Jackie O and Dannii Minogue speculating in previous episodes.
But it was Lohan who guessed Simpson’s identity correctly.
That impressed the 22-year-old LA-based Aussie who took to Instagram to share his shock as he watched himself in the show’s grand finale from his Sydney hotel room.
“We have some weird connection and I think you are Cody Simpson,” Lohan said in her final address to Simpson.
He turned to the camera and said: “She's right, she’s right!”
Lohan, 33, pointed out the clues that gave it away.
“The surfing, the waves, coming back home, and my sister Ali dated him so I have a little insight,” she told the judges after guessing Simpson.
“If it is you, we have a lot to talk about, and this is not the arena for it,” she said jokingly.
She then said: “I want my furniture back! Because I bought your furniture for your house in Venice!”
When the robot mask came off, Lohan expressed surprise: “I can’t believe this!”
The big reveals come after the previous contestants were unveiled including singers Kate Ceberano (lion), Demi Hines (unicorn) and Paulini (spider), sports star Wendell Sailor (rhino), TV host Gretel Killeen (octopus), ex-cricketer Brett Lee (parrot), former The Voice host Darren McMullen (prawn), former child star Nikki Webster (alien), and country singer Adam Brand (dragon).
ROBOT
The arrival of Cody Simpson at Sydney Airport yesterday gave perhaps the biggest indication yet that he was one of the masked singers.
Other clues for the “robot” have included: that he was “created by the digital age” (aka YouTube and social media), “cares about the real world” (environmentalist) and carried a bag with the letters “UN” on it (aka United Nations, of which Simpson is an advocate for World Oceans Day).
A competitive swimmer, other clues that linked the “robot” to Simpson were that “as a young robot, my favourite animal was the butterfly” and he was “surrounded by gold”.
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Masked Singer’s second series has been confirmed
Inside Cody and Miles’s romance
“From an early age it was head down following the same direction,” the robot also revealed.
Even more timely was the robot’s song choice of Jolene, originally performed by country legend Dolly Parton (who is also the godmother of Simpson’s rumoured girlfriend, Cyrus).
“Of course, I never forget that the family that stays together, plays together,” the robot said, alluding to his famous sister, Instagram model Alli Simpson.
“From an early age, I’ve been popping my ribbons, chasing a dream. It was head down, following the straight and narrow path laid out by others, all heading the same way.”
Robot’s song choices have included Hold Back the River, Horses, I Don’t Care, Can’t Get You Out of My Head and Jolene/Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.
MONSTER
With song choices including Think, I Want to Know What Love Is, Beautiful, All By Myself, and Listen to Your Heart, fans were certain the “monster” was The Project TV host, Georgi Coghlan.
Monster’s cryptic clues have included: “In my work, you have to deal with some heavy material, and I’ve been doing it since I was much younger,” she said, hinting at Coghlan’s career as a TV reporter.
“I am more than the voice behind the panel,” she said, hinting at The Project, Ten’s nightly panel-style news show that Coghlan is a regular on.
“In my daily life, I do a job I love. It’s different and it can be hard and very confronting. But my most important job is being a mum to our daughter,” she added, possibly referring to Coghlan’s daughter, Molly-Rose.
Jackie O was the main Masked Singer judge to back Coghlan as the furry red monster.
WOLF
Dannii Minogue led the (correct) guesses that the wolf is Rob Mills, aka the Australian Idol alumn turned Neighbours actor.
His song list included Man I Feel Like a Woman, There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, Disco Inferno, Shallow and Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).
Clues included: “As a pup I was keen on sport, it was my dream to make it to the top with huge crowds cheering me on,” pointing to Mills’ interest in the AFL.
“I did run wild when I was a pup,” wolf confessed, alluding to Mills’ fling with Paris Hilton.
