The Masked Singer (American season 1)

The first season of The Masked Singer premiered on January 2, 2019, and lasted for 10 episodes. On February 27, 2019, the Monster (rapper T-Pain) was declared the winner, and the Peacock (singer Donny Osmond) the runner-up.

Twelve celebrities compete anonymously in newly created full-bodied costumes including distinctive masks. Before each performance a video package teases clues to their identity with the celebrity narrating aspects of their biography in a disguised voice. After each performs in their own voice, the panel attempts to guess who is the masked singer. The contestants are later voted on to see who is safe and continues, or is up for a further round of singing in that episode, and possibly elimination.

Production
The costumes worn by the celebrity contestants were designed by Marina Toybina, a four-time Emmy Award winner.

Panelists and host
The panelists consisted of singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, television personality Jenny McCarthy, actor and comedian Ken Jeong, and recording artist Nicole Scherzinger. Nick Cannon hosted the show.

Throughout the season, various guest panelists appeared as the fifth panelist in the judging panel for one or two episodes. These guest panelists included actor and comedian Joel McHale (episodes 3–4), actor and comedian J. B. Smoove (episode 7), and comedian Kenan Thompson (episodes 8 and 10).

Celebrities
The competitors were said to have a combined 65 Grammy nominations, 16 multi-Platinum albums, 16 Emmy nominations, 9 Broadway shows, 4 Super Bowl titles, and 4 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

{{Legend|#F888FD|The masked singer won their face-off and remained in the competition.}} {{Legend|#F3F781|The masked singer lost their face-off, but was not eliminated.}} {{Legend|lightgreen|The masked singer was safe from elimination.}} {{Legend|salmon|The masked singer was eliminated from the competition and unmasked upon their elimination.}} {{Legend|#FFEBCD|The masked singer did not perform.}}

Week 5 (January 30)

 * Group number: "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons

Week 6 (February 6)

 * Group number: "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas

Week 9 (February 27) – Finale

 * Group number: "Make Way" by Aloe Blacc

Critical response
The premiere episode received mixed reviews. Vulture felt that the series was more entertaining, yet "weirder, sillier, and stupider" than other U.S. music competition programs, and described the format as having the "vibe" of "what if [ Philadelphia Flyers mascot] Gritty walked out on a soundstage made to look like an arena concert, belted out Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me,' was described as 'a professional' by Jenny McCarthy, took off his head to reveal he was Joey Fatone, and the entire experience felt three clicks away from an episode of Black Mirror?" The panelists were considered to be "weak" and "[approaching] their jobs with all the insight and acumen of an America's Next Top Model contestant trying to decipher the Tyra Mail", and that the performances were "underwhelming" (using Ryan Reynolds' surprise appearance on the Korean version singing "Tomorrow" in a "low-rent" unicorn mask as a benchmark) due to the contestants not always being singers. However, the format was deemed to have depth for being "a pretty fascinating examination of celebrity culture, mass appeal, performance, image, and fame."

Emily Yahr of The Washington Post described the premiere episode as "one of the craziest reality shows of our time", acknowledging other similar reactions to the series.